Hey guys, just wanted to pin some useful info from the comments: * You do not need to remove the cassette to pull the freehub body off, but it makes it a lot easier. If you have a cassette removal tool, go ahead and take it off anyways. * This upgrade will work with 2018+ Rapid Drive hubs. People have commented saying pre-2018 does not work. * You have to order these parts through a Trek dealer or someone that sells Trek bicycles. They are not available elsewhere. Thank you all for the support!
I made this upgrade on my new EX7 that I got about 3 weeks ago...awesome. The engagement difference coming from a basic XT hub is incredible. Really notice it on rocky uphill climbs. Zero play in the cranks, just immediate engagement. I was pleasantly surprised by the fairly quiet sound to of the hub. It is noticeable but not annoying.
I just did the same to mine and we don't think about it but that double engagement from 54 to 108 is way more than what I need to get the job done. Awesome and cheap
I had to replace the Shimano free hub driver with XD on mine to make the e*thirteen cassette work. I was told by Trek support and my LBS that this was the way to go once I had it all apart. Parts are in the mail and apparently a great cheap upgrade.
Hey Matthew king I want to upgrade my nx cassette to a gx or xo1 but do not know what xd body to get to replace my 8/9/10 shimano free hub for my 2020 fuel ex 7?
UPDATE: I received the pawls and springs from the local Trek dealer earlier this season for about $40 CAD. Luckily didn’t lose the springs during the process and everything went off without a hitch. A hugely underrated upgrade that really makes a difference in technical terrain. If you have this hub, it’s a no-brainer as the quick engagement is immediately apparent while pedalling. Plus it sounds like angry bees and alerts the peeps on their iPhones as you approach them. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Its a good thing to have a louder hub to alert anyone who may be on the trail to go take their tinder profile selfie somewhere else instead of the middle of the f***ing trail 😂😂😂🤦♂️
Amazing. Parts ordered. Arrived. Started the install to find my chain whip isnt 12 speed compatible. So the bike shop are working there magic in it. Will have the beast back soon to see what she is like. I love techy climbs, so a good cheap upgrade for me. Thanks
Thanks for watching Josh. Others have told me, and I've tried it out to confirm, you can actually do this mod without a chain whip! Just pull the cassette still attached to the freehub right off the hub. I still prefer taking the cassette off but in a pinch it will work. Happy wrenching!
You didn't have to use the tool to take off the cassette. I just pulled on the cassette and the whole free body came off, as advised by my friend who is a bike tech. Great video though, thanks!
@@alcaholic640 yes feels pretty good my bike shop installed them for free so that was nice. now I am looking to get lighter set of wheels for xc riding
Thanks for the vid! I just did this. The freehub body did not want to come off so easily and when it did one of the pawls went flying. Other than that pretty smooth install. Now I can be one of those annoying riders on the trail with a bike thats too loud :P
Are most Bontrager hubs like this? My 2018 Trek Stache has a Bontrager hub on my duroc wheels. Yours is also pretty loud, I like the way it sounds. Did you just remove the grease from the teeth in the hub? Thanks
To my knowledge, this is only applicable for this type of wheelset. The only way to know for sure is to pull it apart - there are a few types of hubs that Bontrager uses and it's hard to know what style of engagement they use since they don't always build their own equipment. There should be a very light coat of freehub specific grease in the hub, I believe ParkTool has a video detailing freehub maintenance.
I don't understand. How does adding 3 pawls increase the engagement from 54 teeth to 108 teeth? Adding the 3 pawls does not double the number of teeth in the hub (if it does, how??).
How can this actually improve engagement without changing the drive ring? All this can really do is add rolling resistance since they all still have 'hang time' groove to groove
I did some research, corrected my idea, and ended up getting the same upgrade for my Slash. Ha. The way the catches are spaced, only a single point grabs at a time.. so doubling the count actually doubles the chances of engagement.. And it sounds obnoxiously awesome
Unfortunately the Bontrager Rapid Drive hub that came on my 2017 Stache 9.8 is not upgradeable, the bike shop said you need to have a 2018 or newer Rapid Drive hub.
