Thanks, Mitch, that was my impression as well. The discussion seems to have centered on racers, but I think maybe there might be a simpler answer in regard to tourists. The tourist is typically not in so great a hurry to change a wheel, and is more likely to be carrying tools which could be used for the task as opposed to Tulio's frozen fingers. So the advantage of the QR is simply not as great. Meantime, the tourist may be carrying a fairly heavy load, and the hollow QR axles did almost certainly break more frequently, especially in the days when metallurgy and manufacturing techniques were not what they are today.
So for touring, especially loaded touring, the small added convenience of the QR in changing the wheel did not justify the added risk of finding oneself 100 km from home with a broken axle. I presume that's why one still sometimes sees solid axles on the rear wheels of tandems today.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Mitch Harris <mitch.harris@gmail.com> wrote: Original question was: why did wing nuts persist for so long after the invention of the QR. So both have been part of the topic from the beginning.
Mitch Harris Little Rock Canyon, Utah
On 7/30/07, Doug Smith wrote:
>
> Since when have the early quick release lever had anything to do
> with the original subject of wing nuts.
>
> Had the original subject title been kept to instead of folks veering
> off to quick release uses it would have been more interesting and
> much more of an incentive to participate.
>
> Maybe I'm alone in this but it leaves me completely baffled!!
>
> Oh! well each to their own I suppose.
>
> Doug Smith
> North Dorset
> UK