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Nice to hear a note of solidarity. Okay, that kinda gear is gonna load up the hub some! I've only been running 44/17, but on a 90's steel MTB frame converted to 700C. The geometry is compact and fun but the weight is almost all over the back wheel, so when you do a hop-skid, it doesn't slide along like a nice road frame on 21's, you stop bloody quick - but the torque loading the hub is massive.

This is why I was wondering about alternatives for such situations, where you know you are going to be subjecting a hub/sprocket to a lot of stress.

Okay, thanks for the advice guys. I'm not convinced I didn't tighten the sprocket and lockring enough, as I was well aware of the pitfalls of not doing so. But one thing's for sure: when I rebuild on a new hub, you can be damn sure I'll get the sprocket and lockring very, very tight indeed.

From a slightly different angle then: if you were going to build a strong bike for serious daily street abuse, would you use cheap track hubs? In fact, is there anyone out there doing just this long term with no problems? See I'm getting the message that if fitted correctly, the lockring threads are very very unlikely to fail, so no not reason not to use them? And no reason to consider the alternatives mentioned above?

Dude, okay, let me spell it out:

I own a big fuck-off 1/8th chain whip and lockring spanner, and every time I fit a sprocket I lean on it very hard.

I have done it lots before and never had any problems.

I'm getting the message that maybe I didn't do it enough, or double check it, or pussied about with anti-seize or whatever.

But I'm not thick or ill-equipped.

Alrighty, so the message is just do everything up fucking tight. I thought I had, but maybe not enough. I hereby accept my failings and vow to learn from them.

No anti-seize full stop? I've been glad I've used it over the years when replacing BBs and so on. but I can see the argument for not using it on a sprocket or lockring.

Cheers for the advice

Well I kinda thought that's what was being alluded to, but let me say this: I'm always careful with this kinda thing , the sprocket and lockring were always done up tight with a bit of anti-seize, a hard dose of forward pedal and I'd check the lockring again. There was no play at all as far as I could feel.

Could I still have done it wrong? Or is it possible that the hub just sucked?

In either case, the original questions are still relevant. Do more expensive hubs have stronger threads? Etc

I don't recognise myself in the mirror anymore. I'm a... a monster!

Can you elaborate?

I apologise if this issue has been discussed before, but I've had a bit of a search and can't find anything....

I've had a cheap Ambrosio/Formula hi-flange on my beater for about a year now. I ride daily with lowish gear, 28c tyres, and do a lot of skip and skid-stops so no real surprise that I've stripped out the lockring thread. On both sides. Just went like cheese in the end and fell out. I mourn it not, for it was cheap indeed and got me through a grim winter, but my questions are thus:

• Do all traditional track threaded hubs suffer the same inherent weakness? After all, the system was not originally designed to withstand such abuse. If I got a goldtec or a phil, can I stop worrying about it? Or,
  
• If you know you are going to cane it shitless on a daily basis, is one better to get a proprietary splined system like this
  
  
  

Or even a bolt-on affair, like this:

1. Before I chuck the knackered cheap double-fixed-with-no-lockring-threads into the dustbin, are there any ideas for keepin it going? Even for another few months would be benificial. Only ones I can think of ar loctite (won't work) or welding an aluminium sprocket in place (don't know anyone who can weld ally).
   
   

PS anyone tried riding with no lockring recently? After a few pints? Fuckin horrible

Olly

Incidentially,

Can anyone tell me the difference it makes to having the wheel set as far back as it can go, as opposed to as far forward as it can be?

In therory having it tucked in as far forward as can be would maximise stiffness and response of the bike, and having it hanging out the back would be more comfortable. In practice unless you've got 4" long dropouts it don't matter much.

If you've got an expensive track frame with tight clearances, getting it as far forward as can be maximises the "crikey" factor down the pub.

+4

To each their own, mon frere. If everything runs smooth, your way FTW. But if the tyre/rim combo is a bit stubborn or whatever, doing it while the wheel is still in the frame is more of a ballache. Also since I'm usually doing this roadside, my approach is to just chuck my spare tube in (having checked the inside of the tyre for sharps) and patch the punture in the comfort and solitude of home. So its an auto wheel-off job every time. Takes 10 seconds. Just my $2c.

With some sticky patches or a patch kit, you wouldn't need to take the wheel off at all. (for a puncture).

Daft idea IMHO. So much farting around, just whip the wheel off.

Get a bog standard 15mm ring spanner, they are less than a fiver from your local hardware store or even the pound shop (where they may be up to £4 less). I always have one in my bag. It doesn't need to be drop-forged tool porn, you're not going to be braying it with a hammer on a day-to-day basis. If you do, something's not right. You don't need a fancy ratchet, or a tilting head, you don't need 500% more contact area and you don't need an NJS stamped one. All nice things to have, but you don't need 'em

And thus the rant was concluded.

fixed or coasting? lycra? skinny jeans? cycling cap? NEED MORE INFO ON TORODE!!!

