New to me, thru axles.

[jlok]

If the axle is made of steel, I'd give it a thin coat of grease to prevent rusting. Plus it slides in smoother that way.

[okimy]

The axle on my Canyon came lubed on the thread and shaft so I'd also lube both.

[Bigger Gear]

I was a newb to them about 18 months ago. I lube the threads and put a very thin film of grease on the shaft as well.

Wait until you have your first rear flat in miserable weather and then judge the thru axle experience. Add in fenders, a Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 rear derailleur, big tires. The combo of fender, tire and rear derailleur really makes putting the wheel in the dropout a PITA. And don't forget that 6mm hex wrench in your saddle bag!!!

[Frankie - B]

In my experience, it is enough to only lube the threads with a bit of assembly paste.

[TobinHatesYou]

If the axle is made of steel, I'd give it a thin coat of grease to prevent rusting. Plus it slides in smoother that way.

Are there actually any road bike TAs made of steel?

[Bigger Gear]

I was a newb to them about 18 months ago. I lube the threads and put a very thin film of grease on the shaft as well.

Wait until you have your first rear flat in miserable weather and then judge the thru axle experience. Add in fenders, a Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 rear derailleur, big tires. The combo of fender, tire and rear derailleur really makes putting the wheel in the dropout a PITA. And don't forget that 6mm hex wrench in your saddle bag!!!

Well fortunately this is on a road bike and only the front is a thru axle with the rear a quick release, Plus when it comes to drive train I’m a SRAM guy. Plus I don’t use or need fenders.

You're on easy street then! FWIW my front thru-axle is a DT alloy with the RWS-style handle that can be repositioned after tightening. I definitely grease it and I crank down on it pretty hard. One time I had a mystery creak up front and it turned out that I had not torqued the lever enough. I'm actually thinking about getting a Chris King/Robert Axle bolt-on for the front as that is what I have in the rear.

[jlok]

If the axle is made of steel, I'd give it a thin coat of grease to prevent rusting. Plus it slides in smoother that way.

Are there actually any road bike TAs made of steel?

You are right, there's none. I got it wrong. It's the other way around like having a hub with steel axle that one should worry if riding in rain often. e.g. WI CLD.

Also, the head where the lever attaches to the axle may be steel as well, like Giant (at least on my TCR ADV SL Disc)。Didnt notice it rusting until the day I wanted to adjust the angle of the lever.

[DCcyclist]

Ok WWs, recommend me a couple of different 12mm thru-axle options for my 2019 TCR Adv Pro 0.

Also, why not use grease for threads too?

[LiquidCooled]

I recently got a pair of DT Swiss RWS thru axles for my ‘17 TCR Disc. They work great. I especially like the removable handles. I keep the front handle on (I remove the front wheel a lot for transporting my bike) and leave the rear handle at home. You only need one handle on your bike (and not even that if you have a 6mm Allen key in your saddle bag).

I don’t grease my thru axles. I like them to be tight and don’t want anything to help them loosen. I remove them often enough that I’m not worried about them getting stuck.