Two weeks ago, I got an email from a reader who came across the new Formula hubs via their Raleigh Rep. I was sworn to silence and now I have the go-ahead to post them up. Looks like a pretty rad solution for stripping hub threads and it's a definite push in the right direction. Still though, to use a lockring? Why not get rid of threads all together? My source said that these will appear on the 2011 Raleigh Rush Hours with a 16t cog. Interesting. I wonder how small of a tooth count you could go with these splines?
Check out one more photo below.
Thanks to Andrea for the heads up!
Comments
Looks really cool. Wish the splines were either deeper, or steel to further deter any stripping that may happen.
Posted by: Kevin | September 8, 2010 8:09 PM
I can't believe this isn't an industry standard yet...
Posted by: Tom Souzer | September 8, 2010 8:09 PM
i hope the bikes come with a few different sized cogs, they're probably gonna be hard to just walk into a shop and pick up for a minute i would immagine.
Posted by: chris | September 8, 2010 8:13 PM
If you can strip a splined crank you can strip one of these.
Posted by: DadRyan | September 8, 2010 8:27 PM
I think that spline interfaces need to be re thought for fixed gears. Just about every interface is hardened steel to aluminum which is inherently softer. The forward and back motion causes fatigue over time making a loose interface. This is the case with both hubs and chainrings/
I think that this is a solution to more problems. If it takes you less than a two years to strip a hub then you are doing something really wrong.
Posted by: t-bone | September 8, 2010 9:24 PM
Oh great, one more proprietary option.
Posted by: Dape | September 9, 2010 5:08 AM
The Eno hub from White Industries is much better than Formula and will last longer.
Posted by: Louisc | September 9, 2010 12:13 PM
Splined may be better than threads, but both are inferior engineering solutions to a Tomicog or similar. If you don't want something to rotate freely, then just put a bolt, dowel, or cotterpin through it. But I guess that wouldn't be proprietary enough.
Posted by: whitmamd | September 9, 2010 5:11 PM
Damn I was hoping to beat formula before they announced this. We over at cultur have already been designing a rear spline fixed hub with a few companies now for the past 3 months. Of course these things take months to get developed and tons of money but you will see a quick fix real soon coming after interbike with one of the companies who we are working with. But im stoked to see formula come out with these before us! There is some tweaking to be done but I hope spline rear will be standard by summer next year!
Posted by: Phil Rinthalukay | September 9, 2010 6:42 PM
I don't see it catching on as a "standard" just too many great hubs and cogs out there with threads that work just fine. I have been riding for 15 years and I have never stripped a thread. I also wonder how long it takes someone to strip the lockring threads on one of these because they didn't tighten it properly.
Posted by: fuzzy | September 10, 2010 7:33 AM
way to marketing fo themself.
anyway, when they gonna build a fgfs hubs.
Posted by: Sam | September 10, 2010 2:32 PM
stripped spline? spline interface has been used on MTB disc brakes for years. AFAIK I've never seen a stripped Shimano Centerlock disc mount, even with heavily abused downhill rig spec 8" rotors and 4-piston calipers.
but IMHO White Industries came up with better solution than this.
Posted by: ranggapanji | September 10, 2010 7:34 PM
I've never seen a stripped Centerlock mount on a disc hub, but my XT front hub / rotor combo does have some play.
Posted by: Morgan Taylor | September 12, 2010 11:21 PM