For those that got a thru axle road and/ or cross bike

[Lewis Moon]

I have them on my super six. Really stiffened up the front end.

[sandyrs]

I like thru axle for rotor alignment on my cross bike. Stiffness has nothing to do with it. I like it even more for full suspension bikes but that's not what we're talking about.

Funny side note: I'm probably one of the only people in the world who has ridden a boost-spaced cyclocross bike extensively (long story, bike got made with the wrong spec and was replaced eventually but I had it for a couple months). Boost is not the way for rigid bikes.

[hummus_aquinas]

Originally Posted by sandyrs

Boost is not the way for rigid bikes.

Could you please expand on that? Are you commenting on the potential of feeling too stiff on that type of bike? I ask because in building a custom bike with TA, I imagine taking steps toward using boost spacing would essentially "future-proof" it. Funny how "future-proof" means very little this time around...

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by hummus_aquinas

Could you please expand on that? Are you commenting on the potential of feeling too stiff on that type of bike? I ask because in building a custom bike with TA, I imagine taking steps toward using boost spacing would essentially "future-proof" it. Funny how "future-proof" means very little this time around...

For mountain bikes boost spacing can make sense for tire clearance and maybe wheel stiffness reasons but it widens the chainstays even more and makes heel interference more likely on road/cx length chainstays. It also messes up chainline with road/cx drivetrains and moving the rings out can lead to a wider than necessary Q factor. It's not especially bad but it definitely doesn't provide anything that most drop bar disc brake bikes need.

[RudAwkning]

Originally Posted by sandyrs

For mountain bikes boost spacing can make sense for tire clearance and maybe wheel stiffness reasons but it widens the chainstays even more and makes heel interference more likely on road/cx length chainstays. It also messes up chainline with road/cx drivetrains and moving the rings out can lead to a wider than necessary Q factor. It's not especially bad but it definitely doesn't provide anything that most drop bar disc brake bikes need.

I had a boost crank on my boosted Salsa Woodsmoke. The chainline was **** with the short 40cm chainstays. I couldn't ratchet backwards in the 42 or 36. I went to a non-boost crank and everything is peachy now. Go figure.

I solved the heel clearance issues by going with the ISSI pedals with +6mm axles. Shoe size has a large effect on heel clearance, boosted or not.

[Rimbaud]

If I ever get another disc road bike it will have TA's for the alignment benefit, but my current mindset is to devolve away from disc and many other recent tech advances. Just ordered a custom frame with centerpull brake and DT shifter studs!

[PacNW2Ford]

My current evolution is this:
Most of the QR bikes that have lawyer tabs now have DT Swiss RWS skewers, got tired of fiddling with the adjustment every time the front wheel came off. Non-lawyer tabbed QR bikes have high quality QRs (Dura-Ace, Deore XT, Paul, Mavic)

My lone MTB with thru-axles came with the much and deservedly maligned Maxle Lite and it now has a Maxle Stealth on the front and an RWS TA on the back. This requires that I carry a 6mm hex key, but that's fine. I'm waiting for Paragon to make a Maxle replacement with RWS.

My latest Specialized Sequoia has thru-axles with 5mm sockets, they look clean and with discs work just fine, although I need to carry the 5mm hex key. I think I will have to buy an adaptor for my Feedback work stand for the 12mm TA.

I am pretty much axle agnostic, I even have a QR disc steel fork MTB and one of the last Fox QR forks with disc.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Rimbaud

If I ever get another disc road bike it will have TA's for the alignment benefit, [/B]. Just ordered a custom frame with centerpull brake and DT shifter studs!

Isn't that illegal in 34 states?

[Mark McM]

Is a wheel change with through axles any slower than with a fork with lawyer tabs (where you have to unscrew the QR nut to be able to remove the wheel, and then re-adjust the QR after installing the wheel)?

Are through axles harder to mis-use than QR skewers? I have seen many people that misunderstand and mis-use QR skewers - once with disasterous consequences.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Is a wheel change with through axles any slower than with a fork with lawyer tabs (where you have to unscrew the QR nut to be able to remove the wheel, and then re-adjust the QR after installing the wheel)?

Are through axles harder to mis-use than QR skewers? I have seen many people that misunderstand and mis-use QR skewers - once with disasterous consequences.

Personal opinion, yes, they are slower. Not a decade slower, but yes, slower. And yes, they are harder to mis-use than regular QR's. Most people who have QR's twist them anyways and not close the cam which is where you end up with loose wheels.