Hi, anyone have recommendations for a faster engaging freehub?
I've got a bike fitted with pair of wheels with Shimano Hubs and I'd like to speed up freehub engagement.
The bikes a singlespeed (converter fitted on the current freehub) that I use for 'dicking about' in the local park etc... I ride it to the shops, practice my Manuals/Wheelies and I'm trying to get better at trials type stuff, so...
Is there a Shimano compatible alternative freehub that would engage faster and be suitable?
Not if you mean a freehub that will fit onto a shimano hub?
Shimano are pretty slow, 18t IIRC.
Hope do a 'trials' option on their singlespeed hubs with 88t, which is near enough instant. Not exactly cheap though.
The downside of more points of engagement is the hub get's increasingly higher pitched and noisy!
I wouldn't bother shelling out the £££ just to get a better freehub though, by the time you've had it built up it'll be >£225, 'which unless you needed a new rear wheel anyway is a lot of cash for a fairly minor upgrade (a clicky freehub won't turn you into Danny McAskill overnight).
Onyx racing sprag hub. Same mechanism as the nobl hub as well. Silent running and instant engagement.
I've heard good things about the hubs which Halo Wheels use, got a bit of a trademark waspy buzz but the engagement is very fast.
Thanks guys and girls...
None of the options are cheap are they!
I found the Hope hubs at approx' 170GBP
and the Onyx 445USD
I'm going to forget about it for a while - at least until I'm a bit nearer to challenging our Danny 😉
My Chis Kings are noticably quicker to engage than my Hope Pro2/Tune Prince/Shimano Alfine/Miche somethingorother.
As you say, not cheap but keep an eye on fleabay/classifieds, just got a pair of ISOs for £250. Add a set of DT rims and some spokes from the LBS along with their wheelbuilding expertise and the full set of wheels is well under £400, so just a rear would be loads less . Depends how you define cheap, I think that's a bargain for some top notch wheels, but it's also twice the price of my first car, a question of priorities...
Look for a clutch freehub.