If you’ve managed to get past the pretty pictures, here’s some useful info on the Spank Hex hubs.
The freehub mechanism consists of a 102-tooth ratchet ring in the hub shell, and a freebody with 6 independently-sprung pawls.
Each pawl has 3 steps which lock into the ratchet ring, resulting in 18 points of engagement per click.
That’s solid.
The engagement rate is 3.5 degrees, which is more than enough for any rider – here’s how that compares to other brands and models (Approximate RRP for rear hub indicated as point of comparison):
- Spank Hex Drive: 3.5 degrees – $250
- Hope Pro4: 8 degrees – $250
- DT Swiss 350 (18t ratchet): 20 degrees – $250
- DT Swiss with 54t ratchet: 6.7 degrees – $350 (hub plus ratchet upgrade)
- Industry 9 Hydra: 0.52 degrees – $460 RRP
The hubs are available with xD driver, Shimano HG or Shimano Micro Spline freehub options.
Only BOOST hubs are currently available.
Ultimately, the Hex hubs look good and are well-spec’d for the price. There is currently limited availability, but I’ll soon be building this set into a set of Spank 359 rims – and I can’t wait.
