I'm sure

you've heard this kind of tedious question again & again so sorry, but...

Just switching over an ancient old dutch sit up & beg (old 3 speed sturmey thing) to a fixed.
Got a new wheel with threaded hub, a) where the hell do I buy a threaded sprocket (rather than a splined cassette one) and b) how will I be able to fix it sufficiently given that all my braking will be through this sprocket (seeing as I'm not planning on having a front brake) - I'll need some kind of lockring (don't know where to get this baby from either).

Sorry chaps, I'm sure this is well trodden ground for you... it's just a bit of a voyage into t'unknown for me....

Go to condor and ask or check ebay for a track sprocket.
Unless you have a proper track hub, i'd run a brake. Suicide hubs, in my opinion, are not safe without.

Ah - so "track sprocket" is the terminology, I wasn't getting anywhere searching for threaded sprockets. Cheers. And thanks for advice on brakes.

Have you read any of these? If not, do so:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
http://www.63xc.com/gregg/101_1.htm
http://staufenberger.typepad.com/repository/PumaFixedGear101.pdf

In central London: Condor, Brixton Cycles, Brick Lane Bikes, Cavendish Cycles, London Fields etc should all be able to supply you with a cog and lockring. However, if you're converting an non track hub, you'll have no reverse threading for a locking and are building a 'suicide' hub as they're known. For such a hub you'll need loctite and a bb lockring.

If you've never ridden a fixie before please put a brake on your bike. You will not be able to stop safely without one - until you've learnt how to skid/skip confidently. This is esp true if you're using a suicide hub.

even if you have a proper hub with lockring, the inertia you get with such a heavy frame + more grip running fatter tyres will mean that you wont ever be able to stop your bike on time. i can ride brakeless on my road conversions and track bikes with skinny tyres but would never consider doing so on a dutch bike. please use a brake and don't kill yourself :)

Cheers for your help and advice guys. I've been riding ss for quite a while & have ridden fixed on the track (only a couple of times) so maybe you guys are right, I need a brake.

Thanks for your bike shop advice too (although I get annoyed by the idea of Brick Lane cycles capitalising on the nicked bike trade down there).

So I need to simply glue this sprocket on then do I (in addition to the lockring of course)? It's a really simple cheapo hub not a track hub with reverse threading.

yes, simply do as pip said. use loctite, a bottom bracket lockring, a brake and ride safe!

and hey, although i dont really like buying stuff from brick lane bikes i'm quite sure they don't sell stolen bikes... don't say it if you dont have some solid proof man

I'm not saying that they sell stolen bikes at all Ed, I'm sure they're nice guys and 100% legit. It just annoys me cos Brick Lane is a place synonymous with knocked off bikes. So all I'm saying is that BLCs enhance the reputation of the place as a place to get bikes (knocked off or otherwise) - and that increases the footfall to the area each weekend of people interested in getting a bike and so in turn bike thieves know that there's an increased chance of selling their stolen wares each week. Ergo - more bikes in London getting nicked!

I mean that's reductionist but you get my drift.

ah ok sorry... i get what u mean now. "capitalising" is the keyword.

if the existence of a bike shop there would turn people over to buying bikes from a shop rather than from bike thieves i would be more for it. one thing is that it's not really easy to tell what's happening and what's not, no facts and figures...

but then with their prices set so high i can imagine a lot of people who just want to get a bike instead of trying to be cool and trendy and have wads of cash to spend would be leaving the shop heading towards the unknown...

That's a good point too though - that their presence may turn the trade legit down there...