[CR]Re: [FIXED-GEAR] Forwarded: Weird Lockring on Phil Wood track hub

(Example: Production Builders:LeJeune)

In-Reply-To: <a05200f02bbbf78136528@[192.168.1.1]>
References:
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 22:07:23 -0400
To: "Roy H. Drinkwater" <roydrink@ptd.net>, fixed gear list <fixed-gear@lists.davin.ottawa.on.ca>
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
cc: Classicrendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Re: [FIXED-GEAR] Forwarded: Weird Lockring on Phil Wood track hub

Quoth Roy H. Drinkwater:
> I haven't seen these before either, anyone?
>
>At 16:12 - 10/24/03, Bikeville wrote on the Classic Rendezvous list:
>
>>I aquired a set of beautiful Phil Wood wheels and the rear hub, double
>>sided Fixed, has a strange lockring on it. Something that I have never
>>seen. Included is a link to a photo. It sort of reminds me of a Malliard
>>Helicomatic freewheel lock ring, but of course it is not.
>>Any Ideas on how I might get it off without ruining the lockring or the hub.
>>Both sides of the hub have the same lockrings.
>>
>>http://images.andale.com/f2/115/106/3561856/1068727185840_wierd_lockring.jpg
>>
>>thanks
>>Ralph
>>cold Philadelphia

I missed the posting on ClassicRendezvous, but...

Those are the original Phil Wood track hubs. My wife and I each have a pair of them...when we were courting, I taught her to build wheels, and she built a pair on these hubs for her Bottechia. She soon became hooked on fixed-gear riding, and has hardly ever ridden her Holdsworth since.

My own rear wound up on my beloved 1916 Mead Ranger, and the front's on one of my tandems.

Back in the late '70s, this was about the only double-fixed hub you could buy! They were very expensive, and only sold as pairs, but I REALLY wanted a double sided hub. I used to run with a 15 and a 14, with a 42 in front. When the wheel migrated to the Mead Ranger, I switched to an 8 and a 9, with a 26 in front (1" pitch.) http://sheldonbrown.org/ranger.html

The rear hub isn't as reliable as most Phil hubs--the lockring thread constrained the size of bearing they could use, and the original bearings didn't hold up so well. We've both had our rear hubs rebuilt by Phil. Since then they've been quite reliable, with lots of miles on them.

One thing that's a drag about them is that the rear takes an oddball Allen wrench, 5/16" I believe.

Current Phil track hubs are a totally different, much superior design, and use a standard 6 mm Allen wrench front and rear.

For the old lockrings, there is no special tool. Use a pipe wrench or a vise grip, maybe a big channellock. The milled edges are designed to work with such tools.

Current Phil hubs have more conventional notched lockrings...conventional except for the unearthly beauty of their workmanship.

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