Ideally, yes. You should use a lighter grease such as phil wood honey or DT swiss inner hub grease as opposed to regular thick green bearing grease. Hub internals benefit from less friction but also require maintenance more frequently than other sealed hub bearings. You will notice a difference in sound from what weight grease you put in. Do not put in thicker greases like automotive wheel bearing grease as they are too sticky and can cause the pawls not to return, making the freehub not engage properly.
At first glance this is what you'd think but there's a subtle difference in activation. The second set of pawls is slightly offset to provide a different activation angle compared to the first, therefore reducing the degree of engagement while keeping the points of engagement the same. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the vid. It's worth noting a couple things here. First, Bontragers do NOT come with XD Drivers (thanks, Trek); therefore, Ad Ark had already converted the free hub body prior to this vid. If you are, like me, trying to find guidance on how to remove the Shimano compatible free hub body (in my case on the Rapid Drive 108 free hub), it comes off the same way as we see in this video. This isn't obvious as hubs come apart in many different ways, and I take apart hubs about once every almost never. I got the end cap off with a pliers (cloth underneath to avoid scratching), then the free hub body slid off, as in the video. If you're wondering why I'm watching this video, as my hub already has all the pawls, it's due to the dearth of advice on how to switch the Bontys to an XD. One doesn't want to make a mistake on a pricey wheel. Also, you have to move ALL the pawls and springs from the Shimano compatible free hub to the XD--not rocket science, but again, novice home mechanics don't want to F it up.
Hey Buz, thanks for the comment. My bike came with SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain as the 2018 model and was already equipped with XD driver. Those with Shimano 11 speed and below drivetrains or the new SRAM NX or SX 12 speed eagle drivetrains will come with the 'standard' Shimano freehub body. The 2019 Remedy 7 and 9.7 both come with NX drivetrain and will thus have the Shimano freehub. If you're buying this wheelset as-is, you'll have to get the XD driver and swap parts as you mentioned. Not too complicated, just a few extra steps. For your swap, as you mentioned already, you just need to remove the endcap, remove the freehub body, swap all springs and pawls to the new freehub body, install extra springs and pawls if wanted, grease the freehub body, then reinstall. Glad I could help, I know other brands have really hard to service stuff. Roval/Specialized equipment was like pulling teeth when I swapped freehubs.
Bontrager/Trek is a large enough brand that they likely manufacture this stuff in house to save money. If you want this wheelset specifically, you'll have to buy it from a Trek dealer as they don't sell standalone like Shimano or 3rd party manufacturers. That being said, their prices are very competitive.
Definitely louder. You can briefly hear the 54 at the beginning of the video when I'm removing the wheel. The noise is different though, at speed it's more of a drone (sounds similar to I9 or Chris King) rather than distinct ratcheting. Unfortunately there's not much you can do to change the type of noise besides swapping hubs entirely!
I just ordered a 2018 Trek Fuel Ex7 which says it comes equipped with “Bontrager Line Comp 30” wheels? So that rear hub will definitely have the three open pawl slots? If so I will order the extra pawls/ Springs. Tell me what you think and thanks for the great video!
Only way to be sure is to open it up. From what I could tell on Bontrager's website, they use the same SRAM XD driver on all their high end MTB wheels with Rapid Drive (likely to save cost) so it should have the same as the one I did.
Nice job. too bad it couldn't be demonstrated before and after on a climb. I think i have a 6 pawl horizon with 42 points. I think my stock wheel is 32? Like it. Very good demo of the internals. thank you. I think the body requires some care pulling it off, some hubs have loose bits that cane come off and can be lost track of.
@@adventurearkansas9926 i am currently looking for a plastic pulley that goes on my false axle from park tool, that i use to clean the back end and mech with the wheel off. Any ideas on what i might have handy that would fit on an axle, that is plastic, that i could slip on there to hold the chain? Grrrrr. i also hate black parts as they are real hard to find.
@@alutious Old jockey wheel is the first thing that came to mind. Or rig two plastic bottle caps (think gatorade sized) open ends out and the chain should stay in the center. You'll need to drill them in the center or use a knife or something. If it's a thru axle a piece of garden hose is something i've seen before as well - probably the most durable and easiest option.
