from Rookie’s keyboard,
Hello, friends
To the unaware, track and road bike appear the same. And to be honest, they do have a lot of similarities. But there are also some small but crucial details that make all the difference.
Today, I will compare the two from the perspective of their hubs (the system of bearings that allow the wheels to rotate freely like a wild horse).
The main dissimilarities between track and road hubs are found on the rear and can be summarized as follows:
- Different Cogs and Threading
Track hubs use a single fixed cog whereas road rear hubs have a freehub driver with a built-in ratcheting mechanism.
Meanwhile, the hub driver on rear road hubs allows the installation of a multi-speed cassette.
Important:
Do not confused RETRO road hubs with track hubs. Retro road hubs are designed for freewheels and have threads too. The difference is that it’s a single, unified thread – not a dual one with a step.
The hub below is designed for a freewheel – NOT a fixed cog:
- Axles and Wheel Retention Systems
Track hubs use solid axles securing the wheel via bolts whereas road hubs use hollow axles with quick-release skewers or thru-axles.
Solid axles offer more security – a track cyclist produces a lot of power in high gear which greatly increases the torque reaching the rear wheel. For that reason, track standards require the use of solid axles and track nuts.
A road bike is built for speed on the road. The presence of gears reduces the torque at the back wheel and diminishes the need for maximum wheel security.
Hubs with solid axles and bolts are heavier – a negative in the world of road cycling where every gram matters.
- A Dissimilar Number of Spokes
To save weight and reduce, road bike wheels rely on a reduced number of spokes (e.g., 16, 22…etc.). Some track wheels are the same way, but a basic wheel usually has about 32 spokes for extra rigidity. The rear hub has to reflect that.
Hence many rear track hubs come with more spoke holes than road models.
- Different O.L.D.
The term O.L.D. stands for “over-locknut dimension” and refers to the usable part of a hub between the locknuts.
A modern road bike has a rear hub O.L.D. of 130mm and can fit 9+ gears.
Track bikes don’t use gears, and the hub’s O.L.D. is narrower – 120mm.
Thus, you can’t put a rear track wheel on a modern road bike unless the frame is made of steel, and you are willing to cold-set it (a fancy word for bending).
- Different Seals
Track bikes are designed for tracks/velodromes, and their hubs don’t have to be weatherproof.
Many track hubs have relatively simple seal systems which would let water in when the bike is used on the road.
Road bikes are outdoor machines and need waterproof features. The seals on the hubs reflect that.
- Different Flanges
Track hubs are often high flange. This means that the outers side of the hub to which the spokes attack are larger than normal. Covnersely, modern road bikes rely on small flanges.
The main benefits of high flange hubs are:
- Potentially stiffer wheels
- Easier to remove a spoke because it’s higher than the cog
- Unique aesthetics
Front Hubs
The front hubs of track and road bikes are very similar as they have the exact same function, namely to provide a spinning mechanism for the front wheel.
Nonetheless, there are still some dissimilarities worth mentioning:
- Wheel Retention
Track hubs use solid axles with track nuts whereas road bikes rely on hollow axles + quick-release skewers or thru-axles.
- Seals
Some track hubs are simply not designed for outdoor usage, especially under hard conditions.
Note: The O.L.D. of track hubs is 100mm and so is the O.L.D. front road hubs using quick-release skewers. Road hubs with thru-axle have an old of 100-110mm.
“Juggling” Track and Road Hubs?
You can use a front track hub on a road bike or a rear track hub on an old 5-speed bike converted to single speed, but there are legit reasons not to do so.
- Expensive
Track hubs are often more expensive than an “ordinary” road hub.
- Not weatherproof
As already mentioned, a track hub has a hard time dealing with moisture, dust, dirt, water…etc.
- No Gear or Coasting
A track hub cannot coast and doesn’t accept more than one cog/gear.
Until next time,
Rookie
Leave a Reply