So I am middle age fitness biker in NYC without a real road bike and with an inch to try single speed riding. So I read up on the off the rack bikes and tried lots of them and decided that the Sputnik was the best combination of geometry and fit and materials and parts for my budget and needs. Then I searched for one in my size and happily found it at my most local bike store. It was still in the box and it comes in the box without brakes (which I wanted) and with only a fixed gear on the one side of the flip flop hub. The guys began putting the bike together and as they were working I told them that I was going to ride it single speed at least for a while and asked them to put a sidespeed sprocket on the single speed side of the hub.

Well they looked at me as if I were crazy and said that there was no real singlespeed side to the hub. There were two fixed sides. They said the threads were not wide enough for a standard single speed cog. It might fit but they did not think it would be safe. I swore to them that the website listing the bike and everything I had ever read about it called it a flip flop fixed/free bike, and they looked it up themselves and agreed that it seemed to suggest fixed free.

What's the story? Are there several different kind of free cogs, perhaps some kind they are not familiar with. Or is the bike really made for fixed/fixed (of different sizes I guess). Or was the wrong wheel and hub shipped in the box?

Here's how the story ended, with me happier but poorer. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a pair of Deep V rims with Phil Woods hubs (the rear a standard fixed/free flip flop) and gave me $100 credit on the Alex DA22s.

The bike rides beautiful, I''ve been on it now for hours. But I am still wondering, what is it with that hub?

I am a couple of hundred bucks poorer, but am I nuts?

you can run a Singlespeed cog on a 'Fixed" side. seeing how you wouldn't be applying any back pressure to stop. Even if you did pedal backwards since the cog is freewheel it wouldn't unscrew. Not sure what the motive on the shops part was. Has far as the Deep V's with Phil wood hubs I personally think that is a better setup for a sputnik than some cheap Alex rims. (sorry, I'm not a fan of Alex rims) Besides if your in the City esp. NY you'll appreciate the Deep V's more.

assuming the flip flop is fixed/fixed(room for a lockring with backthreaded lockring mounts on either side) you can, but the shop probably has heard bad stories about it not working out... it probably wouldn't be a problem, but having half the threads is definitely a concern, if not an issue. they don't know how you're going to use the bike, and they don't want to do something that's going to cause an issue. then again, if they tell jamis that they did it in accordance to jamis' site, maybe it would be okay.


unless you're really beating on it, or your sprocket has a failure or problem down the road, you probably won't ever run into an issue with running a freewheel on the other side- but i totally see where the shop is coming from, not wanting to go ghetto. the proper way to do this is simply replace/redish the wheel with a true fixed/free hub.

Yeah I think another reason they wouldn't put the freewheel on the fixed side is because the wheel would have needed a slight dish (around 4mm, freewheel is wider) to get consistent chainline on the ghettoized flip-flop.

Of all the track bikes to sell, the Sputnik is my favorite. Enjoy it with the nicer, indestructible wheels!

can one simply get a sputnik frameset?
i'm looking at framesets and am so far unimpressed with pake, nycbikescityfixed, cayne, and iro.

i'd like a steamroller but if i'm going to pay that much i'd rather have something like a cayne or GT-b..
sorry don't mean to hijack.

Yeah, I'm looking to get a sputnik frameset too...

Looking at the spacers on my own Sputnik, it does appear there is a 3-4mm dish to one side. The Jamis says it's free/fixed, though my dealer said it was fixed/fixed. This may explain why I'm having a helluva time getting a good chainline.

nice bike!
i have deep v's also,they're great
also have a fixed/free hub but i put a 17 cog on the other (free) side with a bottom bracket lock ring
congrats on the bike!
it's usually cheaper to buy the whole bike than just the frame.

I have read elsewhere (maybe even elsewhere on this forum) that you can buy a frameset directly from Jamis. It is a very nice (and nice looking) frame for those who like steel and would certainly make sense to go straight for the higher end parts.

they'll sell you the frame but for 200 more you'll get all there spare parts and the carbon fork makes for a smooth ride

Thank you to everyone for the insight (as you may have noticed, I've got a lot to learn, even about bikes without gears) and the encouragement. I live in northern Manhattan (in the 190s), and most of the "famous" shops are below 96th Street, some way below. This shop is in the neighborhood, and it is really reassuring to know that these guys (business was slow and I had a team working on my bike) know what they are doing. The guy that knew the most said exactly what several of you have said, exactly: I could do it, but I don't like the look of it or the idea of it. I'd rather not do it.

Truth be told, I had done enough research to know that most of the experienced riders and do-it-your-self-ers on the fixed gear and single speed forums disliked the Alex wheels, some disliked them intensely. I pretty much assumed that someday I would want to replace them. With a kid in college I was trying to save a few bucks. But you guys have made me feel that -- with only a few minutes to think about it -- I made the right decision. In fact, considering the shape I am in (very good for my advanced age) and the streets I am riding on every day (very bad) those Alex wheels might not have lasted me very long and that getting them on the bike today would have been penny wise but pound foolish.

Thanks again.