Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - does anyone actually use the fixed side of a flip-flop?

i see lots of topics about people with new ss freewheel builds claiming they keep a cog on the other side "for when they ride fixed".

does anyone who actually rides a fixed gear switch to the freewheel side? i know of two people who ride a freewheel with a fixed cog on the other side who have never flipped their wheel. this seems to be more representative of the "flip flop hub" demographic.
i also don't know of anyone who rides fixed who would ever ride a singlespeed freewheel "on occasion".

is "for when i ride fixed" a myth?

i've never actually used the freewheel on my hub. :/

guess i should take it off.

uhh ive never used the freewheel side.

My bike came with a freewheel. I don't have the tool to remove it. It bugged me for a few minutes but then I forgot.

There has never been anything threaded on the freewheel side of my hub. Only reason I got flip/flop is because that's how the cheapo formulas come. Next hubs I'll get will probably be DA (or Suzue ProMax if I can find some), and I certainly won't miss having useless threads on the non-drive side.

the only people i know that use a flip flop hub are ss mtb'ers who ride fixed in town and a lower freewheel gear on trails, and people who have one wheelset that they swap between a road conversion and a cruiser or townie.

ive used it before. i'm about to switch my old conversion back to freewheel to have a ss beater.

liar.

uhh ive never used the freewheel side.

+1

I have cogs on both sides, and use both.

i had a free wheel on my hub because the guy at the shop built my wheels for a ss, but said that he was too lazy to take it off when he put my cog on and just gave it to me for free, i recently took it off cause it is not good to ride a ss without brakes

i often wonder if i am the only person on earth who actually flips the old flip-flop regularly. i guess i am.

My commuter has a single/single hub. I'm only running one freewheel on it at the moment though.

freewheels are for college freshmen langster scum

I use mine when I'm riding the old girl near Tahoe. I'll be damned if I'm going to spin down Mt. Rose.

I've never used the freewheel side and was super stoked to see the new wheel I bought was fixed/fixed

I kind of regret getting a wheel with a fixed/free instead of a fixed/fixed. I've never so much as looked at the freewheel threads, whereas I've often thought it'd be nice to have two cogs to choose from. Oh well.

I run a fixed cog on each side, even when threaded for a freewheel. I don't run a lockring, but I do run a front brake. All my double threaded wheelsets for the fixed gear run fixed/fixed cogs. I don't like to mix fixed and free on the same wheel.

As far as single speeds, I have a conversion that's a dedicated single speed and nothing else. I like taking this bike out on hilly rides so I can coast on long descents. :D

I kind of regret getting a wheel with a fixed/free instead of a fixed/fixed. I've never so much as looked at the freewheel threads, whereas I've often thought it'd be nice to have two cogs to choose from. Oh well.

You can still run a fixed cog on the free side sans lockring as long as you're running a brake.

don't run a lockring, but I do run a front brake. :D Not that it's any of my business, but why not put a bottom bracket lockring on that so your cog doesn't unscrew? They are cheap and easy to find and could save you from an accident or wrecking your hub.

Not that it's any of my business, but why not put a bottom bracket lockring on that so your cog doesn't unscrew? They are cheap and easy to find and could save you from an accident or wrecking your hub.Because in all the years of riding, they have never spun off, even with moderate backpedalling. I understand what you're saying. I realize they can be had for almost nothing but with quality hub/cog combo the cog should not spin loose. :)

You can still run a fixed cog on the free side sans lockring as long as you're running a brake.Oh, I know, but I'd manage to make that into a painful lesson. Quickly.

No freewheel no brakes, LYVE FAST DYE YUNG. LUL.

You people never heard of BB lockrings, have you?

seems like the concern would be the damage it could do to your threads. even though the movement is very slight, you are still moving the cog back and forth on the threads under very high torque, which I would think could do some damage. but again, it's your hub.

i so wish my formulas were fixed/fixed. the freewheel will NEVER be used, even when my GF rides them. my DA hub is just fixed on one side....thats fine with me.

who rides freewheel?

