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Stanglor

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:46 am

Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 555 Location: Wallingford

I have a steel Lemond from sometime in the 90's that I have been thinking about turning into a fixie for sometime now. Problem being it has vertical dropouts. I know that White Industries makes an eccentric hub exactly for this application and was wondering if anyone had experience/opinions with this.

Another option of course is cutting off the drops and welding on something that will work. The limited welding experience that I have is enough to know that I should only be let near scrap, and certainly not near anything that will be sat upon by anyone at any time. Any recommendations on experienced guys who do this and roughly what it costs all in?

dennyt

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:53 am

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

David Wilson (Industries, DWI) is in Georgetown. I heard he replaced Langston's dropout for <$100. So you could probably have him throw some track ends on there for less than the price of an ENO hub.

Plus he's a cool guy, he rode in CM last week, and it's good to support your local bike people. I think he used to be a frame builder for Rodriguez before he went out on his own.

langston

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:23 am

Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 5547 Location: Columbia City

dennyt wrote:

confirmed and recommended. http://www.davidwilsonindustries.com/

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joeball

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:36 am

Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 6037 Location: Ether

David Wilson Quoted me at ~100$ for replacing some vertical dropouts with track ends also. For me it just wasn't worth the cost since i was just building a crappy SS mtn bike, i just used and olf der to tension the chain.

I'd probably be more inclined towards the eno, since it doesn't permanently alter the frame, you don't have to repaint, and even after you pay for the frame work you still have to build a fixed gear wheel. the dreaded ben is running an eno hub on his SS roadbike. Aaron has some eno's in his shop but I don't know what spacing and number of holes he has.

Stanglor

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:39 am

Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 555 Location: Wallingford

Just what I was looking for, thanks guys. I've got an email out to him asking for a quote, after that I'll see when I can get to Georgetown while he's open.

the dreaded ben

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 1:37 pm

Grumpy Greeb Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 5329 Location: flavor country

sometime the eno and i hold hands and frolic in fields of flowers.

jillita

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:23 pm

Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 744 Location: the westside

I got an ENO hub last year to convert my Fat Chance. It's by far one of the greatest inventions ever and well worth its price. Totally bomber and easy to use. I got mine through Recycled and think it was $130. Its taken me through a summer of riding dirt roads and a whole season of CX and I'm sure many more years of singlespeed fun.

Oh and I know that Mr. Fisch has one too. So don't be a pansy, be like all the cool kids!

Last edited by jillita on Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:55 pm; edited 1 time in total

lantius

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:28 pm

1337 Joined: 22 Jul 2005 Posts: 6705 Location: right over

i would also probably go for the eno hub. but that may be because frames for me are somewhat... expendable.

the dreaded ben

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:09 pm

Grumpy Greeb Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 5329 Location: flavor country

or you could roll dangerously cheap and buy a shitty singlator from recycled and have denny weld your hub. shit would be less than twenty bones.

dennyt

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:14 pm

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

You can't go fixed with a singleator... what are you thinking, man?! I'm revoking your BS credentials.

lantius

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:19 pm

1337 Joined: 22 Jul 2005 Posts: 6705 Location: right over

dennyt wrote:

You can't go fixed with a singleator... what are you thinking, man?! I'm revoking your BS credentials.

you could however go fixed with a singleator if you set the chain tension and bracketed/welded it into position.

in fact, i was just thinking, you could also do this by having a fixie with a floating chainring in the middle. you could throw a 52t ring into the middle of your drivetrain to take out the slack. that would look kind of hot, i wonder how well it would work though... and it'd have to not run into the chainstay somehow.

dennyt

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:22 pm

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

That sounds like a good way to bend a der. hanger / singlator. They weren't meant for that kind of force.

