Fixed Jamis

[europa]

if you decide to go the half link route let me know. I tried a half link BMX chain once. It was terrible. I now have a lot of spare half links. If you want a handful shout out.

Thanks for that. I suspected it was a 'cheap fix' - workable but not elegant in an engineering sense.

I've had a chat with the local distributors of the ENO hub - it'll cost me $200

Interestingly, the ENO is not necessarily a bad move despite the cost.

If you were to build a bike for fixed, from new, you'd use track cranks and bottom bracket, and track cranks are damned pricey items. Using road cranks on a road bottom bracket results in the inside chainring lining up with the track cog ... and that's not always the best looking arrangement. If you were to put road cranks on a track cog, you can find the inner mounts on the crank fouling the frame.

However, the ENO hub has a wider chainline that lines up with the outside chainring on a road crank and road bottom bracket. This means that if you build a bike to use the ENO hub, if you decide to go from fixed to geared, you do NOT have to change cranks and bottom bracket. Bottom brackets are cheap, but cranks aren't, especially track cranks.

This means that in this case, I can build a bike to use the ENO crank, still for quite a bit less than building the same bike for a 105 groupset (I'd prefer to go to Ultegra but 105 is a good level) - this has been priced using Chainreaction's prices, the ENO conversion only lacked the ENO hub that ChainReaction don't sell, but I used the locally available price.

The only difference between the bike built for the ENO (fixed) and for 105 (geared), is the rear hub (which can be sold to recoup loss) and the lack of gears and shifters (also expensive).

Building that same bike for track hubs, would require changing the bottom bracket and cranks as well.

So, if I build the bike fixed with the ENO hub, and keep using it that way for a few years, there's no loss and I've got the most efficient way of doing it with vertical drops.

If, in twelve months time, I decide I need this bike with gears, the extras are limited to rear hub and gear stuff with, I would think, a half reasonable chance of selling the ENO hub on ebay (that's the risk, not being able to sell it).

And, of course, that's assuming I buy new. Ebay may offer savings, though not necessarily great compared to Chainreaction and PBK. Once I've got wheels, I could get her built with bits and bobs (second hand or what's lying in the shed) plus bits that will be needed anyway such as headset and stem, front wheel, pedals. I can possibly get this bike on the road for a modest sum (compared to doing it all new).

Still flamin' expensive though

I think the ENO fixed conversion is feasible and not overly full of dangers, despite the horrendous cost of the hub.

The big question is - do I want a geared df bike or a fixed gear bike as a companion ride to the bent (due before Christmas).

Richard

[Kid_Carbine]

Only the Jamis may not become a 'really nice' fixie because of those damned dropouts ... which I think is the point Kid Carbine was trying to make.

Richard

You got it in one.

I don't have a problem with fixed wheel bikes per se', it's the design intention of this particular type of dropout where the problem lies

This frame has the only dropout design that completely precludes the possibility of any axle movement for adjustment purposes whatsoever.
At least with road dropouts you could use the half link idea & take up that last little bit of slack with only a small measure of adjustment, but you are denied even that with vertical dropouts.

The eccentric bottom bracket idea was invented for tandems & as you have found, uses a larger BB shell. Too bad as that could have solved the problem if it could be made to work.

If you can get a rear hub with an eccentric [or other] adjustment feature then that would be your only real option in my view & you should go for it



Oh yeah, you can call me Chris if you like.

[europa]

The other thing I'm considering Chris, is that I need a rather relaxed bike. Quite a lot of seat post angle. Quite a bit of set back on the seat post. Bars at saddle height or higher. The Jamis may give me that (probably not enough but I can't afford a custom), but a track bike definitely will not ... unless I find someone who's built touring frames for the track

The ENO hub is the way to go for vertical dropouts. Sadly, it's both expensive and can result in having to re-adjust the brake pads under some circumstances. The alternatives are merely work arounds (and I know of a few now). To be honest, I think the ENO hub nullifies your objections to vertical dropouts (once you accept the cost) with the only better alternative being track ends (which I'm unlikely to see on a bike with the relaxed geometry I need).

To be honest, cost aside, the vertical dropout and ENO hub isn't much more compromised than using an old frame and track hubs.

An old eighties road frame might have the relaxed geometry I need, but to get the quality of the Jamis, I'd have to spend more on paint and preparation than the difference between the ENO and a standard track hub (can you get a paint job for about $120? That's the difference) ... and it'd still be an old frame.

I already own this Jamis and it's NEW (ie, unbuilt). I must confess that this is a big factor in my thinking, but some hard thinking does suggest that I'd struggle to find a track bike or old roadie with the geometry I need.

The question is, do I want to ride fixed or geared? Considering there will be a geared bent alongside this bike, and the ENO conversion allows a relatively easy conversion to a fully geared bike, I now feel my only decision is fixed or geared.

Richard

I keep referring to geometry - I need the seat set well back from the pedals and the bars rather high, otherwise I get a lot of weight on my hands and numbness problems. The bent will address this ... but as you can see, I'm still struggling to make df bikes work.

[vee_dub]

ENO hub

EUROPAAA here u go..

[europa]

Why on earth would you pay that much for it? You can buy it from the distributor for under $200 (oh okay, it's $199) and have it shipped for $5.

Richard

[europa]

Oh okay, it's got a wheel tied to it, but it's still used and so is the wheel.

Richard

[vee_dub]

Oh okay, it's got a wheel tied to it, but it's still used and so is the wheel.

Richard

DA cog, rim...spokesss and time to lace it.
I just laced my front wheel last night..finally!! and Now repacking them with PW grease.