No offense taken.

C

Man, I always love these rotafix threads! Who woulda though that discussion over two different methods for screwing something onto something else would insire such vitriol. And theres always the token comment about it being so ghetto..and who says ghetto isn't cool anyway? Am I allowed to install my rear wheel with a cresent wrench, or must I specifically use a 15 mm wrench? Can I still ride on the track?

I use a chainwhip to get the cog really tight, then sprint up a hill and use my brake to slow down, then rotafix it tighter. My theory is that the rotafix will make it tighter than I would tighten it on a hill, so it's not going to move any further. You could easily do the initial chainwhip bit with rotafix, so just rotafix pretty tight, sprint up a hill, then rotafix a bit tighter. Then snug the lockring.

Here's why I wouldn't Rotafix:

1) I woulnd't buy a hub/wheel that I know has been Rotafixed.
2) Imagine trying to warranty something that has been Rotafixed without lying about it being Rotafixed.


Hey:
1) I could also use a screwdriver as a tire lever, but I won't.
2) I could use vice grips on wheel bolts, but I won't
3) I could use Crisco as chain lube, but I won't.
4) I could use hair grease as anti-sieze, but I won't.
5) I could use electrical tape as a frame protector, but I won't.
6) I could link 3 chain pieces together to make one, but I won't.
7) I could spray paint my bike with Krylon, but I won't.
8) I could patch a tube till it's got more patches than non-patches, but I won't.
9) I could put duct tape inside of tire sidewalls to patch holes, but I won't.

Why?

Becase there are ways to do things, and there are *right* ways to do things.

Find me one example where rotafixing messed up a hub. Seriously.

Whoah! You have a pretty black and white view of the world. I've done 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9...they all work and will make my bike work just as well as yours. So how are they not *right*. Does it say so in the Bible or Sheldon's page or something?

Hey, man. I'm not saying it's a mortal sin to do those. I've done them all when I was a kid. But, now that I'm an adult and recognize the value in "having the right tool for the job", I'll choose to use the right tools and products made for the job.

Also, it's one thing to "do what you need to do" and another thing to ask "What should I do." When one is doing what one needs to do, you just do it and get it done and don't ask a lot of questions. If one asks "What should I do?", don't be surprised when people answer...even if it's not what one wants to hear.

Know what I mean?

so, i kind of figured this thread would turn into an argument, but it's been really civil even with the disagreements.

everybody gets cookies!

Yeah, I get it...but no offense, I just think you are taking an unreasonably hard line on this. I mean, I recognize the need for proper bike tools, but I also realize that there are certain tools that you can get away without and still end up with a properly assembled and maintained bike...a chain whip being one of them. Obviously, because you can generate more leverage with the wheel than with a chain whip, you shouldn't ultra-hardcore crank on the wheel to tighten the cog. But anyone with common sense should be able to figure that out...a chain whip is just one of those tools that you don't really need, provided you know what you are doing, you'll get the same result rotafixing. Likewise, I don't need a bike stand to work on my bike...I usually just flip it upside down. Hey, I get the same result in the end. Bye...

Why would there be any problem? If you strip the threads during installation, there could be... but you can't strip the threads during installation. Not a snowball's chance in hell, unless the hub is crap to begin with.

Your other 12 points are mostly just snobism. You don't, I do. Both approaches work fine. I have more money left for wine-drinkin'.

Great. Now I'm a "snob" for wanting to use the right tools for the job.

Hey man, we are't talking about a 5 foot tall Craftsman Master Mechanic case here.



We are talking about maybe $100 in tools and products.

If that's snobby then I'd better start wrenching with my pinky poked off to the side!

i keep an eight inch long piece of a cut open tube in my bag that works great too.

Man, does Park even make enough tools to fill that thing?

if rotafixing gets the job done right, it's the right tool for the job.

im posting in this thread just cuz i want a cookie.

eh, sorry. I didn't mean to start a fight! I'm out now.

Every time you rotafix a hub, god kills an italian track racer.

Hey, I may use
- A Ralph Lauren tool box
- A Tiffany & Co. chain breaker
- Polo Chain Whip and Lockring wrench
- Louis Vuitton Spoke Card carrier
- BMW M3 key ring for my Krypto Mini-U
- And wrench with my pinky out


But, I'm no bike snob.



Geeez.





(Don't get upset, these are props and this is satire)

i stripped the lockring threads on a phil hub by just slightly over-tightening the lockring each time i changed my cog (i changed it quite a bit) in a 7 month period. i'm dfntly not a hulk. my understanding now is that it's not that difficult to do. phil wood waranteed the hub, but i have to wait til they anodize my color again in a few months to get the shell replaced.

You're exactly right. A chainwhip with a 2ft. piece of pipe over the end would work better. However, since a cog and lockring, both installed with either grease or loctite, only need to be torqued to about 60ft lbs, you don't really need either.

Edit: What I find interesting is that no one ever brings up the damage done to the chain by doing this. In addition to putting a lot of stress on the chain at the bb end (which is similiar to the stress made by skidding and accelerating really hard) the stress put on the chain at the cog end can't be good. You're basically crushing the links into each other. Its not the worst thing you can do, but is isn't good. As for Carltons statement about using the right tool for the right job, I couldn't agree more. Yes, you could use vise-grips to tighten your track nuts. But it will damage the nuts. I would never take my car (or bike) to a mechanic that grabbed an adjustable wrench or vice grips for every job.

Sorry about your hub. Lockring threads != cog threads. Rotafixa remains a valid technique. The world continues to spin.

I was also going to bring this up before the thread got ridiculous. While I've had mostly good experience with the rotafix method (and I do own a chainwhip), I have also cracked one of the rollers on a chain by not having the chain aligned/stacked properly. Something to watch out for.

I can't understand why most of you consider rotafixing so dangerous for the hubs
Rotafix i like having a big chainwhip with something like a 3 feet lever, it's dangerous ONLY if you can't use it correctly

Hey, you guys can Rotofix, vice-grip, duct-tape, and jerry-rig till to your hearts content for all I care. That **** is just stoopid.

Just remember to take pics for your "HELP: I rotofixed my hub, now **** ain't right" thread.

why wouldn't you want to buy a wheel that had been rotafixed? to the wheel there's no difference between rotafix and a chainwhip. it's a piece of bicycle chain being used to screw a cog on. one being attached to a metal plate and the other being looped over the bb doesn't affect the action at the cog.