fixie n00b shit
Thread started by
ruinedbyidiots at 08.8.07 - 10:30 pm
so im trying to learn how to skid stop, and i think ive got it down, but whenever i go to lock up my legs, the rear wheel makes this popping sound that scares the shit out of me.
it sounds like the chain is skipping a tooth on the cog or something? all of the teeth on the cog/sprocket is intact. i checked the chain tension, and its super tight. should it not be?
this thing didnt come with a manual...
reply
Don't worry. That popping sound is just your knees.
PC08.8.07 - 10:39 pm
reply
check the tension on your lockring, make sure it's secure, that and check all the bolts on your cranks, the stack bolts that attach the chainring to the crank (if you dont have you should get a stack bolt tool, it's a little flat tool with a bend at one end with a couple prongs, should cost about a buck) and the bolt (usually an 8 mm allen or a bolt you'll need a ratchet for).
The real question is, how does it feel when you go to skid? do you feel any looseness or slack anywhere? Do you feel some now that you didnt feel when you built the bike?
The only other thing I can think of, without hearing the noise, is, is it a sort of twanging popping noise (almost musical, but kind of metallic sounding)? Are the wheels new?
If the wheels are new, it could be that not all of the stress was relieved from the spokes (i.e. they weren't "stretched" or "stressed" properly after they were built) this noise could be the spokes settling themselves in, especially if you have any sort of side to side motion when you skid, this increases stress on the spokes immensely. If this IS the cause of the noises, you should probably get the wheels looked at by a competent wheel builder, they can be sure, but a quick way to check is, the wheel would probably have lost a bit of true from what riding you've done on it, or at the very least you'll probably be able to squeeze the spokes together and maybe feel a loose one or two.
If this is not the problem, or the wheel is older, check your wheels anyway, check the rims and the hub flanges for cracks, you could be riding a suicide wheel and not knowing it.
hope this helps.
FuzzBeast08.9.07 - 2:23 am
reply
I just re-read your post, and in answer to your question: no, your chain tension does
not have to be super tight, and indeed should not be super tight. It only needs to be tight-ish. Like at least a quarter inch of play up or down without having to pull or push hard. It should be just tight enough that you don't feel any noticeable play when you change pedal direction while trackstanding. Any tighter than that, and you're just putting lots of unnecessary strain on your chain, hubs, bottom bracket, and cog/chainring teeth.
PC08.9.07 - 3:36 am
reply
If you keep working at it, eventually you'll hear a very loud popping sound, followed by a scratching sound.. That will be your rear tire, then the sound of you damaging your rim...
prendrefeu08.9.07 - 6:05 am
reply
I'm 99.9% sure that your cog and lock ring are loose. Definitely get em tightened before you ride again or you could seriously hurt yourself or others.
Also, loosen that chain a bit. When I tighten my rear wheel, I squeeze a rolled up dish towel between the down tube and the wheel. That way it gets the chain tight but leaves some play as well.
Now go get that mutha flippin' cog tightend and go ride!!!
Leetard08.9.07 - 6:20 am
reply
I second Leetard; sounds like lock ring is loosening.
Bootlegger08.9.07 - 9:40 am
reply
do i just tighten the cog with a chainwhip?
and the wheels are new, and they werent true when i pulled them out of the box, so i had to do some spoke wrench work before i even rode it for the first time.
as for what my skids sound like, they sound like a tire skidding, sort of. i think i lean too far forward because the wheel doesnt stay on the ground the entire time, it hops up and down.
can we have a fixie workshop at one of the stops on the clown ride?
ruinedbyidiots08.9.07 - 9:47 am
reply
Is that a Mark V or Angus (or other) frameset?
I've been looking at an IRO myself, lately. How do you like it?
kyber08.9.07 - 10:06 am
reply
its a mark v. i like it alot. it will fit me better when my rb-009s come in the mail.
ruinedbyidiots08.9.07 - 10:12 am
reply
yes, you tighten the cog with a chainwhip however you also need a lockring tool to tighten the lockring (it screws the other way as the cog) I've got one I keep in my bag, it kinda sucks, but it might work on your lockring we can check it tomorrow... or just swing by a shop it should be like a 30 sec fix.
as for leaning too far forward when skidding, that depends on weather you want to increase your skid distance or not, if you've ever watched a skid comp, or anyone who skids long distances, they practically put their nose on their front wheel, if you want to stop short and quickly, keep your weight as far back as possible, over your seat if possible. however, you shouldn't rely on skidding to stop, your tires and the rest of your bike will thank you if you leg brake more often. especially down hill, where it is possible to increase speed while skidding (you really dont even need a steep hill for this, I've done it in front of city hall on the small shallow part of Temple) using your legs to slow your motion will give you MUCH greater control of the bike, and in group rides it is an invaluable tool, as skidding tends to fishtail the bike a bit, which can be a hazard to everyone else as well as yourself...
