Recommend a reasonable chain whip and lock-ring spanner

been all over west london the week end, no luck on the spanner, need one as been locking up the back wheel and the bloody lockring keeps coming loose.
also on my langster it has a flip flop hub with a freewheel on one side, are the threads different to the other side. would like to run 18t and 17t fixed.

I picked up one of these at Condor a while ago:

Superb, it is.

http://www.hubjub.co.uk/ do them too.

£20 isn't cheap, but you won't need another for a long while.

thanks velocity boy, the price doesn't seem too bad for what it does.

yea, i bought one of those a couple of weeks ago, works like a charm.

just bought one of these from Brixton yesterday.....after years of breaking sub 10 quid models I tried Ross's (Brixton mechanic) and was a convert, well worth the money.

thanks guy's, just ordered one.

have to agree, quality piece of kit!

Was going to recommend the Hozan lockring spanner and a wheels manufacturing chain whip (which is a cheaper combo than the DA tool stateside), but the Hozan is dead expensive here. Dread to think how much the Hozan lockring pliers are.

My main problem with both the DA tool and the Wheels Manufacturing whip is that is hard to slip anything over them for extra leverage. Had a number of 'stuck' cogs that really were a PITA to remove with these tools.

31trum - you can run a fixed cog on the freeside of your hub but its not advisable, as theres no reverse threading for a lockring. You pretty much need to follow the suicide hub method, by loctiting the cog and a bottom bracket lockring on. I would advise against it personally and keep your eyes peeled for a fixed/fixed hub.

thanks fixedpip, i'll take your advise on the hub.

31trum, I had the same problem, fixed threads only on one side. Guy at Condor suggested that I put a fixed sprocket on the freewheel side and then use a Miche carrier as a lock ring. This works becasue the carrier has the same thread diameter as the sprocket.

It basically works like a washer, even if the sprocket is under enough torque to undo, it won't undo the carrier because the friction between them is not enough to spin the carrier too. Basically increases the required force to unscrewn them both. Not perfect, and I try not to skid stop much on that side, but it does work.

Am I wrong to use a screwdriver and a hammer to tighten lockrings.

They never undo themselves...........

I do that too, but I am about to buy the DA tool above.

that's what i have been doing, but can only find a bloody toffee hammer

Fuck that DA tool, the chain on mine broke like fuck (not that I even bother with that shit at this point). Just buy the spanner and rotafix on and off, way easier.

ImOnCrank Fuck that DA tool, the chain on mine broke like fuck (not that I even bother with that shit at this point). Just buy the spanner and rotafix on and off, way easier.

+1. Thats the method I use. A good spanner to tighten the lock nut and rotofix for the cog, far more torque.

on the freewheel side is there any other kind of nut i can temporarly use until i get new wheel, mashton mentioned a miche carrier, how are you supposed to tighten one of those without a cog??

And on a similar vein, how are you supposed to get a freewheel off? Damned if I know. It probably requires tools I don't have.

local bike shop??????

sorry not trying to be smug, went in to see the old fella in mine, took him about 2 mins, good man

Yep or buy the correct free wheel tool. There are load of diffrent one for diffrent free wheels, they are only about a fiver.

Park tools has a selection

http://www.parktool.com/products/category.asp?cat=4

most single speeds use an fr6. You just need to check before you buy.

You can use a BB lockring instead of the miche carrier (which sounds like bad advice) to try and hold a fixed cog on freewheel threads. Be aware that, while the BB lockring will help a bit, it won't reliably keep the sprocket on the hub. That's why it's called a "suicide hub". Make sure you leave the brakes on!

thanks momentum, i'll also threadlock both the buggers down..

Multispeed freewheels need the correct splined tool, think singlespeed freewheels come off with a pin spanner

Rattlebag ... think singlespeed freewheels come off with a pin spanner

As TheBrick pointed too, freewheels normally have a series of notches, you've got to get the right tool to mate with the notches; work just like with the splined cassette tools but fewer notches.

Its not always easy to find the right tool. Some patterns are very common but even major manufacturers (like Shimano) will use weird patterns on occassion.

To put the Miche carriers on and take them off, screw them on hand tight put the sprocket on and do up the lockring enough to hold it in place but not tight, then tighten sprocket and carrier with a chainwhip and then do up the lockring.

To remove it do the opposite, slacken the lockring about one turn then crack off the sprocket and carrier with a chainwhip then remove the lock ring and then unscrew the rest by hand :)

The Hozan lockring tool is pretty good - for chain whip, a good idea is get the Park one and replace the chain for a 1/8 one: