I have seen som people have the horizontal dropouts on their bike cut out and had track fork ends welded their place...what is up with that? are there any benefits to doing so? or it is a "it looks cool" thing? i dunno...just curious.

thanks
-jason

Well, for one, they aren't 'dropouts' so if you torque really hard and move your wheel, it's just going to move up a little instead of falling on the ground. It's also easier to adjust tension with track-ends IMO, and you usually have a longer space to move them in.

And it does look a lot cooler, too.

thanks very much...i do see why that would be helpful for a fixy rider (still only ss'd till I get the flip/flop hub)

Remember to get one with fixed threads on both sides - you can still use a freewheel, but have the option of having a fix on both sides without getting all ghetto-locktight...

what? I'm sorry,..i was under the impression that if I got a ff hub that wasn't double fixed, i wouldn't have to locktite it...please, tell me more...mass confusion!
-jason

You can use a freewheel on fixed threads, but not the other way around. Unless you use locktight on one side. If it has threadings for lockrings on both sides, then you have a lot more options :

Free/Free
Fixed/Free
Fixed/Fixed

If one side is set up with only threads for a freewheel, then you only have the second option.

Make sense now?

Oh, wow. On a fixed/fixed hub, there is enough thread space to use a SS freewheel? It's strong enough? Didn't realize that.

If this is the case, why do they make free/free or fixed/free?

I dunno - I haven't actually tried it, but it seems to make sense to me. As to why they make them without the lockring threads on both sides, I don't know either...

any pics of people that done it?
im kinda curious to see how it would look like

and is it safe?

I've done it, altho not for long.
A friend of mine has also ridden a freewheel on fixed threads and still riding it for about 7 or 8 months now on a courier bike.

I've seen pics in some of the threads, a bike shop (https://www.biseagal.ca/brazing.htm) they do it..i dunno about pics in general, i saw it at fgg, i dunno if it is safe or not, I would imagine or it wouldn't be done...
and as far as hubs go I never would have guessed that, so, to be clear; just get a fixed/fixed hub and I will be able to attach a freewheel to that? that is amazing.

thanks
-jason

It should be fine. You're not transferring any more torque through a freewheel attached to the full-width freewheel threads than you are to a track cog threaded to the fixed gear threads. I suspect it's more a case of hub manufacturers saying, "well, one side should be for freewheeling so we'll put freewheel threads on there," without thinking about whether it was actually necessary.

Yeah, that's true. A freewheel works just fine on fixed threads. I was skeptical at first, but then I thought, the cog on my brakeless fixed gear never stripped off, so why would a freewheel?

2, well 3 things...first I would like to thank everyone for their help...2nd, which hub would you all recommend, then? i was thinking about spending about $80 (unless there is something a LOT better for just a bit more), but I do want sealed hubs...and 3rd...if I do run a flip flop, I wouldn't have to redish the wheel whenever I flip it, would I? i'd imagine you could use spacers to set that up, but, wouldn't you not need even more threads for that? I'm just confused...sorry
-jason

you'll never have to redish it because the wheel is centered

on a geare dhub the rim is on one side to make room for the cassette...since there is no cassette the rim and spokes are centered on the hub

chainging dropouts should be perfectly safe if done correctly.

if the dropouts are removed and track ends are added by a somewhat talented with a brazing torch, they should be attached as well as if the bike came that way.

Free/Free
Fixed/Free
Fixed/Fixed

How do I tell if my Surly hub is fixed/free? I only have the freewheel on it right now, but I am planning on making the other side fixed. Guy at the shop, when I asked him if it was fixed/free said "I just matters what cog you get. Yeah, you can make the other side fixed". Wtf, now I'm a little concerned.

EDIT: Okay, I just found the part# from Surly's website. I'm at work though, where is the part# located on the hub. Thanks

Look for lockring threads. They'll be smaller and threaded the opposite of the freewheel/cog threads.

A proper set of track threads will be just that, a set. There will be a distinct set of stepped threads with the outboard ones being a slightly smaller diameter than the inboard ones. A freewheel thread is a continous thread. Without the outboard anti-clockwise threading you won't be able to use a proper track lock ring.

The right side of this hub is track threaded and the left is freewheel.

thanks guys

I still don't understand the appeal of fixed/free flipflops. Why not go the extra mile and thread both sides properly?

That's some cool real old school gear, is it yours or did you just grab the picture online?

1 inch pitch?

Just grabbed what the Google gave me. Yeah, inch pitch. Elde Schoole.

Track ends also allow you to get the rear wheel closer to the seat tube.


I wonder if another advantage to track ends is that since they are fully horizontal and not angled like "horizontal dropouts" you can move the wheel straight back and forth without changing the angles at all, although it would be a very miniscule change.