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My front wheel came off at 18 mph on the Burke-Gilman trail, all because I skipped one step
So last Saturday I was riding the Burke-Gilman trail here in Seattle, about 18 mph, just cruising, and my front wheel suddenly wobbled hard and then popped right out of the fork. I went over the bars and slid across the pavement. Somehow I only walked away with a scraped palm and a bent derailleur hanger, but it could have been way worse. Here is the dumb part. I had pulled that wheel off two days earlier to fix a flat in my living room, and when I put it back on I tightened the quick release with my fingers and figured that was good enough. I never flipped the lever over to the closed position. I just spun the nut down snug and left it like that. The wheel held for two whole rides before it let go on a bump. I walked the bike 3 miles to a shop on 45th and the guy there showed me the lever was sitting at like 45 degrees, not locked flat. So now I actually test it. I lift the bike and smack the top of the tire with my palm. If the wheel moves at all, it is not tight. What is your go to check before you ride, because I clearly need a better routine.
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joseph_martinez3512d ago
The lever sitting at 45 degrees like that is basically the quick release equivalent of leaving your gas cap dangling. Glad you only got a scraped palm out of an 18 mph wheel ejection, that bump could've waited till you were crossing the trail bridge. I just bonk the tire and check for any wiggle before I clip in, cheap habit that's saved me more than once.
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