WI Eno Eccentric Hub

[muz]

Originally Posted by seanile

from my experience, and others' anedotes. only use it for coastable singlespeeds. not for fixed gear. if you use it fixed, it will slip.

How does the hub know if it's fixed or freewheel, and slip if it's fixed ??? Surely the slipping doesn't occur when you're spinning fast on a descent.

[seanile]

Originally Posted by muz

How does the hub know if it's fixed or freewheel, and slip if it's fixed ??? Surely the slipping doesn't occur when you're spinning fast on a descent.

the slipping happened to me when i would put back pressure when rolling at a low speed. i think this is because at a lower speed i'm applying a greater amount of torque to the wheel for a more sustained amount of time, rather than a very brief point of back-pressure when my cranks are spinning quickly.
i'd suppose it would happen fixed rather than free because of the opposing forces. free is consistently forward, and the levering that occurs with fixed's alternating pressures would loosen the axle's grip.
it also doesn't help that WI hubs use allen keys for tightening their axles, rather than hex nuts which allow for much more torque.

[muz]

Originally Posted by seanile

the slipping happened to me when i would put back pressure when rolling at a low speed. i think this is because at a lower speed i'm applying a greater amount of torque to the wheel for a more sustained amount of time, rather than a very brief point of back-pressure when my cranks are spinning quickly.
i'd suppose it would happen fixed rather than free because of the opposing forces. free is consistently forward, and the levering that occurs with fixed's alternating pressures would loosen the axle's grip.
it also doesn't help that WI hubs use allen keys for tightening their axles, rather than hex nuts which allow for much more torque.

I can apply a much higher torque going up a steep climb, so surprising that back pressure would cause a slip. I ride 5K miles a year fixed, but mostly use my brakes to slow down or stop. Back pressure is really not good for your joints.

[seanile]

i ride with two brakes too, but i'm more so standing up briefly and pushing down on my back leg, rather than pulling up on my front leg and overextending my knee. i'd rip apart quickly if i ever tried that more than in emergencies

[11.4]

Originally Posted by seanile

i ride with two brakes too, but i'm more so standing up briefly and pushing down on my back leg, rather than pulling up on my front leg and overextending my knee. i'd rip apart quickly if i ever tried that more than in emergencies

How often do you skid your rear tire when your accelerating? And how easily can you skid your rear when you're backpedaling? Backpedaling puts a lot more stress on the drive train and on the hub's connection to the stay ends.

[muz]

Originally Posted by 11.4

How often do you skid your rear tire when your accelerating? And how easily can you skid your rear when you're backpedaling? Backpedaling puts a lot more stress on the drive train and on the hub's connection to the stay ends.

I am no expert on skidding, but I don't think this is so clear. Before starting a skid, you transfer your weight to the front wheel and unweight the rear. When rolling, the rear friction force you need to overcome is static friction coefficient times the rear weight, which is now much smaller. Once you lock your rear, the friction force goes down (proportional to dynamic friction coefficient). That's why not much force is involved in holding the skid, and also why it doesn't slow you down nearly as much as a front brake.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by 11.4

How often do you skid your rear tire when your accelerating? And how easily can you skid your rear when you're backpedaling? Backpedaling puts a lot more stress on the drive train and on the hub's connection to the stay ends.

Actually, the opposite is true. As muz pointed out, wheel torque is limited by tire traction, and due to weight shifts, there is less traction available when braking than when accelerating. But in addition, when you pedal forward, the chainstay is compressed by both the chain force, and the forward drive force. When you back pedal, the chainstay is compressed by the chain force minus the rearward brake force. So even if the same pedal force is used for forward pedaling and backward pedaling, there is less load on the axle/dropout interface when back pedaling.

[72gmc]

I used this hub to convert a cross bike to singlespeed for several years. No issues. I used the weight of the bike to set chain tension, as Eric mentions, and ran a tall brake track (velocity synergy) as Saab mentions. not much trouble keeping the canti brake pads within the brake track. My cranks were old campagnolo square taper as I recall.