650c/26" fixed gear rear for a single speed MTB question

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Permalink Reply by Primitive Don on January 27, 2010 at 4:01pm

Good suggestions to stay with 26" rim size.

The other thought I had was, if it's really about the brakes, would you consider trying a canti brake in place of the linear pull? I think all you'd need is a hanger and canti brake from an old MTB. Some people might think that's a downgrade, though.

I had also thought to suggest a coaster brake hub, but those are super narrow, like 110 mm.

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Permalink Reply by Green Machine Cycles on January 27, 2010 at 4:54pm

650C and 650B are 571mm and 584mm bead seat, respectively. A 650B is probably too big to fit on the frame in the photo, not that it matters, since it still leaves few tire choices.

Also, most freewheel hubs don't have enough threads to effectively add an English threaded BB lockring, despite the fact that a right-hand threaded ring doesn't really lock.

Nate W said:

Keep in mind you won't be able to see the reverse threaded lockring section of a hub while a freewheel is on it (I think) since a freewheel is much wider than a fixed cog.
But assuming you're right that it doesn't have it, your simplest and cheapest solution is going to be to thread a fixed cog on there nice and tight, and simply keep your rear brake on there just in case (even if in its cruddified state it's not working perfectly). Loctite and a bottom bracket lockring would add a little extra security for the cog.
650c (which =/= 650b) means a new tire, slight change in the geometry, strangeness all around. Plus I think a 135mm spaced 650c track wheel seems far harder to come by than a 26" single speed wheel at 135mm. Any shop with a QBP account should be able to order you a 26" fixed gear wheel with a surly hub spaced at 135mm - it will arrive in 1 day usually. Cheaper to get a prebuilt wheel than to get the hub and have it built up, but that's definitely an option too.

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Permalink Reply by ishnock aka the blue baron on January 27, 2010 at 5:44pm

I only deal with fixed and single speed road bikes. I really dont tamper with MTB at all, but a bike is a bike, and they all fall under the same philosophy: the right components and parts for the right frame.

First off, clean your bike. I don't care if it is a beater. There are all kinds of mud and grime on your bike, which are water and dirt based, and that stuff will sit on your frame and components and rust them.....degrease, degrease, degrease. I am anal as hell with that shit.

As far as your wheel: Measure the width between your right drop and left drop, so that you will know what the rear spacing is. Measure from the inside of the left drop to the inside of the right drop.....If you
only have a ruler in inches, take the inches and times it by 25.4..that will give you the MM....if you have a cm ruler, then times the cm numbers by 10, and that will give you the MM.

Once you have the correct measurement, order a mtb wheel that either has a hub with fixed threads or with fixed and single speed threads ( flip fop). ...Throw a cog on their with a lockring and call it a night.

Like others have already stated, you could spray the threads with loctite or some type of thread adhesive and then thread on a fixed cog.......but if you care about your balls and your teeth, I wouldnt go down that road.

As far as the breaks, check you lever system: barrel, levers, wires, etc...make sure they are functioning properly, then check the brakes to make sure they are responding to the lever system.....

but do all of that after you wash your bike....you cant really analyze a bike properly for malfunctioning issues if it is dirty.

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Permalink Reply by Brett Ratner on January 27, 2010 at 6:53pm

Hey, Iggi:

I mounted full-length SKS fenders on my bike for the winter. My rationale was to protect the bike as much as possible from winter sludge.

My experience thus far has been surprising. While the fenders do an amazing job of protecting me from dirt and water, they don't protect the bike as much as I had imagined. It seems like the same amount of crap accumulates on the bike as before, just in different spots.

One of the spots where crap accumulates in greater concentration seems to be the brakes. So in my experience, adding fenders won't help keep your brakes clean.

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Permalink Reply by igz on January 27, 2010 at 8:47pm

ishnok, i appreciate what you are saying, but its not realistic for me to take everything apart and clean it daily. it is my daily winter rider and would have to clean it twice a day. if there is shit on the ground, its shit on my bike/brakes. took less than a week for my new avids to get destroyed. i cleaned them, but i didnt take them apart. i simply dont have the time, nor the proper facilities.

well...thank everyone for all the insights. but i think there was only one thing left to do. get a custom wheel. found a wheel builder who happened to have just what i needed. IRO double hub with the same CB18 rims. $95 aint too bad, and it solves the main problem.

its that or move to shiny happy southern california

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on January 27, 2010 at 9:02pm

In the middle of winter a clean bike is not a commuter's bike...

