Creo rear thru axle spinning out

[Saratoga Dave]

Anyone seen this? Last fall I finished a ride and when I picked the bike up and put it on the car rack, the rear wheel came loose and lodged right up into the frame. The thru axle had spun right out of the threads and when I put the bike onto the rack try the axle fell right out.

Never saw that before! I reinstalled it and tightened it way down, and the riding season pretty much ended soon after that when we got a hell of a cold snap, followed by winter.

Today it’s 50 degrees and sunny, so for the third day in row I was able to get out. About ten miles into the ride I felt the shifting getting progressively more sloppy, and remembering this event, I stopped at the top of a three quarter mile downhill to check the rear wheel. As soon as I looked at it I knew the hand lever was in the wrong position and sure enough, it had spun almost completely out the threads again. Two rotations of the axle and it came completely free.

This could have been somewhat exciting, since at the bottom of that hill I am always going at least 30 mph.

Clearly I will be consulting with the peeps at my bike shop and seeking out an appropriate LokTite color, but this is pretty alarming. I’m also going to paint the back of that lever in hi viz yellow so if I look down while riding and don’t see that yellow, I’ll know it’s turned away from the correct position.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No way... A thru-axle fastened to proper torque can never loosen itself. Especially a thru-axle with a lever always set in the same position should be properly torqued...

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

I imagine there are stripped threads on the thru-axle, the frame or both. I'd think there are videos posted on youtube on the repair of this situation. My guess it involves a helo-coil insert (specific to bike frame dropouts). And/or a new thru axle.

Forget about loc-tite. If you have a road side flat, you'll be having to break that anaerobic sealant. Clean threads, oiled or greased on both the dropout and the thru axle is what I do on a somewhat regular basis (as I often have flat tires on a somewhat regular basis! LOL)

Good luck and let us know what the final outcome is!

 

[Allan47.7339]

I've had and seen loose levers on my Creo and others. I believe it's caused by taking the bike in and out of the back of the car(s) and the lever gets bumped. I have a Tailfin axle (similar to a RobertAxle) in the rear that requires a tool to remove and the front is the standard Specialized lever axle. The rear axle has never been loose but I would occasionally notice the front not in the proper position. The lever is spring loaded so after tightening the axle, I move the lever to be parallel to the fork. It is easy to visually check the alignment from then on.

 

[PedalUma]

Yesterday the local Specialized dealer, Arron, accidently stripped the front through axle thread while unboxing and assembling a new eBike. He is bringing it to my buddy to look at today. Most likely he can warranty the fork as a best option. Sometimes you can run the axle in the other direction with some oil to attempt to salvage the threads. There is nothing wrong with a dot of blue lock tight. Just do not use red.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Duly noted on the Loc-tite, Mike. I'll have that axle and the threaded part on the frame looked at.

 

[fooferdoggie]

sometimes they can feel light but not be. the ones with the lever will always be in the same position when they are tight. had that happen on the tandem when it was cold out the axel seemed tight but it was not in the right position.it came loose on the ride.

 

[gpburdell]

Properly torqued threads shouldn't back out, though a little bit of blue loctite isn't bad insurance.

If you have the kind with the lever, remove it and you can use a 12mm socket to torque the thru-axle to 15Nm, then reinstall the lever - ideally aligned with the a stay or the fork tube so you have a quick visual tell-tale that it's where it's supposed to be.

tip - if you need to remove the wheel while on a ride, reposition the lever to a roughly 9-o'clock position if you need to step on it with your heel to start loosening it.

 

[Dazmanturbo]

No, I have neve seen that either, but I always give them a good tighten. I can feel immediately if it is not on correctly

 

[PedalUma]

What about slipping an O-rig over the lever, around the fork, and back over the lever? I often use them to attach bells and lights.

 

[mschwett]

assuming your through axle isn’t the cam type, remove the through axle, clean the threads on frame and axle, look for any signs of stripping, re-apply grease, tighten with a torque wrench to the specified torque.

if it’s the cam type, replace with a proper one, then do the above