Fixed Gear without Redishing?

Hi all, I have a question:
I'm converting an old steel 10 speed into a fixed gear bike, and I'd like to know if not redishing the rear wheel after removing the freewheel might cause any problems. I'd like to just use spacers to line the rear cog up with the chainring. Is this a bad idea? Thanks in advance...

 

i know single speed can be done like that.
it should look like this...


i'm not sure about fixed tho.

 

Jimmymac4 - you'd have a bike where the rear wheel doesn't track directly behind the front wheel and may even rub against the chainstay. Bike handling and control will be pretty weird too. I'd rather see a bad chainline, but what's the big deal about re-dishing the wheel?

Techone - OP is talking about axle spacers, not cassette spacers.

 

??? If he doesn't muck with the hub spacers,nothing about the wheel relationship changes.

 

I have converted one of my bikes to a singlespeed like this and it works a treat.

But fixed wheel, I don't know about.

 

Thanks for the input guys.

I certainly don't claim to be an expert mechanic, but I thought (as one of the repliers indicated) that the wheels would track the same way they are now; the cassette would just be gone. If that's incorrect, can you tell me why?

I don't think I can do it competently :-(

Thanks a lot...

 

If you really have an old steel 10-speed then you probably don't have a cassette, you probably have a freewheel. Freewheel hubs have threads and freewheels have the ratcheting mechanism in the gear cluster - cassette hubs have splines with ratcheting mechanism on the hub and the cassette slides on to the hub.

If you have a freewheel hub (with threads) you can screw on a track cog and a lock ring to make a fixed gear, and then you need to adjust the chain line and then re-dish. If you have a cassette hub you have to do a serious modification (~90USD) to the hub to make it suitable for a fixed gear - you can't lock out the ratchet but you can make a one-speed quite easily as shown above.

Also you probably won't be able to use track nuts with your existing axle since it doesn't stick out past the drop outs - you'll be stuck with your quick release. I suggest going all the way and getting a real track hub and have somebody build a new wheel for you - on the existing rim if you're cheap... cost me about 120USD to do my complete conversion: hub, spokes, cog and lockring, tracknuts, and single-ring stack bolts.

 

That was easy to follow, informative and not condescending.
Thanks...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if he sticks the cog and lockring on and adjusts chainline at the front with spindle length or chainring mounting and does not muck with hub spacers,then there is no need fro redishing?

 

Oh true, he was talking about spacers on his wheel, but if you adjust the chainline with spacers at the crank you don't mess up the wheel/frame connection. Can't always do that though - usually you need to move the chainring closer to centerline of the frame and in doing so you might have interference with the chainstays... depends on the bike.