# SS with QR wheel ?



## gbb (15 Oct 2010)

Just mucking about with an old Raleigh (Athena i think) converted to SS, its got 26x1.3/8 wheels. 
Rear hub looks like maybe the weld has cracked where the axle tube is joined to the bearing housing. Anyway, that made me think....can i fit 700C wheels ?. Yes i can, and as luck would have it i've got a pair of 700s, 5 speed freewheel (probably quite good quality in their day). But they're QR wheels.
Am i wasting my time with QR's, will i get enough tension ?

Any thoughts appreciated.


----------



## Theseus (15 Oct 2010)

Probably not, may be possible if you have any chain tugs.


----------



## colinr (15 Oct 2010)

I know someone that did QR without tugs. Wouldn't fancy it myself though.


----------



## PpPete (15 Oct 2010)

done it on my fixed. lot less problems than I had with nutted hub


----------



## ColinJ (15 Oct 2010)

Since QRs hold the rear wheel against the tension of the chain on a geared bike, why wouldn't they do the same on a SS bike?

I use QRs on the rear wheel of my SS and have had no problems.


----------



## Theseus (15 Oct 2010)

ColinJ said:


> Since QRs hold the rear wheel against the tension of the chain on a geared bike, why wouldn't they do the same on a SS bike?
> 
> I use QRs on the rear wheel of my SS and have had no problems.




Because on a geared bike you generally have vertical droputs, whereas in a SS/Fixed they would be horizontal dropouts or track ends.


----------



## Hover Fly (15 Oct 2010)

but until not very long ago most frames had horizontal d/os.


----------



## frank9755 (16 Oct 2010)

I wondered about this when I was looking to build up a fixed earlier this year. I did some research.

As ever, Sheldon had the answer. He says (to paraphrase) that: 
- QRs would be fine
- Nutted hubs are a essentially a throwback to the days when you either had wingnuts or normal nuts. Wingnuts were banned on track bikes, to prevent injury in a spill; the rules said you had to have normal nutted.
- When QRs were invented and became widespread, the track rules were not updated and people backfilled by assuming they were intended to rule out QRs when actually it was wingnuts. 

If I was building up a fixed bike I would use QRs rather than nuts.


----------



## ColinJ (16 Oct 2010)

Touche said:


> Because on a geared bike you generally have vertical droputs, whereas in a SS/Fixed they would be horizontal dropouts or track ends.


Not true, unless I just happen to have owned a collection of very unusual geared bikes! Every geared bike I've owned (most using QRs) had dropouts which were more horizontal than vertical.

For example - here's a picture of the dropouts on a geared Basso converted to my SS. I've never managed to pull the wheel out on that even with 15 stone of me standing on the pedals on 10% hills!


----------



## swee'pea99 (13 Nov 2010)

You say 'they're QR wheels', but all that really means surely is that they currently have QR axles, which are very easily replaced with solid if you choose. Not that I'm taking issue with those who sy above that QR would be fine - I don't know either way, but would guess they're right - just saying there's really no such thing as 'a QR wheel'. (One reason I went for solid was security - there's a lot of scrotes around, but most are too idle to carry spanners.)


----------



## McrJ64 (24 Feb 2011)

This topic has been quiet for some time but I've only just come across it. It interests me a lot because I find it really awkward to get the chain tension and wheel allignment correct on a standard fixed wheel. I would much prefer to use a qr with chain tensioner (for security and for small adjustments) but understand that they are not available. You can convert a standard fixed but you have to change the axel to a hollow one. This means you have to change the cones. The cones have to be compatable with the hub. That's the difficult bit. Why doesn't a manufacturer come up with a solution for us? Does anyone have experience and a list of parts that will do it?


----------



## mickle (24 Feb 2011)

I always found it a challenge to get chain tension spot on with the few QR equipped SS/fixed bikes I've worked on. It's good to be able tweak one side then the other to kind of 'walk' the hub to acheive the correct tension.


----------



## yashicamat (24 Feb 2011)

My Rixon framed that I built my SS around actually has a little screw in each (near horizontal) dropout. These aren't chain tugs, but more like limit stops, so I just set them right for the chain tension, then push the wheel hard into them and do up the QR. I've had the wheel pop out ONCE, at about 30mph when I going hell for leather (and being a bit daft really), but the way the rear wheel is set up it's actually impossible for the rear wheel to escape unless the tyre is deflated (not a big issue as you don't often remove bike wheel with the tyre pumped up as it's usually punctures!). On reflection, I just think on that occasion it wasn't done up tight enough; I've subsequently ridden up 15% hills on my SS without the rear wheel budging, although I do make sure the QR is on tight (tighter than I have it on my other bikes).


