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Where do the springs on a skewer go in relation to dropouts? And which way do they face?

My springs are conical but I can't recall which direction the cone pointed or if they were between hub and dropout or dropout and skewer end! Doh!

At the moment they are pointed out and between dropout and skewer end, but I need to fit a trailer hitch point.

1 Answer 1

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From Sheldon Brown:

enter image description here

The lever goes on the non-drive side of the bike (i.e. the side without the gears). One spring should be on the non-drive side of the bike and the other spring should be on the drive side. The smaller ends of the springs should be pointing towards each other, towards the center of the skewer.

Since you asked this, I strongly suggest you read the "Installing a quick-release wheel" of Sheldon Brown's page (linked above).

5
  • Good advice batman! 😀
    – BlueChippy
    Sep 11, 2016 at 15:43
  • What about with a trailer hitch?
    – BlueChippy
    Sep 11, 2016 at 17:59
  • What about the trailer hitch? Follow the trailer's manual -- different ones use different mounting strategies.
    – Batman
    Sep 11, 2016 at 18:15
  • 1
    For a trailer, consider replacing the QR and hollow axle with traditional nuts on a solid axle. Generally the QR is not long enough to clamp down on a trailer and still have sufficient threat engagement.
    – Criggie
    Sep 11, 2016 at 22:08
  • Buuttt, why does it matter which way round they go?
    – Swifty
    Mar 31, 2020 at 21:01

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