Torode update: saw him again this morning. He was in front of me and ran the monster red at Stockwell station, leaving the lycra brigade standing around patiently like lemons. That one even I usually wait out. Maybe he was hungry? Or late? I couldn't close him down cos was with the GF, then he split off toward Vauxhall and I go Elephant Way. I'll get you next time, Chef-Man! Mwahahahhaaaa

Thanks guys look forward to it

NEWBIE - ALERT - BASIC QUESTION - ALERT

I live near the Coach. Whassa plan, what time, do you ride first or just head down there etc etc. Hope to join if poss. Olly

Latest project. My titanium road frame, badged as a Ciclos Uno, after many memorable miles with campag 9-speed, has become fixed gear. Picked up a white industries ENO wheel already built (thanks Catboy1981) which put the project on the fast track. Velocity fusion not my first choice of rim but there it is. Cometh the hour and all that. Mavic Ksyrium up front.

Its not intended for tooling around town (got a beater for that) but for putting in some road miles. Hence the brake and stuff. It will fail on loads of other stuff too like braze-ons but its for riding not posing so I'm not bothered about all that.

Its not set up fully yet, I'm still tweaking stuff. The stem and bars are ugly in my view and while this in itself is not a good enough reason to change them, they don't feel quite right. Which is weird cos I've done thousands of miles on it set up just like this but with gears. So no bar tape just yet. I might try a shorter stem and more classic drops.

Apart from that, I'm liking it.

Olly

I have reset a 135mm MTB frame (steel obviously) to 120mm and it worked. Works. Took a fair bit of doing with chunky seatstays, beefy brake brace and 26" geometry, but got there in the end.

Chain sits deep enough, but it's tight, like the teeth could do with being a few microns thinner. So you gotta give it a tug to get it out again. Yuh they're both 1/2" pitch unless someone is really having a laugh at my expense. Haha. No, they are. Haven't tried with another chain, that's good idea though. It buggers the chain tension because at the point the chain meets the sprocket, the links don't sit nicely in the teeth, so you can't get it genuine tension. Strange, as I said I ain't seen nothing like it before.

Ello. Been buildin me new bike. Got a problem I aint had before, and I've built five of 'em now...

Got a new sprocket on back - a Surly 19T - and a new Izumi ESH chain. The sprocket teeth and chain mesh so frikkin tightly that they cause binding when the drivetrain rotates, f-ing up chain tension, making a noise, causing friction and generally pissin me off. Even when you take the two components off the bike and just try engaging them manually, they stick a bit.

I've had to chuck an old 18T on the back, which I had hanging around. Lower quality than the Surly, thinner metal, but it works no problem. Geared a bit high now but I'll get over it. Honest.

So, anyone encountered this problem before? Surly sprockets so butch and chunky their teeth refuse to participate with anything but the broadest chains? Izumi ESH built to such exacting NJS tolerances that unless mounted on a genuine keirin frame they will conspire to subvert the build and do yer head in?

Before you ask, the chain and sprocket are both 1/8 and the chainline is good to +/- 1mm.

Cheers. Olly.

Use yer legs and a front rim brake, with a proper lever not some one finger no power silly thing. Keep it well adjusted and replace pads once a year and your sorted. Disk brake extra hassle and cash and looks gash.

Coastin' (sigh). Baggy shorts. Retina burning lumo yellow jacket. Messenger bag of some sort. No lid.

Looked a lot better than half the people I pass on Ken Park rd every day. Me included so I can't fire too many pot shots.... apart from at people riding a charge plugs ;-)

Ha ha

true story honest!!!

I saw him before I knew these vomity lookin plugs were an off the shelf item, and I nearly fell off my bike. I thought he'd paid special money to make it look that wank

I saw John Torode (off Masterchef) riding one in Kennington.

'Nuff said really

My two pfennigs: you want it tight enough so there's no danger of it popping off if you hit a pothole (it don't droop and make you look like a quim on their brand new SS), but not so tight that it binds, i.e. causes resistance or starts making noise.

Usually when you've just set your tension, everything is quite nice and tight for the first few miles (not much play when trackstanding), but then everything"settles in" and you inevitably end up with a little bit of play. This is where I like to keep things - not too much stress on chain or rings, but nice and secure and in good control.

Enuf effin rambin for now I s'pose

in my experience I've always had to re-true after any operation like re-dishing. But yeah, it aint oo hard if you have a truing stand, or blu-tack and some cardboard pinters if on a budget!