Hi Jim, I never recommend that people ride fixed gears in the street. That's my opinion, but if you want to do it, that's up to you.
That aside, if you really are going to get a new wheel, and you're planning to ride fixed anyway, this is a great opportunity to get a bolt-on Phil Wood track hub (not quick release). The Quickbeam is blessed with extra-long slots on the rear fork ends; this allows sufficient chain slack to be taken up so that either of the two stock chainrings (32 & 40T) can be used with the same rear cog without shortening or lengthening the chain -- you can move the wheel forward or back sufficently to take up the extra slack. The drawback of the long slots is that if you mount a fender over the rear wheel so that you have an nice looking fender line with the wheel in the forward position, there's insufficient clearance to get the rear wheel out without loosening or removing the fender. However, the Phil Wood hubs are held on with a bolt instead of a nut. If you unscrew the bolts completely from the axle, the wheel will drop out of the fork end without having to traverse the slot. Therefore, bolt-on Phil Wood hubs can be an especially good upgrade for a Quickbeam with fenders. And if you're going to ride fixed anyway, then the bolt-on wheels may be a little more secure than ones with a quick release. I've had a Quickbeam for over two years now, and it's my most-ridden bike. I think you'll really enjoy yours, whether you end up riding fixed or not. Horace. On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 2:46 PM, jim gerfin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am about to purchase a Rivendell Quickbeam from my local dealer. I > would like to change to a fixed/free rear hub [from the free/free > standard hub the bike comes with] and continue to use a quick release > skewer. The guys at my shop are not crazy about q.r. with a fixed > gear. I saw info at Sheldon Browns site that this should be okay, i.e. > safe. > > It appears at least Surly and Phil make hubs with either hollow or > replaceable axles that would be appropriate. Can anyone make a > recommendation of hub, skewer, rim, that would be appropriate for this > change and opinion if it's safe. I'm 5' 10", 170 lbs. 50 years old and > am strictly a recreational rider. I'll be putting fenders and at least > 32 mm tires on this bike to do some training rides during the winter. > > Thanks for your input, this forum looks like a great resource. I enjoy > Peters website, and have supported his shop. > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Bicycle Lifestyle" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
