# Cassette hub to fixie conversion?



## Mattman (Feb 2, 2004)

A recent thread has prompted me to consider converting a lavender Scott rigid geared MTB to a fixie or SS grocery getter. Can I somehow convert the cassette freehub to a fixie and then put on a single cog and spacers like an SS conversion? My feeble train of thought has me considering drilling and pinning the hub, or disassembling the thing and putting JB weld in the proper moving parts (of course, if I imobilise the wrong parts I will have a fixed wheel rather than fixed gear  ) I paid nothing for the bike and other than a tube or two I hope to pay nothing for the completed conversion.

I also have an old road bike I could convert this way. I've never ridden a fixed gear bikeand I'm just itching to try it, I guess I just haven't crashed enough recently.


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## FeelsGood (Jan 13, 2004)

go to http://www.surlybikes.com/parts.html and click on the "FIXXER"


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## Mattman (Feb 2, 2004)

*Fixxers aren't free*



FeelsGood said:


> go to http://www.surlybikes.com/parts.html and click on the "FIXXER"


 Thanks, I have seen this also, but I want to do this for no out of pocket cash. This is a bike I paid nothing for that will live on the side of my house and make trips to the grocery store, movies, restaurants, or coffee bar. I don't want to have to lock it, and If someone steals it I may be a bit bummed but will not be out any $$.


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## G-reg (Jan 12, 2004)

*I've done it*

I've rigged "not so freehubs." What I did is disassemble the hub, and pull the freehub body off. There is a special tool to pull the freehub body apart, but nobody really has it because it would be stupid to take one apart if you intend to really put it back together. I spread a set of needle nose pliars and put them in a vise to use them like a spanner wrench. Put the freehub on the pliers and engage the little notches in the bearing race. Then put the wheel on the freehub and use it to wrench the freehub apart. Take the inner bearing race out and watch a bunch of really small bearings fall out. These bearings let the outer freehub body spin on the..well inner freehub body, but don't worry they won't be spinning when we're done. So, remove any bearings that didn't fly out initially, this will reveal the pawls. What I did now is cut some 3-4cm pieces off of 14guage spokes, and jam them under the pawls. Yes, jam them under the pawls thus keeping them engaged. I filled the rest of the space in the body with a healthy amount of JB weld. Now, remember all those small bearings, put them back followed by the inner race. It's critical that the bearings are lined up properly and when you put the inner race back in it has to be it is square. If this inner race is off kilter it will make the freehub body not spin so much in a circle, causing your chain to jump off the cog faster than if there was a derailleur pushing it off. Slap it back together and tell yourself that you will buy an ENO, Surly fixer, or the problemsolvers equivalent eventually. Mine has lasted through a few ND winters, there is a degree or two of play though. If you're comfortable rebuilding a rear wheel you can find a cheep freewheel bike and spin a cog/lock ring on and re-space the axle. Unless you have a hub in pieces in front of you none of this will make any sense, but it is worth it if you have more time than money. Hope something in here helps, good luck to ya.


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## KgB (Jan 13, 2004)

*welded*

I layed the ugliest bead of weld on an LX hub and then did the spacer cog thing.
it worked ok for a while but there is a little play in it and I am afraid to lock up the rear wheel anymore(skid) but it has lasted a long time.


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## Mattman (Feb 2, 2004)

G-reg said:


> I've rigged "not so freehubs." What I did is disassemble the hub, and pull the freehub body off. There is a special tool to pull the freehub body apart, but nobody really has it because it would be stupid to take one apart if you intend to really put it back together. I spread a set of needle nose pliars and put them in a vise to use them like a spanner wrench. Put the freehub on the pliers and engage the little notches in the bearing race. Then put the wheel on the freehub and use it to wrench the freehub apart. Take the inner bearing race out and watch a bunch of really small bearings fall out. These bearings let the outer freehub body spin on the..well inner freehub body, but don't worry they won't be spinning when we're done. So, remove any bearings that didn't fly out initially, this will reveal the pawls. What I did now is cut some 3-4cm pieces off of 14guage spokes, and jam them under the pawls. Yes, jam them under the pawls thus keeping them engaged. I filled the rest of the space in the body with a healthy amount of JB weld. Now, remember all those small bearings, put them back followed by the inner race. It's critical that the bearings are lined up properly and when you put the inner race back in it has to be it is square. If this inner race is off kilter it will make the freehub body not spin so much in a circle, causing your chain to jump off the cog faster than if there was a derailleur pushing it off. Slap it back together and tell yourself that you will buy an ENO, Surly fixer, or the problemsolvers equivalent eventually. Mine has lasted through a few ND winters, there is a degree or two of play though. If you're comfortable rebuilding a rear wheel you can find a cheep freewheel bike and spin a cog/lock ring on and re-space the axle. Unless you have a hub in pieces in front of you none of this will make any sense, but it is worth it if you have more time than money. Hope something in here helps, good luck to ya.


