Fixed rear wheel. Nuts v skewers.

Seaswimmer

I have been looking through all the fixed wheel articles with a view to building a fixed wheel bike on an old 531 frame. However my question is...
do all rear fixed wheel hubs have nuts or is there a quick release version. The bike will be used for commuting so i would rather not have to carry a spanner in order to change a tube in the event of a puncture. Thanks in advance...

TinyExplosions

Seaswimmer wrote: »

I have been looking through all the fixed wheel articles with a view to building a fixed wheel bike on an old 531 frame. However my question is...
do all rear fixed wheel hubs have nuts or is there a quick release version. The bike will be used for commuting so i would rather not have to carry a spanner in order to change a tube in the event of a puncture. Thanks in advance...

You *can* use QR afaik, but I'd reccommend not for two reasons.. first is that it's easier to rob if you have it parked somewhere, and second it to do with the amount of torque going through a fixed rear wheel means you want it in there tight, and not able to shift (this is my opinion, and may not be true btw)

rp

Seaswimmer wrote: »

do all rear fixed wheel hubs have nuts or is there a quick release version. The bike will be used for commuting so i would rather not have to carry a spanner in order to change a tube in the event of a puncture. Thanks in advance...

I've always used nuts: I have heard it said that skewers can't hold the wheel firm enough to stop the axle getting pulled forward on the drive side. But see my posting today on the "images of beauty" thread: I think with those tug-nuts (which come with a special insert for use with skewers) the axle couldn't move.
Commuting, I always carry a Surly "Jethro Tule", which is also a handy bottle opener - perfect for those balmy evenings down at the canal...

Gavin

The Quick Release thing is a bit of a common misconception alright. A Steel, not aluminum, QR skewer, cranked on very tight will hold.

I use this on my singlespeed and have no problems.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html wrote:

Solid-Axle vs Quick Release

Conventional wisdom is that you need a solid (nutted or "bolt-on") axle hub for fixed-gear or singlespeed use, and that a quick-release will not hold the wheel solidly enough in a horizontal fork end. This is not true, however.

Since most newer bikes have vertical dropouts, people have gotten used to wimpy aluminum skewers, and often don't adjust them as tightly as they might.

If you use a good quality (Shimano is the best) skewer , tightened securely, it will hold just fine in any type of dropout or fork end .

A quick release is a considerable timesaver in switching a flip-flop wheel around, and having a QR means that you don't need to carry a big wrench to be able to replace a damaged inner tube.

thesunwashot

Quick release were not (and still may not be) allowed on bikes raced at tracks so track bolts are historically the choice over QR.

That said, QR are technically fine for using on a road fixie. QR being easier to steal is enough of a reason to go with bolts for me.

Gavin

I don't buy the theft reason. The recommended way to lock a bike is with the ulock through the rear triangle, thus locking the rear wheel. It's also advised to use a cable/chain lock to lock the front wheel.

To assume that a wheel, which costs at least 50euro, is safe because a thief doesn't have/know how to use a 15mm wrench is a bit risky.

This is why I prefer a QR on the front as well. I can take it off and lock it with the rear wheel, thus completely filling the ulock and not having to carry a spare cable/chain.

rp

Verb wrote: »

This is why I prefer a QR on the front as well. I can take it off and lock it with the rear wheel, thus completely filling the ulock and not having to carry a spare cable/chain.

That's a good tip for your wiki. Incase people don't know, most hugely expensive, Sold Secure Gold ULocks last about 18secs when attacked with a mini bottle jack: filling the space of the Ulock can make it hard/impossible to fit the jack in and break lock.

Gavin

In already ! Those bottlejacks are interesting alright. Im tempted to buy one off ebay, just to see how effective they are. They're only around 20 euro !

http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Locks_%26_Security" wrote:

If you have a detachable front wheel, take it off and lock it to the back wheel. Lock it with the ulock, passing it through the rear triange and onto something immovable. The less space available in the lock, less room for leverage on behalf of the thief. Taking the wheel with you doesn't increase your security.

dub_skav

Quick question on how tight the nuts need to be.

First time I put the rear wheel on it slipped a bit and slack came into the chain. I don't think I had tightened the nuts sufficiently.
Is it necessary to have the nuts as tight as is possible (I mean tighter than you would normally have on a freewheel hub) due to the extra force on the hub? Or is standard tightness enough and I'm doing something else wrong?

Gavin

As tight as needs be to stop it slipping I guess !

rp

Do your axle nuts have a captive, serrated washer?