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Chainline is one of those things you'll make a mistake with the first time you try to set up fixed/singlespeed. You need to measure the chainline to see how far it is out before you start trying to get it straight. Go to Sheldon Brown's web site for info on how to do this. You'll need a decent ruler, or better, vernier callipers.
If it's out by 2 or 3mm, fix it with chainring spacers. More, you'll need to get a longer or shorter BB. Alternatively, get a new hub. To be fair, you can get a proper fixed hub for a 120mm frame quite cheaply. Spend £70, you can get a sweet Goldtec, £100+ for bling bling Phils.
As regards to the suicide hub, they aren't called suicide for no reason. If you applied loads of loctite to the threads (ensuring they are really clean), and then used the rotafix method (Google it) it would probably be ok. I'd recommend checking it every week by rotafixing it again, to be sure. But yeah, get a cheapo hub maybe? Or a cheap rear fixed wheel off eBay? Depends on how much you've got.
If you don't want to spend money though, just to reemphasise, use the rotafix method. Seriously, a chain whip won't get it tight enough.
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This is my suicide hub...has never budged using the bb lockring on the hub...
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/aug/2/SirPic.htm -
lpg i dunno, eeehhhh. if you primarily use your front brake for slowing down, then it isn't so dangerous. Just make sure you take it up hills on it's first outing, and it should be tight enough. Helps if the gearing is high.
Yeah, that's true. I wouldn't even attempt to skid on it, or take it on busy roads for that matter.
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I run a suicide-ish hub:
It's a flip-flop hub with fixed / free threads. I am running 48x19 on the freewheel side, using a Miche carrier as a "lockring", which is threaded in the same direction as the sprocket.
Both are on good and tight, but haven't been loctite'd.
I mainly brake with the front brake but do skid a bit on it, take it out in heavy traffic every day and have had no issues with it in 5 months.
Even though the 'lockring' and the sprocket are threaded the same way, I think it does help. My view is that the friction between the sprocket surface and lockring isn't perfect so that an even greater back torsion is needed to unscrew the lockring than would be needed to simply unscrew the sprocket. Just a touch more safety, but every little helps, right?
Anyway, you can all point at my corpse and shout "I told you so!" when it goes wrong.
Damn, now I've scared myself.
Am I being stupid?
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the surly fixxer thread's got me thinking about the frame that has been sitting out on my balcony ever since i ran out of funds. it's an 80s peugeot roadbike that i found in a cousin's garage. i want to fix it up for polo or just messing around and don't want to spend any money on it.
is there a way to turn the existing cassette and hub into a suicide hub, or do i need to buy a track cog and rotafix that on? [incidentally, i used to ride with those guys when i lived in milan, and i think it's brilliant that they've coined the term. i didn't know about it until 5 minutes ago] -
rota fix is a method of putting on a cog on to a threaded track or free wheel hub, if your bike has a casset this method is irrelevant but I would expect that a 80's pug has a freewheel hub and not a casset / freehub.
In answer to your question you would need to buy a track cog.
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the rotafix method works quite good, i used it for 8 month on a bike few years ago and i'm using it now here in london on the crappy conversion i'm riding around..
I never used any loctite but a little trick: put a spacer on the thread before the cog, it works as a washer and the cog will not unscrew as easy as it would just with loctite....
i'm no more used to brakes cos in the last years i've been riding a brakeless track frame, on the bike i'm using around london i put a front brake cos of the "suicide" hub but i think i never touched the lever, skidding my stops etc... the brake stays there just in case..
anyway I wouldn't ride a rotafixed hub brakeless as few people in milan do... -
A method used to lock threads from my old engineering days was to drill a hole parallel to the bolt (or axle) through both the nut and bolt threads so that half the drill diameter was in the nut, half was in the bolt. Then tap the hole and screw in a locking screw.
You could try doing this if you don't mind the damage to the hub, which I assume you won't if its just an old one.
Use something like a 2mm drill and drill down through the threads for almost the width of the lockring, then pop in a bit of 2mm dia. wire with enough of a tail to bend over and epoxy to the side of the sprocket. Don't put epoxy in the hole or cut the wire off too short or you'll never get it out to replace the sprocket. Alternatively, screw in a self tapping screw. -
I used a suicide hub on my first fixed (an 80s pug incidentally), with bb lockring but no locktite. I set it up before i found out about rotafixing ( which i now use for all fixed cogs - even temporary), but it has never moved. i was running a 75" gear.
With the chain line issue, with that first bike i respaced the axle slightly without redishing (sounds bad but unnoticable) and used a couple of washers between chainring and spider.
Have subsequently got track wheels, but still use the suicide hub on beater.
Hope this helps -
eeehhhh
As regards to the suicide hub, they aren't called suicide for no reason. If you applied loads of loctite to the threads (ensuring they are really clean), and then used the rotafix method (Google it) it would probably be ok. I'd recommend checking it every week by rotafixing it again, to be sure. But yeah, get a cheapo hub maybe? Or a cheap rear fixed wheel off eBay? Depends on how much you've got.If you don't want to spend money though, just to reemphasise, use the rotafix method. Seriously, a chain whip won't get it tight enough.
i know a guy who did that, then JB welded the shit out of the threads, it still came lose.
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ed i will sell you my first borne for 50 squid
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well i would have spent the 50 on a vascetime... its kinda like a gambel
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well with the missus in london right now and me in the us probly untill 2 days after we next se eachother
eeehhhh
edmundane
lpg
xroads
mashton
fixer
flip
TheBrick(Tommy)
Pepperoni
ChrisNW
piran
chris_crash-
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Free to fixed - convert freewheel to fixed / suicide hub
Posted by
@Elvis
I'm using a suicide hub on one of my bikes. I know its a bad idea, but this is just for messing about on and is not used for any serious riding.
Bascially, my LBS respaced and redished the wheel for me (120mm). I started building it up and installed the BB and cranks. Using a cheap double and installed the ring on the inside. But the chainline is far out! I'm going to try some spacers between the spider and ring but am not expecting it to do much.
Has anyone else ever used a suicide hub and are there any other ways I can help sort out the chainline?? Short of rebuilding the back wheel with an el cheapo fixed hub I'm stumped!