Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Are these wheels any good

Saw these on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRACK-ROAD-BIKE-FIXED-GEAR-WHEELSET-SS-WHEELS_W0QQitemZ170068712820QQihZ007QQcategoryZ58099QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I believe this another Bikesdirect company, I could be wrong. You can't buy the parts for what they are selling the wheels for. I'm really tempted to get a set. Just wanted to know if anyone pulled the trigger on a set.

Tim

this was just asked like yesterday. gah.

Check these links for a discussion on the wheelset you linked, and other similarly priced bargain wheelsets.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=260151

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=259920

Check these links for a discussion on the wheelset you linked, and other similarly priced bargain wheelsets.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=260151

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=259920

Thanks for the links. I read them all and the links inside them. Very good info.

As far as lockrings and cogs go, why did the hub strip on the horror story instead of the cog. Seems like the culprit is the hub itself not the cheap cog. Sounds to me like the guy didn't install the cog/lockring properly.

Tim

Thanks for the links. I read them all and the links inside them. Very good info.

As far as lockrings and cogs go, why did the hub strip on the horror story instead of the cog. Seems like the culprit is the hub itself not the cheap cog. Sounds to me like the guy didn't install the cog/lockring properly.

Tim
Cogs are hardened steel, hub threads are aluminum- Cog always wins.

Cheap cogs and lockrings just suck- buy a new quality one of each- surly, eai, dura ace, and others make excellent qaulity cogs/lockrings. Yes, the set will set you back about $30-40, but both are durable, and you can move them to a different set of wheels if you buy a or better wheelset.

You can take your chances with cheap cogs/lockrings, but be forwarned that there are 101 stories about people stripping hubs with cheap cogs and lockrings in this forum..

Cogs are hardened steel, hub threads are aluminum- Cog always wins.

Cheap cogs and lockrings just suck- buy a new quality one of each- surly, eai, dura ace, and others make excellent qaulity cogs/lockrings. Yes, the set will set you back about $30-40, but both are durable, and you can move them to a different set of wheels if you buy a or better wheelset.

You can take your chances with cheap cogs/lockrings, but be forwarned that there are 101 stories about people stripping hubs with cheap cogs and lockrings in this forum..

I totally understand about the hardened steel winning out over aluminum. IMO, it has to be improper installation not the cog that's stripping the hub threads. Does anyone have an explanation as to how a cheap cog strips the hub threads and an expensive doesn't?

Tim

Does anyone have an explanation as to how a cheap cog strips the hub threads and an expensive doesn't?
Tim

I would ike to know this to...what is it about a cheap cog that makes it more likely to strip a hub than a good quality cog. I'm always tempted to buy a few cheap cogs for the sake of experimenting with different gears, but i'm afraid of destroying my nice Surly hubs. I started riding fixed with a cheapass cog rotafixed onto an old freewheel hub and nothing bad ever happened. In fact, a friend is still riding that same wheel and cog. What it is with all these people and thier cheap cog/stripped hub stories? I think it has more to do with improper installation.

1 Cheap cog has a thinner base, so the same stress is spread out onto fewer threads.
2 Cheap cog has ****ty threads. Eg. not tall enough, so they end up engaging only the top of the hub threads. Or one thread is missing/very low=> see1. Or the threads are not spaced evenly, so one or more of the hub threads take extreme stress.

That said, I can proudly claim to own the ****tiest cog of all BFSSFG, and I put 2000 problem-free miles into it before I switched to a different setup. That sucker was co crap the chain actually made indentation on it after 30 miles. Narrow base, uneven teeth, you name it.
It all comes down to tightening it like a gorilla and then being lucky.

One more thing on these wheels,

it looks like they are not even a true "fixed/free" flip-flop hub. looks more like free/free

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/4847/vueltahubkl3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

unlike a true fixed/free hub

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/6797/hubrearkogswellci3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It all comes down to tightening it like a gorilla and then being lucky.

Right :) Also, apparently dabbing liberaly with locktite should help. It'll fill up the gap between the threads and after setting, contribute to the strength of the joint between the alu surface of the hub and the steel surface of the sprocket. A sprocket that rocks back and forth on the hub threads is, I guess, just the kind of thing that leads to stripping. So, locktite, rotafixa like there's no tomorrow (but don't bend the frame like I heard a guy managed to!) and leave it to set for a couple of hours. I am doing this, and even without a lockring everything has always been fine.

One more thing on these wheels,

it looks like they are not even a true "fixed/free" flip-flop hub. looks more like free/free



unlike a true fixed/free hub


This is a picture from the auction-
The cog/lockring comes installed on one side; the other side is the freewheel side.