BikeRadar has received details of an all-new range of road and mountain bike hubs from Spanish firm Rotor, and there's plenty of interesting tech to set them aside from what is an already crowded marketplace.
The RVOLVER range of hubs, which will officially be launched at Eurobike 2017, uses a unique clutch system to minimise friction when coasting, in a design that uses fewer internal components than a regular pawl and ratchet hub.
Inside, the clutch system moves — or “floats” — a ratchet ring away from the hub’s radial and angular pawls when the rider stops pedalling, thus disengaging the drive in an inventive way to reduce friction, and thereby decreasing rolling resistance and increasing coasting momentum. It’s something that’s demonstrated rather nicely in the following video from Rotor.
Check out the Rotor Revolver hubs in action
The ratchet ring connects to the hub’s shell without threaded parts, saving weight over a more conventional design. Rotor has boldly claimed that this unusual design makes the RVOLVER hubs the "easiest hub to install and maintain without the need for special tools."
The hubs are machined from 7075 alloy at Rotor’s facility, just outside Madrid, and all use standard J-bend spokes in a paired configuration. The rear hubs are quickly distinguished by their red anodised cassette bodies and are available with a standard or 2:1 spoke lacing pattern.
RVOLVER rim brake road hubs
- Claimed weight: (20h) 89g (f) / 198g (r)
- Axle type: QR 9mm
- Spoke hole options: Front: 16h/20h / rear: 24h and 24h (2:1)
- Pricing: (f) €147 / (r) €328
RVOLVER disc brake road hubs
- Claimed weight: 119g (f) / 230g (r)
- Axle type: Front TH 12x100mm (conversion kit for 15x100mm included) / rear 12x142mm
- Freehub body type: Shimano 9/10/11-speed
- Spoke holes: 24h / 24h
- Pricing: (f) €155 / (r) €344
RVOLVER MTB hubs
- Claimed weight: 112g (f) / 238g (r)
- Axle types: 15x110mm Boost / 12x148mm Boost
- Spoke hole options: Front 28h/32h / rear: 28h and 32h
- Pricing: (f) €155 / (r) €344
