Fulchee Ultimate Quik Release Thru Axle

Could the Fulchee Ultimate Quik Release Thru Axle signal the return of the quick release axle?

According to Fulchee the thru-axle should be called the “slow release”! With the arrival of disc-brakes and the need for stiffer axles and fastening, the thru-axle became the standard. However it is a bit of a faff when it comes to installation. Removing a wheel if you’re away from the workshop means digging around in your pocket/saddle-bag for an alan key: if you’ve remembered to bring one! Then it’s unscrew, sort the problem, re-tighten the axle and put away the tool.

Okay, not a major problem especially if you’re just out for a ride. But if you’re racing, then every second counts and the good ol’ quick release was a lot faster. While watching racing, Fulchee saw that rather than replacing wheels mechanics were replacing bikes. They saw the thru-axle as hinderance to the mechanics (although switching bikes is a lot faster than changing a wheel, regardless of its fastening system!) So Fulchee designed the Ultimate Quik Release axle.

The Ultimate Quik Release looks to be a simple system to install and operate. The system consists of a fixed nut that screws into the non-brake side. This has an iris style mechanism that locks onto the end of the axle. The iris is spring-loaded so when installing it snaps onto the axle end. You then tighten the lever to fully lock the wheel in place. When you want to remove the wheel you open the quick-release and twist the nut: all pretty simple and fast.

While for some removing their thru-axle isn’t something that they’ve given much thought to. However it could be a real boon for those that do require a return to a quick-release. I can see these being useful for the crit or ‘cross racer. In crits you can usually have a ‘lap out’ for a mechanical, usually a puncture. You get to the pits as quick as you can and put your spare wheel in. In this situation not having to faff around with an alan key would be great. And it would be the same in a cyclo-cross race.

The Ultimate Quik Release has attracted attention at various international bicycle shows. It won a TAIPEI CYCLE d&i awards 2023 and was a EUROBIKE AWARD 2023 Winner. Take a look at the Fulchee website to see some of their other products, which include thru-axles with removal tools attached. We’ll try and get the Ultimate Quik Release in to review and will let you know how it performs.