# fixed cog on freewheel threaded hub?



## ferday (Jan 15, 2004)

i searched, but pretty lamely i'll admit....

wondering about trying a fixie...i just got new wheels for my 29er, so i now have a spare wheelset with freewheel rear hub. i know a track cog will screw on to the threads...but it has no lockring threads.

i heard somewhere that a threaded BB spacer may work? any other suggestions to lock the cog on there....or am i ok to try it without a lockring at all?

thanks!


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## singlespeedinca (Jul 3, 2006)

This issue has been discussed extensively...but the short form is that some people do it even though it could be potentially unsafe. Those who do put the fixed cog on freewheel threads would be advised to use loctite on the threads. It depends on what danger level you are comfortable with perhaps...


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

*ghetto fixie mod*



ferday said:


> i searched, but pretty lamely i'll admit....
> 
> wondering about trying a fixie...i just got new wheels for my 29er, so i now have a spare wheelset with freewheel rear hub. i know a track cog will screw on to the threads...but it has no lockring threads.
> 
> ...


ride a fixed gear without a lockring??? um...... NO!

1. clean the threads of your hub, cog, and bb lockring with acetone.
2. apply a generous amount of loctite 271 red to the hub threads and spin on the cog. 
3. seat the cog well with a chain whip & then by standing on the cranks with the brakes on. 
4. put more loctite on the hub and install the bb lockring and tighten it up real good.
5. LET IT CURE FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE RIDING!!!!

DO NOT skip the loctite step or you WILL destroy the threaded section of your hub.

follow these steps and youve got a fixie hub that will stand up under back pressure and skidding. be aware, however, that this is NOT the intended use for the hub or bb lockring and that by setting this up there is ALWAYS the danger it could spin off. having said that...

2 of my mtn fixies are ghetto mods and they hold up just fine despite the fact that i dont run brakes on either one and go down some stupid stuffs on them.

oh, and welcome to fixie mtn riding... enjoy the zen! :thumbsup:


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## PeanutButterBreath (Oct 7, 2005)

Seach here and RBR for "suicide", as in "suicide hub". Some people swear that they work fine with loctite or a BB lockring. Then again some people ride in cars w/o seatbelts, smoke tobacco, etc.

I suppose you are okay to try it. Just keep both brakes installed and don't back-pedal too abruptly. And be aware that you could spin the cog off the hub and hurt yourself.


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## GrumpyOne (Jan 7, 2004)

Matt Chester did a "how to" for 63xc.com.

Check it out here: http://www.63xc.com/mattc/setup2.htm

jw



ferday said:


> i searched, but pretty lamely i'll admit....
> 
> wondering about trying a fixie...i just got new wheels for my 29er, so i now have a spare wheelset with freewheel rear hub. i know a track cog will screw on to the threads...but it has no lockring threads.
> 
> ...


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

GrumpyOne said:


> Matt Chester did a "how to" for 63xc.com.
> 
> Check it out here: http://www.63xc.com/mattc/setup2.htm
> 
> jw


do NOT use that how to.

1. he uses 242 blue on the cog, which is medium strength removable loctite
2. he doesnt use a bb lockring to further secure the cog.

im glad he rode the thing for years without a problem, but he's asking for one.

the 271 red is high strength permanent loctite. it forms smaller crystals than the blue which creates a stronger, denser bond. the 271 is also actually designed to withstand shocks and impacts without loosening, the 242 blue is not.

as for riding without a bb lockring.... now that is suicide. the bb lockring basically functions like cone nuts on an axle. when you tighten it against the cog it helps to lock the cog securely on the threads, and the 271 red bonds everything together.

i do some incredibly stupid crap on a bike, but riding a ghetto fixie suicide hub with 242 and without a bb lockring is completely out... on the road or the dirt.


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## Nev (Jan 30, 2004)

ROTAFIXA


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## PeanutButterBreath (Oct 7, 2005)

"Grip the rim of the wheel firmly and rotate in an anti-clockwise direction (avoid applying excessive force as this may damage the threads of the hub). "

:skep:

Too bad there is no way to know whether you have applied excessive force other than having your threads strip, possibly at a disasterous moment. Nor is there any way to know whether you have applied adequate force other than having your cog spin off, possibly at a disasterous moment.


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

in addition to the drivel that peanutbutterbreath pointed out from the rotafixa article...

"the lock ring is now unnecessary."

WTF is wrong with people??? at least the last article in which some moron disregards using any type of lock ring he used loctite (although the wrong loctite) to somewhat secure the cog.

no lockring? that little trick may work in a pinch when youve lost your lock ring and cant borrow one at the track where you are pedaling your arse off FORWARD.

but you apply back pressure a couple of times and.....

*ZING!!!*... off comes the cog.

again from the article... "the force is applied at a distance which coincides with the radius of the wheel instead of the much smaller radius of the sprocket, greatly increasing the leverage."

oh bull fricken shite... this dude didnt just flunk elementary science and/or geometry, i think he skipped the classes entirely.

simple geometry lesson... the force at which leverage is applied to the cog with a chainwhip is NOT dependent on the radius of the sprocket, but rather the point on the chainwhip most distant from the axle onto which torque is applied.

additionally. even though the radius of the end of the chainwhip is a bit smaller than the actual radius of the wheel, a chainwhip would actually be able to apply MORE torque to the cog because you can bear down on the end of the whip, whereas with this method you are trying to hold the crank with one hand and apply pressure to the rear wheel with the other.

even with a chainwhip you can apply too much torque and fargle up the hub, so it supplies more than enough torque to seat a track cog on either a track or non track specific hub.

this is perhaps a neat little parlor trick to spin a cog off without a chainwhip after removing the lockring, but then again a much easier one is backing the bike up to a wall and applying backpressure to the cog by standing on the pedal.

but to think this is a practical guide on how to safely use a track cog on a non track threaded hub???

the guy fell one too many times without a skid lid.

its articles like these that get people hurt.


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## dannybob (Feb 21, 2004)

you're absolutely correct about everything. except you don't have to hold the crank using this method. the chain is basically pulled against the bb shell. i've used this method to remove super stuck cogs. it doesn't increase the leverage much, as you said, but it does allow you to really reef on it because it's still held in the frame.

but all that aside, loc-tite is probably the best way to run a fw hub as a fixed hub. and even then i think it's only really ok on a bike you're riding off-road, with a brake. i would never trust it in traffic.


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

dannybob said:


> i've used this method to remove super stuck cogs. it doesn't increase the leverage much, as you said, but it does allow you to really reef on it because it's still held in the frame.


and you found it easier to remove than with a chainwhip or backing it into a wall and standing on the pedal? just curious, cuz ive never used that way to remove a cog. have used a cheater bar on my whip just cuz i was too lazy to grunt on the thing though... 


> _but all that aside, loc-tite is probably the best way to run a fw hub as a fixed hub. and even then i think it's only really ok on a bike you're riding off-road, with a brake. i would never trust it in traffic._



if you use 271 red the cog wont come off unless you apply heat to it. its almost like putting jbweld on it except you can actually remove it with light application of a torch.

IMHO youd be ok riding on the road in traffic with it. i do with never a problem. all the time ive ridden ghetto fixed hubs ive never had a cog come off either on the road or off using this method. or even come loose. two of my mtn fixies and one of the road fixies with this mod dont even have brakes either. in fact, without using heat ive found it virtually impossible to get it off.

just be SURE to use 271 and let it cure for 24 hours.


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