Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Suburban LBS and Track Hubs

I'm temporarily living in a suburb away from my normal lbs. I found out there was a bike shop only a few blocks away, one of those places that also sells "fitness equipment." They had a decent selection of some of the cooler european brands. I asked the guy if they had any track hubs and he gave me a look like I didn't speak english. Though he quickly recovered with a "(unsure)We might be able to order something like that."

so?

ummm.....what suburbs?

West Allis.

The reason I was shocked was because it's a hub, it's a pretty basic bike part. Sure, a track hub would be slightly more obscure, but you'd think it would be something a bike store employee could guess at.

Ah, yes.
Can't imagine there is too much fixed-gear opportunities out there.

The reason I was shocked was because it's a hub, it's a pretty basic bike part. Sure, a track hub would be slightly more obscure, but you'd think it would be something a bike store employee could guess at.


I doubt the majority of the shops in the suburbs I grew up in would know anything at all about track hubs.

Was it a sales dude or a wrench?

i don't find this surprising at all.

i had a similar experience. i walked into a shop and was looking around and the sales dude asked if i needed anything. i assumed they had track stuff (for some reason) and asked "yeah, do you guys have any flip flop hubs?" (i guess i was thinking they would have non-flip-flop hubs like shimano or campy). he looked at me as if i had asked him to marry him or something. "no we don't have those here, i could order them though. no ones asked for anything like that in a long time." i was very disappointed and told him id just try online

oh this shop was in highland park, los angeles, not a suburb, and there aren't too many riders, though i read on the forums that there were two fixie riders who lived there before

Tell me about it. (check my "location".) I went to the shiny bike shop to look for a lockring spanner. BIG mistake. I talk to the only dude on the floor:
"I'm looking for a lockring spanner."
"A what?"
"A lockring spanner, for the lockring on a track hub?"
"... We have freewheel removers..."
"No, it looks like a hook, it catches the notch on the lockring so you can remove or install the lockring."
"... I have no idea what you are talking about."

Thankfully, another guy comes out. The first guy asks him if they have a lockring spanner. "No way. We don't even have one in our shop."

Nice.

If you have a BMX store, try there. The one up the street from me at home has an idea about track parts but I haven't needed anything and go there repairs.

Apart from the BBB Multihook, made originally for oldschool BB's, I'm pretty sure there's no lockring wrench I could have bought in this country. Only one or two shops carry a decent trackhub, none has a track frame. So, you're pretty lucky you only have to go to the city centre for track parts, drezdn. I (would) have to order from abroad.

when i told the guy at my suburband lbs that i was thinking about converting my bike to fixed he was a total ass hole and said would cost me a thousand dollars
i wish i had hit him