Rear Wheel Removal

[Peaky Rider]

My neighbour has just brought his new Cube Stereo140 TM 29 round to me to ask how to remove the back wheel.
It looks like the through axle is removed with a titchy 5mm allen ket but it is in so tiight that the allen key is bending. All my bikes use a stronger 6mm allen key.
Am I missing something as I don't want to risk breaking anything or stripping threads?

 

[Jackware]

Maybe a blast of penetration oil on the threaded end and make sure the allen key is a tight fit and inserted as far as possible.

 

[Mikerb]

Use an allen key socket rather than a bendy allen key. Torque varies with brand but usually c 12nm so quite a bit for an allen key especially if the thru axle thread was not greased when last installed.

 

[Landy Andy]

Are you sure you are on the correct end of the axle.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Are you sure you are on the correct end of the axle.

Yes, the other end has the 8mm allen nut that holds the universal dropout in place.
I was hoping a Cube owner would confirm that a 5mm allen key is the correct size and that it is a normal through axle, albeit with a less than substantial mechanical interface than I am used to and that it just needs a good wallop to get it moving.

It's not my bike so I don't want to break anything.

 

[Mikerb]

The thru axle on my wife's Cube Access is 5mm.............I think Cube use either Syntace or Newmen 12mm thru axles.

 

[Peaky Rider]

The thru axle on my wife's Cube Access is 5mm.............I think Cube use either Syntace or Newmen 12mm thru axles.

Thanks Mikerb, I will now attack it with a little more vigour and a 5mm allen socket. It is a Newman hub.

 

[Mikerb]

I think those thru axles have a chamfered inner face on the head....or sometime a separate chamfered washer. That is probably where dust/mud etc has settled causing the thru axle to be difficult to undo. Sounds a little counter-intuitive but I grease that face a well as the threads when I refit that type of thru axle. Whether it is 12 nm or more torque you re not likely to have anything more than a multi tool out on the trail so it needs to be able to be removed easily with jut a multitool for puncture repair etc.

 

[RustyIron]

Sounds a little counter-intuitive but I grease that face a well as the threads when I refit that type of thru axle.

Right on, sir! The grease helps seal out scrunge, inhibits galling, and eliminates potential creaks. Grease is cheap. There's no reason to not put a thin film on there.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Thanks guys, once I knew there was nothing unusual about the through axle, other than the utilization of a farty little 5mm orifice in the bolt, I gave it all the power my 70+ year old muscles could muster (with a socket wrench rather than a bendy allen key) and it gave in.
Copper grease applied in case of trail side emergencies.