I only clean my bike between snow events because there is no point to it if I am only going to take it out again the next day. I rely on good chain lube and either cartridge bearing parts or regular service and quality grease.

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Permalink Reply by Primitive Don on January 27, 2010 at 10:36pm

Cool Iggi, let us know how it turns out.

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Permalink Reply by igz on January 28, 2010 at 8:56am

so far so good. the only thing now is to remember that i cant coast anymore. that was almost a nasty spill this morning thanks to my forgetfulness.

but otherwise...by going fixed, the problem is fixed.

thanks again for everyone's input

Primitive Don said:

Cool Iggi, let us know how it turns out.

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Permalink Reply by ishnock aka the blue baron on January 28, 2010 at 9:43am

Like I said, I am very anal and deliberate when it comes to my bikes.....

I clean my bikes ever other week, and I use gojo hand cleansing creme( one of the best fucking degreasers in the world). I care too much about my frame and components, as well as my drivetrain.

In all actuality, you are suppose to clean a bike- if you are riding it - more in the winter than any other season, because of the harsh elements that a bike goes through. ....Salt, snow and ice ( its water when it melts), mud, etc.....Those elements can cause extensive surface damage to the frame, that could very well lead to internal frame damage.

If you let all that stuff sit and cake up over weeks and months, it will harden and cause parts to seize
and rust, thus making the cleaning process even harder than what it needs to be.

Im at the road bike end of the bike spectrum, and it is very imperative to maintain a clean road bike at all times it order for it to drive the way a road bike is suppose to drive..... no matter the season.

cheers, and I am glad you were able to obtain a solution for your quandary.



iggi said:

ishnok, i appreciate what you are saying, but its not realistic for me to take everything apart and clean it daily. it is my daily winter rider and would have to clean it twice a day. if there is shit on the ground, its shit on my bike/brakes. took less than a week for my new avids to get destroyed. i cleaned them, but i didnt take them apart. i simply dont have the time, nor the proper facilities.

well...thank everyone for all the insights. but i think there was only one thing left to do. get a custom wheel. found a wheel builder who happened to have just what i needed. IRO double hub with the same CB18 rims. $95 aint too bad, and it solves the main problem.

its that or move to shiny happy southern california

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Permalink Reply by ishnock aka the blue baron on January 28, 2010 at 9:58am

I dont agree with this....If you commute, you commute...regardless if your bike is dirty or clean.

Is a clean automobile not a everyday car?

Cyclists need to have an automobile mentality when it comes to taking care of their bikes...People with cars wash their cars, on avg, every 2-3 weeks...people with bikes should do the same...

People with cars get an oil change ever 3 months, or every 3,000 miles ....people with bikes should lube their chain by using that same time schedule or something similar.







notoriousDUG said:

In the middle of winter a clean bike is not a commuter's bike...

I only clean my bike between snow events because there is no point to it if I am only going to take it out again the next day. I rely on good chain lube and either cartridge bearing parts or regular service and quality grease.

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Permalink Reply by igz on January 28, 2010 at 10:22am

i see your approach, ishnock...

however, people sit in the car while it gets cleaned, and takes less than 10 minutes. and its done in a proper facility. the cleaning is mainly cosmetic...on the exterior.

with a bike, you gotta get down and dirty, take components apart, clean individually, thoroughly, and hope you know how to put em back together. drivers do not need to take apart their brakes after every wet drive, they dont have to change the oil everytime fresh salt was laid.

and every 2-3 weeks on a bike cleaning is too long to wait. my new brakes lasted no more than a week.

a chain lubing is easy, i got that down to every 2 days. but taking everything apart to flush it and lube it near daily...not realistic (though i agree, necessary)

ishnock aka the blue baron said:

I dont agree with this....If you commute, you commute...regardless if your bike is dirty or clean.

Is a clean automobile not a everyday car?

Cyclists need to have an automobile mentality when it comes to taking care of their bikes...People with cars wash their cars, on avg, every 2-3 weeks...people with bikes should do the same...

People with cars get an oil change ever 3 months, or every 3,000 miles ....people with bikes should lube their chain by using that same time schedule or something similar.







notoriousDUG said:

In the middle of winter a clean bike is not a commuter's bike...

I only clean my bike between snow events because there is no point to it if I am only going to take it out again the next day. I rely on good chain lube and either cartridge bearing parts or regular service and quality grease.

• ▶ Reply

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