15mm through axle vs QR for 29er?

[mr HED]

anyone switched from QR to 15mm on a 29er?

 

is there a noticeable difference?

 

starting to build up my "2013 epic" bike. have a 29er qr fork not sure if its worth upgrading to 15mm axle

[RockCoach]

I'd do everything I could to stiffen and strengthen up a 29er. But that is just me.

[NINER_boy]

Hi there mr HED

 

The short answer;

 

YES!!!

 

Upgrade to a 20mm or 15mm, and the front end stiffness is unbelievable!!!

Especially on 29er's with a larger wheel diameter.

 

If you can, even consider a rear thru axle...

 

Yip, stiffness in the rear also makes a BIG difference.

 

Happy building and good luck with the training

[Johan Bornman]

It makes a huge difference. Suddenly your quick release is quick again. Quick Release was developed in pre-Lawyers-lip days and it is a PITA to fit and remove on suspension forks. With TA, your wheel removal is quick. Howver, you may have issues with roof racks, workstands etc that still rely on QR.

 

Do it...but the stiffness aspect is over rated.

[D Vader]

I've had a 15mm through axle on 29er and still have one on a 26er, but new 29er has normal QR and I REALLY can NOT feel a big difference, I think a tapered fork probably makes a bigger change.( Carbon steerer?)

Rather have someone Like Johan Borman build you a proper wheel/ wheelset.

Throughaxles are in my humble opinion a bit of a waste of time and money, and a schlep ( also a bit heavier fork)

Edited May 8, 2012 by D Vader

[Iwan Kemp]

Hi there mr HED

 

The short answer;

 

YES!!!

 

Upgrade to a 20mm or 15mm, and the front end stiffness is unbelievable!!!

Especially on 29er's with a larger wheel diameter.

 

If you can, even consider a rear thru axle...

 

Yip, stiffness in the rear also makes a BIG difference.

 

Happy building and good luck with the training

 

Yip

[covie]

anyone switched from QR to 15mm on a 29er?

 

is there a noticeable difference?

 

starting to build up my "2013 epic" bike. have a 29er qr fork not sure if its worth upgrading to 15mm axle

anyone switched from QR to 15mm on a 29er?

 

is there a noticeable difference?

 

starting to build up my "2013 epic" bike. have a 29er qr fork not sure if its worth upgrading to 15mm axle

 

I ride 20mm thru axle front on my 29 with 142-12mm rear and it makes the world of difference as far as rigidty and stiffness is concerned, bike handles like and absolute dream on the rough stuff. There is a weight penalty but its worth it.

[splat]

For interest sake, what is the weight penalty?

[covie]

For interest sake, what is the weight penalty?

 

that someone like Johan could probably answer its about 40grams on the fork, then obviously your thru axles weigh more than your QR's, not sure about the internals on the hubs, vs having adapters.

 

Im going to get my new wheelset this week will then attempt to weigh and see whats the diff between a quality 142/12 and 20mm wheelset vs a stock wheelset.

[Nimby]

If you're riding mostly XC / Trail then I think 20mm up front is overkill - especially now that Rock Shox are doing a 15mm Maxle Lite.

No experience with through-axles on the rear though.

[Iwan Kemp]

For interest sake, what is the weight penalty?

 

Rear is just axle vs QR weight. Don't get bling titanium axles yet, but it'll come.

Front there's no real weight penalty on the fork's side. Bit on the hub's side and again the axle.

[mr HED]

It makes a huge difference. Suddenly your quick release is quick again. Quick Release was developed in pre-Lawyers-lip days and it is a PITA to fit and remove on suspension forks. With TA, your wheel removal is quick. Howver, you may have issues with roof racks, workstands etc that still rely on QR.

 

Do it...but the stiffness aspect is over rated.

thanks johan, luckily my thule is a wheel clamp one and bike work stand clamps the frame!

[NotSoBigBen]

According to one of our riding mates "They are selling us Viagra for our bikes... stiffer this, stiffer that, stiffer, stiffer, stiffer... Frankly, my bike is plenty stiff, thank you very much..."

[mr HED]

thanks guys, some valuable input. building up a bike so want to do it right! i also presume that the weight on the non moving components is not that crucial, also the weight is concentrated in centre of wheel where in theory it matters less. what you want is reliability, the moving parts need to be top notch, wheels, hubs, cranks etc. many wheels pride themselves on low weight but i think you need to assess where the weight is on the wheel, if the rim is heavy and you saved on spokes and hub then i dont think you are getting the benefit that a light rim and better (although slightly heavier) hub provides.

[mr HED]

According to one of our riding mates "They are selling us Viagra for our bikes... stiffer this, stiffer that, stiffer, stiffer, stiffer... Frankly, my bike is plenty stiff, thank you very much..."

 

thats why i am going for a full sus! stiffe everything and then open up the shocks! we must be mad!

[mr HED]

If you're riding mostly XC / Trail then I think 20mm up front is overkill - especially now that Rock Shox are doing a 15mm Maxle Lite.

No experience with through-axles on the rear though.

using it for epic and other stage races.