Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Best cog

In your opinion what is the best cog for under $25

I feel like all cogs under $25, as long as they are CNC'd, are pretty much the same.

duraace is like 28.00

Dura ace. And it's NJS if you care.

Generic FTW!

Yea shimano makes a pretty good cog.

IF you have the money there's always philwood ones.... :rolleyes:

They are pretty much the same as long they are not stamped ***.

A cog I don't like is Surly's. I don't know if it's the teeth profile or what, but it's noisy as hell.

A cog I don't like is Surly's. I don't know if it's the teeth profile or what, but it's noisy as hell.

I didn't know that about Surly's no wonder my drivetrain makes so much noise although I've lubed up my chain.

i've got generic stuff, works well. Here's one i just bought recently http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370261431529&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

It's pretty quiet and strong, seems like it'll last awhile.

I just switched to DA, and it seems marginally better than the $10 formula or whatever I had before.

DA is my choice. You can get a DA cog and lockring shipped from ebay for 30ish.

I have a surly and it is very noisy. I knew the noise is due to bad drive train match, but now this makes more sense. I am going to see if I an go get a new cog soon. I wanted to try something different anyways.

I too have a Surly. The only time I hear any noise is when I flip the bike over and have my ear next to the cog.

well seems like the majority votes surly as being the cheapest. besides Aries and xxguitarist, does anyone else have experience w/ DA?

or generic ones for that matter?

I have a Surly and it's quiet, but I am running it w/ Surly lockring and Surly hub. You guys might wanna try oiling and slackening your chains if they are noisy.

Really, when it comes to it, I don't think there are any huge differences in a given price range.

I have a Surly and it's quiet, but I am running it w/ Surly lockring and Surly hub. You guys might wanna try oiling and slackening your chains if they are noisy.

That's not the problem. I really think it is the tooth profile. Compared to EAI, Dura Ace & Soma cogs, the teeth on the Surly's don't taper as much. It looks like they're thicker. I have no rationale for this making for a noisier drivetrain, but it's a lot quieter when I run the EAI.

EAI all the way! smooth, quiet, and perfect chainline.

There's really no point going for generic or other **** cogs when DA is $25-$30. Seriously. Is wrecking your hub worth saving what, $15 on a cog?

:thumb:
There's really no point going for generic or other **** cogs when DA is $25-$30. Seriously. Is wrecking your hub worth saving what, $15 on a cog?

The best? Discarding the 25 buck being cheap method..

Eai gold and Phil wood :)

I'm very happy with the Surly. My chainline is pretty good, so I really don't hear much noise from the drivetrain while riding at all. My current Surly cog/lockring combo is much better quality than the Soma and Formula ones I've also owned. I snagged the combo for about $20 brand new, so I was pretty pleased with the deal I found.

If you want the best cog for the least money, the Miche cog/carrier system is the way to go. Once you buy the carrier, the cogs are about half the cost of a normal cog, and when worn you can flip them around and get another full life out of them, so the operating cost is about 25% of regular cogs.

I have a 16t cog with the hub being about centered. If i put a 18t cog on will I have to add a link to my chain?

Just put on a 18t EAI about a month ago, it's smooth and quiet.

I have a 16t cog with the hub being about centered. If i put a 18t cog on will I have to add a link to my chain?

That will move your axle forward 1/4". Do you have 1/4" left to move the axle? If not you need to add a link or a half link.

yeah I should have the clearance. thank you.

If you want the best cog for the lease money, the Miche cog/carrier system is the way to go. Once you buy the carrier, the cogs are about half the cost of a normal cog, and when worn you can flip them around and get another full life out of them, so the operating cost is about 25% of regular cogs.

Are the Miche cogs aluminum or steel?

Just bought the 1/8in 18t cog. This should make icey hills easier.

Are the Miche cogs aluminum or steel?

Steel. I have a pair of Miche cogs (16t and 17t) that I switch back and forth...16t in summer, and 17t in winter. I have been using the same cogs for 3 years now and they only show a small amount of wear.

I've used EAI, Dura-Ace, Formula, Surly, and Phil Wood cogs; the Phil is the best, followed by the Dura-ace (but they only make those up to 16t), then EAI, Surly, finally formula.

I used all these with SG75 and Zen chainrings, and when mated to the Phil, I have minimal tight spots and a very quiet drivetrain.

But I would agree that anyone will be ok just picking up a CNC'd over a stamped one.

I really like the Miche cogs also. Great for quick gear changes at the track and I have never had any problems with them on the street either.

how about the ACS Claws?

http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=331

i know this is a noob question but would this freewheel cog work on a kilo TT even though the description says it's intended use is for BMX?

ACS is the freewheel-equivalent to a sun dried turd.

Get a Shimano for cheap, or a White Industries forever. That freewheel will work w your Kilo.