@@adventurearkansas9926 Interesting. For a thru axle the park tool says to not use the tool, it says to pull the pulley off and just put that on the axle, and put the axle back in without the wheel. This is how i lost it lol. So I don't think i would trust a bottle cap on my axle. However, i might be able to use the rest of the tool, not sure. I think the mini axle is for a skewer. One of the benefits of the pulley and the park tool thingy is you can still shift and it slides along in the back. I have a broken derailleur with some spare jockey wheels. How you would rig those up? The center of the pulley is too small for an axle. Got me thinking. I could drill them out and then smooth them by wet sanding or steel wool.
@@alutious If the pulley would work on the tool that's what i would recommend. A lot of times you can just press the bearings out if they're off a high end derailleur. I'm not super familiar with that type of tool, anytime i'm doing work on the chain or derailleur i'll have the wheel on the bike.
Hi, how do you like these Line comp wheels? How do they hold up and how often do you service the freehub? I have continuing issues with my rear hub on my Trek Xcaliber 9 and I'm seriously thinking of changing to a Line Comp 30 and go straight for 108 upgrade, as these seem to be well reviewed. Regards
Hey Mathias, I had the stock ones on my Remedy for about a year before upgrading - I actually took the rear hub to the new wheelset!! The line comp 30 was a great wheelset and took a lot of abuse. It still holds a tubeless seal even with all the dents and scrapes I put on them. For an X-cal they're a bit heavy but definitely bulletproof. Unless you huck to flat huge drops all the time, you'll run out of suspension before you damage the wheels. I relaced the rear hub from my Line Comp 30 onto a set of carbon Roval (specialized) hoops and they've been rock solid. If you use the recommended weight oil in the hub you'll have to change it once a year or so but it's not a hard task. Cheers
Hi My ask is only do you like the line 30 comp hubs? Maybe i buy this wheelset from a 2019 trek remedy just a little bit I'm afraid it's good in the long run? I hope you write a short review from the hubs. Service or time to run etc. Cheers, Mate
Hi Imre! I've been very pleased with the quality of the hubs. They're not as loud or fancy as an Industry 9 or Hope set, but they also cost a fraction of the price. If you're looking to buy a set of wheels to use and replace the rims when necessary, the Line series is a very good wheelset to do so. I've been running the rear hub on my carbon rims for half a year and have had zero issues. I would definitely consider buying a takeoff or lightly used wheelset just to have the hubs to reuse.
What lubricant did you use? I heard bontrager uses and recommends their own blend of lub. But I don’t know what it’s called. Or if they have a part number.
I use Phil Wood tenacious oil but any high-weight oil will do the trick. Gear oil for car transmissions is the optimal consistency to aim for. Too thin and it deteriorates quickly, too thick and the pawls stick. You can also use lithium grease for a more robust waterproofing but oils are more suited to the job.
So long as they have the Rapid Drive hubs, then yes. You're just looking for the 6 slots with 3 already filled on the inside of the freehub body. The only way to find out is to take the freehub off.
hey i've made this upgrade on my wheelset but now the inner freehub bearing and the outer wheel bearing are too close together and cause a lot of friction when freewheeling. Can you advise what might have been done wrong here? I've not managed to loose the bearing seal and there were no washers or spacers to lose either. thanks for the video, can you help?
Double check that you have the spacer that goes in between the freewheel and the frame, I forgot that the first time I put my wheel on. Adding more pawls increases freehub friction, but you should still be able to spin the wheel freely. Check to see if the freewheel bearing is flush with the body, and likewise with the hub bearing. If all else fails, take it in to your favorite shop and have them look at it! Cheers
The one I rode seemed like it was relatively high engagement already... Is that just me being a pleb or is the stock hub already decent? Or maybe the one I rode had the upgrade done...
The stock hub is no slouch at 6 degree engagement. I don't notice going from my bike to another high end bike with a 6* but when I get on my hardtail with a 10*, the difference is actually noticeable. 3* to 10* is more than 3x the engagement distance so it's very clunky to me. Normal non performance hubs are around 20 degrees engagement for reference.
The engagement is not the problem with these wheels. The rear hub is junk. The pawl ring come loose, making the hub useless. There is no fixing it. I am 140 lbs and my pawl ring spins im the hub body. What would a bigger, more powerful rider do to these hubs? Doubt it would last a season.
