i am running phil hubs on an old steel frame - fixed of course - and although i wrench those allen keys down, i still get a bit of slippage from the rear hub when i skip a bunch, or on more aggresive downhills which require a bit more force when backpedaling... i've been looking at the MKS tugs, but not having track dropouts i'm wondering if they will fit snugly enough to provide a slip free ride? i know surly makes some tugs that will likely work, but i'm not so keen on the look of them. any suggestions/advice?

The mks style tugs like this won't work on forward facing dropouts.

You need this style.

Available from danscomp.com

hey y'all,
thanks for the response, but i was hoping for something a bit more ... elegant. i'd like to keep the lines of the bike pretty clean, and feel a larger tug like the one suggested might not fill that need/desire. anyone modified the suggested tugs - perhaps an angle grinder nip and tuck to slim it down a bit???

well, after doing a search i am no closer to a solution that might work for me, although it seems there were quite a few threads about the same subject - shame on me for not doing a search first...

please commence heckling, about --- now

goto http://www.danscomp.com/ then goto bike parts then chain tensioners. there are 2 on that page which will work, the star one and the mcs chain tensioner.

unless.....the two i mentioned will work with most forward drops, but yours are so short that they might be too long

honduraz10,
thanks for the tip - i looked at those after reading some of the threads found after doing a search. looks like the redline tugs may work as well, with two axle holes for a bit more adjustability. the dropouts are indeed a touch wee, but not quite as small as they appear in the attached image... macro mode on a cheap digicam + big ol' phil track bolts = tiny looking dropouts. thanks again!

How long is the allen wrench that you are using to tighten down the bolts?

4"?

Part of a minitool?

Get a longer allen wrench, 6+ inches would be best, or add a cheater bar over your current allen to get a little more leverage.

You are not tightening the bolts enough.

noted,
no the allen wrench is not part of a mini tool, although i have one, and i swear by it for carryin' with...
it is however not very long - i'll try the cheater bar, or have my wife tighten it for me - she's much tougher than am i!

im not so sure about the redline tugs, they only have one bolt, which means they are for standard backwards facing droupouts. the advantage of having to different bolts is you can tighten them different amounts to make up for the rounded back if the dropouts