Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What can I do with these hubs?

Ok, if you've seen my other post, you know that I'm reluctant to lace anything up that isn't steel, however, I have this hubset, and am confused by it. I just bought it off of eBay (blah blah blah), and the description said Shimano FF hubset. I got confused and thought Schwinn approved FF hubset, which wouldn've meant Front Freewheeling, if any of you are familiar with this, which would've meant fixed gear. The Schwinn FF system had a fixed rear wheel with a 5 speed cluster, and the freewheel was in the crank. I didn't know exactly how it would work, but bought them anyway (that, and I LOVE ano). Now that I think of it, the Schwinn variety is just a regular old hub with threads, just like if the freewheel were in the rear.

Anyone have any ideas how this thing works? It has no threads inside the freehub, but that groove looks like it's for a lockring. What was this thing used for?

Thanks guys.

im familiar with a few front freewheel setups, but im confused by the fact the there is no threading for a lockring on the rear hub! are you sure theres no threading? i think what you have isnt a for a 5spd cluster, its for BMX. you may be able to find the parts you need from a BMX website. www.danscomp.com sells cogs that will fit that, maybe they have the lockring also.

if you can figure out how to lock down the cog on the rear of that it would make a really cool fixed hub, with a lot of adjustability for chain line!

i have an old panasonic 5 spd bike in my basement with a front freewheel, the neat thing about them is you can shift while not pedaling bc the chain is always in motion.

oh ya, and if you cant figure out what to do with them, id be glad to buy them from you! :)

Looks like a cassette but I haven't yet taken one of those apart. All my crap is old.

I did have a sears I think it was that was FF. The rear cog with body off looked like that.

Unlike how you describe the schwinn each of the five rear cogs ratcheted independantly. ( along with the freewheel front)

The body must have been locktited to the hub because I couldnt get it off. Good luck if its one of those.It was shimano.

( bike also had a disc brake back there, hub was seriously wide. What a monstrosity)

Ok, I've looked EVERYWHERE, and I'm sure that the only threads are on the axle, LOL. I'm starting to get confused with all this stuff now. The old Schwinn FF stuff, I was just assuming that the rear "cluster" wouldn't have any freewheel in it at all, but now meatwad is saying that on his front freewheel bike, each one retcheted independantly. Oh boy. I've had a bike with the FF system, a Varsity, but it didn't have the wheels when I got it, so I converted it to a standard crank. It's long gone now.

I could go ask about this over at the Schwinn forums I suppose. But, the more I think about it, the less I care about figuring out the Schwinn FF, and the more I care about figuring this thing out.

Legalize it, I haven't checked out that website yet, but you think a cog slips on there, and then a lockring in the groove or something? The freewheel is built into the hub, so no fixed gear. Does the Surly Fixxer need the internal threads that a cassette uses? Yeah, I was thinking moreso it was for BMX, and I slipped it into one of my road frames (which I think is 120), and it seems to be 110.

Meatwad, you're right, that does sound like a monstrosity! Probably a 20 pound one, at that.

Ok, my brain is being overloaded now.

Thanks for the input guys.

i was under the impression that the hub was fixed, sorry. bc the hub freewheels that means it was definately not for a front freewheeling bike. if there was a freewheel on the front and rear then pedaling wouldnt work!

now that i know thats a freehub, i have heard of it. its definately a bmx freehub, youre very lucky to have that in my opinion!!!! im pretty sure theres a resource out there that has a lockring for your hub. keep looking! that hub would certainly be at home on a SS MTB....are you sure you dont wanna sell it? :)

Well, yeah, after being able to physically touch the hub after it came in the mail (DAMN eBay!), I knew it wasn't for a front freewheel. However, even if there was a freewheel on the front and rear, you could still pedal, silly. There would just be two freewheels, but that doesn't mean that one of them would affect pedaling forward. Right?

Anyway, why do you want it?

It would be killer for a SS mountain bike, if your frame was 110. Tell me about it, I have a whole collection of kick booty anodized parts just waiting for something to go on.

I remember this conversation awhile back. http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/showthread.php?threadid=9337&highlight=front+freewheel

now that i thought about it a little more, i came to the conclusion that you would be able to pedal, but then the front freewheel would be completely pointless....unless the rear freewheel happens to break and get locked up...at that point the front would kick in....a back-up!!

to use that hub on a SS MTB id just install a longer axle and some spacers, and dish the wheel. you have more anodized blue parts i take it? sounds like you have a nice build in coming up!

sweet hubs. i'd like to get one of those for my ss road bike i'm gonna put togethet this summer...

j-

Well from what i can see, it looks like it uses a C clip lockring-type dealy, like coasterbrakes. I have a freecoaster (coaster brake without the brake) on my BMX and the cog is held on with what is basically a piece of 3mm rod bent round in a circle, tempered so it springs, sitting in a grove very similar to the one on the hub body.

...how about a surly fixxer to convert it to a fixed gear setup?

This is great. Now I understand this thing! However, do you need threads in the freehub portion to use a Surly fixxer?

The color is very vivid in person, I love 'em. Great eye candy at the least!

Actually the anodized parts I have, I don't know if they'll all be able to go on the same frame:

Kool Stop canti's (new) front (red) and rear (green)

Ringle 1 1/8" red ano quill stem

purple ano riser bar

these hubs

some nipples, of course

My coaster brake road bike rear wheel is built up with all the colors for nipples. I love this stuff! SO WHAT IF IT WENT OUT IN THE 80's?!?!?

nope...they're made to fit over top of shimano hubs like this...check out harris cyclery..they sell em... I actually got one when I got my spinergy's b/c I was assuming they had a shimano hub like this, only to find out they had a threaded hub....so no fixxer...

how old are those hubs? unless the design is similar to shimano's newer cassette hubs, a fixxer won't work. they don't fit _over_ the hubs, you have to physically unscrew the cassette body and replace it w/ the fixxer.

j-