Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - help me save my hub

Got my fixed conversion vandalized the other day. Among the other stupid things the pepetrators did, they tacoed my rear wheel, without doing anything else. So I'm trying to get the cog off, but the bent rim has tweaked away the tension.

I managed to get the lockring off, but I can't get enough purchase to work the cog off--it's on pretty tight (no locktite). Any recommendations on how to remove the cog and not destroy the hub? I've heard that a table vise usually destroys the hub.

help.

Backwards rotafixa?

I'm assuming the hub is already removed from the rim.

Put the cog in a vice, and use a strap wrench on the hub. You might need a cheater bar for added leverage.

Oh. Got it. Scratch that.

Hub's not removed from the rim, sorry I wasn't clear, but b/c of the damage to the rim, there's not enough tension on the spokes--they're all loose in the hub. I'll try what you say, but I'm no sure what a "strap wrench is." And are you saying wedge the cog into the vice at the teeth? I'm willing to lose the cog if I can save the hub, but I know that vicing the hub will lead to damage.

Thanks for the tips.

You could remove the hub from the rim and then lace the non-drive side of the hub into another rim so you get enough leverage. You will need another rim anyway, if you're going to rebuild the wheel. May or may not work...

if you have enough room on the non-drive side axle, you could thread on 2 nuts, tighten them against each other as hard as you can (you may want to use some blue loctite for the extra strength) then put the nuts in a vice (hehehe) and try a chainwhip. You will probably sacrifice the nuts, but it shouldn't damage the axle/hub.

If you're putting the cog in a vise, clamp with 2x4s to prevent damage.

http://www.costplustools.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_4/2666795_2047173.jpg

if you have enough room on the non-drive side axle, you could thread on 2 nuts, tighten them against each other as hard as you can (you may want to use some blue loctite for the extra strength) then put the nuts in a vice (hehehe) and try a chainwhip. You will probably sacrifice the nuts, but it shouldn't damage the axle/hub.
The hub will sorta rotate on the bearings, won't it?:rolleyes:

awright, hmmmm, thanks all. This is not a fun problem.

cut the spokes off the hub and use a strap wrench to grab the hub. Shants posted a pic of a strap wrench. you can find them at plumbing or auto supply stores for $10-20.

The hub will sorta rotate on the bearings, won't it?:rolleyes:
Yeah. I didn't think about that. Oops. But if you ever get a stuck cone nut... :kicking self in head:

de-taco the wheel using violence, then tighten the hell out of all the spokes until you have enough tension to use tools effectively.

de-taco and use the rim with the cog ina vise, tension the spokes if you need to

I've pulled freewheels off of some pretty trashed wheels in the past. Unless the wheel is way gone, you should be able to bend it back a little straighter and tension the looser spokes to be able to get the cog off.

If the problem is that the hub is flopping around inside the mess of loose spokes and you can't get any leverage with a chainwhip due to the movement, clamp the chainwhip's handle in a vice and use the bus steering wheel trick. Even if all of the spokes are loose, this will still work. The trick is converting a leverage attack (chainwhip pushed in one direction with bare hands) to a rotational attack (chainwhip secured in vice, force being applied by rotating wheel against constrained cog). You should be able to disassemble the works without having to sacrifice either the hub or the cog.

Hope this helps.

I've pulled freewheels off of some pretty trashed wheels in the past. Unless the wheel is way gone, you should be able to bend it back a little straighter and tension the looser spokes to be able to get the cog off.

If the problem is that the hub is flopping around inside the mess of loose spokes and you can't get any leverage with a chainwhip due to the movement, clamp the chainwhip's handle in a vice and use the bus steering wheel trick. Even if all of the spokes are loose, this will still work. The trick is converting a leverage attack (chainwhip pushed in one direction with bare hands) to a rotational attack (chainwhip secured in vice, force being applied by rotating wheel against constrained cog). You should be able to disassemble the works without having to sacrifice either the hub or the cog.

Hope this helps.

Thanks all for the tips. It seems that the tacoed wheel was only the beginning of my problems: my laptop died a sudden death a few days ago, and I've had little access to BF since then. Anyway, my problem is exactly as you describe it, MacG, and as soon as I get access to my super's table vise in the basement, then I will be trying all forms of solutions presented. I also noticed that my crapola Pyramid-branded chainwhip doesn't seem to get enough of a grab on the cog (it tends to fall off, and it's a 19t cog.) I'll see if I can get it to work, though. My biggest motivation at this point is to just be done with the damn rim and spokes!

the old mountain bike trick to curing taco'd wheels (or at least making them straight enough to ride home on), is to lift the wheel over your head and wack it on a rock until it's straight. i'd try doing that, then tensioning the spokes enough to remove the cog.

if that fails. relace it to a junk rim (your lbs will probably supply a junked rim and spokes from their trash) and get it tight enough to do the work. should take about 20 minutes.

the old mountain bike trick to curing taco'd wheels (or at least making them straight enough to ride home on), is to lift the wheel over your head and wack it on a rock until it's straight. i'd try doing that, then tensioning the spokes enough to remove the cog.

Brilliant! ;)

Ive actually done this with a 2x4 before.

you've de-tacoed a 2x4?!