Barbra Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Could somebody please explain what the difference is between a fixed hub and a free hub apart from the price tag. I'm thinking about a new wheelbuild and i was wondering which would be best suited for the job. So if people could as well as explaining what the difference is between them also explain some of the good points and bad points of either, and which one they personally would go for, please justify why you would go for that hub as well thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 A freehub is basicly a hub with a freewheel built into it, like the profile the expensive echo one and most mtb hubs, a fixed hub needs a freewheel (either front or rear) for it to work, your better getting a freehub if you can affford it 'cause they kick freewheels asses unless it's that 80quid one... hope i helped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Geary Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 You would use a fixed hub if you running front freewheel, it's basicley a locked out hub, you won't be able to use it as a hub on it's own.Only if your running a front free wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I thought you could put a freewheel on a fixed hub, or there's something very wrong with my bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Nick Riviera Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 when you run a 'fixed' hub , you can run either a front or rear freewheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott-mad Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 freehubs have the rachet mechanisms built into them eg hope etc whereas something like the fixed dmr revolver its just a hub body with threads on it so you can either screw a fixed cog onto it and run front freewheel or screw a freewheel onto it and run fixed cranks. hope i helped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endohopper Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 A fixed hub has no ratchet mechanism , so cannot transmit drive . Effectively a front hub to which a chainring or freewheel can be attached .A freehub is a conventional hub with a rotating body for a cassette or sprocket . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Limburn Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 a fixed hub like the dmr revolver can have a cog or freewheel threaded on to it, whereas a fixed rear hub like the echo / koxx ones have a normal cassette body and so you put cassette cogs on and have to run front freewheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 (edited) In the dim and distant past when people were still riding penny farthings the safety bicycle got invented.At the time, the cranks were forced to turn by the wheels and weren't "free" (as in "if the wheels turn, the pedals turn and if the pedals turn the wheels turn"). They were fixed.Then someone invented the freewheel, where the wheel was free to rotate without affecting the pedals at all and people tired of having their ankles and calves slapped by pedals rejoiced and had a party by backpedalling a lot and enjoying going nowhere.Moving on a few years, someone else invented the multiple freewheel and the derailleur so they could have lots of gears and never have to stand on their pedals again.Still all the pawls and balls were in the freewheel which wasn't doing anything for the strength of the wheel because the wheel bearings were about halfway across to the non drive side (EDIT: axles broke a lot). Also, some of the removers you had to use were really stupid. If you've ever tried to use a four prong remover on an ACS Claw you'll know what I mean. There was even one with two prongs (Regina and I think also Suntour). I am really old so I know these things.So Shimano (I think it was them) moved the pawls and balls onto a unit integrated into the hub, which allowed the wheel bearings to move to the end of the axle. It also meant that unless you broke it, you only needed to change the teeth part of the freewheel. So the "teeth part of the freewheel" became a cassette and the hub became a freehub.That's explained the freewheel/freehub. Fixed refers to the inability to freewheel. Sometimes when a freehub breaks you end up with a fixed wheel. Or sometimes with a hub that freewheels in both directions . Neither is useful, but at least fixed wheel can get you home, if painfully. A fixed rear hub is usually combined with a front freewheel in mod trials. Some people do it with stock. Sometimes you get fixed hubs where a cassette or cog can slide on before being fastened with a lockring (Koxx?).EDIT:OGRE: I thought you could put a freewheel on a fixed hub, or there's something very wrong with my bike. The thread is the same for screwing on a fixed sprocket and for a freewheel. It's only a fixed wheel if you make it one. The important thing is that your hub isn't a freehub.I hope that was clear enough As to what would be better you've given us no information about the bike it's for or if you've already got some components in mind. Edited March 5, 2006 by Monkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Arnold Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 A fixed hub has no ratchet mechanism , so cannot transmit drive . Effectively a front hub to which a chainring or freewheel can be attached .A freehub is a conventional hub with a rotating body for a cassette or sprocket .bollocks haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisboats Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 You would use a fixed hub if you running front freewheel, it's basicley a locked out hub, you won't be able to use it as a hub on it's own.Only if your running a front free wheel.Wrong, a fixed hub is like everybody else has said, a hub that has a thread on it for you to attach either a freewheel or threaded cog. Conners dmr is a fixed hub. A locked out hub is completely different, its a normal mountain bike freehub like a hope xc that has been bodged so the freehub doesn't spin anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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