How would you rate the durability of the Bontrager Line Comp wheels? Thinking about getting one to replace my front wheel as the price on their site is $150 for the 40mm width. Do you know how they compare to WTB ST/Scrapers?
The stock 30mm ones that came on my Remedy didn't last long - but I'm also rough on my equipment. I rode the rear out on a flat multiple times and even managed to get a pretty good dent in the front even with 160mm travel. But, even though the rim edge bent, it still held a tubeless tire with no leaks and didn't go out of round due to the thick profile. The wider the rim generally the easier it is to make them oblong on a hard impact so just be wary of that. I've had a few Stan's rims do that since they have a thin profile. For the front wheel, I'd say it's a good deal. They hubs have been great but a bit heavy.
There are two ways to change your engagement angle in a simple ratchet system: More teeth around the hub ring (this is what you're talking about) and having another set of offset pawls. When I am installing new pawls, I'm installing them into drillings that are offset from the other ones such that they engage when the others are on the ramp of the next tooth. While you *can* increase engagement angle via having finer teeth on the ring, the strength of the teeth go down when there are more and also the manufacturing cost of making a precision part goes way up. This style that Bontrager uses sacrifices a little bit of hub friction (vs a 3 pawl with increased outer ring teeth) for the increased durability of the larger teeth on their design.
Anyone know if this can be done on 27.5 plus Sunringle Duroc wheels that come on the Ex 8? I don’t think they have the XD Driver but can’t find what driver it has.
The EX 8 does have an XD Driver (it has a SRAM Eagle cassette), but I don't think that this upgrade is possible seeing as it's not marketed as a Rapid Drive hub. It's still worth a try, but I believe they use a hub shell with less points of engagement. If you do happen to check, please reply and let me know as I am curious as well!
Total MSRP of the parts was about $25. After shipping and tax it came out to be $42. The shipping was fairly high and I'm not sure why I got charged shipping for a shop stock... but yes, the total was $42.
@@adventurearkansas9926 damn seeing as how those parts should all be shipped with 1 stamp quite the markup.. nonetheless thanks for sharing will be doing this upgrade shortly when i can locate the parts. trek said they are out of stock till december
Hi, I'm considering a new take off wheelset from 2018 EX7. I'm assuming it would be upgradable to 6 pawls. Does anyone know if the Bontrager and Line 30 Comp are removable stickers? Looking for a more stealthy look, so if they are stickers that would be preferable. Thanks.
Yes they are stickers. A vast majority of wheelsets will use stickers for graphics. The only wheelset I've owned that had painted graphics was a set of H+SON Archetypes on a track bike a long time ago.
That's a new one! The steel drive rings are often interference pressed into the hub or spline fit tolerance pressed into the hub. Either way, if the drive ring is loose and able to spin - the hub is toast. Can you post a picture to imgur and paste the link? Or upload a short vid to youtube - I'm curious to see what is happening.
You do not need to add grease but I typically clean and regrease every year or so. Phil's Tenacious Oil is the weapon of choice here, or any hub or bearing grease.
I would suggest finding your local Bontrager/Trek service shop and ordering it through them. If you live in the UK, Triton cycles has the Rapid Drive 108 freehub pawls and springs for 9 and 7 pounds respectively on their website, so a bit less than ordering it through Trek. www.tritoncycles.co.uk/components-c9/hub-spares-skewers-c122/rapid-drive-108-freehub-pawls-p19294 www.tritoncycles.co.uk/components-c9/hub-spares-skewers-c122/rapid-drive-108-freehub-pawl-springs-p19295
Do you know what freehub the wheelset has? The SRAM NX (and SX) line uses a different spline pattern than the rest of their 12 speed cassettes. All sram GX and above use an XD driver, everything else uses the shimano standard spline. If you have an XD freehub on your wheelset and a GX or above cassette, they will work. Only reason I harp on the details is that SRAM NX uses the shimano standard for extreme cost savings and people always try to swap them over to XD driver wheelsets.
