Skewers & Axles

Axles and skewers are the spine of your wheel hub, interfacing between hub and frame to ensure everything is working harmoniously. With many axle dimensions it can be hard to know what you need. Let us give you a hand!

To lay out a loose set of rules, let’s distinguish what we’re talking about here:

1) Axles run through the centre of the hub and connect it to the bicycle frame. Everything rolls around the axle, with bearings allow this rolling to take place smoothly and distributing the forces evenly.

2) Skewers run through the middle of the axle (like a babushka doll, the skewer sits inside the axle, which in turn sits inside the hub). Unlike the axle, the skewer does not directly contact the rest of the hub or the bearings, and its sole job is to provide clamping force; when the skewer is tightened, compressive forces lock it in place in the frame’s dropouts.

Quick-release skewers use a lever that allows you to remove your wheel by hand. Older axles dispense with the need for skewers, and instead use threaded nuts to clamp the wheel in place. Blending the two, “security skewers” instead use a small tool or “key” to make it more difficult for someone to run off with your wheels, while still using a modern axle system.

Thru-Axles are essentially a combined axle and skewer in the one unit and require a modern bike with the correct drop-outs. Many have quick-release levers that allow you to unscrew the axle by hand. Others offer bolt-up solutions that normally require a 4-6mm allen key to undo.

Some rad folks over at the Robert Axle Project and Old Man Mountain have even developed replacement axles to use with a rack or trailer, boosting your carrying capacity for whatever may come: Beers? Kids? Both?

Know what you need? Great! Confused, flustered and frustrated with the million different axle standards? We’ve also been there. Don’t worry, we can help.