Front wheel removal

[r12gecko]

Today I had the front wheel off for a thorough inspection & cleaning of front brakes & rotors. No problems there, but the axle was a sticky sucker to remove. Took more torque than I expected to rotate it out from the left fork and it was tough going the whole way, even with the clamp fully loosened. When I was done, there were a few metal filings on the drive - I wonder if perhaps I was the first to remove it since factory install? Is it always sticky? Even with a bit of grease it took some effort to get it screwed back in. I'm certain I did not cross-thread it & hope there was no way it was cross-threaded before I removed it. Anyone have similar impressions on removing front wheel?

On the plus side, clean brakes are terrific - noticeable improvement in braking power.

[tobes]

I always torque the axle properly when I install it but for some reason it seems like it takes a lot more effort to loosen the axle vs. the torque used to tighten it down. Once loosened it is very easy to remove on my bike - and easy to install. No metal filings. I support the front wheel when removing and installing to make the axle easy to insert and remove.

[r12gecko]

Thanks. I had mine supported as well - no weight on the wheel. Which means, I guess, the wheel's weight was suspended from the axle - maybe that was part of it.