clevername

I have a 1972 Schwinn Super Sport road bike that somebody converted to a fixie. It runs nicely for $15, but there's one major problem I've just run into: I can't get the lockring tight enough.

See, whoever did the conversion put a fixed gear onto a freewheel-thread hub—one set of regular threads, no reverse threads—and then put a lockring on after that. I'd been fooling around with it one day when I realized that it seemed to "slip" a bit when I was trying to skid. This is because the lockring had come loose and my gear was unscrewing itself a bit before hitting the lockring. I took the wheel off and tightened it as well as I could, but after 5 minutes of riding it came loose again...

I'm wondering if this setup really is suicide or if there is some way to make the lockring really lock. Any tips?
FYI my purpose for this bike was to have a fixie that would run nicely so that I could get a feel for a fixed gear (This is my first), and then maybe spend more money on a more expensive bike if I liked it. Soooo, I'd like a solution that's under $10..


Attached are pictures of the parts, assembled and disassembled.

Jared.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Loctit...FepQOgod8lkAPw

Don't know if the site is legit, it's the first one I saw after Googling.

ThermionicScott 

That's why it's a bad idea.

(At least without red Locktite and time for that to cure.)

clevername

The page mentions needing to heat with a torch to loosen... if I did end up wanting to change out gears do you think repeated heat cycles could damage the hub?

Sixty Fiver

The suicide hub on this bike has been going strong for well over 7000 miles...

The secret is to use red loctite and after making sure things are snug, to let it cure for at least 24 hours and to use a front brake as skidding with a "suicide" hub is not advised.

I changed the cog once and it required a torch and 3 guys to get it off.

seau grateau

If this is a concern, you could always switch chainrings instead.

seau grateau

Also it's worth asking if you're using the right tools to tighten your cog/lockring. If you're not using a good lockring wrench/pliers, then you're not tightening it enough.

clevername

Oh, great idea about switching chainrings! It's a one-piece crank though... so I'm not sure how difficult it might be to find one, haha. Plus I might eventually wear out the cog and need to replace it anyways...


For my lockring, I used a spanner and ended up skinning my knuckles because it seemed like it had such a small amount of grip.

This is what I have. The three-tooth end fits on my lockring.
Are lockring pliers better for this job?
Or something like Park Tool's BBT-7?

Looks much more suitable, hah.

seau grateau

Pliers do the job best -- a good addition to any toolbox.

osiris419

Don't skid on a suicide hub use a brake

IAmSam

How is any lockring tool gonna really tighten a reverse threaded lockring on that hub? You all have to know it cant end well...

Op - you might give this a try:



https://www.ebay.com/itm/151201504857...84.m1436.l2661

Nagrom_

Rotafix + red loctite = good to go.

skinny matt

Yeah, this. Just make sure you get all the dirt and grease off the the cog, hub and lockring before you have at it. If you find fixed is up you alley, you can always invest in a better hub or wheel later. Miles of smiles in the meantime.

mihlbach

You don't need the red loctite. Just rotafix it. Really twist it on firmly. You'll be fine.

Philasteve

+1 Ever since my chainwhip broke. Never let's me down quick and easy.

clevername

Hooray, this looks like it'll solve two problems for me! I also have a bad chainline, and this looks like it will fix that too... I suppose using 2-part epoxy to secure it, as they recommend, should be pretty strong. The prospect of leaving my skids up to a bit of glue, though, sounds a bit scary.. Has anybody epoxied their cog on?

clevername

By the way, I do have it set up with a front brake and I plan to put on a rear sometime too. But skidding is pretty fun, if you ask me. I have a pair of old tires that I need to replace soon anyways, so I'm not worried about tearing them up.

clevername

Wait, couldn't that cause me problems if I needed to adjust my hub bearings, being permanently fixed on there?

TejanoTrackie 

If all you wanted to do is adjust the bearings, you can do that from the left side of the hub. You just need to fully tighten the right side bearing cone against the axle locknut before installing the adapter. Also, if these are solid axles that mount with track nuts in the dropouts, you can adjust the bearings with the wheel mounted in the frame. Just keep the right track nut tight and loosen the left nut so that you can adjust the left bearing cone. If you want to clean and repack the bearings, however, this will be a problem.

Xgecko

Suicide hubs....clearing the gene pool one hipster at a time

GMJ

Good one.

clevername

I have quick releases, however I think I might switch to solid axle. Just out of curiosity, is there any reason you would want to adjust your bearings while the wheel was still in the frame? Besides saving a few seconds, I suppose..

TejanoTrackie 

It's actually easier to adjust the bearings this way, because you can lock the axle securely on the right side while you adjust them on the left side. Also, you can't really judge the sideplay in the wheel until you actually mount it in the frame and push the rim sideways.

ThermionicScott 

Hmm, isn't it hard on the axle threads to turn the cone and locknut while the QR is clamped down? I've been taking the wheel back out to make the adjustments before rechecking on the bike.

seau grateau

I was thinking the same thing. Seems like it would be fine on a nutted axle since you can clamp just one side, but QR doesn't really have that option.