I ride free wheel? whats the big ****ing deal? I also ride fixed just not as often. As always its up to the person to make the choice if he/she likes fixed or freewheel. Im not like some of the sheep around these parts riding FG because its "the in thing" There are a lot of people that go FG and have been doing so for many years, those are the true FG riders not all you bull**** ****ing "hipster" types that do it because everyone else is ;) you're the **** head wannabes that ride around like your a ****ing messenger when in all reality your just some dick head spending daddys money while raiding the local thrift to look the part.....get a ****ing life you ****ing looser wannabes!

I rode the freewheel side for a while, but am now only on the fixed side. If I was a long and hilly ride from home at the end of a long day, I might flip back, but otherwise it's just easier to leave it fixed.

What used to be the frewheel side now has a fixed cog and bottom bracket lock ring on it. My fixed side stripped a week after I had the wheel built. No one told me to check the lockring after the first few rides.

liar.

suck a freewheel.

What used to be the frewheel side now has a fixed cog and bottom bracket lock ring on it. My fixed side stripped a week after I had the wheel built. No one told me to check the lockring after the first few rides.

The funny thing is, you could probably put a freewheel on the fixed side now, as the lockring threads are stripped but the main threads are not. The freewheel doesn't need too many threads to stay on the hub body.

For the record, I only bike singlespeed. Tried FG and hated it.

I bought a low-gear freewheel to be able to commute while nursing an injury, but never used it after that. I removed it when I had to rebuild the wheel. Now it's hanging on my wall. Maybe I'll use it when I finally build my Monocog.

If I'm going to have a freewheel, I might as well just take my 27 speed Surly.

Both of my fixed gear bikes have fixed cogs on both sides. When I had a freewheel, I never, ever used it.

Here's my take on the matter. When you can't coast, you don't coast. And never coasting is far more efficient. With one fixed gear you must keep pedaling no matter how bad the headwind or steep the hill. Therefore, your legs manage to find the right pace to match the conditions.

But if you have only one gear and a freewheel, you will be tempted to pedal faster than you should, then back off for a rest. You can always tell a roadie who is in the wrong gear - they pedal, coast, pedal, coast and so on. Well, most of the time, on a fixed gear or singlespeed, you are in the wrong gear unless it's perfectly flat and the air is calm.

And when you are in the wrong gear, it's best not to have the option of coasting.

If I'm going to have a freewheel, I might as well just take my 27 speed Surly.

Both of my fixed gear bikes have fixed cogs on both sides. When I had a freewheel, I never, ever used it.

Here's my take on the matter. When you can't coast, you don't coast. And never coasting is far more efficient. With one fixed gear you must keep pedaling no matter how bad the headwind or steep the hill. Therefore, your legs manage to find the right pace to match the conditions.

But if you have only one gear and a freewheel, you will be tempted to pedal faster than you should, then back off for a rest. You can always tell a roadie who is in the wrong gear - they pedal, coast, pedal, coast and so on. Well, most of the time, on a fixed gear or singlespeed, you are in the wrong gear unless it's perfectly flat and the air is calm.

And when you are in the wrong gear, it's best not to have the option of coasting.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o197/old_fool/fail/aw_jeez_not_this_sht_again2.jpg

im converting a road bike with a flip-flop; single speed / fixed for my lil bro. he lives in manhatten and doesn't yet feel comfortable with the fixed concept for his daily commute. i have a feeling the freewheel will come off after his first few rides.

My '55 Lenton came with a double sided fixed hub with British threading on the lock ring which made running a freewheel easy (same threading) but in these parts, finding English lock rings (1.29 by 24 tpi) was and is a PITA... every shop here seems to carry Italian threaded lock rings which are 1.32 by 24 tpi.

