Halo's new Mantadrive freehub offers almost instantaneous pickup.
Halo initially announced the Mantadrive last year, but the COREbike show this week was the first time we've seen it up-close.
It is being offered in an SS (singlespeed) version designed for dirt-jump bikes and BMX, although Halo says it is developing an option for road and gravel, too.
Near-instant engagement
Halo already had one of the toughest and fastest freehubs on the market with the Supadrive. That hub's combination of three pawls with 12 micro teeth on each pawl creates a fast engagement that Halo claims is more reliable and tougher than standard freehub designs.
Halo has upped the game with the new Mantadrive, though. The 750 Mantadrive uses five pawls on a 150-point engagement drive ring (5x150 = 750). The combination creates a near-instant 2.4-degree angle of engagement.
Halo tells us the new system differs from traditional freehubs in that the leaf-sprung 'pawls' have a different profile and feature seven machined 'teeth'. Halo claims those, in combination with the 150-tooth ring, make missed engagements a thing of the past.
That said, if you're not a fan of noisy freehubs, it'd be best to avoid the Mantadrive – its sound has been described as akin to a jet engine.
The engagement angle is one of the shortest we’ve seen on any hub system, only outdone by Industry Nine's Hydra 2 with its 870 points of engagement and Onyx's Vesper with its instant-engagement sprag clutch system.
According to Halo, the Mantadrive also has higher durability, especially in high-torque situations.
The toughness is further enhanced by using a tough Cro-mo axle and freehub.
Halo claims the almost-instant engagement is perfect for testing mountain bike applications and dirt jumpers thanks to the near-immediate reaction to pedal inputs that's ideal for navigating obstacles and quick accelerations.
The rear hub comes in Boost, 12x142mm and M10x135mm versions, making it compatible with plenty of older frame standards. More options are on the way, including 148/150/157mm widths. There will be mountain bike versions with Boost in XD and HG, and microspline.
Halo says it will also offer lightened road and gravel versions.
The Mantadrive hubset is priced at £299.99 for this limited-edition purple pair, and from £190 to £220 for the rear hub only, depending on specification.
