Flip Flop Hubs; Who Actually Uses Them?

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aka brad

Okay, it's not a mountain bike question, but it is very single speed. Flip-flop hubs are very common, fixed/fixed, free/free, fixed/free. The question is does anyone really use a fixed/free, especially on the same ride. I have such a hub on by Bianchi road bike which I use for just that reason, and usually only one ride. The reason is the ride is 30 miles of 4-5% grade up a winding canyon road and then about 12 miles down a 40MPH two lane highway. Usually I just spin the way down on the fixed gear, but 12 miles is a long way, especially without a bike lane; I can usually maintain about 30-35 mph and take the whole lane. I often wonder how the introduction of freewheels were embraced by riders and how they used them. #1 · Jan 20, 2011 Okay, it's not a mountain bike question, but it is very single speed. Flip-flop hubs are very common, fixed/fixed, free/free, fixed/free. The question is does anyone really use a fixed/free, especially on the same ride. I have such a hub on by Bianchi road bike which I use for just that reason, and usually only one ride. The reason is the ride is 30 miles of 4-5% grade up a winding canyon road and then about 12 miles down a 40MPH two lane highway. Usually I just spin the way down on the fixed gear, but 12 miles is a long way, especially without a bike lane; I can usually maintain about 30-35 mph and take the whole lane. I often wonder how the introduction of freewheels were embraced by riders and how they used them.

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2 Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Jan 20, 2011 Flip Flop Hubs; who actually uses them? I do. No I don't. Yes I do. No I don't. Sorry, this forum is just too fun. #3 · Jan 20, 2011 I once melted the bead into the rim on a 26' rim brake ride descending Old San Jose rd, (stuck behind a line of cars), so I guess a fixed gear would prevent that. My knees are swelling just thinking about spinning that fast for that long! Are you kidding about fixed/fixed, and free/free? I've not seen either, and my pre coffee mind can't work out how that would work out. /I miss Santa Cruz #4 · Jan 20, 2011 I use a flip flop wheel on my fixed road bike, but haven't ever used the "flop" side. On one of my wheel sets, I had a FW on there just in case something happened to my cog, but all it did was add weight. I would like a fixed/fixed hub so I could change the gearing without too much hassle. #5 · Jan 20, 2011 I've use both but rarely on the same ride. The only times that I've switched are on long rides where I got fatigued and used the freewheel side on the homeward bound. I keep different sized cogs and have done fixed/fixed using a 17T and 18T so I can change gearing for different terrain. If you have a bike with 130 spacing, you might be able to fit two fixed cogs on the same side (like a mini-cassette). #6 · Jan 20, 2011 I have a fixed/freewheel setup on the commuter. It's been on freewheel for a while, maybe I'll go back to fixed today. #7 · Jan 20, 2011 I have a free/fixed hub, but I only flip it when I change my training routine. I only ride free/fixed for training purposes, then ride a geared (road bike) for centuries and races. By the way, what web site screenshot is that? It shows elevation profile and waypoints... Was that downloaded from your GPS? #8 · Jan 20, 2011 fixed/fixed one for dirt and one for road who can be ****ed changing their gearing during a ride? #9 · Jan 20, 2011 I've got an old fixed/fixed with a 16t and 17t cog but on my main ride I use fixed/free with both being 17t. The main reason is that I play alot of bike polo with that bike and sometime the guys want to play free and other times fixed. It also helps sometimes just making things easier, if I want to go on a relaxing bike trail ride I'll run free. I like having both options available at all times. #10 · Jan 20, 2011

wjphillips said: I have a free/fixed hub, but I only flip it when I change my training routine. I only ride free/fixed for training purposes, then ride a geared (road bike) for centuries and races. By the way, what web site screenshot is that? It shows elevation profile and waypoints... Was that downloaded from your GPS? Click to expand...

