Hello - I have a newish 3T Exploro Gravel bike which uses threaded 12 x 142 thru axles. I’ve just recently set it on my WAHOO KICKR and have noticed that at the end of every workout (between 45 -90 mins), the axle loosens. Other than an annoyance, I suspect this is also a safety/gear threatening condition.
Any insights from the community? Previously I had used a similar thru axel for a Riddley Fenix with no issues whatsoever.
Happens to me all the time on a Domane. I can hear my drivetrain noise change when it starts to loosen.
Same on my Specialized Crux. Changed it out (on the trainer) for a QR with the (I think) 142mm side out. Seems to have gotten better. Though I have a big @michael.cotty mountain climb today, so we’ll see if I can shake it loose…
Me2. I can tell when the shifting gets sticky.
Any proposed solutions? Never happened with my Fenix, which had a different style axle
Are you all using KICKR’s through axle adapters? If your KICKR isn’t almost brand new, do you have the updated thru axle adapters (which should work better with some bikes).
My Kickr is a gen 5, bought this time last year. Are there “newer” versions than this?
@CPT_A Yes - V6 just went on sale a few weeks ago.
I don’t think there are newer KICKRs, but Wahoo did release a newer set of thru axle adapters that fit a wider range of bikes. I don’t know exactly when they started shipping those with KICKRs, but you may or may not have them.
They look a little different and fit differently from the ones that shipped with my KICKR. I think they resolve compatibility issues with some Trek and other frames. Maybe this is what’s causing the loosening, but I don’t really know.
Edit: more info. Here’s a brief article about compatible bikes and the new adapters from Wahoo. https://wahoofitness.yonyx.com/y/conversation/?id=c6a3c220-be88-11e7-b908-bc764e10c19d
I have a KICKR V5 and haven’t had my thru axle loosen up on my Domane.
Odd ball question: is anyone torquing the thru axle to 10 nm like I am?
The YouTube Channel Peak Torque made a video comparing conventional QR with thru-axle clamping. He made some follow up videos actually measuring the clamping force of the different systems.
Theu-axle is not really the upgrade from QR it’s been marketed as.
Degrease threads, then a drop or two of purple or blue Loctite
Thank you! I’ve never thought so.
I’ve only had a thru axle bike for a couple of months, and so far I’ve had to carry more tools around to get the wheels on/off than I ever did with a quick release. Now I’ll caveat that with the shop that sold me the bike didn’t realize the axle end (the lever portion with a hex on it) wasn’t in the bag like they thought and so I didn’t have anything on bike to get the wheels on/off, however that aside, there is not enough lever handle to get good leverage on to tighten the axle to what they recommend anyway.
The only “upgrade” I’ve seen is that the wheel goes in the same place every time as you’re aligning a hole to a hole, not a hole to a slot and even that is only a benefit on my bike stand where I could never seem to get a quick release wheel fully seated in the drop out in the stand. I had to put the wheels on, take it out of the stand and set on the floor and open/close the qr to make sure it was fully seated in the dropouts.
Yeah guess I’ve never really thought about that. I just don’t do wheels on/off when its on the stand. 
This is a huge benefit when you have disk brakes. My wife has a mid teens bike with disk brakes and QR. It can take 10 minutes if fussing to get the wheel in the dropouts at exactly the right place (after tightening) so that the rotor is centered in the caliper. This compares with an extra minute (maybe) of process to deal with a through axle and no fussing at all.
Thanks but I’m interested in solutions
Can we keep this on topic? Does anyone have SOLUTIONS to the problem of a thru axel loosening whilst on a stationary trainer (for me, WAHOO KICKR)? I just purchased a through axel solution made by TACX. I’m not sure if it will work but seems tailored for the trainer (eg, axle length is longer than 142 they accommodate this by using spacers.
I’ll keep the group informed, but am most interested in axles which can solve the problem.
I‘ll ask again, are you torquing the thru axle when you install the bike on your trainer? If not, you should try that. I torque mine down each time and have not had it come loose
