Welding a freehub as a cheap fixie option

[paddlingpool]

Has anyone ever taken a freehub off a rear wheel, welded it so it is no longer free, then re-attached it to the original hub as a cheaper option to buying a proper fixed hub, etc...?

Was thinking about doing this and just wondered what other peoples thoughts on it was?

Cheers

 

[IDB1]

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=

Have a read through, this chap fixed his freehub iirc...

 

[beagle]

Proper fixed hubs have a reverse threaded lockring to stop the cog unthreading when you resist. It'll probably be fine if you're not planning on riding brakeless.

 

[Supratada]

As my Uncle always told me, don't resist, you'll only make it worse.

 

[JamesM]

I filled mine with solder using a blowtorch and it seems to have worked. I removed the free hub and managed to get the dust cap out of the wheel bearing end without really damaging it. I tried tapping it out from the back but in the end I managed to unscrewed it with some pliers. I then had to tap it back in to shape a bit with a small hammer and some sockets from my socket set. I then took the seal out of the back end exposing the bearings that the outer shell rolls around on.

I filled mine from the back end with the wheel bearing race/cup facing downwards until the solder came up level with the inner and outer parts and had encased the ball bearings. My first attempt at soldering it didn't work because the solder would build up and then run out of the the bottom throught the small gap between the wheel bearing cup and the outer shell. After a few goes I fed the solder in until I thought it was about to run out and then I stopped. I then tickled the solder with a file to make sure it was level and put it back all back toghether. When I rode the bike around the block it developed some play and with a quite alot of force on the pedals I could get it to rotate backwards.

Thats when I thought about welding it but was worried about the localised high heat distorting or cracking the cast parts. I also thought about brazing or silver solder but this involves heating the whole thing up to around 700 deg C . The wheel bearing cup/race is hardened and I was worried that afterwards it may have lost some of its hardness. I'm no expert in any of this so I may be completely wrong. Either way though I havent got the equipment or skills to weld or braze anyway so would likey have had to pay someone the price of a fixed gear hub to do the job for me.

In the end I decided to give soldering another go as on the first attempt I'm sure I hadn't actually completly encased the ratchet or outer freehub bearings in solder. I think it was just building up around the inner freehub bearings and then running down the inside and out the bottom. This time I slapped some silicone sealant around the wheel bearing race/cup to seal the gap between it and the outer shell. Silcone can handle the temps involved here without problems. I filled it with solder the same way as before but this time it took longer and I put alot more in. When it had cooled I picked out, the silicone and cleaned it all up. This time I could see solder filling the gap between the wheel bearing cup and the outer shell. I fitted it back on the hub. Put the axle and bearings back in and went for a ride and so far its holding just fine.

Unlike a proper fixed hub with a screw on cog, there will always be some play between your SS cog and your hub as its a splined fitment and not a very precise one at that. Its not much though and I didnt notice it when riding the bike.

 

[djoptix]

Wouldn't it be easier (not that I'm belittling JamesM's achievement) to get hold of an old wheelset with a screw-on cassette, then have it re-dished and use a proper fixed cog with a BB lockring? As long as you're riding with brakes it should be fine.

However, and although I loved my fixie, Sheldon says that fixed on a mountain bike is a bad idea and I tend to agree... sooner or later you're going to hurt yourself

 

[JamesM]

Would that give you a 135mm spacing???

The main reason I did mine this way was because it cost me nothing, I had all the parts.

I thought about just getting a cheap track hub, but the ones I saw had the wrong length axle so I'd have had to buy a 135mm axle and spacers etc. Then I'd also have to buy the right length spokes and a fixed cog and a lock ring. And what are the seals be like on track hubs?

Another reason was that a freehub, SS cog and spacers gives you easy chainline adjustment without re-dishing.

Now if an Eno Eccentric came up for the right money I'd quickly go back on all that stuff I just said

Also I won't be riding it off road and I do have a front brake.

 

[andrewl]

Would that give you a 135mm spacing???

Yes if its something like a Bullseye hub where you can move the washers from one side to the other to centre the hub on the axle.