If you could just get a ghostring around your chainstay... it would be PERFECT!

henry

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:28 pm

somewhat piggish Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 5415 Location: on porch with shotgun

lantius wrote:

. that would look kind of hot

... if by hot you mean COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS

Last edited by henry on Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
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dennyt

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:33 pm

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

lantius

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 4:56 pm

1337 Joined: 22 Jul 2005 Posts: 6705 Location: right over

dennyt wrote:

That sounds like a good way to bend a der. hanger / singlator. They weren't meant for that kind of force.

If you could just get a ghostring around your chainstay... it would be PERFECT!

you weren't meant for that kind of force!

anyhow, for getting a chainring that goes around the chainstay, i'm pretty sure you would have to cut it and then reconnect the two pieces. easy peasy, right?

actually, i just noticed that the ghost chainring trick is mentioned in the mtbr singlespeed faq, complete with picture:

i mean, i guess i trust that it won't fall out when i am jumping over rocks, but it still seems crazy.

Aaron

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 6:34 pm

Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 4645

The floating chainring is an Un-good idea! It can fall out and on a single it makes the cog engage less chain. Bad, Bad, Bad. Your chain will wear faster and sidding would be sketchy. However, on Tandems between the front and rear crank it was used sucessfully in the past, but they tend to fall out if the terrain gets bumpy. They do look Sick though!

the dreaded ben

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:08 am

Grumpy Greeb Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 5329 Location: flavor country

dennyt wrote:

You can't go fixed with a singleator... what are you thinking, man?! I'm revoking your BS credentials.

i've seen really cheap people do it, and let's not forget, i did put dangerously in italics.
but then again i know a kid that runs a fixed schwinn with vertical dropouts and no chain tensioner because he says certain cr & cog sizes work perfectly.

maybe that's my ghetto minneapolis style.

SeditiousCanary

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:33 am

sorry, can't make it! Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 2315 Location: Fremont Troll

the dreaded ben wrote:

because he says certain cr & cog sizes work perfectly.

BMX kids know all about this. They run gears to put the rear wheel at a specific distance from the BB with total disregard for the gear they end up with. I have a chat for it if anyone cares...

::crickets::

Stanglor

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:55 pm

Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 555 Location: Wallingford

Going with the ENO. Wilson quoted me at $145 so I just decided to go with the hub.

Aaron

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 1:31 pm

Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 4645

Gatorade wrote:

I have a chat for it if anyone cares...

I care.... post it!

SeditiousCanary

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:09 pm

sorry, can't make it! Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 2315 Location: Fremont Troll

OK, basic math...
Add the number of teeth on your chainring and on the rear cog. Take the total, and look it up.

40 = 0"+/- 1/2"
41 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
42 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
43 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
44 = 0"+/- 1/2"
45 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
46 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
47 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
48 = 0"+/- 1/2"
49 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
50 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
51 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
52 = 0"+/- 1/2"
53 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
54 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
55 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
56 = 0"+/- 1/2"
57 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
58 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
59 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
60 = 0"+/- 1/2"
61 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
62 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
63 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
64 = 0"+/- 1/2"
65 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
66 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
67 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"
68 = 0"+/- 1/2"
69 = 1/8" +/- 1/2"
70 = 1/4" +/- 1/2"
71 = 3/8" +/- 1/2"

As you can see, it repeats. Here's the notion, For each tooth you add, you "remove" a 1/4 of a link of chain (assuming you don't change the chain length and could actually remove 1/4 of a link). So if you add 4 teeth, you need to add a link to your chain. Pin to pin is 1/2", averaged out on both top and bottom is 1/8" and there you go.

So, if you know your dropout to BB is 14.5" center to center (BMX in this case), you can run a gear combination where the total number of teeth equals 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, etc. The difference in length due to the chainring being larger than the cog is not worth calculating. Besides, chains wear.

terrydean

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:55 pm

rocker boi Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 1535 Location: santa fe, i think

In my BMX days, I just slammed my wheel as far into the dropouts as it would go and try to make the chain fit with what I had (I had a few sprockets adn freewheels to choose from), and if need be, I would grind the slots a bit deeper in the dropout.

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