Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Rim hub combo.

Building up a set of wheels for my SS project and I'm thinking about Some 26" Aeroheats with Shimano Deore M530 hubs.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Full/14520.jpg
http://www.koobel.com.ar/catalog/images/FH_HB-M-530%20Maza%20Shimano%20Deore.gif
I have 2 questions:
1. I chose Shimano Deore because they are cheap but I wondering why they are SO much cheaper than every other hub out there. Can anyone report on it's quality? I don't want to spend money building up a custom set of wheels only to have the hubs break but OTOH I don't need a high end hub-it's just for a townie bike so I don't want to waste money either.

2. Where can I find an online spoke calculator that I can just insert hub and rim measurements and it automatically gives me a required length. (Non-Excel based)
Thanks folks

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/
http://www.appliedthought.com/danny/Spoke/SpokeCalculator.html

both linked from Sheldon Brown

Well, that's a MTB hub, so unless you're building this up on a MTB frame, they probably won't fit (135mm locknut spacing on these, track frames typically have 120mm, road frames it depends on how old, but not more than 130mm). Plus, that hub is made to take a cassette, which as a SS your bike doesn't need.

If you're looking for cheap, I recommend you get a Formula hub, with fixed/fixed flip-flop for the rear. With fixed/fixed you can still put a freewheel on for coasting, but you still have the option of putting a fixed cog on there and have a lockring. They're about $40 each, and you see them all over the place (often rebranded, ala Velocity, IRO, Specialized, etc).

As for a spoke calculator, check out http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html , he has a few linked on that page (you should have Sheldon Brown's site in your bookmarks anyway).

Well, that's a MTB hub, so unless you're building this up on a MTB frame, they probably won't fit (135mm locknut spacing on these, track frames typically have 120mm, road frames it depends on how old, but not more than 130mm). Plus, that hub is made to take a cassette, which as a SS your bike doesn't need.

If you're looking for cheap, I recommend you get a Formula hub, with fixed/fixed flip-flop for the rear. With fixed/fixed you can still put a freewheel on for coasting, but you still have the option of putting a fixed cog on there and have a lockring. They're about $40 each, and you see them all over the place (often rebranded, ala Velocity, IRO, Specialized, etc).

As for a spoke calculator, check out http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html , he has a few linked on that page (you should have Sheldon Brown's site in your bookmarks anyway).

+1 for this wealth of common sense.

If you want a singlespeed, build it up with a singlespeed hub.

Also, buy Jobst Brandt's book. It's a step by step guide to a basic 3 cross wheel. Do you have access to a truing stand, a spoke tension gauge and a wheel dishing gauge? Those will really help, so if there's a bike co-op near you, check them out.

I think the OP is looking to build a SS mountain bike. Not a road bike. Regardless, a dedicated SS mtb hub would be preferable but will cost more.

Thanks Everyone.
I will check out the links.

Yeah, The frame is from a 1993 Giant Iguana, which is a suspensionless, cruiser-type MTB. I have stripped everything down to the frame and and building back up with drop bars and a single speed drivetrain. I am thinking about using the Sram S300 Single ring crank so I can't use a dedicated rear hub due to chainline issues. I thought I'd just use a cassette hub and a stack of spacers.- not glamourous, but cheap and easy.


So with that said, Does anybody have any experience with the Deore hub. I figured that since it's Shimano, even a cheapo one would be OK enough for a townie bike. I have seen the front and rear hubs online for $9/$26. I want to jump at it but would like to hear some opinions first.
Thanks again.

So with that said, Does anybody have any experience with the Deore hub. I figured that since it's Shimano, even a cheapo one would be OK enough for a townie bike. I have seen the front and rear hubs online for $9/$26. I want to jump at it but would like to hear some opinions first.
Thanks again.

1. Shimano hubs rock! They are very reliable, they are user serviceable and, if you need replacement parts like cones or a freehub body, they are easy to find. The more expensive ones are a little lighter in weight and have a more elaborate sealing mechanism.

2. This may seem like piling on, but my conscience would bother me if I didn't say this. It's a fair amount of work to lace up a wheelset or to build up a single speed conversion bike for that matter. If it was my bike I'd definitely do whatever it takes to make a real single speed hub work.

drop bars on a mtb? sounds tarck...but i'll wait until the pics come.

Retro Grouch: Thanks. 1) I am leaning towards the Shimanos- just wanted to hear some opinions. 2) A single speed hub is certainly simpler but then I only have a small selection of cranks to choose from to accommodate the chainline. I'm going to try to use the magic gear in lieu of a tensioner if I can, so chainline needs to be perfect.

Nuggetross: Yes drop bars. I'm sorry if that upsets your priggish slavery to conservative cyclery aesthetics. But unless you want to pay for my conversion I'll decide how my bike functions. Thank you very much. But if it makes you feel better the bike has an early 90's, skinny, steel tube frame with no suspension (front or back) and when paired with drop bars looks more like a classic cyclocross bike than anything else.

I'm going to try to use the magic gear in lieu of a tensioner if I can, so chainline needs to be perfect.

Are you indirectly telling me that your frame has vertical dropouts? You're going to learn lots of stuff from this build.

Have you considered spending a little extra money for an elliptical hub, so you wouldn't have to stress quite as much about magic gears and chain tensioners?

http://www.whiteind.com/rearhubs/singlespeedhubs.html

Have you considered spending a little extra money for an elliptical hub, so you wouldn't have to stress quite as much about magic gears and chain tensioners?

http://www.whiteind.com/rearhubs/singlespeedhubs.html

I've never tried one of those - heck, I've never even seen one of those. The reviews that I've read, however, haven't been very good.

Have you considered spending a little extra money for an elliptical hub, so you wouldn't have to stress quite as much about magic gears and chain tensioners?

http://www.whiteind.com/rearhubs/singlespeedhubs.html

That is a nice hub. I have already considered it, but the problem is still the 47.5 chainline- which is much larger than the selection of SS/track cranks I have been looking at. Plus I could buy an entire wheel set for the price of that one hub alone.
As somebody mentioned, I do have vertical dropouts so chainline and chain tension are my headaches right now and a cassette hub with a chain tensioner is the cheapest way of fixing the problem. (magic gear if I can swing it.)

Deore is fine. They come stock on crosschecks. SLX, LX, and XT will be nicer in the weight and other realms, yeah, deore should work.

That is a nice hub. I have already considered it, but the problem is still the 47.5 chainline- which is much larger than the selection of SS/track cranks I have been looking at.

I think that you're making that chainline thing into a much bigger problem than it deserves. Respacing a rear hub to move the freewheel inward 5 mm shouldn't be a very big deal.