Help please... Cones keep loosening

Searched for this elsewhere - no luck, although I did read one member had opposite problem.

Built up a low-cost fixed on old 531 frame.
Decided, after reading all the pros & cons, to go with "suicide hub" until I was sure I could handle fixed.

Rear hub is an old Miche loose bearing job (similar to Shimano) that I cleaned up & serviced, swopped the original hollow-axle & Q/R for a solid axle.
Adjusted every thing nice & tight. Rotafixed the sprocket, and a BB lock ring.

Just a few 10s of metres yesterday, very carefully, as first time on fixed. Went for another go today.... cones are loose.

Oh well, can't have tightened them up enough. Re-adjusted, retightened, made sure the lock nuts on good & proper. Stopped just down the road.... check hub. LOOSE AGAIN.

Is this something to do with the different forces acting on a hub with a fixed gear? Have I done something stupid? Any obvious solutions (other than getting a proper track hub or an expensive bolt on conversion for a cassette hub)

check if the cones are tight after adjusting them with the wheel in the frame. rock the wheel side to side from the tyre to get enough leverage, if there is no play, and the locknuts are tight enough, then you are dandy. there may be no play but the locknuts not tight enough so when you tighten the axle they unscrew a bit. tighten the axle evenly on each side.

sometimes the cones come loose when tightening down the locknut - you just have to practise to get it right. and make sure you tighten the locknut enough.

The cones were adjusted to give no play betwen hub & axle, and then the lock nuts tightened down on each side. Cone spanner on the cone, pukka spanner on lock-nut. (I'm new to fixed, but far from green when it comes to cup & cone...)
Checked immediately before putting wheel back in the bike that there was no play and locknuts were tight on the cones.

You seem to be saying that adjusting the cones and tightening the locknuts should be done with the wheel on the bike? why would that make a difference on a solid axle? I know on a skewer hub there is a little bit of tightening as you put the lever down and you sometimes need to allow the tiniest amount of play if adjusting off the bike, but on a solid axle?

no i didn't mean with the wheel on the bike, i mean check for play after tightening down locknuts with wheel in the bike to get more leverage on axle as sometimes there is no play when you wiggle the axle with your fingers but then there is some with the wheel in the frame.

Aha - got you now, thank you.

Yes, I checked no play with wheel mounted in bike. Just now tried it again. definitely no play and definitely locknuts are TIGHT. Went out for a quick spin round the block... maybe 3/4mile. Put bike straight back on the stand. Now there is play.

Could it be slightly bent axle? When adjusting off the bike I thought at one point there was more resistance to axle rotation at certain points in circle than in others, which makes me think axle bent... but effect is barely perceptible even with cones adjusted "just so", and certainly not noticeable when mounted on bike.

Maybe a dab of locticte ???
-but it sounds maybe also that the bearings could be shot... ?

Check the bearings & the bit the bearings roll on inside the hub... I had cones that kept on coming loose and I was lazy and just kept tightening them up a bit without investigating further, ended badly (wasn't moving at the time thankfully).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adownie/3271853314/in/set-72157618835299443/

and to the OP you can thread a freewheel onto a fixed hub.

and to the OP you can thread a freewheel onto a fixed hub.

I was beginning to think that...I am not finding fixed very easy to get used to. Bit of an old dog (51) to be learning new tricks.

Are the cones the original ones or the new ones which came with the new axle?

Are the cones the original ones or the new ones which came with the new axle?

It's an old axle from another hub, I left the cones on. Bit of laziness on my part, quicker to swop axles between the two hubs than to rebuild the wheel around the solid axle hub.

This is "low cost" try-out of fixed - only part I bought new was the fixed sprocket. Everything else was on the (rather neglected) frame when I bought it, or from my parts box (30+ years worth of greasy gunky shit to wade through!).

So are you sure the cones from on the solid axle which are new to the hub are compatible with the old cones if you get me?

sounds like you have to try it again with the cones that came with the hub

sounds like you have to try it again with the cones that came with the hub

yes, will try that too, although maybe not until end next week, got family stuff over weekend and working in Milan early part of next week, which is OK but can't take the bike.