FuzzBeast08.9.07 - 3:49 pm
reply
thanks for the info, fuzzy hall. ill swing by the lbs on the way to work tomorrow and have them look at it. i have a chainwhip but no lockring tool so i guess i gotta go out and buy one of those now too.
ruinedbyidiots08.9.07 - 7:15 pm
reply
Hey Ruined... Sounds like you know what to do now. I've even got the same bike! Let's meet up at the clown ride hit me up on gmail at lee.diskin@gmail.com
Leetard08.9.07 - 8:51 pm
reply
so i took the rear wheel off just to look at it for shits and giggles, and i think the cog/lockring are on pretty tight. i dont have the proper tools or anything, but i cant move them by hand at all. doesnt the cog tighen as you ride anyway?
im starting to think that the sproket and cog arent in as straight of a line as they could be. like my frame was bent during shipment or something. i dunno!
ruinedbyidiots08.9.07 - 8:56 pm
reply
I doubt the cog/lockring is loose because if it was it would feel fucked up going foward....
probably the spokes...
Mook08.9.07 - 9:48 pm
reply
aye, spokes were my first guess as well... anyone who;s ever trued their wheels back from a bad bend knows that sound...
FuzzBeast08.10.07 - 3:43 am
reply
Yo RBI, congrats on the new bike!
I agree with the others that cog & lock ring is likely the source of your problem. I can bring my chain whip & lock ring tool to the clown ride tonight.
I recommend you invest in a Dura Ace cog & lock ring tool and be done with it. That thing is bad ass. Road bike chain whips often aren't durable enough for the kind of torque you want to apply to fixed hubs. I twisted Cole's road whip into a curly fry a few weeks ago trying to get my cog off. Oops.
Also, if your bike came with an IRO cog, replace it with a Dura Ace or EAI cog. Same for the lock ring.
As for your bike "hopping" when you skid, it just takes practice to get the feel of it. Everyone starts out doing sloppy skids, and over time you'll get the feel of doing long smooth ones.
City Hobgoblin08.10.07 - 11:00 am
reply
word!
ill bring some o-high treats for you tonight!
good to see that your arm is all better too.
ruinedbyidiots08.10.07 - 11:08 am
reply
Thanks man! I'm on the mend -- I threw together a new bike with some Promenade bars so I can ride it with my crappy arm. The muscles are all dilapidated, it's pretty pathetic. Yay!
City Hobgoblin08.10.07 - 11:19 am
reply
so i guess it was the lockring giving me trouble after all because i just broke it in half.
ruinedbyidiots08.12.07 - 5:41 pm
reply
Um...just out of, uh, curiosity, what was the manufacturer of said lockring?
PC08.12.07 - 5:50 pm
reply
it was an iro cog and lockring. im getting some of those dura ace janks that hobogoblin suggested as a replacement.
ruinedbyidiots08.12.07 - 6:09 pm
reply
It's funny (depending on whether you're descending a monstrous hill or not when it happens) that you broke that lockring. Two days after I got my bike I broke the crappy iro (made by formula or something) lockring while bombing down a hill. Needless to say it was a fucked up feeling.
Good thing I had brakes or I would have sailed right into the intersection of echo park/belvue right with traffic from the offramp coming right at me.
At any rate, that lockring is hazardous.
kyber09.28.07 - 7:01 pm
reply
no hills. i was in a parking lot!
but yeah, total crap.
i can skid like a pro now.
ruinedbyidiots09.28.07 - 8:16 pm
reply
Another fixie noob question...
So just bought a pair of MKS GR-9's and toeclips. So, once I take off and have my right foot in the basket, I am finding it real difficult to find the basket for my left foot...while riding. I'm used to SPD's when I used to mountain bike, but these baskets are frustrating me. Is there a trick to make that bitch go right side up so I can get my foot into the basket while the crank is moving?
Yeah, I feel like an asshole.
Richard_Colossus10.1.07 - 12:22 am
reply
Catch it when your left foot is on the downstroke. Easiest way.
That and practice.
kyber10.1.07 - 1:58 am
reply
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
Tool.
Thanks dude...I'll see if that helps.