I installed a freewheel and used it once instead of the fixed cog and hated it. I was also in the process of trying to find a good source for English lock rings and recalled that some older coaster hubs used a threaded rather than a splined cog and a reverse threaded lock ring and was quite sure they would have been English threaded for both.

When I went through the old hubs at the shop I found I was right on both counts... so I found my needed lock ring and also found a great, albeit limited source, for very decent vintage cogs for both my vintage fixed gear and for a few other conversions I have done.

If I was to build another wheel with a flip flop hub it would have to be able to run a fixed/fixed combination rather than a fixed/free setup as riding fixed has spoilt me for any ss riding on the road.

i often wonder if i am the only person on earth who actually flips the old flip-flop regularly. i guess i am.

I do now that I have a fixed/fixed setup.

I have never used my freewheel. The only time I could see myself using it is if I get hurt, sick, or something like that and I couldn't pedal home.

I have never used my freewheel. The only time I could see myself using it is if I get hurt, sick, or something like that and I couldn't pedal home.

and the way to your home happened to be on a constant decline?

I ride free wheel, whats the big ****ing deal? I also ride fixed just not as often, as always its up to the person to make the choice if he/she likes fixed or freewheel, Im not like some of the sheep around these parts riding FG because its "the in thing" there are a lot of people that go FG and have been doing so for many years, those are the true FG riders not all you bull**** ****ing "hipster" types that do it because everyone else is ;) youre the **** head wannabes that ride around like your a ****ing messinger when in all reality your just some dick head spending daddys money while raiding the local thrift to look the part.....get a ****ing life you ****ing looser wannabes!


You are clearly not one of the sheep that goes around flaunting their correct punctuation and trying to pose like an english professor or something. God I hate those hipsters!

i've never actually used the freewheel on my hub. :/

guess i should take it off.

+1 me either

next time I'll get the hub fixed/fixed

**** flipflop hubs, double fixed is the way to go.

never used the fixed side.

Ive used both and will flip back and forth....sometimes even during the middle of a ride I have stopped and switched from fixed to free or the other way.... I like both

If I ran a freewheel on my fixed gear bike I'm sure the instant it engaged I am going to think my chain exploded.

Happens every-time I switch bikes. No way I could do fixed / free, my brain couldn't comprehend it.

I like both side. I use the freewheel side almost exclusively though.

i see lots of topics about people with new ss freewheel builds claiming they keep a cog on the other side "for when they ride fixed".

does anyone who actually rides a fixed gear switch to the freewheel side? i know of two people who ride a freewheel with a fixed cog on the other side who have never flipped their wheel. this seems to be more representative of the "flip flop hub" demographic.
i also don't know of anyone who rides fixed who would ever ride a singlespeed freewheel "on occasion".

is "for when i ride fixed" a myth?

I've flipped my hub to the freewheel when I've been at the tail end of long riders (50+ miles) when I don't feel like grinding down hills at 10 mph.

It really is just a case of running what makes you happy and I can't see why something as simple as expressing one's preference for fixed or free can make so many people so pissy.

Apparently...some of us like freewheeling and some of us like fixed, some of us like changing between them, and some of us don't, and some people wish they could.

Most of all, just consider yourself lucky if you are out there riding whatever makes you happy.

You are clearly not one of the sheep that goes around flaunting their correct punctuation and trying to pose like an english professor or something. God I hate those hipsters!

Thank you teacher for pointing out my flaws! I will try much harder to be more like you in the future Oh wise one! You are truly wise beyond your years! So very wise indeed! :rolleyes: Teacher, I have used the EDIT button on my prior post for you my teacher! I truly hope it is up to your standards! (I am so excited!) If it is not up to your standards Oh wise one I will commit my shamefull ****ing soul to the deepest darkest pits of satans bowels! or Ill just stop talking like a ****ing Data/KungFu robot and tell you to go **** yourself ;)

I use mine when I'm riding the old girl near Tahoe. I'll be damned if I'm going to spin down Mt. Rose.

Mt. Rose, right on! Tahoe is a great place to ride.