Hubs, Sprockets and Bottom Brackets
 

Greetings.

I intend to reward myself with a Surly Steamroller, hopefully this coming spring.
It only takes money. :)

Anyway, this represents my first experience with a fixie, and since we don't have anyone in my community who rides a fixie, I've had to figure it out for myself.
Scary, eh?

I'd like to go with a Miche Primato Pista group, mostly because Miche's hub adapter system seems to make it much easier and safer to change sprockets.
I've come accross several references on these types of forums regarding difficulty getting sprockets off after they've forge-welded (mild exaggeration) themselves on to the hub.
The Miche system seems like a good way around the problem.

So, does the problem even exist?
Or, have I picked the Miche group to solve a non-problem?
This enquiring mind wants to know.

I'll save my Bottom Bracket question for later, but perhaps someone who has experience with the Miche Primato Pista group can read my mind and answer my question before I ask it. :)

hey, try searching the singlespees/fixed forum. i just pulled up a search for 'miche cog' and found loads of threads. the reason i did the search is that i'm sure i remember someone saying they ran a miche splined cog on a different brand hub. this pretty much negates the need for you to go for the whole miche gruopset i would think (unless you relly want it for other reasons).

how often do you figure you're going to be changing that sprocket? If you're riding on the street, probably not that often; once you've figured out your preferred gearing, that is.
There are other options for multiple gears on your fixie.
1. fix-fix flip flop hubs.
2. level bolt-on-cog hub.
3. miche adapter on any other (non-campy?) track hub (double check this).
4. eno 2-speed fixed cog ($$$).

The thing with the Miche group is that you're forced into a couple proprietary Miche components, most notably the BCD of the chainrings, and the weird splined cogs. Plus, the hubs have gotten some bad/mixed reviews on this forum.
But then again, $285 for the entire primato group including that sweet sweet seatpost is a pretty enticing prospect. I'm considering it for my next project. I just don't really think that the splined cog system is enough to base my decision on.

TryAll and Echo make a fixed cassette hub for trials that might work similarly, but use standard cogs. You could look into something like that if you change your gearing frequently.

Baxtefer wrote:

"how often do you figure you're going to be changing that sprocket? If you're riding on the street, probably not that often; once you've figured out your preferred gearing, that is."

Well, experimenting and figuring out my preferred gearing had something to do with it.
I presently restrict myself to one gear on my multi-gear bike and boogie around town in that one gear.
I find I can do about 72 gear inches day in and day out without much hassle.
With 700c X 35 tires, 72" comes out to a 48 X 18 combination.
I could just do that and forget about it.
I have concerns, though, that in the long run, even 72 inches might come out too high.
And then again, I have ridden 81" for a week and my knees have started to complain a little, but who knows, I might work up to it.

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Baxtefer also wrote:

"3. miche adapter on any other (non-campy?) track hub (double check this)."

The folks at www.businesscycles.com advise against this.

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Baxtefer went on to write:

"Plus, the hubs have gotten some bad/mixed reviews on this forum."

That gets my attention.
Bummer, but better to hear about it before hand.

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Well, if a person wanted a bullet proof single-cog hub (for purely aesthetic/minimalist reasons), what would most folks choose?
I mean, assuming something other than Phil Wood qualifies as bullet proof.

I'll check out the other links provided by yonderboy.
Thanks.

I followed salmonchild's blog link.
What a hoot! :)

One problem.
I don't see the same person in all the pictures, or, at least, I don't think I do.
Did salmonchild change his jacket or something?

Have you looked into Paul hubs? Sometimes you can pick those up for a bit less than the Phil's, QBP sometimes has some Pauls but it doesn't look like they have much now.

About your BB question. Are you wondering about waht type to get to match your Miche crank?
You need a 107mm with an ISO tapper, but don't take my word for it...

http://www.businesscycles.com/tr-refspec.htm

These guys know there stuff!!

Sheldon Brown says it's OK.

An EAI cog, SOMA, Or dura-ace.

Dura-ace cogs run around $15-20, only available in sizes 13-16t and in 1/8" and 3/32" chain.
Soma cogs- around $20-25 available in sizes from 13t-23t, 1/8" / 3/32" chain
EAI- around $25-30 from 13t to 23t, 1/8" / 3/32" chain

any one of these cogs should give you a bombproof setup that should last for years.

Baxtefer wrote:

"Sheldon Brown says it's OK."

I have spent hours reading Sheldon Brown.
What a resource.

I did a search on Miche hubs, as someone suggested.
I found it somewhat inconclusive.

However, regarding cost-effective hubs, I sensed a lot of consensus on Surly hubs as a very reliable hub for the money.
As far as I can tell, Surly does not make a single-cog hub, and I had wanted a single-cog hub for nothing more than aesthetic/minimalist reasons.
As a helicopter mechanic once told me, "don't let perfect get in the way of good-enough." :)
A surly fixed-fixed might qualify as good-enough, especially considering the price difference between Surly's and Phil Wood's hubs.
I'll check out Paul hubs, too.
So far I haven't heard anyone mention Dura Ace hubs, and so I'll do a search.
The search function works very well in this forum.
Thanks for turning me on to it.

Phil and Paul don't really fit into my definition of "cost effective"

IRO/formula hubs have a good reputation around here for going cheap and good. But then they're fix/free flip-flops. How about Suzue Pro-Max? they're fix-fix and about $80 for the rear.
I don't know much about the DuraAce hubs. are they sealed?

I've seen Paul rears in the QBP catalog for 100-110, I want to say I saw them for 90 once but I'm not sure if thats correct. Anyway, thats not too much more than the Pro-Max, although if you're on a budget you're on a budget, I opted not to spring for them either. Currently waiting on my Nashbar hub, should have been here today... grrr.