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I'm replacing the quick release skewers on my bike with allen key skewers for a little security.

Clearly the old skewers were well greased and it sounds pretty standard to grease them. There are plenty of forum posts at a google search but I thought it would be useful to ask here.

Is there any chance I shouldn't lubricate the skewers? There is no indication on the package that this is necessary.

What lubricant should I use?

What exctly is the lubricatant for? All of the rotation should be handled by the hub, there shouldn't be any rotating friction on the skewers themselves right?

Thanks!

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  • 2
    I've never bothered lubricating skewers.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Sep 30, 2019 at 18:11
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    I grease skewers but for protection, not lubrication.
    – Criggie ♦
    Oct 1, 2019 at 8:18

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This is really a personal preference. Usually people will grease the skewer threads and sometimes the skewer shaft as a way to help prevent seizing and corrosion. This can be especially useful if the skewer is made from cheap steel and/or the bike is frequently ridden or lives in wet conditions.

Sometimes skewer shafts are chromed, in this case I wouldn't bother to grease if the chrome is intact as it will prevent corrosion.

If the bike rarely sees inclement weather (e.g., fair weather and stored indoors) then I wouldn't bother at all.

If you do want to grease the skewer, standard lithium grease should be fine.

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  • thanks, that makes perfect sense to me. Just wanted a sanity check on whether I was missing an obvious reason the skewers needed some grease.
    – Hugh_Kelley
    Sep 30, 2019 at 19:16
  • I've read in some places that you shouldn't, although I don't remember where and also I don't remember the reason they gave.
    – Carel
    Sep 30, 2019 at 20:50
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    @Carel some people were concerned that greasing the cam (open cam designs) will make it too easy to open, causing to QR to open under riding conditions. I never discussed greasing cams and I see this as a non-issue if the QR is properly closed with sufficient tension. I could see it as a potential issue if the QR is not adequately fixed and the user is riding on rough terrain or otherwise causing some flex between the hub/drop-out interface.
    – Rider_X
    Sep 30, 2019 at 21:10
  • Grease can freeze up in very cold conditions, but I don't see how that would be an issue with skewers.
    – Fred the Magic Wonder Dog
    Oct 1, 2019 at 23:35
  • Cams are not held in place by friction but by the cam overcoming skewer tension. If a lubricated can opens it is either defective or the skewer isn't tensioned. Relying on friction instead of the force a fastener is designed for is not a viable backup strategy.
    – gschenk
    Oct 2, 2019 at 9:37

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