Yesterday, I was mounting my Radmission when I noticed a wobble on the front end. After 350 miles, my QR had loosened. That was dangerous. I was sure I had mounted it properly, as I had on my Radrunner, which I rode daily for nearly 2 years.
Lots of experienced riders have had front QRs loosen. Some have been badly injured. A helmet didn't keep one rider from being paralyzed when his wheel came off.
A German study published in 1960 showed that the most common cause of unscrewing is back-and-forth transverse sliding. A QR mounts in slots, and the short cam lever may not clamp it tightly enough to insure against a bit of sliding from disk braking or bumps. That seems to be why mine loosened.
The QR was invented in 1927, when a racer had to stop and reverse the back wheel in order to change sprockets for different gearing. Otherwise, the conventional axle, secured by a wrench on each side, is better. QRs took over because they are slightly cheaper to produce.
There are retrofit solid axles, but an upgrade may not fit my hub. There are also bolt-on skewers, using nuts at both ends instead of a cam. They are marketed to prevent the casual theft of wheels but also allow more clamping force, which could prevent loosening.
Has anyone here tried a bolt-on skewer?