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Thought this would be easy, rear Navigator has gone on my Dolan FXE, they've been good and I wanted to stick with the Novotech hubs - but Dolan have swapped their wheels to something else non Novotech and that budget end is probably full of crap in the wider market.
Maddison do a sealed bearing M-Part fixed for £94, anything else I should look at sub-£100?
Call Harry Rowland. A set of Open Pro rims, Sapim spokes and low flange Miche Primato hubs have been my staple wheels for a few years and I now have two sets, both shod with GP5000s (with inner tubes). They are superb and will be lighter than the Navigators. Harry rates Novotech hubs too and will build those if he has them in stock.
If the hub is still good, he'll lace that up too. Complete wheel set was about £250 if I recall.
Halo aerorage will be about £100, got one on my fixed commuter. Fairly tough, not too heavy.
Halo Aeroage = Novatec hub + Kinlin rim, as probably as good as you’ll get for the money.
Nice thing about the Novatec and Primato hub are cartridge bearings - cheap and easy to service
I've got a novatec hub and DT R460 rim on my commuter/winter hack/fixie/SSCX bike. DIY built and zero issues with any of it.
If you have a look on ebay you can usually find someone selling novatec hubs under another brand even cheaper as some hipster will have bought a container load convinced they would become the new BLB.
Thanks, a courier I know mentioned those Halo wheels earlier, I'll take a look.
Maybe just me but in my head Halo were one of those early 2000s brands along the lines of Azonic (realise Azonic go back further) but I just assumed it was straight out the 'any colour you want' manufacturer catalogues, but when my White industries sprocket died a lot of people recommended the Halo alternative and it's been great for the past year. The brand always seems to get good mentions
What died on the existing wheel and is it replaceable?
Well...it started making a crunching sound about 3 miles from work, then the wheel started to pivot and rub on the stays probably due to the bearings rearranging themselves, then it got really hard to pedal and kept making the horrible crunching and knocking noise all the way to the office - it's probably the most borked I've made a wheel and I've braked through and sheared/separated off the braking walls on two wheels previously on steep road descents
It's next trip will be to the skip.
FXE is a nice frame. Treat it to some nice wheels. Have a precursa which has the same geometry and fork (but no mounts for bottles or mudguards).
I had a precursor previously TiRed, I grabbed the FXE as I'd usually be training on a Prefisio on the weekend then ride to work on the Precursor on a Monday morning then forget I was riding fixed a nearly fling myself over the bars by soft peddling when I thought a car was about to pull out - I've got F&R brakes on the FXE and a SS sprocket!
I'm skint for this round of wheels, but next time maybe!
I've got Halo Aerorage & Aerotrack on my commuter, awesome hubs that are probably the smoothest and just keep spinning hubs ever.
Surly hubs can be found on eBay for reasonable money. I’ve had a few sets and they’ve always been great for the money.
Surly hubs are very nice. Just built up some wheels with a pair of Surly Ultra hubs but they are £80 each so building up a wheel for £100 is going to be challenging. Mine came out at £120 even with some bargain £24 each DT R460 rims.
I used Halo hubs for years with no problems at all though and used a Fix G rear for most of that time which I though was a great idea but they don't seem popular (can adjust chainlink by moving cog and can just use single speed cogs which are easier to get on/off and can never slip however much skid stopping is done)
£80 (or best offer) for a pair of Surly Ultra New fixed/free hubs here:
Surly Ultra New Track Hubs 120mm x fixed/ free + 100mm For Singlespeed And Fixed | eBay
To confirm, I have no affiliation with the seller, but would be tempted myself if I had a bike to put them on!
On the Aerorages, they come fixed and fixed/freewheel
I'm assuming fixed just means I can screw a SS sprocket onto either side flip/flop style?
I could be proved wrong, but I think 'fixed' is threaded for a lockring too, whereas a 'free' side is just threaded in one direction to screw the freewheel on?
Yes it is bit you can screw a freewheel onto it. It would not be on as many threads but then neither is a fixed cog so not sure if an issue?
It would not be on as many threads but then neither is a fixed cog so not sure if an issue?
I think it's more an issue if you're trying to run fixed on a 'free' side due to the lack of lockring provision (if I am right in my above assumption in the differences between fixed/free), running free on a fixed side is a non issue by the same logic.
But, I am just a bloke on the internet and I've only ever used fully fixed on these kind of bikes so my experience is limited!
A single speed freewheel does not need a lockring because the freewheel cannot come undone when back-pedalling. A fixed wheel hub will have a reverse threaded locking outside the conventional threaded sprocket threads to secure the sprocket and prevent unscrewing. That being said, I run two fixed wheel folding bikes (a Tactic Panache 16" and a Btwin 20") with just a sprocket screwed onto the normal wheel without a locking. I have not died, nor come close to unscrewing the sprocket. If you do this you should run a back brake rather than trying to stop with skidz' and skilz. You should run a front brake anyway 'cos it's the law and you may go to prison if you don't.
You won't be allowed on a track without a lockring on your hub, nor a second sprocket, nor QR levers. Dem's the rules. You can run a flip-flop hub though, with a sprocket on just the one side. And Miche make the easiest to swap sprockets, with a holder. But you must have a lockring or the sprocket will fall off!
I did exactly the same as TiRed and ran a freewheel/disk hub on my last DayOne as a fixie With the rear brake I never managed to unscrew it inadvertently.
I'd not risk it with no rear brake though.
If you run a fixed sprocket on a free hub you can always screw on a lock ring from and old cup and cone bottom bracket non-drive side if you’re paranoid about it unscrewing.
I’ve got a pair of Surly hubs with Alex rims on my Charge Plug. I’m trying to sell it as a complete bike but it’s looking like a splitting sale is on the cards.
Surly sealed bearing hubs, bolt in end caps, 100mm front, 120mm flip-flop rear. Alex DA22 rims. Black hubs and rims with silver spokes. Could be had for £100 ish.