# superlight Ti skewers?



## TricrossRich

who makes the lightest skewers? These are the lightest I've found...

https://fairwheelbikes.com/extralit...6.html?zenid=d8dd907aa78980aeadf2bd25a16fe0d2


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## MMsRepBike

you should just go with those, they're stupid light.


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## myhui

If their threads strip, or they simply break in half, then down you go.


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## TricrossRich

myhui said:


> If their threads strip, or they simply break in half, then down you go.


Thanks... I must've missed the part of the post where I asked to explain what things could go wrong while riding a bike.


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## TricrossRich

MMsRepBike said:


> you should just go with those, they're stupid light.


LOL... I'd like to, but that's too rich for my blood. I'm asking because I'm trying to find other options that may be close, but not as costly. The Zipp ones aren't bad, but I'd feel like a poser if I was rocking Zipp skewers and not Zipp wheels.


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## Marc

TricrossRich said:


> LOL... I'd like to, but that's too rich for my blood. I'm asking because I'm trying to find other options that may be close, but not as costly. The Zipp ones aren't bad, but I'd feel like a poser if I was rocking Zipp skewers and not Zipp wheels.


Enve makes some 60g Ti skewers that I like and are pretty cheap

https://fairwheelbikes.com/enve-titanium-road-skewers-p-5522.html


stationary trainers will muck the finish on the handle-pivot up a bit IME.



12 High End Skewers Reviewed - Fair Wheel Bikes


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## TricrossRich

Marc said:


> stationary trainers will muck the finish on the handle-pivot up a bit IME.


Yea... the bike these would be going on, would never see a trainer. I've got my TriCross for that... 

Thanks for the link... that's pretty darn good.


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## ericm979

All the Fairwheel reviews are good.

I find the KCNC skewers to be a reasonable balance between light weight and low cost.
The only disadvantage is their handles are a bit too short so you have to use more force.


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## twinkles

I am using BHS steel skewers that weigh 57 grams and cost $32. The reason I've shied away from ti skewers, is because I had some many years ago which would let the front wheel undulate-wobble during sharp turns, which I didn't prefer. I've owned lots of ti bike related stuff in my life, and the ti skewer set was what I liked the least. Maybe they've improved them over the last 15 years?


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## skitorski

I have 40g for the pair Off eBay store JL or J&L. $18 bid war - Retail for $30. 2,500 miles on them in year and a half, almost all hills slow up and FAST down. Understanding the mechanics involved, it's clamping force, not insane tensile strength. Fairwheels is ridiculously overpriced. Whatever floats your boat.


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## myhui

I got my 50 gram ones from Ebay:

Lightweight AEST Titanium Quick Release Skewers 48g Black Road MTB Cycling USA | eBay

Their prices have varied widely, but I'm showing you the link to the ones I got since mine have exactly the same packaging as these, but I bought them from a different seller.

Just search for titanium skewers | eBay

Support the under-dogs and buy from Hong Kong.

Support the oppressors and buy from China.


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## froze

TricrossRich said:


> Thanks... I must've missed the part of the post where I asked to explain what things could go wrong while riding a bike.


He may have said it politically incorrectly but what he said is true. Uber lightweight stuff does have a tendency to break and skewers more so than not, also since they are so lightweight they can't clamp down as tight as most other skewers can, and I would surly stay away from some no name light weight skewer! If you want a bike with the bragging rights of having the lightest skewers then go for it, but if you want skewer that will last a long time without fail then you need to find something a bit more substantial.

Enve makes a TI skewer that weighs 55 grms a pair and they only cost $58 for the pair, three times less then what you want to get, see: Enve Titanium Quick Release Road Skewers - Wheelbuilder.com 

Titanium is great for some applications but a skewer must clamp and in doing so it tries to stretch the rod and with ti it will stretch and over the long haul could loosen up, or not clamp securely anymore, or snap. So if you want something a bit more robust then I would go with stainless steel skewers, Zipp makes a set that cost about $45 for the pair and weigh 74 grms for the pair...a measly 20 grms more for a skewer that won't fail, see: Zipp Stainless Steel Quick Release Skewers - Wheelbuilder.com But if you're a diehard Ti skewer fan then I would probably go with KCNC, about 1/2 the cost of the ones your looking at and they have really high reviews, but even people that review these say they're great for racing, but wouldn't recommend them for everyday use.

