I had an LBS install a Surly 15t cog on the fix side of my Soho-S. Yeah, I know I could've installed it myself, but I was there anyway and they had the time to do it while I waited. I put maybe 200 hard mashing miles on it and life was good.
When I bought my Madison, I decided to remove the Surly cog from the Soho and install it on the Maddy to give me a track-ready 48/15. The lockring came off fine, but the cog wouldn't budge even with the wheel still on the bike and my 250lbs putting substantial backpressure on the pedal
So...I took the Soho to the same LBS who installed the cog and presented the problem. Even with a cheater bar and the wheel on the bike, they could not remove the Surly cog
The second mechanic (not the first mechanic who installed the cog earlier) said he was afraid he'd taco the wheel if he applied too much pressure. Now I'm stuck with a 44/15 combo on the Soho that has been relegated to commuting duties to the gym, the store, and easy rides around the neighborhood with my daughter....not that its a bad thing, but wtf?
Could the first mech have screwed up by not applying anti-sieze to the threaded area of the hub before installing the Surly? Or am I just an incredible masher of pedals who destroys things? I haven't been able to make contact with the first mech who installed the cog and the other mechs in the shop have no idea how he installed the cog.
The second mech said its possible my hard mashing, my 250lb mass, and my leg strength may have unfortunately contributed to the stucky situation. I say the first mech may have cross-threaded the cog dry. But even so, shouldn't the soft aluminum "give" when we tried to remove the steel cog with all that pressure? Or is this stuck cog syndrome a common problem with some?
I have backed the bike up against a wall and had a friend hold the bike upright for me while I back-mashed the pedal with considerable force, but it feels as if I'm going to taco the whole damn bike
Is this wheel a permanent 15 toofer now? Is it time to buy a new wheel if I want to change cogs?