Help with Wilier thru axle release

Birka

Hi,

I've a Wilier disc brake bike with thru axles which are opened with a hex key. The axle has a hex key slot on the disc caliper side and a round hole on the opposite side. I'm trying to get the front wheel off but when I unscrew the thru axle, all it does is push the opposite fork leg out until the thru axle is unscrewed from that side. It doesn't unscrew from the side that I'm unscrewing from. The manual that came with the bike and the Wilier website are no help. I'm sure that I'm missing something obvious so any help would be appreciated.

Tony04

Thru axles are threaded in on one side of the fork. Usally you can unscrew from both sides.
So on one side you can take the thru axle out with the allen key but on the thread side youll have to unscrew remove the allen key and pull thru axle out
Non thread side of thru axle is usally round like a bolt head

Birka

Thanks. The thru axle unscrews fully from the threaded side but only pushes the fork out while doing so. The hex key end comes out slightly but won’t come out. I’ve tried using a drift and rubber mallet on the far side once it’s fully unscrewed from the fork to encourage it out but it’s stuck firmly, almost as if it’s threaded on the hex key side too. It turns freely, but so does the hub - is it possible for the axle to seize onto the hub? I’ve another disc bike (Giant) here and no issue removing the thru axle on that.

Tony04

Is the fork carbon? What do you mean by pushing the fork out. Carbon forks are designed to flex a mm at max so if the forks being pushed out are you sure its ok. Will the thru axle tighten ok and when it loosens can you feel if the wheel is loose? Whats the model of bike some thru axle can have unique design as it not really a standard?

Birka

Hi,

Yes, the fork is carbon. I just had another go and the thru axle finally popped out. I'll grease it before I put it back in. Thanks for your help.

triggermortis

Birka wrote: »

Hi,

Yes, the fork is carbon. I just had another go and the thru axle finally popped out. I'll grease it before I put it back in. Thanks for your help.

I’d give the axle and the hole that’s not threaded a good clean before you grease it and refit it. Might have been some grit or dirt in there or the start of a bit of corrosion.

Tony04

Dont grease it, dont want to be removing a dirty greasey thru axle when changing a flat, wd40 maybe or something light.

Birka

triggermortis wrote: »

I’d give the axle and the hole that’s not threaded a good clean before you grease it and refit it. Might have been some grit or dirt in there or the start of a bit of corrosion.

Thanks - the bearing surfaces that make contact with the axle seem to have corroded. I'll clean it all up and use a bit of WD40 as Tony04 has suggested on the contact surfaces and threads. I'll set a reminder in my calendar to check it all again in a month's time to see if it'll come apart easily. I'm glad that I discovered this at home and not at the side of the road.