How to remove and fit thru axle road bike wheels

To remove the bolt that holds the wheel in place, either use the lever that came with the bike or an Allen key (likely 6mm) to unscrew the bolt anticlockwise. It might take a bit of force to loosen it initially. Unscrew it until you can pull the bolt right out of the wheel.

Now the wheel is loose in the frame, it’s time to remove it. Lift up the front of the bike with one hand, and push the wheel out with the other. It should come out with ease.

Lift the front of the bike and position the front wheel in the dropouts – the slots on the fork that the wheel axle rests on. Make sure you put it in the right way around. Take care to line up the disc brake rotor with the slot in the calliper.

Insert the thru axle bolt into the hole on the left side of the frame. Once you’ve pushed it through far enough to hit the threaded section on the other side of the frame, use the lever or allen key (depending on the design of your thru axle) to turn the bolt clockwise and tighten it into the frame. Tighten it quite firmly – it should be about as tight as you can achieve by twisting your wrist alone.

Pick the back of your bike off the ground, spin the pedals, and use the gear shifters to change into the smallest cog on your wheel.

This is so the wheel won’t get caught in the chain when you’re taking it out.

As with the front wheel, remove the bolt that holds the wheel in place, either use the lever that came with the bike or an allen key (likely a 5 or 6mm) to unscrew the bolt anticlockwise. It might take a bit of force to loosen it initially. Unscrew it until you can pull the bolt right out of the wheel.

Now the wheel is loose in the frame, it’s time to remove the wheel. Stand to the left of the bike and lean over the back wheel. With your left hand, grab the upper section of the rear derailleur and twist it towards the back of the bike. With your right hand, grab the bike by the frame and lift the bike frame off the ground.

Holding the bike up just by the rear derailleur in your left hand, grab the wheel with your right hand and put the cassette in between the two exposed lengths of chain.

Line up the smallest cog on the cassette with the upper section of chain, and lower the frame down onto the wheel. With a bit of jigging, it should fit neatly into the slot on the frame. Let the bike sit flat on the floor to make sure the wheel is correctly aligned in the slots.

As with the front wheel, insert the thru axle bolt into the hole on the left side of the frame. Once you’ve pushed it through far enough to hit the threaded section on the other side of the frame, use the lever or allen key (depending on the design of your thru axle) to turn the bolt clockwise and tighten it into the frame. Tighten it quite firmly – it should be about as tight as you can achieve by twisting your wrist alone.

Before you jump on the bike, check everything’s as it should be by spinning the wheel and checking it doesn’t rub on the brake pads. If the pads are rubbing, they’ve probably changed position while the wheel has been removed, and you might need to push the pads back into place to resolve it.