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Ghetto Fixie Conversion

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Old 11-03-04, 03:26 PM
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Ghetto Fixie Conversion

Hello

Just wondering if anyone has done a fixed-gear conversion by just putting some epoxy or something in the freewheel to jam it up. I have an old cheap mountain bike that I'm thinking of modifying. Would the epoxy hold up? I'm thinking you could alternatively put some epoxy putty to bond the cassette to the flange of the rear hub also.

Any comments? Thanks!
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Old 11-03-04, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by enduro
Hello

Just wondering if anyone has done a fixed-gear conversion by just putting some epoxy or something in the freewheel to jam it up. I have an old cheap mountain bike that I'm thinking of modifying. Would the epoxy hold up? I'm thinking you could alternatively put some epoxy putty to bond the cassette to the flange of the rear hub also.

Any comments? Thanks!

Hmm...dunno if it'd work. But I'm definitely sure it'd be ghetto
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Old 11-03-04, 03:39 PM
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There has been talk of this before but no report back if it worked. Go for it, just keep the brakes on the thing.....just in case.
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Old 11-03-04, 04:24 PM
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Similar idea: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ap+fixed+trick

I guess with a brake it would be semi-safe.
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Old 11-03-04, 04:34 PM
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you can fill the casette with brazing, that only requires a torch and like a $2 filler rod
...i said rod
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Old 11-03-04, 04:46 PM
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i've seen people weld the bearings up inside the cassette body carrier hub thingy (to use the technical term) to make it fixed... xcutterx did it to a wheel. some track guys get road carbon discs and do this to them for the track. i've also seem a transvestite get beat up by a cop.

edit: i left this window open too long while typing a pm and didn't see fixinskitchin's post. brazing would be way easier... i've still seen a transvestite get beat up by a cop though.
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Old 11-03-04, 06:20 PM
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jb weld doesnt work well , PC7 maybe?
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Old 11-03-04, 08:38 PM
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Originally Posted by isotopesope
i've still seen a transvestite get beat up by a cop though.
it takes a real man to tell family stories like this one. You get a Batty nomination from me:
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Old 11-03-04, 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by isotopesope
i've seen people weld the bearings up inside the cassette body carrier hub thingy (to use the technical term) to make it fixed... xcutterx did it to a wheel. some track guys get road carbon discs and do this to them for the track. i've also seem a transvestite get beat up by a cop.

edit: i left this window open too long while typing a pm and didn't see fixinskitchin's post. brazing would be way easier... i've still seen a transvestite get beat up by a cop though.
I saw a transvestite beat up a cop in SF once. Right out side Motherlode just down from Polk St.

Funniest thing was after the knock down blow, hesh (or himmer, take your pick) yells. "I broke my @#$# nail you little *****.".
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Old 11-03-04, 09:34 PM
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You could weld the freewheel together to lock it, but this does not resolve the issue that back pedal pressure could unscrew the freehweel off the hub. Welding the freewheel to the hub wouldn't work since most hubs are aluminum and freewheels are steel. Cheepie wal-mart hubs are somtimes steel, but since they are usually pressed metal their stength shouldn't be trusted. It would just be better to run the thing as a single speed, and get the correct hub later.
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Old 11-03-04, 10:36 PM
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Eventually, i'm gonna try out the old Shimano freehub that I brazed. The freehub body part is pretty well stabilized. The weak point may be the toothed interlocking part that engages the hub shell to the freehub body. I pretty much did the same thing as on the 63cx.com site.

With a freewheel, the problem will be that it'll unscrew with backpedalling. Same as a track cog without a lockring.
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Old 11-03-04, 11:20 PM
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I don't have any experience with welding, but I have done some brazing....maybe the best way to do it would be to put a bunch of PC7 all over the largest cog and the hub flange. That way nothing would unscrew when backpedalling. PC7's pretty strong stuff...I used it to mount the drive sprocket to the wheel of an electric scooter I built.
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Old 11-04-04, 01:15 PM
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One thing to watch out for if you glue/weld/whatever the cog/freewheel on too tightly is repair -- I had the chain jump off one time and it ripped some spokes out, and at that point I was glad I'd used threadlok to hold things together so I could get it apart again to fix the spokes. I don't know of any way to fix broken spokes with the gear still glued in place..

(this is red needs-a-blowlamp-to-undo threadlock, the blue stuff came loose on me one time and that was _no_ good)

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Old 11-04-04, 04:10 PM
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I guess that would be important if the bike were worth repairing This is the $7 police auction bike referred to in my custom title, so I'm not all that concerned about it. At the same auction I bought an extra rear wheel for $1 so I can always put that one on if I run into problems. Thanks everyone!
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Old 11-04-04, 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by djmitchella
One thing to watch out for if you glue/weld/whatever the cog/freewheel on too tightly is repair -- I had the chain jump off one time and it ripped some spokes out, and at that point I was glad I'd used threadlok to hold things together so I could get it apart again to fix the spokes. I don't know of any way to fix broken spokes with the gear still glued in place..
This would be a issue if one was to braze/weld/glue the cog to the hub. But it isn't a issue with the brazed freehub. Since the cog is held on by the lockring and a bunch of spacers.
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Old 11-05-04, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by shecky
This would be a issue if one was to braze/weld/glue the cog to the hub. But it isn't a issue with the brazed freehub. Since the cog is held on by the lockring and a bunch of spacers.
Oh, right, now I get the idea. Actually, that sounds like a weird, but neat, way to go -- with a regular freehub and a big pile of spacers you could set the chainline just right by shuffling things back and forth, and there the lockring really is a lockring so things wouldn't come undone. Cool!
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Old 02-26-18, 05:12 AM
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I was following Sheldon's example: I've made fixed conversion by brazing the cassette freehub body. It's an old Shimano 7 speed. I've took the freehub out, soaked it in degreaser, dried it, and a friend of mine brazed it. I am riding that bike as a commuter/beater since 2013 with no problems at all (unscrewing), even the bearing cup is still OK (I was afraid that during the brazing will loose it's hardness).
Taking apart the freehub mechanism is tricky, requires special tool. simply soaking it in degreaser and then drying is simpler. I think that welding could cause small deformities, brazing will not. That's why I chose brazing over welding.
I recommend you my method, if you want cheap fixed gear conversion. Chainline adjusment is very easy too. I rarely make skid stops, and run a front brake.
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Old 02-26-18, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Nikola
I was following Sheldon's example: I've made fixed conversion by brazing the cassette freehub body. It's an old Shimano 7 speed. I've took the freehub out, soaked it in degreaser, dried it, and a friend of mine brazed it. I am riding that bike as a commuter/beater since 2013 with no problems at all (unscrewing), even the bearing cup is still OK (I was afraid that during the brazing will loose it's hardness).
Taking apart the freehub mechanism is tricky, requires special tool. simply soaking it in degreaser and then drying is simpler. I think that welding could cause small deformities, brazing will not. That's why I chose brazing over welding.
I recommend you my method, if you want cheap fixed gear conversion. Chainline adjusment is very easy too. I rarely make skid stops, and run a front brake.
Man, you are digging up all the archives! Look before you post. This is 2018 not 2004.
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Old 02-27-18, 08:21 AM
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Let’s close this ancient thread. If you’re interested in the subject, start a new thread for discussion.
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