Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - looking for a good singlespeed freewheel - no "dead space"

i searched the previous posts, but couldn't find the answer i was looking for. as far as freewheels go, can anyone recommend a good quality (noiseless - instant engagement) freewheel?

everything i seem to get always has that "dead space" when you go from coasting to pedaling - it's very annoying, right?

please advise. thanks!!

Fixed gear has no dead spot.....instant transition from pedaling to dead-lock skid.

Other than that, you want to find something that has a high pawl count. The pawls are the little units that catch in the freewheel mechanism. Shimano FWs typically have 16(?) I think, thus 16 points of engagement. I believe the White Industries have a high pawl count, perhaps other high-end BMX FW's would be worth a try; i.e. Profile, AC, etc.

Chris King hubs have a huge pawl count, thus the reason they sound like angry bees instead of a kitchen timer.

Oh man, I can't remember the name of who makes one. I'm thinking it's Phil Wood, but that's not it. Dang!!!!

Anyways, it's about $100, rebuildable and very nice! Stainless too!

If I remember, I'll let you know.

L8R

Well, I'm not sure how much slack you find objectionable. All freewheels will have a bit depending on how many pawls they have. My favorite ss freewheels are Shimano because the ones I have had were very quiet, ie the clicks were not very loud, and I have never noticed objectionable slack. Other ss freewheels, can't remember brand, had very loud clicks. Of course, fixie trumps ss for silence and lack of "dead space."
FWIW,
Raymond

White Industries E N O!!!!

http://www.whiteind.com/eno.htm

L8R

thanks for the suggestions - i ride fixed too, but i don't like it all of the time, that's why the problem came up. i've been spoiled by the direct drive, so i was hoping to find a really nice feeling freewheel. yeah - nothing compares to the direct drive feel though....

My fixie has a old Suntour BMX freewheel on the flipside. VERY little slop and is pretty quiet.

Generic coaster brake hubs are silent. I recall making one into a freewheel many moons ago, but i don't recall how much slop it had.

I like the White Industries. At the T Mobile demo tent in SF, they showed off their 2 cog freewheel. That was cool.

The White industies piece is nice, but super expensive. I use Shimanos because they are quiet and are machined better than ACS. I know some people say the cheaper freewheels are junk, but for 10 to 15 bucks who cares. You would have to ruin 5 or 6 of them to match the price of the white industries. Perhaps you should step up your gearing to a higher gear that might give you a more solid feeling. I know what you mean by slop, but most freewheels engage reletivly qickly as compared to a coster brake.

The Trials specific ENO freewheel has double the engagement points of the regular one. Don't think anyone makes a silent freewheel either. The Chris King singlespeed rear hub has pretty much instant engagement, but has an infuriating sound. There was a hub around called the 'Stealth' that had silent instant engagement, but I know nothing about them. Might wanna do a search.

I always thought it would be really cool if someone made a roller clutch freewheel. It would be pretty much instant-engage and totally silent.

Oh well, I can dream. :(

I have an campag freewheel on my dad's old road bike. early 80's I think. It's totally silent and is quick on the takeup. it's the only geared bike I've ever heard where the derailleur pulleys make more noise than the freewheel. Didn't campy used to make BMX parts? I bet a Regina SS freewheel would be just as quiet. If you could find one.

tim