----------



## McrJ64 (25 Feb 2011)

So the only SS with QR bikes around seem to be geared conversions. Has no-one converted a solid axle to QR? Does anyone have any good sites for parts so that if I was looking for a set of cones of a particular size for such a conversion, the website would list parts in that detail?


----------



## Goldfang (26 Feb 2011)

I use QR hubs on my single speed with horizontal dropouts and have not had any problems with chain tension/whell pulling over and I am on the large side! Mind you, they are Campag chorus hubs, perhaps quality makes a difference?
Regards, Goldfang.


----------



## McrJ64 (26 Feb 2011)

Goldfang said:


> I use QR hubs on my single speed with horizontal dropouts and have not had any problems with chain tension/whell pulling over and I am on the large side! Mind you, they are Campag chorus hubs, perhaps quality makes a difference?
> Regards, Goldfang.




Is yours originally a single speed bike or a conversion? I didn't know anyone made a rear wheel hub with QR in the right width for a single speed bike. Do they?


----------



## Goldfang (27 Feb 2011)

The frame started out as a 'ten' speed road bike of uncertain ancestry, possibly a Carlton or Raleigh. The rear hub (Campag chorus) has a freewheel convertor from Charlie the Bikemonger on a Campag cassette body.
Regards, Goldfang.


----------



## McrJ64 (28 Feb 2011)

Thanks for that Galdfang. It seems then that no-one takes a standard single speed wheel and converts it from solid axle to QR. Shame. If I manage to do it, I'll add something to the forum.


----------



## mattsccm (8 Mar 2011)

Its easy. Get 1 solid axle wheel. Take out axle and strip off cones etc . Get hollow axle of correct length ie not quite reaching the outside of the dropouts. Rebuild wheel. Of course you did note which spacers came from which side didn't you?
I am a non stop fiddler with things and regularly swap things. I tend to leave wheels rideable rather than in bits so 1 swap means 2 wheels dealt with. Its no differnt to swapping any axle. 

To be honest and definitely not rude, anyone who has ever greased their cones has in effect done this job. 

I run QR's on all my SS and fixed. Some people, used to modern road bikes are probably not aware that many if not most older bikes. say steel ones had forward facing near horizontal dropouts.

Use a decent QR helps


----------



## ColinJ (8 Mar 2011)

ColinJ said:


> I've never managed to pull the wheel out ... even with 15 stone of me standing on the pedals on 10% hills!


I was on a different bike, but I actually did just that on a forum ride on Sunday! It was a short climb at about 10% and I thought I could power my way up without resorting to the granny ring. I pulled the wheel out twice before I made sure to do the QR up _really_ tight.

I've never done it with Shimano or Campagnolo QRs. In this case it was the Mavic QRs which came with my Aksiums.


----------



## McrJ64 (17 Mar 2011)

mattsccm said:


> Its easy. Get 1 solid axle wheel. Take out axle and strip off cones etc . Get hollow axle of correct length ie not quite reaching the outside of the dropouts. Rebuild wheel. Of course you did note which spacers came from which side didn't you?
> I am a non stop fiddler with things and regularly swap things. I tend to leave wheels rideable rather than in bits so 1 swap means 2 wheels dealt with. Its no differnt to swapping any axle.
> 
> To be honest and definitely not rude, anyone who has ever greased their cones has in effect done this job.
> ...


Thanks for that. It sounds so straightforward. I read/heard somewhere that the existing cone threads would be a different thread to the replacement axle, which is why I thought it was going to be so tricky. You've encouraged me to give it a go. I think I have a QR hub lying around. If it's a back one, it'll be too long but do you think I can just cut the excess off the axle. Provided there's enough thread length, I can do the same with the qr too.


----------



## McrJ64 (4 Apr 2011)

A friend gave me an old back wheel (Shimano WHR500) and I got the axle out. It's the same thread as the solid axle (you said it would be). It was a bit long so I cut it down. The cones fitted but I couldn't get one onto the axle far enough as it ran out of thread. I'll keep on looking for an old axle suitable. If necessary I might have to buy one but perish the thought of spending any money! At least I now know that the theory does work, as it said you would. Some other websites I've visited said there would be all sorts of problems with threads incompatability.


----------

