SS QR

andy jackson
andy jackson Posts: 34
edited January 2009 in Commuting chat
to all you single speeders, or anyone else with horizontal dropouts,

do any of you use skewers on your rear wheel?

do you find they hold well enough or are you nut and bolt people?

do you use any sort of tentioners, like BMX ers do?

and could you reccomend any skewers if you do use them

just to make my flip flop more flip flopable.

Ta muchly

Andy
.
Specialized Tricross SS FCN 4
GT Zaskar FCN 10

Comments

  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Not sure QR is a good idea, I trust nuts and bolts. No real need for a chain tensioner, i did have one but don't bother anymore.

    If you must use a QR get a good solid steel one and make sure it's tight!
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    I always used nut and bolt when I rode ss on my mtb. I did use chain tensioners, but they won't be much use on the road.

    if you want a good QR skewer I've always used Shimano Deore, they seem to be about the best arround. I used them when I first went ss, but changed to a nut and bolt pretty quickly as i was dirt jumping at the time and a cased landing almost always pulled the wheel out of line.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    +1 for nut and bolt.

    I have chain tugs on the bowery rather than a tensioner, they do help for fine-tuning.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    +1 for nut and bolt.

    I have chain tugs on the bowery rather than a tensioner, they do help for fine-tuning.

    Doh I meant chain tugs!
  • Ian.B
    Ian.B Posts: 732
    Excuse my ignorance, but why are the dropouts different on a SS?
    Ian
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Sheldon Brown:

    Horizontal dropouts have a longish slot for the rear axle to fit into, which runs more-or-less horizontally along the dropout. They permit the wheel to be placed in various positions front to rear. Horizontal dropouts are necessary for bicycles which don't have derailers, because the axle must be moveable to adjust the chain tension.

    R.I.P
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    I'm a nut and bolt person too

    As above with a little added security
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • Ian.B
    Ian.B Posts: 732
    Thank you. Logical when you think about it.
  • BoardinBob
    BoardinBob Posts: 697
    Why would a singlespeed have any impact on whether you use a QR or not? Is there an increased risk of the QR coming loose with a singlespeed setup?

    I only ask because I've just ordered a single speed conversion kit to replace the gears on my commuter which is a hardtail MTB
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    With the nuts - you can tighten each side of the wheel - helps you get tension on the chain.

    With a QR - both sides are tightened at once - and I think QRs arent as tight as bolts.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Bob, I think the crux of it is the fact that with a SS your chain tension is dictated entirely by the position of the axle - with gears you have clever springy mechanisms with help maintain tension.

    With SS, clearly you don't have the clever springy things, and therefore need to have the axle put in place pretty securely or you will lose tension followed by your chain!
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I use qr with chain tugs on my pompino.

    If you're converting a mtb then it probably wont have horizontal dropouts or track-fork-ends (horizontal but points backwards) so you'll need a sprung tensioner to maintain the tension unless you're lucky
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • BoardinBob
    BoardinBob Posts: 697
    Ah, I never clicked that you guys would be talking about horizontal drop outs.

    Yes, it's vertical drop outs on my bike and I've ordered the converter kit and a tensioner :D

    http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/acatalog/O ... t_201.html

    http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/acatalog/i ... &width=600
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Once you make the leap to single speed and choose the track nut route be sure to take a suitable spanner with you on rides, it's no fun being miles from home with a puncture and no way to take the wheel off.
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    QR with MKS tugs from hubjub, expensive chaintugs but simple and small. Took a washer from the rear axle so I can get both tugs on the axle inside the frame.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • Jon8a
    Jon8a Posts: 235
    QR*, track ends, no chaintugs, no issues with slippage.

    *Deore standard skewers done up tight.

    Old on-one inbred.
  • JGS
    JGS Posts: 180
    itboffin wrote:
    Once you make the leap to single speed and choose the track nut route be sure to take a suitable spanner with you on rides, it's no fun being miles from home with a puncture and no way to take the wheel off.

    However you could just use a puncture repair kit / self-adhesive patches instead of change the tube. I do this all the time on my singlespeed MTB and even repair some quite large snakebite punctures that were caused by things that would destroy a road wheel.

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