Adventure Arkansas thank for the detailed reply! The wheel I’ve seen has the 148 shimano freehub and my bike has the Sram NX 12 speed. So I’m guessing my bike has the 148 shimano freehub on my bike as well then? It just confuses the hell out of me when the description of the wheels say “148 shimano 10/11 speed”
@@redbul3335 Yup it has what's referred to as the hyperglide freehub. Shimano has kept (basically) the same spline pattern for freehubs since ditching the threaded freewheel. Shimano 12 spd is on a different spline pattern called Microspline. Let's break it down: 148 = 148mm over locknut distance (OLD) this is the hub spacing on the wheels. This size is known as boost spacing. Regular thru axle is 142x10 and quick release is 135x9. If you try to put a 148 in a 142 frame, it won't fit (too big). Likewise a 142 wheel will be too small to fit in a 148 frame. Shimano 10/11 speed simply means that is has the hyperglide spline pattern. 6-11 speed cassettes will fit on a hyperglide freehub, sometimes they use a small spacer to account for freehub width changes over the years. Like my previous comment said, most SRAM 12 speed will use the XD driver. And now that Shimano has 12 speed, they use the Microspline freehub for their stuff. I've been out of technical work for awhile, so I'm not sure if ALL shimano 12 speed uses microspline or if it's just high end stuff like sram. If you're looking to buy a wheel to transfer your cassette onto, buy one with a shimano freehub. If you're wanting to upgrade to a GX cassette (saves a LOT of weight!) you can buy a wheel with an XD driver and get a GX cassette as well. All sram 12 speed groupsets work interchangeably which is one of the reasons I've been recommending their stuff since Eagle came out. Cheers
No, the Roscoe 8 uses Formula branded hubs, not the Trek branded ones on the Remedy. There might be a similar hack but this particular one will not work.
hokiedokie I think it's a pretty good wheelset, a little heavy but they're nice and wide. Reasonably strong but I have been able to dent them in multiple places. That's something to be expected of all alloy rims though.
This was not an Upgrade from an 54 teeth to an 108 teeth hub. This was video shows only how to build in 6 pawls instead of 3 at a free hub driver. The 54 tooth are fix in the hub. So there is a little bit louder but no difference in the fuction as the distance between the teeth is not changed.
Michael, see my previous comments for more explanation. The pawl drillings are offset and the second set engage at a different time, making the points of engagement higher. I did not mention anything about the steel drive ring other than how it engages with the pawls.
Hi! These parts aren't available to order online in the US. You'll need to buy them directly from a Trek dealer or a bike shop that sells Trek products.
Should be - 2018, 2019, and 2020 all have the same wheelset on the 8 - although I will say at 4,000 USD the 2020 Remedy 8 is not the bargain it used to be. The 2018 was 3,300 and had identical specs.
All about price points, it most certainly is about marketing - but not in the way you're talking about. Luckily there is a world of people who notice these things so that I can make a video about it!
Timmy Rickert nowadays every new car has a drive by wire throttle and abs system. Everything you need for cruise control, you just need a button and software. Not all cars come standard with cruise control. Why? Just like you said, to make it sound like an upgrade.
Yes, I just did it to mine 2 days ago. Well worth the $30 investment, it feels more "crisp" and responds instantly. The only drawback that Ive noticed is a very subtle increase in wheel drag while coasting however it doesnt seem to affect the pedaling. I removed the grease and used a couple drops of dry lube instead of grease to keep the paws from getting gummed up and sticking. Also produces a nice noticably louder sound with dry lube vs grease 👌
@@single-trackdiaries4071 @wheel drag... My LBS pushed this upgrade on me for my new Stache 7. I never got to experience the hub without the upgrade. I seem to have a considerable amount of wheel drag. Someone else saw my wheel barely spin and come to a stop on my car rack and commented on it thinking the brake was rubbing. I took the bike back in and they said it was the rotor dragging and they corrected it, however it still spins with significant resistance relative to the other trek bikes on their showroom floor. Is this something I should pursue with the shop to get it corrected? I really didn't want the upgrade in the first place. Seriously how much is that slight engagement increase benefiting when riding sluggish 3" tires anyway?
