Are cheap cogs worth the effort?
 

I recently got a cheap 15t cog and was gonna use it, but after screwing it on, noticed some slop before it was tightened up. I ended up going with a smoother and tighter fitting Dura Ace instead.

I noticed Harris' fixed gear page mentions not carrying the cheaper cogs anymore for probably similar reasons. Anyone have problems with such cogs?

I've used the Esjot track cogs for years (still do) and I have not had any problems with them. I also don't even use a lockring and they have never spun off the hub. I would recommend them.

We've got a similar thread going in the fixed gear mailing list. Sheldon's response regarding Surly cogs was interesting.

I mainly use EAI & Suntour cogs.

Dura Ace cogs are only £10-£15, why scrimp on something so small?

So what was the consensus on the Surly cogs?

I am getting ready to buy another cog and was heading towards either another Surly or maybe a Miche cog. I am currently running the Miche, but I also have a Surly and was leaning towards getting another Surly.

If there is a con to it then I would be interested in hearing it I guess.

Snipped from Fixed Gear Mailing List:

jared stephens wrote:
>it seems like surly goes very well with surly.
>wouldn't it make sense to buy a cog made by the same
>folks who made your hub?

You would think so wouldn't you?

As it turns out, however, the Surly sprockets have an unusually poor
"track" record, and I've stopped featuring them for this reason.

The problem is that they're too thin, so there's not enough thread
engagement. The chart at http://sheldonbrown.com/chainline lists a
buncha different fixed gear sprockets and their vital dimensions.
You can see that Surly is among the worst in this regard.

Generally, I'm a huge fan of Surly products, but the one exception is
their track sprockets, which I strongly advise against.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed.html#sprockets

Sheldon "Size Matters" Brown
Evanston, Illinois

Thank you. Time to pick up another Miche then.

off subject sort of... but where is a good place to get a good cheap track cog.. looking for either a 16 or 17t ?

Jeff

Your LBS should be able to get you either an EAI or Dura Ace cogs. They're pretty cheap.

The cheapest I've seen Dura Ace cogs was about $15 USD. Unfortunately, the several LBS don't stock them. Some will special order them starting at about $35. http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed.html#sprockets has them reasnably priced.