Anyone ride fixed without a lockring?

[tyred]

I've been turning an old gas pipe special into a winter fixed gear and aiming to keep it as cheap as possible. The components of the bike are all perfectly useable and have only needed a re-grease and some new cables. I have an old 46 tooth chainset, I was happy to live with the chrome wheels so I thought the only parts I needed to buy were a tracksprocket, chain and brake cables/blocks. I have now discovered that the thread on hub doesn't have enough threads for both a track sprocket and the BB lockring which I had intended to fit.

Does anyone ride without a lockring or will the sprocket just unscrew. I will be running a relatively low gear but don't do skid stops or any heavy leg braking. I generally only leg brake in controlled situations like losing speed on the approach to a junction. I will have brakes back and front for anything else.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

youtube 'rotafix'....you won't need a lockring

 

[palinurus]

I did for a while, I only stopped because I'm using one of those sprocket carrier jobs at the moment so I need a lockring for that.

It didn't budge during normal leg braking, didn't budge during accidental heavy leg braking either. They get wound on pretty tight.

 

[YahudaMoon]

A lot of track bikes don't use em. I think the UCI banned the use of lock rings in 2005 ?

 

[Fab Foodie]

I found it was OK, but then my fixed is braked both f+r so I don't do any heavy leg braking or skid stops.

 

[rustychisel]

same, not a problem. Try flat-filing your BB lockring first to ensure it's got a perfectly flat face and you might get 2 or 3 threads to engage, but cogs get wound on pretty damn tight and once they're on you can use the wheel to slow down (leg braking) n stuff. Always have a front brake fitted. As mentioned, lots of trackies don't use lockrings, but of course they're not riding on the roads, they're using their legs to [almost] imperceptibly alter speeds, and they change cogs [ratios] often

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

[media]

]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qIVEpyelP0[/media]

 

[tyred]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll be testing it out at the weekend if my brake pads arrive in time.

 

[fossyant]

Ridden two years without a lockring.

My LBS who put the bike together said you don't need them. I do leg brake, but not very much as I have two brakes. The sprockets have never come undone.

 

[Zoiders]

You don't need one apart from maybe at first as you bed the sprocket in.

After a while you will find the lockring is no longer tight and can be unscrewed by hand because the sprocket has wound it's self on very tightly, then you can remove it.

Leaving lockrings on can be dangerous - should you ever unship the chain at speed it can fold up the rear triangle up like you got rear ended by a landrover.

 

[Smurfy]

I have a lockring. I installed the sprocket with plenty of grease on the threads, and also on the sprocket face that mates with the hub body. Then I took it to a steep hill not far from where I live and stomped on the pedals. At the top of the hill I locked my legs and felt the sprocket loosen. I climbed the hill again, got off at the top, walked it home and put the lockring on.

I checked the lockring after a long hilly ride and it was still tight, so it appears that the grease enabled my sprocket to tighten all the way immediately. Maybe other people didn't use as much grease as I did, but my sprocket wouldn't stay put without a lockring.

If the chainline is properly adjusted, the chain is correctly tensioned, and the sprocket, chain and chainring are in good condition the chain should not unship. I always have my chain adjusted to give about 10-12mm deflection under firm thumb pressure.

 

[MrGrumpy]

stopped using a lockring after having to chisel the old one off when changing my sprocket. LBS said dont bother with them, waste of time and I do lots of rear leg breaking.

 

[tyred]

I've done about 100 miles on it so far and no problems to report.

 

[fossyant]

Leaving lockrings on can be dangerous - should you ever unship the chain at speed it can fold up the rear triangle up like you got rear ended by a landrover.

Eh - since when ?

Fold up the rear triangle? Was it an elephant riding the bike ? - the rear wheel will lock up- might chew your paint work a bit, and dump you on the tarmac.

 

[YahudaMoon]

A lot of track bikes don't use em. I think the UCI banned the use of lock rings in 2005 ?

Quoting myself here ! It's OK not having a lock ring on track though on road you have to have a lock ring