thread on cassette, single speed and track?

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05-04-2006, 10:03 AM
mntlion

thread on cassette, single speed and track?

Basically does a track cog (fixed gear) exist for a thread on hub? can I take a old road bike, and if the spacing works, thread off the cassette, and thread on a fixed gear on to that?

thought that it would be a cheap, easy way to try the fix gear thing.

what about a way to "enslave" a free hub body so it is not free anymore? IS that doable?
05-04-2006, 10:11 AM
CantDog

Surly makes a part called the fixxer that replaces the freehub body and allows you to thread on a track cog.

If you are threading a track cog onto a hub freebody, its still going to be a freebody.

then there is the whole issue of proper chain tension....are you running horizontal/semi vert dropouts?

And finally, dont do it, unless you are prepared to buy a studded belt.
05-04-2006, 10:22 AM
mntlion

thanks,

idealy I'd like to just thread something onto the hub of an old, crappy, road bike, and if it works great, strip parts from the bike at that point. I'll have brakes still to try it out.

If the bike is so old that it has a thread on cassette, it will have a horizontal, or at least angled dropout, so I can get the tension right

so do the track cogs have the same thread spacing and work the same way as a BMX type single speed (just not free wheel)?
05-04-2006, 10:32 AM
Darkside

I think that Cantdog rocks something like this:
http://i21.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/59/95/6b_1_b.JPG

Don't you work at a shop? You should be able to source a cheap fixie wheel for not too much money. It won't be the best thing out there, but fixed gears + cobbling things together = potential for pain, or so i've found.

A track hub is different from an older hub with a thread on freewheel. A track hub has two set of threads that oppose each other, one for the cog (right-hand thread), and one for the lockring (left-hand thread) to keep the cog from backing off the hub.
05-04-2006, 10:44 AM
CantDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkside

I think that Cantdog rocks something like this:
http://i21.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/59/95/6b_1_b.JPG

Definately not. the only way I would consider owning a fixed gear is if I lived by a track. One thing you will never find me doing is riding around with cards in my spokes, tight jeans, and half wrapped handlebars. In fact, its fair to say I fucking hate fixed gear riders.
05-04-2006, 10:58 AM
mntlion

Don't you work at a shop?

thanks man,

ya I'm a shop monkey, but in the banff area, i deal with lots more new stuff, and the few road bikes I see are new stuff, not older stuff. bleeding hayes and rebiulding marzoks are what we do, not this stuff

You should be able to source a cheap fixie wheel for not too much money. It won't be the best thing out there, but fixed gears + cobbling things together = potential for pain, or so i've found.

thanks, was hoping to just buy a single cog, cheap/free bike, adn try it out, might do that way, but then I need the wheel, and the cog/lockring

A track hub is different from an older hub with a thread on freewheel. A track hub has two set of threads that oppose each other, one for the cog (right-hand thread), and one for the lockring (left-hand thread) to keep the cog from backing off the hub.

thanks thats what I was looking for

I think they are dumb too, but I thought that about a mountainbike single speeed, and have ridden that more this year then the new prophet I just got. something about it is nice, simple, works, less parts. also slows me down so I can ride with girlguide.

just wanted to try something new/different
05-04-2006, 11:06 AM
CantDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by mntlion

Don't you work at a shop?

thanks man,

ya I'm a shop monkey, but in the banff area, i deal with lots more new stuff, and the few road bikes I see are new stuff, not older stuff. bleeding hayes and rebiulding marzoks are what we do, not this stuff

You should be able to source a cheap fixie wheel for not too much money. It won't be the best thing out there, but fixed gears + cobbling things together = potential for pain, or so i've found.

thanks, was hoping to just buy a single cog, cheap/free bike, adn try it out, might do that way, but then I need the wheel, and the cog/lockring

A track hub is different from an older hub with a thread on freewheel. A track hub has two set of threads that oppose each other, one for the cog (right-hand thread), and one for the lockring (left-hand thread) to keep the cog from backing off the hub.

thanks thats what I was looking for

I think they are dumb too, but I thought that about a mountainbike single speeed, and have ridden that more this year then the new prophet I just got. something about it is nice, simple, works, less parts. also slows me down so I can ride with girlguide.

just wanted to try something new/different

They make a good training tool, but I was thinking it would be used more as a commuter(like most are here) in which case I think brakes and a freewheel are wicked smaht.