No it's from the web site http://www.mapmyride.com; it lets you map any ride and hooks it up with google maps for mileage and elevation. Very Cool #11 · Jan 20, 2011 I was running fixed on my cross bike but got tired of it and flipped it to a free wheel. #12 · Jan 20, 2011

Hellav8ted said: Are you kidding about fixed/fixed, and free/free? I've not seen either, and my pre coffee mind can't work out how that would work out Click to expand...

Surly, among others, makes both fix/fix and free/free hubs. The point is to have two different gearing options easily available, such as a gear for big, hilly rides and a taller gear for going fast on flat roads. Not sure what's confusing about the design though... both sides of the hub have freewheel or fixed threading just like a normal flip-flop hub, the difference is just that both sides are threaded the same #13 · Jan 20, 2011 aka brad...that is some ride you do...fixed? makes me glad it is pretty flat here, don't know if i could stand up to spinning 30+ mph, for 12 miles.

Originally Posted by boomn
Originally Posted by Hellav8ted Are you kidding about fixed/fixed, and free/free? I've not seen either, and my pre coffee mind can't work out how that would work out Click to expand...
Surly, among others, makes both fix/fix and free/free hubs. The point is to have two different gearing options easily available, such as a gear for big, hilly rides and a taller gear for going fast on flat roads. Not sure what's confusing about the design though... both sides of the hub have freewheel or fixed threading just like a normal flip-flop hub, the difference is just that both sides are threaded the same Click to expand...

but i do not get the fg/fg-ss/ss wonderment & Hellav8ted's disbelief? every road flip-flop hub i've seen you can run the freewheel or fixed cog on either or both sides. the fw & cog just thread onto the big part of the hub & the lockring for the cog screws onto the small end. both sides are the same, unless you've got a bmx hub that that has english threads on 1 side & metric on the other & that just expands the possibilities. ive been running my roadie's flip-flop with both a fw & a cog on it for what seems like forever. i flip the wheel a lot depending on the ride i have planned, but i never considered flipping it during a ride. i always was a little worried about riding fixed over really long distances but i just got back from my longest fixed ride ever & it went so well that on the way home i was talking myself into replacing my freewheel with a smaller fixed cog & riding 2 different fixed ratios for now just to see what happens. #14 · Jan 20, 2011 I had a fixed/free for a while on my commuter/road bike, but kept it on fixed for the year or so that I had it and I did a couple century + rides with it. For training- especially long downhills- fixed gear can't be beat. So I sold the wheelset and upgraded to fixed only. I ended up regretting this decision because I really do enjoy bombing the downhills when it is dry out. I ended up parting out that bike to pick up my current cross bike, which is cassette SS. And now I want a fixed gear again..... The moral of the story is to have both fixed and free and if you want different ratios, Surly's dingle will accommodate you. That sounds dirty. #15 · Jan 20, 2011 what would have if you paired a surly dingle with a white dos eno? #16 · Jan 20, 2011 Free/Free Phil Wood I have yet to flip it in the middle of a ride, as I usually make changes before I head out. When I do change it, I often change out the chainring as well. I can go from 38/18, for rides with out much in the way of ups, down to 32/22 if I want, with 20 and 34 as stops in between, if I want to actually do more than just flip the rear wheel. I have to keep a longer and shorter chain around as well with that much variability. I tend to put it in whatever gearing I need to make it up things (not always possible) and just ride it out going down, as you can coast out faster than you can peddle anyway, a lot of the time. #17 · Jan 21, 2011 I'm running fixed/free on my Wabi Lightning. I've never used the fixed side [Paul hub]. I only put a cog on it 'cause it looked naked otherwise. Lame reason? Yes. I tried fixed for a bit, but it just never took. #18 · Jan 21, 2011 I typically run a fixed/WI duo freewheel on my Crosscheck. I flip (or is it flop?), but only very rarely. More often, I'll adjust the gearing without taking the wheel off (either with two rings up front, or the duo FW on the rear). This is super easy, since you don't need to take the wheel out or even loosen the brakes, so I'm not hesitant to do it if I have a headwind, or I'm tired, etc. Insert Quotes Post Reply

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