1/8" singlespeed question:

Paul Hobson said:

Ok...I googled the archives and found many examples of conflicting
information from the days of yore back to fairly recently. I called the
shop, they said it'd be ok, but noisier.

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

For what its worth I use a 1/8" SRAM PC-1 chain on my fixed gear with
3/32" chainring. About 3200 miles over the last two years on that
bike.

Tom

Quoted message said:

Paul Hobson said:

Ok...I googled the archives and found many examples of conflicting
information from the days of yore back to fairly recently. I called the
shop, they said it'd be ok, but noisier.

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

For what its worth I use a 1/8" SRAM PC-1 chain on my fixed gear with
3/32" chainring. About 3200 miles over the last two years on that
bike.

Tom

Thanks for the response. The shop mentioned something about 1/8" chains
being more chattery. Do you see this as a problems?

--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.underthecouch.org
..:you may want to fix my email
address before you send anything:.

"In vinculis etiam audax!"

Paul Hobson said:

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components.

If mere functionality is the standard of excellence to which you
aspire, the answer is yes.

However (here it comes), there is no advantage had by introducing
extraneous lateral slop by fitting a chain that is a size wider than
the sprockets it will engage. In my estimation, the extra jiggle found
with 1/8" chains mated to 3/32" sprockets may occasionally enhance the
likelihood of derailment in fixed-gear drivetrains.

Quoted message said:

I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

KMC have a good model for 3/32" single-speed use in the model Z610HX.
It's the only 3/32" chain currently listed in my track catalogue:

http://www.businesscycles.com/trcomp.htm#chains

-------------------------------
John Dacey
Business Cycles, Miami, Florida
http://www.businesscycles.com
Since 1983
Our catalog of track equipment: online since 1996
-------------------------------

Paul Hobson said:

Ok...I googled the archives and found many examples of conflicting
information from the days of yore back to fairly recently. I called the
shop, they said it'd be ok, but noisier.

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

Yes, it works. Nominal 3/32" chains are what is used on derailleur
setups. A 1/8" chain on a fixie built from 3/32" bits will work just
fine.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Quoted message said:

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

A 1/8" chain will work on your 3/32" cog and ring, but why not just use
a regular 3/32" chain? The KMC chains I'm familliar with are pretty
crappy. On the other hand, the SRAM PC-48 chain is cheap, easy to
install and remove, widely available, and works well on one-speeds.
Why do 1/8" fixed and SS parts continue to exist? Skinny is good.

-Vee

Paul Hobson said:

Quoted message said:

Paul Hobson said:

Ok...I googled the archives and found many examples of conflicting
information from the days of yore back to fairly recently. I called the
shop, they said it'd be ok, but noisier.

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

For what its worth I use a 1/8" SRAM PC-1 chain on my fixed gear with
3/32" chainring. About 3200 miles over the last two years on that
bike.

Tom

Thanks for the response. The shop mentioned something about 1/8" chains
being more chattery. Do you see this as a problems?

I've heard this on the fixed gear email list, but have used 1/8" chains
for years with both 3/32 and 1/8 cogs and never felt they were
particularly noisy. I suspect there may be some personal preference at
work given how much it seems some obsess over the noise of their bike.
I may be just oblivious to it.

Baird

Vee said:

Why do 1/8" fixed and SS parts continue to exist? Skinny is good.

For starters, you can get 1/8" chains for five bucks.

If you used a coaster brake, or a gearhub, you might notice that the
sprocket transmits torque by way of three tiny splines that are only as
wide as the thickness of the sprocket.

So a 2mm thick steel sprocket is probably fine if you're using a 14
tooth sprocket or the like, but some sprockets are as large as 28
teeth. For those, I expect that a 2.5mm to 3mm thick sprocket exhibits
better longevity and reliability than a thinner one.

If you were a freestyle rider inclined to bash your chainring against
things (inadvertently or on purpose), you might find that 1/8" or even
3/16" sprocket teeth tolerate such treatment better than any 3/32"
chainring.

1/8" single-speed chains have been available and freely interchangeable
for generations. Why accomodate traditional components like that to a
chain size (8 speed) that wasn't available 20 years ago and might be
obsolete in another 10?

