Road Cycling - track bikes and dropouts??

hey I am new heer... but I need some help with my track bike.. I am using horizontal dropouts.. but the front loading kind the not the bmx style dropouts... anyways the torque from me pedalling start to pull out the wheel... please help me..

Hmmmmm. I run a road fixed gear with horizontal dropouts and no problems but if you're actually velodrome racing you might be asking more out of those road dropouts than is reasonable.

Do you have good track nuts with captive washers on the rear? If not upgrade your hardware. If you do have those already I guess a few more ft/lb of torque when you tighten can't hurt but I'd imagine you've tried that.

You could get trackends brazed on to replace those dropouts but that's pricey. Maybe not as pricey as a frame though.

um these track nuts and captive washers?? I have never heard of them before.. I have tried making ti supre tight...

I am usiong it with a front brake to go around the city... and eventually become a courier.. soon enough... anyways yes no way of getting new dropouts... no money..

but tell me more about these track nuts??

Tracknuts are like a combined unit of nuts and washers. It has a hexagonal axle nut with a washer that's free to spin around until the unit is able to be tightened down with a wrench. It's the most secure way to hold the wheel onto the axle.

I've done some velodrome racing using tracknuts and horizontal dropouts and have not had a problem with the wheel slipping.

Hi J P, the track nut and washer are joined together -but- the nut still spins!
When you use them on a trackie you do not need to tighten them until your eyes pop out! But do them up firmly.

I would recommend that you visit Sheldon Browns site and look up his section on fixed gear bikes [URL=http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed] There you will find photos of the track nut/washers.

Good luck, singlespeed on the road is a Blast!!

Oscar and Sillystorm are right on with their description of tracknuts. Harris Cyclery is an excellent source. If you're using a quick release rear axle that's probably the problem. I know that some have claimed that a QR is workable on a fixie but I have my doubts.

Probably about 10$ for the nuts. Kind of expensive for nuts but if they solve your problem it's still a ggod deal.

hey thanks alot everyone...

sheldonborwns site is really great I have checked it out before... so far I am having alot of fun riding around on my fixed gear bike... I am also running a front brake yet it is not being used all too much... I started out using quick realease but it was terrible.... really terrible... then I bought a new axle and it is working better but it slipped that time and I am kinda afraid...

well thanks a ton..

All you have to fear is fear itself. Actually the wheel won't slip OUT if the nuts are loose. If it slips, the wheel will go off-center and rub against the left chainstay. You'll feel it immediately.

Speaking of fear...because of this different kind of war we're in, we're all potential victims, and therefore all soldiers. Let's stop being afraid of flying in planes and opening mail. Let's stop whining about lost innocence and toughen up. We're soldiers now.

I heard somewheer about a track dropout um,? accseorie (sp) and yeh has anyone hard of it???

There are track end adjusters, which are little adjusting screws that fit against the axle to ensure that the wheel goes on straight.

Get some over-sized track nuts, and tighten them with a ring spanner/wrench. You can get much higher torque without the risk of slipping. I use a bit of foot power (carefully!!) to tighten track-nuts.