So that's what you need to look at, if you want a great everyday reliable skewer I would go with the Zipp, if you got to have ti then go with either the KCNC or the Enve but of those two KCNC seems to have higher regards in the industry.


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## myhui

Check whether the threads are tight enough by wiggling the nut when it's threaded into the bolt. The tighter it is, the closer the tolerance, and that makes it safer.


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## Diopena1

I 'll vouch for these:
https://fairwheelbikes.com/kcnc-gro...6.html?zenid=d8dd907aa78980aeadf2bd25a16fe0d2

KCNC's are nice, they have held up for about 2000 miles without any issue. I weight about 205, and I like to romp on the pedals (downhill and on flats mostly), my powermeter has hit 1400 watts (albeit for a very short time). And these skewers feel solid, no wheel wobble, no worries.

I did however have these before: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9XL5O8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not bad, but KCNC's put them to shame.

You get what you pay for. Enve ti skewers are solid also <- I tried them when I rented some Enve wheels, liked them also.


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## MoPho

To counter, I have the KCNC's and they haven't been that great. As mentioned the amount of effort to get them tight is really high, on the rear I had to clamp them so hard it felt like I was going to crack my frame. They would creak constantly, I would grease them and the creak would go away for about a week or two but always came back. At about 5000 miles the bushing on the rear one broke and then it took even more effort to tighten and the creaking got worse. I also found it difficult to place the wheel properly, every time I removed the wheel it would take a few tries to get the gears properly aligned so I didn't get some sort of chain jump.
I've finally abandoned it recently and put the heavier and Reynolds skewer back and problems solved. I still keep the front one as that has been less problematic and I bought the KCNC for the look/color as much as the weight. 

Your mileage may vary 


.


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## Diopena1

MoPho said:


> To counter, I have the KCNC's and they haven't been that great. As mentioned the amount of effort to get them tight is really high, on the rear I had to clamp them so hard it felt like I was going to crack my frame. They would creak constantly, I would grease them and the creak would go away for about a week or two but always came back. At about 5000 miles the bushing on the rear one broke and then it took even more effort to tighten and the creaking got worse. I also found it difficult to place the wheel properly, every time I removed the wheel it would take a few tries to get the gears properly aligned so I didn't get some sort of chain jump.
> I've finally abandoned it recently and put the heavier and Reynolds skewer back and problems solved. I still keep the front one as that has been less problematic and I bought the KCNC for the look/color as much as the weight.
> 
> Your mileage may vary
> 
> 
> .


LOL.... Parts lifespan varies a lot depending on rider, riding style, how the part is maintained, etc.
What's weird is that with the KCNC's I have I can set the rear wheel- no problem, its the front that's a bit of a hassle, but, once its set, it stays there. I think the ones I got were a revised model with bigger contact points, the truvelo ones served me right, but the area of clamping force was small, thus, more wheel shimmy felt on a regular ride.
I have Mavic wheels, and their damned skewers developed a rattle which drove me away from using them.


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## MoPho

Diopena1 said:


> LOL.... Parts lifespan varies a lot depending on rider, riding style, how the part is maintained, etc.


Well I had the creaking and other problems from day one, I just put up with it for 5k miles until the bushing finally broke and I had to give up. 


.


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## skitorski

froze said:


> Titanium is great for some applications but a skewer must clamp and in doing so it tries to stretch the rod and with ti it will stretch and over the long haul could loosen up, or not clamp securely anymore, or snap. .


Not really true. 

yes and no. 

Well maybe !!!

Depends 

on the strain applied. The tension. It may never stretch a measurable amount, or, even stainless steel could yield, fatigue, stretch under some force.

Pretty sure my cheap ti skewers haven't fatigued or stretched. I am way more concerned with getting a flat tire.


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## froze

skitorski said:


> Not really true.
> 
> yes and no.
> 
> Well maybe !!!
> 
> Depends
> 
> on the strain applied. The tension. It may never stretch a measurable amount, or, even stainless steel could yield, fatigue, stretch under some force.
> 
> Pretty sure my cheap ti skewers haven't fatigued or stretched. I am way more concerned with getting a flat tire.


