Bicycle Mechanics - fixed gear wheel issues

I know nada about the specs on my wheel (trade with someone WHO THOUGHT they were buying a ss...oy?), only that I did a very slow-mo skid stop in an alley, messing around, and started coasting... yea... on a fixed... The cog unthreaded itself from the hub... I thought this was odd, I had assumed it was well... affixed. In order to cart it back home, I had to take the rear wheel off, forgetting how ghetto I had it attached. Apparently the width between dropouts is a bit tighter that the wheel wants, but it's been working fine, and I suppose I have a few questions:

1. Is it ok to be stressing the frame like that, even if it's just mms?
2. Does the wheel rest on the springs, shouldn't they have washers of some sort? (newb)
3. Is it cool for the hub/cog not to have jbweld/a nut/washer thing going on, I read on a track forum that this is ok, but... for skid stopping frequently? (albeit ... my newbie-ness doesn't allow me to go out without my lovely front brake)

Usually a frame can give a few mms depending on the material. As for your second question, i can only assume your running a quick release if your asking about springs. If you have a quick release and your running a fixed, your asking for problems. The quick release will never provide the pressure needed to keep the wheel in place and will never have a consistent chain tension. If you have a front brake thats ok but to a certain degree. And lastly, no it's not cool if your hub doesn't have a lock ring. You need the reverse threaded lock ring if your planning on doing skids and back pedaling.

If your wanting to go brake-less shell out for a track specific rear wheel. I have seen plenty of people "eat-it" after their home made track wheel gave out.

1. As long as the frame is steel, you're good.
2. there should be a few mm of threaded axle sticking out from the end of the lock nuts. The dropouts should rest on that. If you have a good quality quick release, you shouldn't have to worry about it, but I would still recommend a brake. The threaded bit on this picture is what I'm talking about:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/cone_tool.gif
3. It is not cool. Some track riders ride without a lockring because they never put any backpressure on the pedals. If you are going to ride it on the street, you should have a lockring. You can get away with jb weld or red loctite if you don't mind the idea of never swapping out your cog.

There's always the rotafix + BB lockring option. I've yet to hear of anyone who has had problems with this if it is done properly.

It sounds like you're running a road freewheel hub rather than a track/flip-flop so you'll need to use orangepaints solution. A track lockring is reverse threaded and will not fit a road hub.

+1 to the BB lockring. I'm not sure I'd trust simple Loctite. Then again, I'm not sure I'd trust the BB lockring. I like my fixed-specific hub.

The frame has yielded again to my own girly-pressure, and I will definitely take the lockring AND something to make it "stick"... I def. don't mind the specificity... but as to the quickrelease... I was for one reason or another under the impression it was better...? I can imagine both the pros and cons, but would just replacing the axle (duh) be a good idea?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/cone_tool.gif


amigo, that is not what anyone's quick release should look like. that's sheldon brown's modified QR for snugging up cones. But, you're right that the dropouts should rest on the threaded (or unthreaded, below) section of the wheel axle that just out past the cones. Even though the springs abut the axle, the dropouts *should never* rest on the springs

http://bicycletrip.com/images/library/site/quickreleaseuse_lube.jpg

And, just to be anal, QRs shouldn't look like the above either. You want the enclosed cam, old-school QR for fixed riding. As long as you crank on it, QR is totally fine.

See Sheldon on exposed vs. enclosed cam skewers:

http://sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html

fwiw, I've been riding a freehub fixed with a BB lockring for close to 30 years, and never had the cog spin off. But I do have brakes, and I use them. If you really want to ride brakeless, (which I don't understand if you aren't on a track), spring for a proper track wheel.

fwiw, I've been riding a freehub fixed with a BB lockring for close to 30 years, and never had the cog spin off. But I do have brakes, and I use them. If you really want to ride brakeless, (which I don't understand if you aren't on a track), spring for a proper track wheel.

I am sure you mean freewheel hub. (just for clarification)

Correct. Thanks.