Flip-flop hub curious

I have this (old) Raleigh Sirocco that a (old) friend gave me. Pretty much everything except the chainset, calipers and frameset is knacked. Need to give the wheels a closer look but the bearings are as rough as any I’ve felt.

Anyway, don’t want to chuck it if I can make something cheap and cheerful out of it. Was thinking fixie as it has horizontal dropouts and even some (drilled) chain-tugs/adjusters.

But – I live on a big hill.

Then I saw I could singlespeed it then flipflop it with a fixie? Freehub one side, fixie the other?

Anyone done this? Is it a silly idea?

Yep.

Not silly at all.

Best thing to do is get a fixed fixed though because freewheels will also thread on. But you have lock ring threads on both sides.

It does work but I took the freewheel off as its pretty much pointless just go spinney and chill on the hills.

I have a set of track hubs if you are interested.

Cheapie freewheels can be a bit rattly when you are riding on the fixed side. I ended up holding it still with a cable tie (was one of those crappy Dicta freewheels that didn’t have any lugs to let you unscrew them).

If serious about fixed (especially downhill…) then get a proper track hub with lh thread lockring or a disc hub based 6 bolt sprocket (don’t think there are any flip flop options of 6 bolt). I’ve commuted on fixed without lockring and it did unscrew occasionally – if you notice quickly you can frantically pedal it back tight before disaster happens 🙂

Had a flip flop, was so happy when I swapped it to a igh.

I’ve done it but it’s kind of a nuisance switching the wheel over at the bottom of every steep hill.

Fixed is better for climbing.. believe you me.

I’m sure 30 years ago there used to be an advert in the back of Cycling Weekly for a switchable “fix-free drive”. Appears to be without trace on the Internet so will have to rummage in the attic.

I’ve never done it, but still this.

it’s kind of a nuisance switching the wheel over at the bottom of every steep hill

Is the point so you can freewheel down hill, or were you expecting 2 different ratios?

Is the point so you can freewheel down hill, or were you expecting 2 different ratios?

For me it would ideally (at least in theory) be both, as I live on a big steep hill and once down it (2 mile steepish road descent) it’s a river valley/flood plain. So plummet – ride – winch.

Cant imagine the descent with a fixie, but have never ridden one. It gives me the fears esp as I’m 102kg at the minute with some (core) injuries that need coaxing not tearing. I’m really unknowledgeable about fixies but enjoy singlespeeding a lot.

As long as you have two brakes descending on a fixed gear is fine.

You just relax and let your pedals carry you feet round.

If you like singlespeed you’ll enjoy fixed. You’ll probably swap the wheel over 5 times then wonder why you bothered.

Do it do it do it

If the bike has brakes then going down the hill will be fine as you can hold back your speed a bit with the brakes. More brake at first and then when you get used to spinning a higher RPM you can go faster. After a while you will be able to spin at 200rpm for short downhills

Fixed is very different from single speed (for me in a good way) and I find single speeding boring whereas I loved fixed and have ridden fixed for most of the last 20 years.

The hub I have used for the last 10 years is a Halo Fix G as it is splined so uses standard Shimano pattern single speed cogs making changing cogs very easy with no risk of unscrewing (this happens when riding brakeless even with lockring) but also allows chainline to be adjusted by more than a cm.

Has the Raleigh Sirocco got a working double chainset? Would be ideal for hilly terrain with a single sprocket, small ring up the harder hills and big ring for flatter terrain.

Has the Raleigh Sirocco got a working double chainset? Would be ideal for hilly terrain with a single sprocket, small ring up the harder hills and big ring for flatter terrain

A good idea on the face of it, but you’d need a tensioner to cope with the different chainring diameter and that doesn’t work with fixies.

@p7eaven if you put different size sprockets on the back, you have to make sure that the dropout is long enough to accommodate the change in effective chain length. You’ll probably get 2 teeth different at most.

Well I didn’t imagine push button fixie-freewheel. Unfortunately the inventor / maker Paul Fletcher died in 2015 aged 86. I’ve found a few references 95 and 2006 where he was keen for someone to carry on manufacture and take on the patent. Guessing that sadly never happened. Anyone know of an old school roadie shop in the Stroud area that might know of fix-free?

No not keen on a tensioner. I *think* I’m happier walking up big hills than I am braking down them. This project is most likely going to be a suck-it-and-see thing. May just look out for a cheap rear fixie wheel and give it a go without the flip-flop. If I don’t like it then there’s singlespeed or even something like a Sturmey Archer 2-speed? <- (As I’d originally planned before contemplating the cost and the extra half a kilo!)

After a while you will be able to spin at 200rpm for short downhills

Already injured self @197rpm overstretched on an exercise bike. This has meant very little cycling for the last 5 years. It’s a pain trying to find a way forward but I’m hoping gentle gains in core strength may protect the injury

It’s been interesting reading about your experiences with hubs and fixies in general Thnks all. Didn’t know there were lockring issues for one thing but of course it makes sense. What’s the main attraction to not being able to coast? And how is your fakie? (Wish I’d learned to fixie and fish n’ chip before I discovered actual fish n chips)

Meanwhile in Bogota (filmed entirely with an iphone) 🚲✨

I tried running a bike fixed/free for a while but just decided I preferred it fixed and tolerated the odd terrifying descent (there’s not that many round our way TBH.

I Don’t think I would want to use a fixed bike for lots of longer distance riding and/or up and down terrain, but it’s fine for up to 30 odd undulating miles (IMO/IME).

Nothing wrong with opting for a rear brake and single speed though, especially if it suits your use better.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312512285916

Affix switchable hubs. Looks like one batch made in 2010 then vanished.