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Quick ReleaseA quick release is a cam operated system for securing the wheels on a bicycle. Wheels equipped with quick releases can be removed and replaced more quickly than wheels with solid axles. On the negative side, quick release axles are inherently weaker than solid axles and render the wheel more vulnerable to theft. Also, care must be taken to ensure that they are properly tightened. The mechanism was invented in 1927 by Tullio Campagnolo, an Italian bicycle racer, when he was frustrated by having to stop and get off his bicycle in order to change gears. His invention was a rear wheel quick release lever with a mechanical extension that placed the lever itself near the bicycle's saddle, combined with a fork that served as a primitive version of a rear derailleur (without idler pulleys to take up slack), that also had a control lever near the bicycle saddle. This innovation enabled bicycle riders to quickly change gears while in motion by releasing the axle, moving the rear wheel slightly forward by applying tension to the chain, actuating the fork to change to the larger cog, and tightening the quick release again; or else releasing the axle, actuating the fork to change to the smaller cog, moving the wheel slightly rearward by braking, and tightening the quick release again. This invention revolutionized bicycle design and as a result, Campagnolo became a leading road cycling and track cycling component manufacturer.
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