Single Speed Spacer Kits

[cray-]

Came across these kits on an eBay auction for a wheelset that had one installed. Basically two or more spacers that go either side of a single cog on a shimano cassette style rear hub.

This page for the Surly Spacer Kit has a bit more info including a pdf for the instruction manual.

This Da Bomb Kit only has 2 fixed size spacers so wouldn't allow the adjustment of the surly kit to get a straight chainline.

And this kit from AmericanSingleSpeed has these weird high flanges next to the cog. I'm not quite sure how they help.

Some sites claim you need to use a chain tensioner with these kits, but I assume thats more for vertical dropouts where you have zero movement. With semi-vertical dropouts I don't see how it would be any different to the other hub types in getting the correct chain length with no slack.

As I don't actually have a wheelset at all at this point, my only reason for looking into these kit is if I end up finding a deal on a wheelset with this type of hub for a better price than one with a track/flip-flop hub. Prices seem to be quite high due to the current interest in them.

Has anyone used one of these kits before? Any reason NOT to even consider them? Would the method of securing them to the hub be secure enough to skid/foot brake?

[europa]

All I can offer is a purist's approach. If you want a fixed gear bike, build a fixed gear rear wheel. That's simple (especially if you pay a wheel builder) and it's bullet proof. These adaptors are just ways of getting around having the real thing, but a proper fixed gear hub and wheel is not only set up simply, which in mechanics is always the best, but it has the reverse thread locking ring.

Yes, I have gone the easy route and ridden a suicide hub. To be honest though, aI was never completely comfortable. Anything other than putting a proper track hub in your wheel is living with some form of compromise. Compromise is fine while it works. Getting your friendly local neighbourhood wheel builder to build a track hub is simple, inexpensive and gives you the most mechanically elegant solution to the problem. Do whatever you need to do to get your fixed gear bike working, UNTIL you can afford to build a real fixed gear wheel. After that, anything else is just stuffing about.

Richard
feeling the purity of fixed gear

[cray-]

Point taken. I've just been sitting here all day researching and there are so many interesting products out there. I guess part of me appreciates the way some of these products solve a particular problem. ie. if you already have this type of hub/wheelset then it's an easy/cheap fix. I don't....so meh.

If nothing else, this thread now has a few links for others who might find them useful as I didn't get any hits on my search before I posted.

Cheers again for your input europa.

[europa]

My first fixie was a standard hub with a track cog fitted. My son's track bike was a standard hub that I redished myself. I now have 'the real thing', but it was inexpensive. I think that if you are going to spend money, the best move is to fit a proper hub and be done with it, but then again, I'm remembering how it felt having to think about how much back pressure I was applying and hoping I didn't spin the cog free. It happened once ... and there was nothing I could do about it. It didn't happen after that because I was a lot more careful about pulling that cog tight. Do whatever you need to do, but if you're serious about fixed gear, you'll wind up with the right hub ... so why not do it from the start.

Richard

[alchemist]

No reason at all not to used them, although the same thing can be done by pinching the spacers out of worn cassetts or 1 1/4"(?) PVC pipe. They do look neater.

It sounds like you are looking for a fixie though and these will only be OK for a SS. Unless you are going to get one of these http://www.surlybikes.com/parts/fixxer_pop.html or do something silly to a freehub

[cray-]

Because even with the spacers that type of cassette hub still freewheels? Oh....didn't think about that. I'm still learning all this stuff....haven't really wrenched a bike since I was in high school and even then it was some very basic mtb stuff. Cheers.

[tallywhacker]

the best place to start looking (if you havn't already foud it) is Sheldon Brown http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html
this is also quite informative http://www.63xc.com/howto/howto.htm

converting a free hub
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/article ... a/freehub/
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/wheels/