Super Hub Vs Basic Hub | Why Hub Internals Matter!

Freehubs are an integral part of any standard mountain bike and without them, we'd all be cycling around on fixies! So, in this video, Doddy takes a deep dive look and tears down both a standard non-branded hub & freehub assembly and the Industry Nine Hydra hub to show you just what's inside each of them, how they compare, and how they actually work!

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[Metal-Possum]

Spoke threads are NOT cut, but they're rolled on. It's effectively just cold forging. Material is not taken away, it's merely moved about. I even have a spoke cutting and rolling machine at work for trimming spokes to size, the spoke is rolled between two dies using a big old lever and presses the threads onto the spoke like butter. It's also much easier to replace a spoke on the go if the tyre doesn't have to be removed. Great benefit for all you tubeless junkies. ;)

Also, these hubs are nice and all, but there's two things often overlooked with an inexpensive Shimano hub. Cup and cone bearings take much better lateral loads than cartridge bearings, and forged hub flanges are much less resistant to cracking than CNC machined hubs (again down to that "removing material" process involved with machining). For the most part it just doesn't matter anymore though, but I've seen a few boutique hubs fail just because they were trying too hard to be exotic.

[richardpowell]

Spokes such as DT Swiss, Sapim & Pillar do NOT have cut threads. They are rolled threads, formed from the body of the spoke. As a result of the forming process the threads are slightly larger in diameter than the body.

[RJ_Groot]

I love my i9 hydra engagement. Just be sure to stay on the cartridge bearing maintenance and check or change them regularly. With the precision and small tolerance of the pawl/drivering any bearing slop will transfer largely into the pawls. Mine started making a strange noise so I immediately tore it all apart and found the brake side bearing had some wear. New bearings and good to go again. Love the sound too.

[RayHarmon]

Built a custom set of wheels last winter with Christmas gifted I9 hydra hubs, couldn't be happier this season as it's my first local race series and the hubs have proved to help with the uphill. The noise coming down helps people know I'm behind them. I'm pretty sure helps keep wildlife away too. Thanks Doddy for the in depth look into I9 hubs.

[Danil-Crypto]

seriously? whoever does this, smeared it with grease to show how quietly the hub works, but in the end they turned on the music. I wanted to hear silence or at least something but not music.

[tituslevico]

In the Philippines, we have this term called "Tunog Mayaman" or "Sounding Rich" when the hubs sound extra loud and crisp.

[nomad-pqywiyv]

I run DT Swiss wheels with the ratchet drive system it reminds me of the difference of using a high-quality ratchet that has less degrees between engagement in tight places it can be the difference between not being able tighten or loosen a bolt.

[clallerstedt]

Those I 9’s are awesome. Been riding Chris Kings for several years they have served me well.

[zenscapeUKmedia]

Ace video - well explained. The idea of noisy hubs is worrying. Noise is lost energy. And metal on metal = wear. It really doesn't matter if its soft steel or HS steel if both pawl and ring are the same - as hard steel will cut hard steel as soft steel will cut soft steel. Nice hubs, but the metallurgy will dictate they will wear faster. Its just science if the springs are too heavy. How come no one uses drawn clutch roller (Sprag) bearings specifically for one way drive? Lighter, cheaper and instant - and zero noise!

[frankthetankricard]

High points of engagement was never that appealing to me since I'm not a climber. Pedal kickback is more of a nuisance than engagement. The only tech I really want in hubs is silent ones. I was so bummed when Shimano axed their development of lower tier silent hubs. The current options on a market cost as much as a decent used mtb.

[MrBenandbriar]

I recently switched from a conventional hub to the i9. If the original hub hadn’t failed, I would not have given it a thought, but I LOVE the difference it’s made. No delay between pedaling and the wheel turning means better control up techy climbs, slightly faster acceleration out of corners, and (I think) better shifting. Lots of freehub oil keeps the sound to “fun” level, not overwhelming at all.

[gepetto____]

I have a regular Shimano hub on my 2022 (budget) hardtail, indeed it hampers every now and then when I put power through the cranks. At first I didn't know what it was but now I know it's the pick up from the hub, so thanks for the info!

[bryanwagnerseniormtb]

Doddy great video! As always your information is spot on. If I could add something about the cheaper hubs. You touched on technical up hill climbs and sometimes hearing the cracking sound from the hubs. What happened with mine was after experiencing that the hub can actually jam. It can also take small chips out of the teeth of the pawls. My suggestion to anyone that has just bought a bike and spent a couple thousand dollars is to be aware of the limitations of the cheaper hubs and adjust your riding accordingly. It is also difficult to get parts for cheap hubs. In my case the bike manufacturer didn’t even know what hub was on my bike because they source hubs from several different suppliers and the all have the same part number but can be slightly different. I’m now rolling on I9 enduro S wheels with hydra hubs and they are amazing. I found that the almost instant engagement is only noticeable in situations where you want to put the power down quickly there’s just no lag. Also when you have to ratchet your pedals that .52 degrees is a game changer. I don’t notice any pedal kick back when descending rough sections of trail on my bike.

[wiljaq]

Great vid! In 2020 I purchased a Evil The Following. In 2021 I saved up for a set of Industry Nine 315 carbon wheels with Hydra Hubs that completely transformed the bike. If you’re just hammering down mountains these hubs aren’t needed, but on technical rolling, rocky, rooty, trails like I ride HYDRAS ROCK!

[zebulundocallas]

Between a pawl system and a ratchet system, I'll chose the ratchet one. Easier to service and I dont have to worry about losing engagement because it does not have pawl springs.

[neutron]

Spoke threads are rolled, not cut so there is no material removed, there is still a stress riser though.

[pintje]

I'd love to see a comparison between a (3/6/...)pawl-system and a ratchet system, ideally also compared with an Onyx-hub (silent hub with infinite engagement). from a technical/practical point of view with advantages/disadvantages on the different systems.

[AlexandarHullRichter]

Quality spokes don't have cut threads, they have rolled threads, where no material is removed. A double-butted spoke is also thinner in the middle than it is where the threads are.

[ThunderStruckMTB]

The grease made it produce music.... Cool.

[Gooliverr]

Ahkshully...if you can accelerate and decelerate quicker, your bike carries less momentum. Unless you meant that compared to the wheel weight (angular momentum) the bike itself has an increase of linear momentum, but still the overall momentum is smaller