Anyone ride fixed without a lockring?

[Zoiders]

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.

Deadly serious Fossy.

You can fold up the rear triangle with a lock ring fitted, it's been done. On fast descents you have got some serious torque running through that drive train and it will make short work of chain and seat stays.

 

[TheDoctor]

I've never heard of that, Zoiders. I'm almost tempted to say 'Photos or it didn't happen'.
I'd certainly like to see a source, as it sounds highly unlikely.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i put the lockring back on yesterday (removed it in expectation of putting a ss cog on, that never happened). it was while retensioning the chain after the chain slackened…

 

[wheres_my_beard]

I rode for the first time without a lock ring today.

It had come pretty loose, and I was changing my sprocket anyways. Having seen how damn tight the sprocket that I was removing was I thought it's replacement was hardly going to come whizzing off without a lockring (I had to give in doing it myself and had to get an annoyingly smug yet efficient chap at my LBS to do it - pah!).

So far so good, and I've been giving the leg braking a good old go, to see if it'll budge, and after about 5 miles of riding the sprocket seems pretty immovable to me. So I may dispense with the lockring entirely.

 

[screenman]

I thought there was a road traffic act law that said a locking ring is required.

 

[andrew_s]

I've never heard of that, Zoiders. I'm almost tempted to say 'Photos or it didn't happen'.
I'd certainly like to see a source, as it sounds highly unlikely.

.
The two cases I'm aware of were the chain coming off the outside of the chainring and getting caught up on the pedal axle. The wheel kept the crank moving long enough to bend the frame, at which point the sideways moving rear wheel collapsed.
Someone posted a link to an old (1950s or 60s) club journal article, and got a reply "that happened to me once". I'd guess it was on ACF, before it morphed into YACF.

 

[andrew_s]

I thought there was a road traffic act law that said a locking ring is required.

You need a locking if you are going to claim the fixed wheel as one of your two brakes - i.e. if you don't have a rear brake fitted.

 

[smutchin]

After being told by several experienced fixie riders that a lockring wasn't necessary, I didn't bother fitting one when I went fixed. Nearly two years and 10,000km (all on road) later, I've yet to experience any sprocket looseness. Exactly the opposite, in fact!

d.

 

[dan_bo]

I started using a lockring after shagging the threads on two hubs but spinning the cog off leg breaking and then pedalling away again. no problems since.


But i'm not having that zoiders. the chain'll snap before it had your bike.

 

[Zoiders]

No it won't.

1/8 chain is far stronger than you think and it will do a number on a frame with track ends, it can and has damaged the rear triangle of bikes fitted with lockrings.

 

[totallyfixed]

On my first proper ride on fixed I unshipped the chain [too slack, hit a bump] at about 18mph, wheel locked up, bike skidded, hit the deck and only damage was a bit of paint lost. Before any serious damage can be done the wheels will always lose traction beyond a certain resistance. As for the lock ring, depends on how you ride, if you use the brakes a lot it may be you don't need one. I leg break as much as possible and on my rural rides rarely have to use the brakes and have a lock ring fitted.

 

[Zoiders]

Repeat that experiment at 30+ mph on a bike with track ends and get back to us.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

No it won't.

1/8 chain is far stronger than you think and it will do a number on a frame with track ends, it can and has damaged the rear triangle of bikes fitted with lockrings.

don't use that then. i use 3/32" (7 speed, in essence) and it works fine, and i'm sure the powerlink in the chain will go before there's major damage to the frame…

 

[Zoiders]

don't use that then. i use 3/37" (7 speed, in essence) and it works fine, and i'm sure the powerlink in the chain will go before there's major damage to the frame…

3/32 are more than strong enough as well.

Are you seriously using a powerlink? an actual power link if that's what you are using isn't safe at all, you need a 3 piece link with the circlip.

 

[mattsccm]

If you want to use a normal freewheel hub with no lock ring facility just think about good mechanical practice and ignore it. A steel sprocket on an alloy hub will soon corrde solid and thus well on. Add some salt and it will stay forever!
To remove a well fitted sprocket if all alse fails turn the wheel round. Now turn the chainset round. Ride it. You are of course pulling the "wrong" way and time will undo it.
Try to predict it ctually moving.