Langster 2015 freewheel?

londoncommuter
londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
edited March 2016 in Road buying advice
I'm being tempted by a singlespeed and in particular a 2015 Langster Track. It's a fixie and I'd want to convert to freewheel. Does anyone know if that's possible?

The wheelset is listed as AXIS Classic Track Fixed Wheel.

Comments from Evans staff on their Q&A include:

"To turn this into a single speed bike with a free wheel you'd need to buy a new back wheel and a single speed sprocket"

But someone else has posted:

"Because the Langster Track comes with a track specific hub your not technically meant to install a freewheel on this type of hub but I have done just this with no issues."

Not that I don't trust the drivel that gets written on the Evans site but can any of you more enlightened folk help?

Thanks.

If I can then would something like this be suitable:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270933565644

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    You can remove the lockring, the track cog and fit a single speed freewheel. It will have fewer threads to screw on than ideal, but generally it is fine with no issues as the poster says. The hassle is you might need a tool just to remove the lockring, or take it to a shop to do it for you
    left the forum March 2023
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    You can remove the lockring, the track cog and fit a single speed freewheel. It will have fewer threads to screw on than ideal, but generally it is fine with no issues as the poster says. The hassle is you might need a tool just to remove the lockring, or take it to a shop to do it for you

    Great, thanks. Any excuse to buy a new tool.....

    Is there anything horrific about the Dicta freewheels I linked to? £6 just seems a bit cheap. I'd assumed the world of the hipster singlespeed rider was as expensive as that of the roadie.

    I love the idea of replacing the freewheel at the same time as the "cassette" as the freewheel always seems to be the bit that dies first on my cheap commuting wheels.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    londoncommuter wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    You can remove the lockring, the track cog and fit a single speed freewheel. It will have fewer threads to screw on than ideal, but generally it is fine with no issues as the poster says. The hassle is you might need a tool just to remove the lockring, or take it to a shop to do it for you

    Great, thanks. Any excuse to buy a new tool.....

    Is there anything horrific about the Dicta freewheels I linked to? £6 just seems a bit cheap. I'd assumed the world of the hipster singlespeed rider was as expensive as that of the roadie.

    I love the idea of replacing the freewheel at the same time as the "cassette" as the freewheel always seems to be the bit that dies first on my cheap commuting wheels.

    SS folks tend to buy good quality freewheels as they will last... refer to Brick Lane Bikes or Kinoko for decent products
    left the forum March 2023
  • mrdsgs
    mrdsgs Posts: 337
    white industries ENO freewheel, about £80 but simply the best.
    Colnago Addict!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    you are not the first I heard saying that...
    left the forum March 2023
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    I would hate to be classed as one of those 'SS' people who spend £80 on something that can be had for under a tenner.. and still last out a sh itty British winter daily riding.. come on a Langster is NOT and never will be a £10 k Venge its a £500 hack bike to get you to and from work and train hard in the winter.. and probably none of you SS nobbers fit mudguards either.
  • mrdsgs
    mrdsgs Posts: 337
    My 2010 Langster was bought sh for £250. Dicta freewheel and basic bb upgraded to a sugino bb and the no freewheel. Genuinely, 8000 miles later, no mudguards, all weathers, occasional hose down, 3 chains, 2 chainrings, eno and sugino still going strong, and virtually silent, no strip down, no bearing change, it has never been taken off the hub!
    Colnago Addict!
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    When I got my Tricross Single it had a dicta freewheel on it which lasted a month, since then I bought Shimano MX 30 freewheels and got 2 years out of them by relubing with heavy chain lube. I did bag a White Industries for £50 off Ebay and still have that on the bike when I sell it. One of the rear wheels I used was a double fixed but used a freewheel on the hub with no problems for 6 months.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    Apologies to resurrect this with more daft questions but would this Sturmey Archer freehub be any better?

    https://www.evanscycles.com/sturmey-arc ... l-EV222318

    What tools are needed to install it?

    In terms of removal is the Park tool pretty good and are there any cheaper alternatives? Will this one work to get the Sturmey Archer one off when it's time comes?

    https://www.evanscycles.com/park-fixed- ... h-EV159122

    Thanks a lot.
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    Ah, looks like you need one of these:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sturmey-Archer- ... B00BJ2A99U

    Starting to get pricey if I need a lockring removal tool I'll only every used once and one of these for fitting the new freewheel. Is there a better alternative?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Just take it to a shop and ask them to remove the cog... they should have the tools to remove a track cog... it's not a nice job if you've never done it
    left the forum March 2023
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    Run it fixed and stop being silly? ;)
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    Simon Masterson wrote:
    Run it fixed and stop being silly? ;)

