A front wheel with a quick release mechanism can be installed in two orientations: the lever on the left, or the lever on the right. Does it matter in which orientation it's installed? If so, would any problems result from installing it the wrong way?
asked Jul 12, 2011 at 1:59
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9 Answers
In my experience, a front rim is symmetrical, and it doesn't matter which direction it's in. Unlike the rear wheel, where there's a drivetrain side and a non-drivetrain side, the only place where the quick-release handle can be. However, there are some other considerations to keep in mind:
Tires will sometimes have a tread direction. This is usually marked on the tread itself, in the form of an arrow with "direction of rotation" indicated. If you put a rim on a backwards from how you installed the tire, that could be swapped by mistake.
In addition, it makes sense to have the quick releases for both wheels on the same side. I make sure when putting a tire on the rim to set it up so, if both release handles are on the same side, the front tire is in the direction of rotation.
Disc brakes may introduce other considerations; other answers on this page address this. Outside of that, it mechanically makes no difference what side the quick-release is on.
answered Jul 12, 2011 at 2:07
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1I'm almost completely certain of this--it's what my mechanic told me--but any wrenchers here, please do correct me if I got this wrong! Jul 12, 2011 at 2:08
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3Great answer. Only add-on: since it does matter what side the rear q/r is on, because of derailleur and cogs, usually they are both placed on the side opposite the drivetrain. Also disc brakes can require a different placement on some rare bikes.– zenbikeJul 12, 2011 at 3:01
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2And if you have a magnet for a bicycle computer it will want to be within range of the sensor.– KarlJul 12, 2011 at 5:03
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1@Neil Fein: I cited one more reason (skewer-disk interference, cited in a Shimano manual) in my answer. Sep 23, 2011 at 19:15
Generally the QR lever on the rear tire is on the left, so as to not interfere with the derailer. It makes (a little) sense to put the QR lever of the front tire on the same side (at least if you have any OCD tendencies). But it basically doesn't matter, so long as the tire has no preferred rotation direction (and you don't have something like disk brakes that demands a certain orientation).
(And if the tire direction is wrong you can always remove the skewer and insert it from the other side -- the axle itself is perfectly symmetrical.)
answered Jul 12, 2011 at 2:15
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4Only OCD for normal people. SOP for racers... You don't want to have to think about which side of the bike to be one to take care of a flat. You always want to hop off to the same side no matter what! Jul 12, 2011 at 20:25
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1@BrianKnoblauch - But what about the people who want a perfectly balanced bike and so put the two levers on opposite sides to balance out? Sep 24, 2014 at 23:55
Actually, there can be difference, if you are using disc brakes. For practical reasons, you should put the release on opposite side to the brake rotor to avoid accidentaly touching it. First, it may be still hot from braking, when you need to swap the tire, second, your hands can have oil (or your body oil mixed with sweat) on them and that can be bad for the rotor surface and brake pads.
On the road bikes it is considered to be a tradition to put them on the left, non drive side (front and back).
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That being said, I always put my QRs on the right, because it is most important for me not to interfere with the discs. The rear QR interfering with the RD is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that the QR won't loosen and get into the disc.– VoracSep 24, 2014 at 6:46
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In addition to the practical reasons given here for placing the quick release lever on the side opposite from the rotor, there is one important safety reason: in case the lever should come untightened (and is of unfortunate dimensions) it could potentially jam in the rotor causing the front wheel to suddenly stop, sending rider over the bars. (I think this is what @Vorac was implying, but I wanted to write it explicitly.) Sep 30, 2015 at 17:58
If I understand the question, I am pretty sure that bicycle tires are heteroflexible, and their orientation, which side, same side, opposite side, does not really matter.
However, I have been told it's best to mount them so that the lever itself points to the back of the bicycle, so it does not get trapped in anything and pop open.
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1+1 for lever orientation. But good number of MTB tires I used had clear direction differences in their pattern.– KromsterJul 12, 2011 at 6:41
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1Pretty sure bike tires don't care which way your gate swings. But they do have different directional tread patterns. Also, if that term applied here, wouldn't it mean that the tire had different orientations depending on situation or position?– zenbikeJul 12, 2011 at 8:00
I think that it is really important for the logo on the front hub to be the right way up when looking at the bike from the front.
The q-r lever should be on the left because it then does not have any possibility to entangle with the q-r lever of the bike in front.
The lever should also be folder to point upwards in parallel with the fork blade.
The tyre should be pointing in the direction marked forward on the sidewall.
Having one of these points wrong distresses me deeply. Particularly if the tyre has to be taken off and turned around so it aligns with the logo on the hub.
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And remember, looking through the valve hole, one must be able to read the logo on the hub. +1 for the laugh!– VoracSep 24, 2014 at 6:48
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I'm not sure what you mean in the second paragraph "The q-r lever should be on the left because it then does not have any possibility to entangle with the q-r lever of the bike in front" – is this a potential accident if you get too close riding in a pack?– dluSep 25, 2015 at 2:01
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Curious that you value the aesthetic of having the hub logo the "right way up" when your SE username is not :-P– Criggie ♦Jul 13, 2017 at 5:22
I have read on a Shimano disc-brake manual that you should leave the skewer to the opposite side of the disc.
That is so because, THEORETICALLY, some skewer levers could be turned beyond their closed position (parallel to the fork blade), and its tip could block the disk, causing a fall.
Practically speaking, I have never seen any skewer, be it in my bike or others', in such a position. Besides, since Shimano skewer is assymmetrical, it is much harder to get a good position if you mount it on the side opposite to the disc.
As of skewer orientation, I prefer closing it "upwards", so the closed lever is parallel to the fork blade, pointing up, with just enough room to wrap the fingers around it, and never too tight.
answered Sep 23, 2011 at 19:12
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With regard to skewer lever orientation, I heard many years ago of a case where someone drafting managed to (quite unintentionally) get their tire behind the rear lever of the bike ahead and flip it open, causing the wheel to come loose. And of course the same problem can occur when riding by a bush or whatever if the lever points forward. So probably upward is best both front and rear. Jun 21, 2013 at 21:38
I was just told by my LBS that both my front tire AND wheel we're on backwards. My tire (Vredestein Triforzza) has a slight diagonal sipe (but no arrow on the sidewall). My wheel's decal was upside down. I said "OK, but the wheel is symmetrical so what difference does it make?". The mechanic said the cones in the hub are designed to rotate in one direction and may loosen over time if the wheel is installed backwards. I was experiencing speed wobble. I hope this fixes it.
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1I've never seen a hub where the cones were directional -- this is not a feature of standard hubs. But I suppose perhaps your hub is unusual in this regard. May 9, 2013 at 15:43
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I've not seen directional cones either, but not mentioned in other answers is that some hub dynamos do have a preferred direction: peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.php "SON20 & SON28 Classic Hub Alignment".– armbDec 14, 2016 at 8:46
Put the quick release on your stronger arm side based on where you are stood/sat when you put it up/take it off. Then you are more likely to have an easy on/off. I change over my car tires due to more wear on one side than the other but I don't get this as much on the bike.
Front wheel quick release always on LEFT Pedal side in factorys, the tyre is put on with any arrows facing forward and to save checking we just put the quick release on left. Job was to check.