You could always build up a single speed road bike.

Or check ebay, there are always track rear wheels for sale. Just check to see what your rear spacing is, if its an old bike its probably 120.
05-04-2006, 11:16 AM
mntlion

thanks mang
05-04-2006, 11:52 AM
marshalolson

if you want to do it on the cheap, get a 6 or 7spd freewheel type rear wheel, put a cog from a suntour freewheel on it as the fixed cog, and use a BB lockring. all you need to do is redish the rear wheel, and yer good
05-04-2006, 12:08 PM
El Chupacabra

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshalolson

if you want to do it on the cheap, get a 6 or 7spd freewheel type rear wheel, put a cog from a suntour freewheel on it as the fixed cog, and use a BB lockring. all you need to do is redish the rear wheel, and yer good

Can you re-dish the rear wheel far enough for this to work? (enough spoke thread length on the drive side, and not so much spoke length on the non-drive side that the spokes will poke through the nipples and flat the tube?)

I suppose the less dish the rear wheel has to begin with, the better. Why not a 5 speed freewheel? (thread pitch issues?)
05-04-2006, 12:58 PM
Dromond

Quote:

Originally Posted by CantDog

Surly makes a part called the fixxer that replaces the freehub body and allows you to thread on a track cog.

Wouldn't backpedalling cause the cog to unthread? Wild. I wonder if that actually works.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CantDog

And finally, dont do it, unless you are prepared to buy a studded belt.

Basically, he's right. Don't do it.
05-04-2006, 01:35 PM
BLOODSWEATSTEEL

If you know someone handy with a stick- Weld up a BMX freewheel. I wouldn't recommend it, but the old Suntour BMX fw's can take on some serious destruction. I'd just build up a wheel with a crappy BMX hub and a longer axle/more spacers and go from there.

On second thought, no I wouldn't. Fixed gears suck. :(
05-06-2006, 07:00 AM
1wsguy

I've never tried what your thinkin bout, but always wanted to. If you have an old freewheel hub you could do just like marshall said with the suntour cog, or, use an actual track cog, (yes the thread pitch is the same as a freewheel), and the bb lockring as suggested. You stand the risk of unscrewing this combination so you better have some brakes on the bike. I would try to add a second bb lockring on the hub, that way you might be able to tighten the 2 lockrings against each other (like a cone/axel adjustment). One more thing you will need to do is, remove a spacer or 2 from the axel on the drive side and reinstall it/them on the non-drive side first, then re-dish the wheel. If you don't do this you'll never achieve proper chainline, and will most certainly drop chain. Good luck, let us know if it works. I always see road bikes from the 70's at Vinney's that would be perfect for this.
05-06-2006, 07:15 AM
m1e448

What marshal and 1wsguy said basically. There is a thing called a dans adapter thathen has threads for you the thread the track cog and lockring onto. I've herd or some people just using superglue to keep the track cog on with and not even using a bb lockring, but you'd better be sure that you've got the right gatio first as it is not coming off. There was an article on Sheldon Brown's website about Welding the pawl mechanism on a hub with a freewheel to make it fixed too. Surly Fixxer seems more reliable though.

http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

Cant: I don't ride a fixie, but I know lots of people that do and none of them are hipsters, its good commuting and training. I know a guy who just built up a 1st gen usps frame into a fixie, talk about a sweet ride. Fuck hipsters.
05-06-2006, 09:11 AM
marshalolson

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Can you re-dish the rear wheel far enough for this to work? (enough spoke thread length on the drive side, and not so much spoke length on the non-drive side that the spokes will poke through the nipples and flat the tube?)