    No, stop that. I am starting to think like that and don't need encouragement! After getting wiped out a few times recently by London traffic my thoughts were nice boring bike with 28c tyres, sensible mudguards and maybe disk brakes. Somehow that's morphed into a Langster with Cruds and maybe I should leave it fixed......
  • buckmulligan
    buckmulligan Posts: 1,031
    Are you talking about this model:

    https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV193916

    I have that exact bike and run it singlespeed with no problems. It comes with a fixed-fixed double sided hub, i.e. you can have two rear cogs on there at once. A fixed hub thread is designed for fixed-gear sprockets in that it has two different threaded portions, one for the cog and a smaller opposite-direction one for the lockring that's required with a fixed cog. As Ugo says, you can fit a singlespeed freewheel onto one of these no problem, it'll thread on to the part designed for the cog and just overlap the smaller diameter lockring portion; a singlespeed-specific hub thread only has this bigger thread so supports the freewheel a bit better, but in the real world it makes no difference (there's ample thread for a singlespeed freewheel on a fixed hub) and unless you're planning on changing the wheelset already then that's not even an option. The long-and-short of this is that the double-sided hub means that you can leave the fixed gear sprocket that comes with the bike on there and just fit a singlespeed freewheel to the other side, meaning you don't need to pay out for lockring tools and it leaves you the option to flip the wheel around and go back to fixed if you fancy it.

    As for singlespeed freewheels, I'd recommend going for something decent even if it is just a hack bike. I went for a Shimano MX30 freewheel and I'd agree with the less-than-stellar reviews, it was fine, it got the job done for a year or so, but it always dragged a fair bit from day one and only got worse with daily commuting in crap weather. Recently upgraded to a Halo Clickster and it's definitely worth the extra few pounds, just feels like a better quality unit but I guess time will tell in terms of durability. You don't need any special tools to install, just put some anti-seize compound on the hub threads, screw it on as tight as you can with your fingers and when you ride it for the first time, the force of pedaling will tighten it up. You might feel a tiny bit of slip when powering away from traffic lights etc as it tightens up, but after that first ride you'll be good to go. You'll need something like the Park Tools FR6C to get it off again at a later date.

    Good luck!
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    BuckMulligan wrote:
    Are you talking about this model:

    https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV193916

    I have that exact bike and run it singlespeed with no problems. It comes with a fixed-fixed double sided hub, i.e. you can have two rear cogs on there at once. A fixed hub thread is designed for fixed-gear sprockets in that it has two different threaded portions, one for the cog and a smaller opposite-direction one for the lockring that's required with a fixed cog. As Ugo says, you can fit a singlespeed freewheel onto one of these no problem, it'll thread on to the part designed for the cog and just overlap the smaller diameter lockring portion; a singlespeed-specific hub thread only has this bigger thread so supports the freewheel a bit better, but in the real world it makes no difference (there's ample thread for a singlespeed freewheel on a fixed hub) and unless you're planning on changing the wheelset already then that's not even an option. The long-and-short of this is that the double-sided hub means that you can leave the fixed gear sprocket that comes with the bike on there and just fit a singlespeed freewheel to the other side, meaning you don't need to pay out for lockring tools and it leaves you the option to flip the wheel around and go back to fixed if you fancy it.

    As for singlespeed freewheels, I'd recommend going for something decent even if it is just a hack bike. I went for a Shimano MX30 freewheel and I'd agree with the less-than-stellar reviews, it was fine, it got the job done for a year or so, but it always dragged a fair bit from day one and only got worse with daily commuting in crap weather. Recently upgraded to a Halo Clickster and it's definitely worth the extra few pounds, just feels like a better quality unit but I guess time will tell in terms of durability. You don't need any special tools to install, just put some anti-seize compound on the hub threads, screw it on as tight as you can with your fingers and when you ride it for the first time, the force of pedaling will tighten it up. You might feel a tiny bit of slip when powering away from traffic lights etc as it tightens up, but after that first ride you'll be good to go. You'll need something like the Park Tools FR6C to get it off again at a later date.

    Good luck!

    That's so helpful. Thank you so much for all of your comments. Great news I can leave one side fixed as I would at least like to give it a go.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Simon Masterson wrote:
    Run it fixed and stop being silly? ;)

    This is the correct answer.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • Stanley the 2nd
    Stanley the 2nd Posts: 27
    Like the other person said...... the current Langster comes with a flip flop rear hub. I brought one over Christmas, ran it fixed for a bit and then ended up fitting a freewheel. Just removed the rear wheel, span it around and wound on the freewheel sprocket, no tools needed, just a dab of grease on the threads.

    I put a Sturmey Archer freewheel on and whilst it does the job it doesn't sound or feel that great. Might be worth spending more. I'm well impressed with the Langster though, good bike for the money.

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