Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Chain slip question

hai2u,
Having an issue with chain slip on my kilo stripper, I've had it for about a month now and just today I noticed some chain slip when accelerating with a lot of torque and skidding. I did some searchin teh GOOGZ and found a few options. It sounds like my cog is loose, as it shouldn't be a 1/8 or 3/32 issue because it just started happening now and all the parts are stock.

Solutions to the loose cog? One I found (I'm sure not the best) was to sprint up a hill to retighten the cog. I did this and the chain slipped once, about a half a crank rotation, and it didn't slip at all during any other high torque hill climbing. I hear that I should also tighten my lockring, and that I could do it with a screw driver and hammer since I don't got a tool for it. Does this sound safe for the time being, until I replace the components and have a shop take care of it? Also, which way do I tighten the lockring?

Thanks

Riding the bike (forward) will tighten the cog as tight as you'll need it. When you first install a cog/lockring, you'll likely not be able to tighten the cog all the way by hand so just ride it a bit to tighten it all the way. Obviously afterward you'll have to retighten the lockring the rest of the way...I did mine with a hammer and screwdriver because I didn't have a lockring tool, which scared me (didn't want to overdo it and strip the threads). Just be careful, and eventually you should probably invest in a lockring tool.

If you didn't grease the threads of the cog and lockring before you tightened them, you should really remove them completely and grease them.

Without grease, it's much more difficult to get the cog as tight as it should be.

Please tighten your cog and lockring properly! This means using a chainwhip/rotafix for your cog and a spanner for your lockring. This is why so many people complain about stripped hubs on their new bikes. :crash:

I saw the rotafix method, but tbh I'm not every bike-mechanically skilled. Whats the easiest way to loosen my chain so I could try that method? What kind of grease would be best to get from say Ace Hardware if I wanted to regrease my hub?

if you dont want to spend the $8 on bicycle overhaul grease, just buy some marine grease -- you want something waterproof and thick.

if you dont want to spend the $8 on bicycle overhaul grease, just buy some marine grease -- you want something waterproof and thick.


I'm willing to buy grease, I was just wondering if anyone knows anything specific that Ace sells. Last time I was at a LBS I asked and they said they only have shop grease...

...that's what you need. "shop grease" most likely means common overhaul grease.

park tool polylube grease
rock n roll super web grease
phil wood grease
etc.

I am not familiar with ace hardware -- look for marine grease. pretty much the same as above...

Park tool grease does it for me. Plus the park tool lock ring wrench is only 14 bucks. You don't need any mechanic skills to turn what is basically a screw.

I use park tool grease as well. Good stuff and it's relatively cheap too.

Does this sound safe for the time being, until I replace the components and have a shop take care of it? Also, which way do I tighten the lockring?

Thanks

btw, turn the lockring left (CCW)

Park tool grease does it for me. Plus the park tool lock ring wrench is only 14 bucks. You don't need any mechanic skills to turn what is basically a screw.

Ya know... one would think that would be the case and we wouldn't need those taps and dies at the shop to fix stripped and damaged threads.

But we do.

This is the grease I use:

http://www.trailertek.com/acatalog/hub101.jpg

They probably have it at Ace for five bucks and it will last you about 15 years.

Yeah, go buy a lockring tool. Hopefully your hub isn't already toast. IIRC bd even says that cog/lockring will need tightening before you assemble/ride your bike.

A 10-15 dollar tool is much, much cheaper than a new hub.