Singlespeed - time to abandon my chain tensioner?



Speaking of brake adjustment, is it possible to always get rim brakes
perfectly adjusted on a fram with horizontal drop-outs?

/Mathias
 
I looked at your web page, and it sounds like you're describing a
fixed-gear. Singlespeed label usually means that the bike can still
coast, and doesn't need a lockring, for instance.
 
On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 07:32:45 -0800, Mathias wrote:

> Speaking of brake adjustment, is it possible to always get rim brakes
> perfectly adjusted on a fram with horizontal drop-outs?
>

This is one of the reasons many people don't use rear brakes with fixed
gears. However, it's usually not too bad. I use a rear brake on my track
bike, and manage to get it to work not only as the chain wears, but also
with changing gears from time to time. I only rarely have to touch the
brake adjustment, and usually only when I use another wheel that has
different rims.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand
_`\(,_ | mathematics.
(_)/ (_) |
 
Mathias wrote:
> Speaking of brake adjustment, is it possible to always get rim brakes
> perfectly adjusted on a fram with horizontal drop-outs?


"Horizontal" dropouts are generally not truly horizontal, rather they're
slanted so that they're roughly perpendicular to the seat stays.

With this type of dropouts, it is not generally nessary to mess with the
brake shoes as the wheel is adjusted back and forth for different
sprocket sizes.

There is an unfortunate fad for using old-fashioned rear-opening fork
ends on singlespeed frames. These are _not_ "dropouts" because they
require derailing the chain before you can remove the wheel.

They're a general PITA compared with real dropouts, and it's a shame
that fashion is foisting them on so many people.

They are also, in most cases, installed with the slots level, so if you
use a rear brake you _will_ need to readjust the brake shoes as you move
the wheel back and forth.

The only exception I know of to this is Rivendell's Quickbeam, which has
rear-opening fork ends that _are_ appropriately slanted.

See also http://sheldonbrown.com/dropouts

Sheldon "Turn On, Tune In..." Brown
+----------------------------------------------------+
| The two most common elements in the Universe are |
| hydrogen and stupidity. --Harlan Ellison |
+----------------------------------------------------+
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
 
As Sheldon Brown will surely point out, a fixed-gear cannot be used
together with something like a Singleator... :) (knudge, knudge, know
what I mean....)

Any suggestions on how to improve the description on my web page so
that people do not get an impression that it describes a fixed-gear?

This is really off-topic, sorry...
/Mathias - not daring to try out fixed-gear I'm afraid
 
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 22:51:34 -0600, A Muzi <[email protected]>
wrote:

>> "Vee" <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>>>I have had problems
>>>with the hub bearings, but I'm not sure why (Surly hub).

>
>Mike Latondresse wrote:
>> Me too. I have toasted 2 of them with a perfect chainline and they
>> spewed out all sorts of tiny bearings. Doesn't anyone make a fixie hub
>> with decent cup and cone any more.

>
>Yes, many. Including Campagnolo Record, not all that
>expensive considering it should last the rest of your life
>with reasonable care.
>
>There are a dozen hubs between the low-end noname house
>brand you mention and Campagnolo's premium product.


Not cup and cone, but Goldtec
http://www.goldtec-cycles.co.uk/trackhubs.htm
make a fixed hub which is popular with bike messengers so it must be
strong and about half the price of Record. Also available in 120, 130
or 135 OLN so it fits into converted road or MTB frames.

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary
 
[email protected] wrote:
> I looked at your web page, and it sounds like you're describing a
> fixed-gear. Singlespeed label usually means that the bike can still
> coast, and doesn't need a lockring, for instance.


Yes that's true.

Many of those hubs are 'flipflop' or fixed on one side,
single freewheel on the other.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
 
"Kinky Cowboy" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Not cup and cone, but Goldtec
> http://www.goldtec-cycles.co.uk/trackhubs.htm
> make a fixed hub which is popular with bike messengers so
> it must be strong and about half the price of Record. Also available
> in 120, 130 or 135 OLN so it fits into converted road or MTB frames.


One note of caution - the chainline is the same (~42mm) for the different
axle-length versions of this hub. MTB frames with flared chainstays can be
limited to very small chainrings.

James Thomson
 
I observed:
>
>>The simplest and least expensive of thes options is the eccentric hub.
>>I have one of these myself, they work great, and are much easier to
>>adjust than an eccentric bottom bracket.

>

Peter Cresswell replied
>
> I have the White eccentric hub and don't hold it in that high regard - although
> it *is* a beautiful thing to look at and seems like the only game in town if
> somebody wants a fixie on an existing frame.
>
> Maybe it's just my technique, but I find adjustment to be a nuisance and not all
> that permanent - i.e. it sometimes gets out of adjustment with riding.


That is probably a technique issue, unless you have an unusually small
chainring.

Did you lubricate the mounting bolts? (Both the threads and the
undersides of the heads?)

Sounds as if you're not tightening the bolts sufficiently. Mine never
slipped on my Rambouillet.

Sheldon "http://harriscyclery.com/white-hubs" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------+
| Pohl's law: Nothing is so good that somebody, |
| somewhere, will not hate it. |
+--------------------------------------------------+
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
 
Mike Latondresse wrote:

> "Vee" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>I have had problems
>>with the hub bearings, but I'm not sure why (Surly hub).
>>

> Me too. I have toasted 2 of them with a perfect chainline and they
> spewed out all sorts of tiny bearings. Doesn't anyone make a fixie hub
> with decent cup and cone any more.


Cartridge bearing singlespeed and fixed hubs are generally extremely
reliable, as long as they're properly adjusted.

One possible source of trouble is conversion to quick release.

If you use a quick release axle, you must adjust the "cones" a bit loose
so that the skewer-induced axle compression doesn't create an
unacceptable side load on the bearing cartridges.

Sheldon "Surly Hubs Are Great!" Brown
+--------------------------------------------+
| Nothing is given so profusely as advice. |
| - Francois, Duc de la Rouchefoucauld |
+--------------------------------------------+
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
 
Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Cartridge bearing singlespeed and fixed hubs are generally
> extremely reliable, as long as they're properly adjusted.
>
> One possible source of trouble is conversion to quick release.
>
> If you use a quick release axle, you must adjust the "cones" a bit
> loose so that the skewer-induced axle compression doesn't create
> an unacceptable side load on the bearing cartridges.


This is a Surly newhub with axle nuts and it has had a bearing
problem on both my old and my new fixies but now that I have replaced
both bearings perhaps it will be more reliable. I popped the seals
off and stuffed the bearings full of grease before replacing them.