Chalo Colina

Vee said:

Quoted message said:

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

A 1/8" chain will work on your 3/32" cog and ring, but why not just use
a regular 3/32" chain? The KMC chains I'm familliar with are pretty
crappy. On the other hand, the SRAM PC-48 chain is cheap, easy to
install and remove, widely available, and works well on one-speeds.
Why do 1/8" fixed and SS parts continue to exist? Skinny is good.

-Vee

In searching the archieves, it seems that a lot of people have been of
the opinion that 8-speed chains are intended to move from one gear to
another, and therefore do so more easily on a single speed bike. I was
hoping someone would have some personal experience with this since I
have both a brand new 8-speed and a brand new single-speed chain laying
around.

\\paul
--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.underthecouch.org
..:you may want to fix my email
address before you send anything:.

Paul Hobson said:

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

Any 1/8" chain will work OK. I use one, but then my sprockets are all
1/8", even though my chainring is 3/32". Works fine.

But you don't need a KMC chain. You do realize, don't you, that any
8-speed or 9-speed chain will work. I'd suggest a SRAM PC-48 as being the
best buy.

David L. Johnson said:

But you don't need a KMC chain. You do realize, don't you, that any
8-speed or 9-speed chain will work. I'd suggest a SRAM PC-48 as being the
best buy.

Those Srams are nice and quiet. Good stuff. Don't use them if you've
broken apart a cassette to use a sprocket for a single as the chain will
jump.

On the other hand, I can go down to any Xmart and get a a KMC single speed
chain, usually marketed under some house brand--for ten bucks. I was
riding a gold and black one for a while. Very sexy if you kept it clean,
and especially nice if you scented it before rides with Brut by Faberge.

I use a KMC nickel heavy duty now. It's a bit noisy and heavy, but it
looks so lovely and industrial. 😄

Paul Hobson said:

Thanks for the response. The shop mentioned something about 1/8" chains
being more chattery. Do you see this as a problems?

They do make more noise in my experience, but it's not a bad thing--seems
the chatter is louder when I'm not spinning smoothly, so it's like a bad
form feedback monitor.

I might have to go back to 3/32 though--the total silence is pretty
appealing. But would it fit a Shimano DX cog meant for 1/8" chains? :/

I can always use an old uniglide cassette cog back there...

Paul Hobson said:

In searching the archieves, it seems that a lot of people have been of the
opinion that 8-speed chains are intended to move from one gear to another,
and therefore do so more easily on a single speed bike. I was hoping
someone would have some personal experience with this since I have both a
brand new 8-speed and a brand new single-speed chain laying around.

It ain't going nowhere if you have proper chain tension and aren't using a
sprocket in back with "ramps". Dangerous thing is using HG cogs on a
single, something my LBS actually recommended. Bad idea. Shimano DX cogs
are the ticket, they're $5 and flat.

If you're using a proper singlespeed hub with either a BMX freewheel or a
thread on sprocket, ignore my rambling.

Paul Hobson said:

Ok...I googled the archives and found many examples of conflicting
information from the days of yore back to fairly recently. I called the
shop, they said it'd be ok, but noisier.

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

Yes it will but many 3/32 chains are available, like the Sram PC-48,
that will work fine and dandy. Why the KMC??

An anonymous poster asserted:

Quoted message said:

... Dangerous thing is using HG cogs on a
single, something my LBS actually recommended. Bad idea.

Oh? I've used these on my Bianchi B.a.S.S. with no problem. I agree
that singlespeed-specific sprockets would be slightly preferable, but
they don't come in as many sizes as HG sprockets do.

If you have a straight drive train, without any kludgy spring loaded
chain tensioners, I see no problem with using HG sprockets.

Quoted message said:

Shimano DX cogs are the ticket, they're $5 and flat.

That's true, if 14,15,16 or 18 is the size you need.

Sheldon "It Works" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Always listen to the experts. |
| They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. |
| Then do it. --Robert A. Heinlein |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

maxo said:

I might have to go back to 3/32 though--the total silence is pretty
appealing. But would it fit a Shimano DX cog meant for 1/8" chains? :/

Shimano DX sprockets _are_ 3/32", work with either width of chain.

Sheldon "Three Thirty-Seconds" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. |
| But there is no evidence of any sort against it. |
| Soon enough you will know, so why fret about it? |
| --Robert A. Heinlein |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Chalo said:

Vee said:

Why do 1/8" fixed and SS parts continue to exist? Skinny is good.

For starters, you can get 1/8" chains for five bucks.