Titanium stretches more than steel because it's elastic modulus is lower than steel, so what does that mean you scream? It means that the cam device has to pull a bit more (meaning a fraction more not a lot more) skewer rod to get the same clamping force as a steel rod. In reality this means you need to have about twice the force to get the strain on the bolt to hold the wheel on properly as you do with steel, (this is not saying that the TI rod is stretching twice as much, it's only stretching maybe .002 of an inch more but it;s the force that's doubling to clamp it properly) thus if not done right you could have a ti skewer let your wheel loose which may not be a good thing. Most people who have used TI skewers end up not liking them, someone who is not riding hard probably wouldn't care. Now knowing this think about why pro racers don't use TI skewers... Most pro riders prefer Dura Ace skewers which are quite a bit heavier than a lot of other skewers even some steel ones. 

AngryAsian: Death to crappy quick-release skewers - BikeRadar


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## myhui

The shape of the elliptical piece that presses down onto the bowl must be precisely shaped, and the material used to make the bowl must be just right as well.

If those two key points are OK, and you don't over tighten the nut, then it should work just fine.


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## TricrossRich

Thanks to all of those that replied.... I ended up going with the KCNC grooved Ti skewers.

https://fairwheelbikes.com/kcnc-gro...6.html?zenid=d8dd907aa78980aeadf2bd25a16fe0d2

I didn't really want this to turn into a debate on the safeness of lightweight skewers or parts in general, but it seems that its inevitable that the discussion will go down that road. The skewers are going on a 2015 Specialized Venge Pro. I'm building it with DA9000 groupset, Fizik Antares 00 saddle, S-Works Aerofly bars, Fizik Cyrano R1 stem, DA9000 pedals... All said and done, it should be about 15 pounds. It will never see a trainer and it should never see bad weather/rain. I have a 2013 TriCross Elite Disc that is my trainer/foul weather bike.


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## skitorski

> It means that the cam device has to pull a bit more (meaning a fraction more not a lot more) skewer rod to get the same clamping force as a steel rod.


That is not true. Whisper. The Ti stretches only if the modulus is exceeded. Sufficient clamping force may or may not be achieved by applying force which may or may not exceed the modulus.

Go pull on a steel rod and an aluminum rod, or fork, or rake or anything. Just because you pull, you put tension on something metal doesn't mean you stretch or yield it. You can pull something hard enough to achieve the effect you want, that doesn't mean you stretch it, or didn't clamp it hard enough. Pro racers do a lot of really weird &^%$ we can't comment on here in public. Any novice can put as much or more force on a skewers as any super duper pro. And, I'll wager the novice keeps his skewers longer, and that he abuses them by over tightening them and running over stuff, hard. I am one of them. Really, actually, it's a moot intellectual argument with little technical merit. 

I have ridden my 34-mile 1,200 ft climb circuit with the skewers accidentally unclamped. Front end was a little loose but the force required by the skewers isn't sufficient to justify an debate about metallurgical properties. I'll let you know when mine fail. Basically it's another people want to emulate the pros show.


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## pone

TricrossRich said:


> LOL... I'd like to, but that's too rich for my blood. I'm asking because I'm trying to find other options that may be close, but not as costly. *The Zipp ones aren't bad, but I'd feel like a poser if I was rocking Zipp skewers and not Zipp wheels.*


i wouldn't worry about that, i don't think matching them to your wheels makes you look any less of a poseur.


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## RCMTB

Would any you recommend the KCNC or Enve skewers for cyclocross racing?


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## izza

Enve now sell steel and Ti skewers. Are the steel ones as thick as the Dura Ace ones?


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## froze

RCMTB said:


> Would any you recommend the KCNC or Enve skewers for cyclocross racing?


If your doing cross racing I would use only a steel skewer, which I believe both companies make so there isn't a whole lot of difference although for some reason the KCNC got poor reviews so probably the Enve would be better.

Hope makes a really nice stainless steel skewer you might want to check out.


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## sramred

I've been using KCNC TI skewers for over 2k miles with no problem


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