If you want the best cog for the lease money, the Miche cog/carrier system is the way to go. Once you buy the carrier, the cogs are about half the cost of a normal cog, and when worn you can flip them around and get another full life out of them, so the operating cost is about 25% of regular cogs.

Can you explain that or tell me where you read that? They don't say anything on their website, literally.

I've only used Surly and they last a long time (over 15k miles) and reasonably quiet.

I tried a Profile 1/8 cog as the shop was out of Surly (it actually cost a few bucks more and the shop guy said it was better, doh) and that was by far the worst I've ever used. After a few hundred miles the teeth were heavily mushroomed and it only lasted about 1k miles before it was well worn out.

ACS is the freewheel-equivalent to a sun dried turd.

Get a Shimano for cheap, or a White Industries forever. That freewheel will work w your Kilo.

thanks yo! :thumb:

I have a Surly cog and my drivetrain was a bit noisy. I got a Sugino 75 chainring and now it's quiet.
Chains and chainrings are part of the picture when it comes to noise so ya can't just blame it on the cog.
It's an Izumi chain, the silver one.

If you want the best cog for the least money, the Miche cog/carrier system is the way to go. Once you buy the carrier, the cogs are about half the cost of a normal cog, and when worn you can flip them around and get another full life out of them, so the operating cost is about 25% of regular cogs.


Can you explain that or tell me where you read that? They don't say anything on their website, literally.

I didn't read it anywhere but, after owning one its plainly obvious that you can do this. The carrier is what determines the chainline. The cog itself is totally symmetrical, so you can, quite simply, remove it and flip it around. You will get the exact same chainline, and the chain will then be contacting the unworn side of the teeth. You can essentially get double the life out of the cog.

Here are two images for reference...


http://www.worldclasscycles.com/miche_cog_carrier.jpg
http://www.labicicletta.com/edatcat/uploads/miche_pista_cogs.jpg

I've used EAI, Dura-Ace, Formula, Surly, and Phil Wood cogs; the Phil is the best, followed by the Dura-ace (but they only make those up to 16t), then EAI, Surly, finally formula.

Anybody attempting to rank these cogs is just giving their opinion. There's no real data available saying which one is "better"...whatever that means. They are all basically the same thing. Perceived differences in noise, chain tight-loose spots, and wear rate can be attributed to a million other factors.


But I would agree that anyone will be ok just picking up a CNC'd over a stamped one.

This is better advice.

They should use that in their advertisement :thumb:

mihlbach, do you find that the Miche cog/carrier system has any play in it, or enough to be noticeable when riding?

mihlbach, do you find that the Miche cog/carrier system has any play in it, or enough to be noticeable when riding?

There is a miniscule amount of play when the lockring is unistalled, but thats to be expected with any splined system. The play is basically microscopic and way too little play to notice while riding. The more important issue is if the play can work the lockring loose.

In my experience, the lockring stays tight. However, I don't do a whole lot of skidding and backpedalling...I do some of that, but not much. (I've been riding fixed too long to care about skidding and riding brakeless.;)) A brakeless rider would be wise to frequently check the lockring tension, at least until they were confident that it wasn't gradually coming loose.

There is a miniscule amount of play when the lockring is unistalled, but thats to be expected with any splined system. The play is basically microscopic and way too little play to notice while riding. The more important issue is if the play can work the lockring loose.

In my experience, the lockring stays tight. However, I don't do a whole lot of skidding and backpedalling...I do some of that, but not much. (I've been riding fixed too long to care about skidding and riding brakeless.;)) A brakeless rider would be wise to frequently check the lockring tension, at least until they were confident that it wasn't gradually coming loose.

That's excellent to hear. I always have visions of splined systems gradually developing more and more play until massive failure. Thanks for the quick reply!

That's excellent to hear. I always have visions of splined systems gradually developing more and more play until massive failure. Thanks for the quick reply!

I have had problems with other splined components, namely the WI crankset and chainring. Its fine riding SS, but when riding fixed, the lockring loosens. However, a bit of blue loctite completely solved that problem.

I never understood why WI went with that weird threaded lockring style crankset.

I never understood why WI went with that weird threaded lockring style crankset.

Me neither, yet I couldn't resist trying it out, largely because I have a weird chainline on my SS/FG/MTB and this crank would work well with my current BB. I contacted WI about the problem, and they seemed mystified why the cog would work itself loose when riding fixed, even though the reason (play between the crank and ring) is obvious.
Any any rate, they sent me some free lockrings and I loctited that sucker down and it holds together fine now.

The crank looks nice and works well (with loctite) but if I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a more traditionally designed crank.

http://www.worldclasscycles.com/miche_cog_carrier.jpg


How do you install the cog carrier on the hub? Can it be removed once installed?

I installed the carrier using a chainwhip. I have never removed one from a hub but it doesn't seem like it would be a nightmare.

Does Chris King make a fixed cog? If so, /thread.