First off, I do not recommend anyone try this modification. This is an old fork that is out of warranty. I am not worried about any damage I may do to it. Also, Don't do this. Why? Because:
- I am still not sure I am going to keep it this way. At the very least, it makes changing a flat at the trails more of a chore.
- I do not know if it will stay tight.
-It doesn't really do anything better. It is marginally lighter. Not really worth the inconvenience.
-Don't do it! Did I mention that?
First, I removed my Maxle from my Pike. Fully assembled, it looks like this:
I dissasembled my maxle:
I had an old bolt-on rear skewer that seemed identical to the Maxle inner skewer in diameter and length. It looked like it would work:
I assembled the Maxle with the bolt-on skewer and everything appeared to work fine. The problem though, is there is now no way to tighten the maxle into the fork. The lever was used to thread the maxle into the lowers. I disassembled the maxle and installed it empty, without plastic wedges, springs, or the threaded end piece. I re-installed the lever only into the maxle:
Then used it to tighten the maxle like so:
I then reassembled the Maxle while it is iin the fork,, but used the bolt-on skewer. All pieces fit perfectly. I did add a washer under the allen head of the bolt-on skewer. The washer is just a tiny bit smaller than the plasctic cone wedge. This helps prevent the head from damaging the plastic.
Here's how it looks after I tightened it down (not very tight!) No more lever!
Notes:
I would like to fabricate an end piece that fits nice and clean into the area where the lever was. Maybe incorporate a fitting that allows for easier removal. Also, I am not sure how tight to make it. I do not want to damage the soft plastic, but I do not want it to come loose either.
What do you think?
- I am still not sure I am going to keep it this way. At the very least, it makes changing a flat at the trails more of a chore.
- I do not know if it will stay tight.
-It doesn't really do anything better. It is marginally lighter. Not really worth the inconvenience.
-Don't do it! Did I mention that?
First, I removed my Maxle from my Pike. Fully assembled, it looks like this:
I dissasembled my maxle:
I had an old bolt-on rear skewer that seemed identical to the Maxle inner skewer in diameter and length. It looked like it would work:
I assembled the Maxle with the bolt-on skewer and everything appeared to work fine. The problem though, is there is now no way to tighten the maxle into the fork. The lever was used to thread the maxle into the lowers. I disassembled the maxle and installed it empty, without plastic wedges, springs, or the threaded end piece. I re-installed the lever only into the maxle:
Then used it to tighten the maxle like so:
I then reassembled the Maxle while it is iin the fork,, but used the bolt-on skewer. All pieces fit perfectly. I did add a washer under the allen head of the bolt-on skewer. The washer is just a tiny bit smaller than the plasctic cone wedge. This helps prevent the head from damaging the plastic.
Here's how it looks after I tightened it down (not very tight!) No more lever!
Notes:
I would like to fabricate an end piece that fits nice and clean into the area where the lever was. Maybe incorporate a fitting that allows for easier removal. Also, I am not sure how tight to make it. I do not want to damage the soft plastic, but I do not want it to come loose either.
What do you think?
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