Batavus

Ranting here. I tried it once on a PW fixed/fixed hub. 17 one side, 16 the other. Did about 200 miles on the 16 with that chain. Then, midway through a ride, came a headwind. Flipped to 17. The crunching/creaking from the new teeth of the cog not matching up with the 'strectched' links from the chain was enough for me to never try that again. I think it's totally useless. The noise was excruciating whereas it had been silent on the 16.

Really, who does this?

John10568 

I think the "stretched chain" may be the key here. If your 16T was worn down and the 17T was new, then a stretched (worn) chain on a new cog could exhibit the behavior you're describing. I have two fixed/fixed flip flop wheels, both with a 14/16 combination, and have not had any problems such as you described with either of them.

wroomwroomoops

Batavus, you're the perfect candidate for the ride-your-drivetrain-into-the-ground usage mode. I am not even making fun of you, here: I'm in the same position, at the moment, since I have not replaced the FW, chain or chainring on my commuter in the last 2 years. I now decided to go riding it to the death, which might take a long time. Putting a new chain here will be just counterproductive, causing it and the other parts of the drivetrain to be consumed faster. Same goes for a new chainring or FW. At this point, for me it's best just to stick with the components as they are, until their ultimate demise. This is actually a very cheap and reliable method.

In summary, if I were you, I'd stick with that one cog for the time being.

hairnet

I have hundreds of miles on my 19 cog because it's my commute gear. I've ridden my bike in the last couple weeks with new 16t and 15t cogs without any extra noise. If you think you wore your chain that much in 200 miles I wonder if it is totally free of lubricant.

wroomwroomoops

Ouch - good point. Only 200 miles? WTF? I didn't pay attention to that little detail (ahem), but yeah, how the heck do you think you can elongate the chain that noticeably in only 200 miles?

Methinks the problem is a different one: chain is 3/32" and so is the 16T cog, but the 17T cog is actually 1/8" - in any case, I feel the problem lies somewhere in this area.

John10568 

Interesting hypothesis. But would a 3/32 chain work at all on a 1/8 cog? Just asking, cuz never tried to do it.

wroomwroomoops

Some chains almost do work. I guess it's not impossible that a certain 3/32" chain and a certain 1/8" cog might somewhat work, with lots of "crunching/creaking ".

Moozh

no, the cog would be too big. The reverse is true tho, a 1/8" chain would work with a 3/32" cog although it wont be the most silent ride because of the side-to-side "wiggle room", functions fine tho.

wroomwroomoops

Jesus H. Christopher! I did say "I feel the problem lies somewhere in this area.", didn't I? I guess you're totally devoid of imagination, so here's a possible scenario:


guy goes to LBS and asks for a fixed/fixed setup. clueless LBS wrenches (there are some/many like that) put 3/32" cogs on both side, but the 16T one is only nominally 3/32", but actually slightly narrower. Which is great because the clueless LBS wrench puts a 9 speed chain on that fixie, and it fits the 16T cog like a glove. Clueless LBS wrench assumes that it's the way it should be. He's happy, the customer is happy.

Customer rides 200 miles on his new fixie, decided to try the other cog and ... the rest is history.


FOR EXAMPLE!

John10568 

Interesting that we have differing experiences. I've used exclusively 1/8 BMX chains on all my single setups (FW or FG), but a mix of 1/8 and 3/32 cogs/chainrings, and can't discern any difference in the sound or smoothness between them.

gotmyusernamechanged

I do, but not in the middle of a ride. usually just go ballz deep, kna sayin'?

Moozh

I know what you mean, I too have this very setup with my single-speed. a 1/8" chainring and a 3/32" cog w/ 1/8" BMX chain when I originally tried with a 16t cog, but it wasnt long enough when I went to a 22t cog w/ a singulator so I have the LBS 1/8" chain on there. I dont mean to suggest that it's particularly loud or annoying at all but compared to my other bikes it's the one you can hear coming up behind you..again, no biggie just an observation, still a smooth ride.

roadfix

I will flip on long distance rides only, usually depending on the wind conditions.

Batavus

Just to clarify: Both cogs were new. One was ridden for approx. 200 miles (could be a little more, but not much) The chain was a SRAM PC-48 and was new. Both cogs and chain were 3/32 ". Now it could have something to do with the cogs, both Surly which have a reputation for being noisy. Chainline was within 1 mm.

wroomwroomoops

That clarifies a lot. What frame/bike do you have? Or at least, what type of chain tensioning?

WoundedKnee

Chain tensioning.

wroomwroomoops

I'm sure Batavus can answer that question by himself, though your loving support is much appreciated. Unless you're his roommate, close friend, family member or girlfriend, so are privy to what frame/bike he is talking about.

robertv

I don't flip the flop but I have been known to gleam the cube.

cardboardhut

Even though you're riding SS and not fixed, are you not afraid of chain snap?

ebrake

I flip between my 18 and 19 cogs every now and then with no real issue. But now that you mention it I noticed some feedback from the drivetrain the last couple times, which I attributed to lack of lubrication on the unused cog and my laziness to get the chain tension juuuuuust right, in my haste to keep rolling I think I put her on a little too tight. My chain is also getting old at almost 1.5 yrs and riding daily. Although the 18 (which is no longer my primary cog) has a ton of miles on it too, possible more that my 19 cog (now primary). Make sure your chain tension is spot on when you flip it, as the wheel will need to be in a slightly different position in the drop outs/track ends. And as others have said the cogs might be different widths. And remember, there is such a thing as too tight a chain, despite all the chain slack smack talk that get flung around. haha

ebrake

Just read this...my money goes to chain tension being too tight, or to wroomwroomoops' hypothetical example.

wroomwroomoops

No, my friend.

hairnet

nah

2slo2run

I have a 16T fixed on one side and an 18T free on the other side of my cyclocross bike. I ride on pavement and light off-road with the fixed side, once I get to the more technical single track trails I flip to the free side for safety, speed, and the slightly lower gear.

bbattle

Every once in a while, I'll climb Monte Sano. When it's time to go back down, I flip to the freewheel because scrubbing speed for over 3 miles is just silly and if I'm going to torture myself by doing the climb, I want the reward of being able to blast back down at 40+mph. Once I get back to the bottom, I generally just keep going and maybe flip back to the fixed side when I get home.

I also use brakes and don't try to skid.