15mm axles are here to stay

Be careful who you slag there, without what you call middle aged accountants buying the new gear, there would not be enough money to fund the high end race and freeride gear you may use…the majority of us do not use our equipment to its full potential, in any sport…unless you are the best in the world in what you do…the rest of us buy on what our opinion is of what we need, some of it is totally needed, some is not, this goes for any sport and happens in all of them…

without companies designing and putting out product and trying to improve on it then we might not have half the stuff we enjoy riding now…if you don't like it then go build your own design and create it…most of us just want to ride not argue about whether it should have been invented in the first place…it is all based on opinion….

Indeed. And some of middle aged guys ride pretty darn fast.

Doesn't matter if you're fast or slow. If you're having fun, that's really all that matters, right?

I think it's important to bring it back to why we (hopefully) ride. It's not the brand your ride or any of that.

I like my bike, it fits me, it fit my budget, I don't see any need to change it

the second mantra of the Norco owner….

Yes i am totally baiting you….and you know you can't resist.

oh and on a side note. Riding supercedes Gear.

Yes i am totally baiting you….and you know you can't resist.

The mantra of someone who bought a flashy overpriced bike ;)

all 3 of my overpriced bikes were cheaper then Norco….so put that in your pipe and smoke it 8):lol:

I'd quote some prices but the world that you live in would come crumbling down(i'm in no way saying one bike functions better then the other, just the the SS and the 951 were cheap….the Socom was well priced)

Norco slagging aside.

9mm vs. 15mm
One of my bikes has a 15mm. I like the 15mm when comparing the stiffness to my 9mm. I've broken 9mm skewers in the past (twice). If I was buying a fork for an XC bike right now I'd look for something with a 15mm.
Is the introduction of the 15mm axle more a question of the industry phasing out the 9mm? I do think 9mm should be eliminated. I would bet this is a step towards phasing out. It'll obviously be difficult to eliminate entirely (Road Hubs), but I'd guess 15mm will become the new standard on XC bikes.

15mm vs. 20mm
So perhaps right now it IS more to do with perception… What I grasp from the weight arguement is that currently there is very little difference between 15 and 20mm. BUT perhaps there is still room for progression in lightening 15mm hubs/axles thus spreading the gap between 15 and 20?

Wow people do get heated about anything new in biking. I have read all the posts and here is my opinion.

Out with 9mm skewers and in with 15mm thru axles, I say. About time. I have broken countless skewers on XC bikes. Maybe a number of variables, but they broke and I would be happy to try a 15mm axle when I get another xc bike.

This is a transition phase people, get over it! Technology takes time to develop and if this is the beginning of more strength, performance and a better standard bring it on. It has to be tried to be proved! Quick release thru axles are an awesome advance in technology and if they can transfer it to the xc/trail market with a 15mm variation, awesome!

Out with 9mm skewers and in with 15mm thru axles, I say. About time.

The problem with that proposal is that low end bikes as well as commuters, hybrids and a whole host of other bikes will keep the 9mm qr.

Nice comment Pete

Wow people do get heated about anything new in biking. I have read all the posts and here is my opinion.

Out with 9mm skewers and in with 15mm thru axles, I say. About time. I have broken countless skewers on XC bikes. Maybe a number of variables, but they broke and I would be happy to try a 15mm axle when I get another xc bike.

This is a transition phase people, get over it! Technology takes time to develop and if this is the beginning of more strength, performance and a better standard bring it on. It has to be tried to be proved! Quick release thru axles are an awesome advance in technology and if they can transfer it to the xc/trail market with a 15mm variation, awesome!

Jeeze… there is a whole other argument that you're missing. Everyone in this thread probably agrees that 15mm is a hell of a lot better than a 9mm q/r.

The part that is getting under people's skin is that 20mm already exists and is widely popular, so manufacturers could have just used that standard instead of introducing another new standard. Re-read the counter arguments.

Jeeze… there is a whole other argument that you're missing. Everyone in this thread probably agrees that 15mm is a hell of a lot better than a 9mm q/r.

The part that is getting under people's skin is that 20mm already exists and is widely popular, so manufacturers could have just used that standard instead of introducing another new standard. Re-read the counter arguments.

think about the common man and where he gets his technology from. it's either hand-me down from steve peat, or hand-me down from julien absalon.

For 160mm+ travel, the 20mm makes sense, but for anything less 20mm is overkill, is too stiff, and it just looks too big.

15mm was designed for the common man. it's a trail fork for trail riders, it's balanced, it's optimized, it's easy to use, it looks right, and people respond to it. The weight savings IS significant (the new 15QR axle for this year is 70g) - we are talking 10g more than 9mm. that's fucking cool and… wait for it… in a year no high-end bike will have a 9mm QR - no bike! Now that's really fucking cool. 15mm will do what the 20mm will never do - it will kill the QR.

think about the common man and where he gets his technology from. it's either hand-me down from steve peat, or hand-me down from julien absalon.

For 160mm+ travel, the 20mm makes sense, but for anything less 20mm is overkill, is too stiff, and it just looks too big.

15mm was designed for the common man. it's a trail fork for trail riders, it's balanced, it's optimized, it's easy to use, it looks right, and people respond to it. The weight savings IS significant (the new 15QR axle for this year is 70g) - we are talking 10g more than 9mm. that's fucking cool and… wait for it… in a year no high-end bike will have a 9mm QR - no bike! Now that's really fucking cool. 15mm will do what the 20mm will never do - it will kill the QR.

I hear you brother. And as this technology is used more and more, it will get cheaper and even low end bikes and commuters will do away with the 9mm QR. TRANSITION PHASE Wayne P, Transition phase.

Jeeze… there is a whole other argument that you're missing. Everyone in this thread probably agrees that 15mm is a hell of a lot better than a 9mm q/r.

The part that is getting under people's skin is that 20mm already exists and is widely popular, so manufacturers could have just used that standard instead of introducing another new standard. Re-read the counter arguments.

No we don't agree 9mm sucks
velonews published a study back in the 90s about hub rigidity and the findings indicated that just increasing the diameter of the lock nut (the portion of the hub that interfaces with the fork) increased rigidity significantly.
Large nuts on the outside of a threaded 9mm also increase rigidity (as on a track bike).
So manufacturers could just have kept with the 9mm and not even tried to force 20mm on us