I suppose the less dish the rear wheel has to begin with, the better. Why not a 5 speed freewheel? (thread pitch issues?)

in theroy yes, but a 5spd rear wheel is really narrow, so in even a 20 year old frame, you have to crush the dropouts. 5spd r. wheels you also tend to really suck balls anyway, just cause they were shit new.
05-06-2006, 05:14 PM
CantDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by powwrangler

What marshal and 1wsguy said basically. There is a thing called a dans adapter thathen has threads for you the thread the track cog and lockring onto. I've herd or some people just using superglue to keep the track cog on with and not even using a bb lockring, but you'd better be sure that you've got the right gatio first as it is not coming off. There was an article on Sheldon Brown's website about Welding the pawl mechanism on a hub with a freewheel to make it fixed too. Surly Fixxer seems more reliable though.

http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

Cant: I don't ride a fixie, but I know lots of people that do and none of them are hipsters, its good commuting and training. I know a guy who just built up a 1st gen usps frame into a fixie, talk about a sweet ride. Fuck hipsters.

I have no problem with fixies as training tools, what I cant stand is the people who ride their drexeltown special down to the coffee shop and talk about how they are the soul of the sport.

And for city riding, I'd rather have two brakes. Leaving the city today I got a door opened in front of me and was within 2 inches of going through her passenger side glass.(car opened door on the left of me.) The only thing that saved my ass was a set of DA brakes and quick manuvering.

It was a $5k demo bike too, that would of been hard to explain to the shop.
05-06-2006, 10:38 PM
m1e448

Nice cant, what was this demo you speak of?
05-07-2006, 12:38 AM
Darkside

I would not recommend doing what marshall suggested. Track hubs are designed a certain way for a reason. If you use a thread on cog and a bb lockring there is a definite chance of your freewheel coming unthreaded and jamming the chain into the seatstay/dropout and possibly dumping you.

Cant, you should mask your jealousy a bit better. Honestly though, if I was too much of a pussy to ride a track bike, I would probably act the same way.
05-08-2006, 01:41 AM
CantDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by powwrangler

Nice cant, what was this demo you speak of?

A Guru Maestro...retails for 6800, not the initial $5k that I thought.

I'll have the full test report up this evening on its 135 mile/12k feet of climbing 'demo' ride. I'm thinking short of racing it, there wasnt a better way to rag on someone elses bike. ;)
05-08-2006, 07:25 AM
marshalolson

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkside

I would not recommend doing what marshall suggested. Track hubs are designed a certain way for a reason. If you use a thread on cog and a bb lockring there is a definite chance of your freewheel coming unthreaded and jamming the chain into the seatstay/dropout and possibly dumping you.

??????

i have at least 10000 miles over the last 9 years on this setup.

no dumb belt, nor any super tight jeans though

edit: track cogs on these wheels is no good becasue they take up too much thread so you can't get a lockring on.

edit #2: darkside, still confounded, over the last few years i have setup a few people every week on such setups and never heard any issues ever.
05-08-2006, 08:37 AM
flowtron

Quote:

Originally Posted by CantDog

It was a $5k demo bike too, that would of been hard to explain to the shop.

Was there carbon bits on it?
05-08-2006, 01:53 PM
CantDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowtron

Was there carbon bits on it?

It had an aluminum stem. Thats about it.

I think I've changed my mind--if only I had 7k to blow on a bike.
05-09-2006, 09:33 PM
Greydon Clark

Fixed gear bikes are fun. Don't listen to nerds who hate, they wear Dockers to work.
05-10-2006, 10:32 AM
Darkside

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshalolson

??????

i have at least 10000 miles over the last 9 years on this setup.

no dumb belt, nor any super tight jeans though

edit: track cogs on these wheels is no good becasue they take up too much thread so you can't get a lockring on.

edit #2: darkside, still confounded, over the last few years i have setup a few people every week on such setups and never heard any issues ever.

Are these on true track bikes, or road-fixie conversions with brakes? If you have brakes, you can get away with this setup, but w/out brakes you would spin the cog off trying to slow down.
12-26-2006, 05:24 PM
eirikainersharp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkside

Are these on true track bikes, or road-fixie conversions with brakes? If you have brakes, you can get away with this setup, but w/out brakes you would spin the cog off trying to slow down.

Even if your cog did spin off its not going to be to big of a deal... it justs locks up the pedals kind of like a skid. I couriered ie: rode a 74-100 kms daily - with a system similar to Marshals for a while and never had any problems.