Fastest engaging rear hub

Love the idea of that Onyx hub, purely from an engineering point of view.

That said, been on DT Swiss 240’s almost exclusively for years, and never really had an issue with their slow engagement. Recently upgraded to a 36T ratchet ring setup and noticed the improvement, but I can’t say it’s drastic.

Just put a Chosen 120pt rear hub on my new HT (same hub as Halo SuperDrive I believe) and though it feels impressive, it doesn’t make me any quicker… It was cheap though and seems half decent quality.

the faster ones have been mentioned previously but a few off the top of head I’ve used or considered

all points of engagement within 360deg of the freehub:
15 – Octane One, basic Formula (the OE hub lot, not the brake lot)
16 – Shimano M475/495, Alivio, Deore, XT 6-bolt(2004) and many other 6-bolt, earlier and lower shimano
18 – DT Swiss Ratchet, with original ratchets
21 – Hope XC
24 – Hope Pro II, early Pro II Evo, WTB* (actually American classic?**)
27 – Superstar Switch Evo
30 – DMR 6 pawl? American Classic***? Stans 3.30***?
32 – Shimano SLX (M529/629 etc on crc aren’t SLX)
36 – DT Swiss Ratchet with 36 ratchet in, Shimano XT/Zee/Saint/XTR since aroud 2007?, Stans Neo Team
40 – Later/current Hope Pro II Evo
48 – Hope Pro II SS/trials
54 – Trek/Bonty Ratchet upgrade for DT Swiss. interweb indicates they die much faster and pricier than 36 star ratchets
60 – Superstar Tesla i/ii
72 – Superstar Tesla Evo, Stans Neo Ultimate, Chris King
120 – Superstar Trizoid/Superleggera, Halo, OE on some charge bikes?, patchy lifespans?

*WTB are 24, but the way it ‘gathers’ all pawls together before engaging them all perfectly together (unlike many pawl hubs) slows its engagement significantly, when i finally build mine up, I wouldn’t be surprised for it to feel as slow as a 12 point hub would at its slowest
**Not sure why I think I’ve read something suggesting so
***one of these might be 32 not 30

Some of these hubs are not very field-serviceable, though sweeter than a DT240.
I put 20,000 miles on my 240 with only one greasing in 5 years.
The bearings died in the housing long before the ratchet wore.

My next years Tour Divide rear hub is a DT240 again, though laced to a plastic rim from Strada.

You may be able to engage power quicker with other hubs but in the long run time spent fixing a bike is bad time….

I’ve got an old Shimano roller clutch (LX I think) in the garage somewhere, it had a faster pickup than my CK’s but heavier than a heavy thing and only 7 speed.

Is it Parallax?

My new rear wheel will have a ss 12×142 Onyx hub. It’s more than a month since I started this project but unfortunately, not in time for TORQ in your sleep next week.
I had a superleggera hub in the past, definetely quick engagement.

My new rear wheel will have a ss 12×142 Onyx hub

What is the pricing for that hub here in the UK? Is there a distribution here as well? Or did you get it directly from Onyx?

I had a Chris King hub when I used to ride trials a lot. It’s nice but far from essential – far more important to have a reliable strong freehub design. The benefits of quick engagement are minor but when you’re priming for a big move it’s useful to have the pedal at a familiar / consistent position. Some people find this more important than others. I’m happy with fewer, more reliable engagement points.

Chris King are great because they’re quick engaging and reliable. Most other brands with lots of (small) teeth are bad news. I can see why you might want lots of engagement points, but I’d personally never want to sacrifice reliability. YMMV if you don’t use your XC bike like a pseudotrials bike.

What is the pricing for that hub here in the UK? Is there a distribution here as well? Or did you get it directly from Onyx?

I explained the wheel builder what I wanted and he’s doing all the job.
You can contact them by email. Somewhere in dropbox there’s a file with a list of prices in us $.

I can find it later. Similar price to I9, CK, etc…

Onyx hub list at this address
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wexdcsc73wviag8/Hub%20Specs.xlsx?dl=0