 Sounds like a solution, but your sentence near the end got me thinking do I really have more time than money? I won't have to mess with the singulator, The Scott frame has semi-horizontal dropouts. I may just end up doing an SS conversion. What's up with the spokes in your picture, does this add strength or rigidity? It reminds me of wrapping all the spoke crosses with bailing wire like we used to do in our pre-BMX bike BMX days, but now I'm dating myself.


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## Mattman (Feb 2, 2004)

*Cheap and Lazy*



KgB said:


> I layed the ugliest bead of weld on an LX hub and then did the spacer cog thing.
> it worked ok for a while but there is a little play in it and I am afraid to lock up the rear wheel anymore(skid) but it has lasted a long time.


 Ok this sounds easier than taking the thing apart and cramming in metal bits and JB weld and getting it all back together right. Where did you put your ugly bead, and what type of weld did you do?

I'm still thinking if I knew exactly where to drill this could be accomplished with a drill and pins or screws placed properly. I could probably take it apart and figure out where to drill, but at that point I might as well just do it G-reg's way.


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## tube_ee (Feb 1, 2004)

Mattman said:


> Sounds like a solution, but your sentence near the end got me thinking do I really have more time than money? I won't have to mess with the singulator, The Scott frame has semi-horizontal dropouts. I may just end up doing an SS conversion. What's up with the spokes in your picture, does this add strength or rigidity? It reminds me of wrapping all the spoke crosses with bailing wire like we used to do in our pre-BMX bike BMX days, but now I'm dating myself.


You can't use a chain tensioner on a fixed-gear bike. When you backpedal, you'll rip it off the bike. It will then wrap itself around the spokes and lock the rear wheel. Then you'll crash, and it'll really suck.

At least that's what Sheldon sez. And I believe him. Well, I added the part about it getting caugt in the rear wheel, but Murphy (patron saint of engineers, and a legendary optimist)sez it's true.

--Shannon


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## G-reg (Jan 12, 2004)

There are some theories about the wheels, but in reality they just kinda look cool. The "soul" of this bike required that I spend no money on it and just build it up from the random parts. And the spokes I had lying around were a bit long, nothing a turn and a half twist where a normal 3x wheels spokes didn't fix. The smartest thing would be to lace in a real ss hub, and I may eventually. And you really have to have quite a bit more time than money for it to be worth it. I did it as a "just because project." I thought about, and made a feeble attempt at the drilling and pinning thing, but that's hardened steel and I gave up pretty quick.


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## Mattman (Feb 2, 2004)

*Semi-horizontal drops = no tensioner*



tube_ee said:


> You can't use a chain tensioner on a fixed-gear bike. When you backpedal, you'll rip it off the bike. It will then wrap itself around the spokes and lock the rear wheel. Then you'll crash, and it'll really suck.
> 
> At least that's what Sheldon sez. And I believe him. Well, I added the part about it getting caugt in the rear wheel, but Murphy (patron saint of engineers, and a legendary optimist)sez it's true.
> 
> --Shannon


 No tensioner will be required, so I won't have that problem. Thanks for the warning though.


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## shizzle (Jan 21, 2004)

*Holy ****...*

twisted spokes! Sweet Christ! Ignore everything this man says from this point forward!

I got jokes...

sean


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## G-reg (Jan 12, 2004)

Don't forget the HUGE trail bell, 2.4's, fenders, HUGE reflectors, and lack of brakes. Never mind the previous ghetto locked hub and spokes. You guys should most definitely not listen to me, though I do suggest you go have a few pints of Guinness, like I'm about to do .


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## onecogshortofacluster (Mar 9, 2010)

Any change in this idea? I have a pug with offset wheels. The back wheel is set up fixed on a spin on cog, no brake. The front has a free hub, with a disc brake. No gear on the free hub. I would like to do something like what has been talked about on this thread. It would only be used as a back-up. As it stands now. If I need to change wheels, then, I would have a free wheel with no brake on the back, and a hub with no disc on the front.


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## onecogshortofacluster (Mar 9, 2010)

I maybe talking to myself here, but I removed the outer shell, replaced the lower bearings, cut the tips off some nails, placed them into, and around the paws. Then mixed up some 2 part epoxy, poured it into all the gaps, tightened the shell down, and now waiting for the epoxy to cure. This is a Schrodinger's cat situation. If I never need to use it, I wont know if it works, or not.


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## AtotheZ (Nov 16, 2007)

I don’t know if it was said above (I didn’t read it) but fin this is a disc brake bike then just drill out a cog and attach it to the disc brake side of your hub. That would be the easiest and cheapest solution. I’m pretty sure you can buy these somewhere on the inter webs too if you didn’t want to drill one.


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## onecogshortofacluster (Mar 9, 2010)

"I don’t know if it was said above (I didn’t read it)"
Did you at least read # 13?


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## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

Seek professional help.


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## onecogshortofacluster (Mar 9, 2010)

socal_jack said:


> Seek professional help.


I'm not nuts, my mother had me tested.( Big Bank Theory )


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