gears on a fixed?

Unknown · June 2007

would this work? get a fixed hub and put a 5 speed cassette on it, yes it'd cause problems if you back pedaled when it hadnt finished changing gears

but would it work?

urbanfatboy · June 2007

how would you maintain tension?

16mm · June 2007

Could use a bit of spooky background music, dry ice and lights.

M

Blonde · June 2007

Isn't one of the points of riding fixed that you can do away with the need for derailleurs and gear cables? Usually a rear mech would take up the slack chain but I don't know if that would be reliable enough with a fixed hub.

Anonymous · June 2007

If you want to try this, and have a screw on freewheel, you could weld the freewheel to the sprocket (disabling freewheel). I also got rid of the derailleur. See mines...
http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j61/p ... /Hackster/

AndyGates · June 2007

Get a fixed hub - OK.

Screw a 5-speed cassette on it - now it won't fit in the dropout and you've got an inch of cogs sticking out over the axle.

Won't work, sorry.

Get a 5-speed hub and run it as a singlespeed? Sure, that works, it's the "ghetto conversion" - just keep the chain tension high so the chain doesn't change down.

No longer looking for a pennyfarthing as I've got some powerbocks instead. Casualty here I come!
It is by will alone I set my ride in motion.

Arellcat · June 2007

Or you can sit tight and pray that SunRace/Sturmey Archer do bring out their updated ASC hub!

--
Windcheetah 202
2001 Speedmachine

Tako · June 2007

l read somewhere (Sheldon Brown??) that this is true. Anyone confirm?

Unknown · June 2007

"but would it work?"

No. Else it'd have been done. And AFAIK it NEVER has!

d.j.
"Like a true nature's child,
We were born,
Born to drink mild"

urbanfatboy · June 2007

you might get away with it if you could match chain rings and sprockets, so that your chain length stays constant but gear ratios change

Adrian Clanceycp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by urbanfatboy

you might get away with it if you could match chain rings and sprockets, so that your chain length stays constant but gear ratios change
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You can do this for a freewheel bike to get a two speed bike, but it has to have the chain slack enough to be able to derail it from one sprocket and chainring pair to the other. This would leave way too much slack to work with a fixed wheel. To have sufficient chain tension you would have to take the wheel out to change gear, which would rather kill the pleasure.

If Michael Vaughan were a racehorse he'd be cat food and glue by now

rb211 · June 2007

A few years back whilst doing a lap of the Isle of Wight I snapped the derailleur hanger off my bike. Being resoureful I chucked the mangled derailleur over someone's hedge and started on constructing an improvised single speed using the sprocket with the best chain line. The best chain line was obviously mid way between two sprockets. Getting the best chain tension for the smaller of the two nearest sprockets resulted in a chain 'sag' more appropriate to a suspension bridge. Adding another chain link to use the larger sprocket resulted in an even bigger chain sag. So reverted to plan A and set off. With low pedalling force the chain stayed on the smaller sprocket but a bit of extra chain tension caused the chain to shift to the larger sprocket. Automatic (if back to front) gearchanging you may think but the chain became so tight it was like trying to ride a 120" gear up a 1 in 5 and eventually pulled the wheel off to one side - requiring many 'resettings in the following 20 miles.
The aforesaid, I think the moral of the story is - if you want a fixed wheel bike - buy a fixed wheel bike - or better still two.

Martin rower7 · June 2007

LMAO @ 16mm!

........................

You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me.

Unknown · June 2007

the bike i've got is a single ring up front so it would just be a five speed block on the back, the deraliour would proberbly have to have a tighter spring to keep the tension.

i'm tempted to try it and see what happens...

if i do, i'll let you know

hubgearfreak · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Arellcat

Or you can sit tight and pray that SunRace/Sturmey Archer do bring out their updated ASC hub!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Tako

l read somewhere (Sheldon Brown??) that this is true. Anyone confirm?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

first i've heard of it...you can email the company and let them know what a good idea you think it is.

what sheldon has to say, and there email address

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/asc.html

knucklehead · June 2007

You could run the fixed with a tensioner to take up slack while moving forwards but once you try and backpedal you will be pushing the tensioner the wrong way and it will probably bend into your wheel/chainline or snap off alltogether. If you want a geared bike with the ability to back pedal hunt on ebay for one of the sturmy machines mentioned above. Otherwise a surly dingle can run two gears but you'll need to adjust the wheel in the dropout to get the correct tension when you change gears.

16mm · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Random Vince
the deraliour would proberbly have to have a tighter spring to keep the tension.

i'm tempted to try it and see what happens...

if i do, i'll let you know
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It won't work. You can backpedal on a fixed with similar force to what you forward pedal with, without really trying.
You'll trash the rear mech, perhaps the dropout aswell. They're just not designed for it. The chain will take the shortest path between the bottom of the rear sprocket and the bottom of the chainring, and straighten out everything inbetween.
Sorry, it won't work.

Mike

Unknown · June 2007

hmm, trashing the droput isnt an option

trashing chain, gears and mech i can cope with tho

Uncle Phil · June 2007

I vaguely seem to recall a Sheldon Brown page in which he describes modifying a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub so that it has two gears but no freewheel... or something like that... or did I dream it?

If it's possible, it'd give you what you want: gears, but no freewheel and no need for a chain tensioner.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better. It's not"
- Dr Seuss

Give Baby Elephants Room!

njc97 · June 2007

Phil, ta daaa:
http://sheldonbrown.com/awfixed.html
2 speed fixie!

Archcp · June 2007

If two gears is enough, can't you just fit a Schlumf Mountain Drive at the bottom bracket end?

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Origamist · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Arch

If two gears is enough, can't you just fit a Schlumf Mountain Drive at the bottom bracket end?

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Unfortunately, not. They are not designed to cope with the forces of fixed back-pedaling.

Folders

Unknown · June 2007

Just buy a Sturmey Archer 2 or 3 speed fixed hub. It'll cost quite a bit but probably less than the hospital and dental bills that your preferred "method" is likely to cause - and a LOT less pain!

d.j.
"Like a true nature's child,
We were born,
Born to drink mild"

Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Origamist

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Arch

If two gears is enough, can't you just fit a Schlumf Mountain Drive at the bottom bracket end?

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Unfortunately, not. They are not designed to cope with the forces of fixed back-pedaling.

Folders
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ah. There, what I did there then, you see, was display my ignorance about both Mountain Drives and Fixies..

After my vocab gaffe in Soapbox, I think I'll just slink off home...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

cougie · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by 16mm

Could use a bit of spooky background music, dry ice and lights.

M
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

LOL !!! [:D][:D]

Green Teeth · June 2007

Just as a matter of interest, I'm staying with my In-Laws at the moment. I've just got back from a spin on my Father-in law's fixed, which he bought second hand in 1957. It's a Twiddle (Liverpool built) and has two speeds, the 'main' gear of c.72" and then by operating a lever you can shift a hub gear that gives a 25% reduction.

This might be the way to go for you....

GT

gears on a fixed?

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