Sure, but as I mentioned before, you don't get much chain for $5. My
experience is that cheapo KMC chains wear rapidly in bad weather (they
last only hundreds, not thousands, of miles).

Quoted message said:

If you used a coaster brake, or a gearhub, you might notice that the
sprocket transmits torque by way of three tiny splines that are only as
wide as the thickness of the sprocket.

So a 2mm thick steel sprocket is probably fine if you're using a 14
tooth sprocket or the like, but some sprockets are as large as 28
teeth. For those, I expect that a 2.5mm to 3mm thick sprocket exhibits
better longevity and reliability than a thinner one.

3 questions:
1. Semantically, is "sprocket" interchangeable with "cog"? I ask
because cassettets have cogs, but some people call the similarly
splined things on coaster brake hubs "sprockets". Also, BMXers refer
to chainrings/chainwheels as "sprockets".
2. Couldn't a sprocket/cog simply be manufactured so that it's thicker
in the center?
3. Does a larger diameter sprocket/cog transmit more torque to the hub?
Is that your point about longevity?

Quoted message said:

If you were a freestyle rider inclined to bash your chainring against
things (inadvertently or on purpose), you might find that 1/8" or even
3/16" sprocket teeth tolerate such treatment better than any 3/32"
chainring.

More importantly, the 1/8" and 3/16" (and don't forget the Sharp 1/4"😉
BMX chains are harder to grind through. A 3/32" chain will give up
after a single encounter with a concrete ledge.
I still say the wider $5 ones stink for non-BMX applications. I didn't
think about coaster brake bikes, but it's the uncommon rider who puts
significant miles on such a bike.

Quoted message said:

1/8" single-speed chains have been available and freely interchangeable
for generations. Why accomodate traditional components like that to a
chain size (8 speed) that wasn't available 20 years ago and might be
obsolete in another 10?

More specifically, then, why do track/fixed/SS bikes still use 1/8"
parts when it just means more weight? And do you really think 15-24
speed bikes will cease to exist in 10 years?

-Vee

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Paul Hobson said:

Vee said:

Quoted message said:

Alls I want to know is if an 1/8" BMX chain will work on a fixie with
3/32" components. I looked at the KMC website and they have 3/32"
chains, but I can't find them for sale anywhere. uggg.

A 1/8" chain will work on your 3/32" cog and ring, but why not just use
a regular 3/32" chain? The KMC chains I'm familliar with are pretty
crappy. On the other hand, the SRAM PC-48 chain is cheap, easy to
install and remove, widely available, and works well on one-speeds.
Why do 1/8" fixed and SS parts continue to exist? Skinny is good.

-Vee

In searching the archieves, it seems that a lot of people have been of
the opinion that 8-speed chains are intended to move from one gear to
another, and therefore do so more easily on a single speed bike. I was
hoping someone would have some personal experience with this since I
have both a brand new 8-speed and a brand new single-speed chain laying
around.

_ I use slighty worn 9 speed chains on my fixed gear
bikes. (i.e. I take them off my geared bike when they get
to .75 on the park meter and ride them on the fixed until
they get to 1.0 on the meter ). I have really good chainline
and keep the tension high.

_ I think there is an impression that chains need to be beefier
for fixed gears and single speeds, but I don't see why unless
you are doing trials bike riding with it's really low gears.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Paul Hobson said:

In searching the archieves, it seems that a lot of people have been of
the opinion that 8-speed chains are intended to move from one gear to
another, and therefore do so more easily on a single speed bike. I was
hoping someone would have some personal experience with this since I
have both a brand new 8-speed and a brand new single-speed chain laying
around.

I use SRAM PC-48 chains (3/32"😉 on all three of my one-speed bikes (one
fixed commuter, one SS mountain bike, one SS road bike). No problems.

-Vee

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Vee said:

3 questions:
1. Semantically, is "sprocket" interchangeable with "cog"? I ask
because cassettets have cogs, but some people call the similarly
splined things on coaster brake hubs "sprockets". Also, BMXers refer
to chainrings/chainwheels as "sprockets".

cog: n. [ME cog, cogge < Scand.; cf. Norw. kug, Sw, kugge,
a cog, tooth]

So etymologically a cog is a tooth. In engineering a cog
is a tooth on a cogwheel. In correct English a cog is a
tooth only.

--
Michael Press