@@TheClassicGamefan honestly its a matter of how much you see yourself wanting the quick engagement vs wanting less wheel drag. The upgrade is good for a responsive pedal for things like climbing, but if you ride more flat ground or downhill it may be better to have the hub converted back to 54t. I think this is just the trade off we all face in terms of this hub upgrade. The wheel drag comes from the added resistance, so the stock hub has 3 pawls vs the upgrade that has the 6 pawls. The extra pawls can always be removed for less resistance at the cost of having more "play" in your pedal before the hub engages. Id say have them removed but keep them to see which you prefer after spending time riding both set ups.
@@single-trackdiaries4071 Thanks a lot for the reply. You summarized what I've been discovering... yes I think I ride a good bit of flat and around town so the resistance seems noticeable. (I ride through town to get to 'n from the local trails) I think I will go back to 54T for the time being. Also going to 2.8" from 3" tires which should also reduce the bike's sluggishness around town.
@@TheClassicGamefan For sure, definetly not a bad idea to try the 2.8 tires first to see if that improves it before you convert back. Also, you could try a different lubrication in the hub, if they packed it with a thick grease vs lubricating oil and the amount used may be something to look into because that can also affect how well the hub rolls so maybe try running a lighter grease or a non-wax type chain lubrication to produce as little friction as possible without having to use sticky greases. I also thought it was my brakes rubbing at first but after thoroughly checking and then rechecking my brakes I have no doubt in my mind that the hub is causing the resistance. After a little research, it seems that the wheel drag is pretty common and there are a few things to try first before converting back or ultimately getting a higher spec hub.
Hey guys, just wanted to pin some useful info from the comments:
* You do not need to remove the cassette to pull the freehub body off, but it makes it a lot easier. If you have a cassette removal tool, go ahead and take it off anyways.
* This upgrade will work with 2018+ Rapid Drive hubs. People have commented saying pre-2018 does not work.
* You have to order these parts through a Trek dealer or someone that sells Trek bicycles. They are not available elsewhere.
Thank you all for the support!
What size socket is in your cassette removal tool pls? I've a 2017 remedy with line comp hubs and wanna try this upgrade an change my cassette myself.
Peddlin Paul I used Park FR-5 tool to get mine off.
I made this upgrade on my new EX7 that I got about 3 weeks ago...awesome. The engagement difference coming from a basic XT hub is incredible. Really notice it on rocky uphill climbs. Zero play in the cranks, just immediate engagement. I was pleasantly surprised by the fairly quiet sound to of the hub. It is noticeable but not annoying.
what year is your ex7...coz i got 2019 just wondering is this upgrade is available for my bike..thanks..
I just did the same to mine and we don't think about it but that double engagement from 54 to 108 is way more than what I need to get the job done. Awesome and cheap
Glad you liked the video!
I had to replace the Shimano free hub driver with XD on mine to make the e*thirteen cassette work. I was told by Trek support and my LBS that this was the way to go once I had it all apart. Parts are in the mail and apparently a great cheap upgrade.
Hey Matthew king I want to upgrade my nx cassette to a gx or xo1 but do not know what xd body to get to replace my 8/9/10 shimano free hub for my 2020 fuel ex 7?
UPDATE: I received the pawls and springs from the local Trek dealer earlier this season for about $40 CAD. Luckily didn’t lose the springs during the process and everything went off without a hitch. A hugely underrated upgrade that really makes a difference in technical terrain. If you have this hub, it’s a no-brainer as the quick engagement is immediately apparent while pedalling. Plus it sounds like angry bees and alerts the peeps on their iPhones as you approach them. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
why do they have 6 spots but not fill them at factory. Seems like a very cheap no brainer. It saves that much on cost???? Curious.
Its a good thing to have a louder hub to alert anyone who may be on the trail to go take their tinder profile selfie somewhere else instead of the middle of the f***ing trail 😂😂😂🤦♂️
@@single-trackdiaries4071 hey, they say 29er's roll over anything that gets in its way...
@@alutious Late answer, but reason is so Trek can make an exta $30 from owners for just $2 bucks worth of parts.
Amazing. Parts ordered. Arrived. Started the install to find my chain whip isnt 12 speed compatible. So the bike shop are working there magic in it. Will have the beast back soon to see what she is like. I love techy climbs, so a good cheap upgrade for me. Thanks
Thanks for watching Josh. Others have told me, and I've tried it out to confirm, you can actually do this mod without a chain whip! Just pull the cassette still attached to the freehub right off the hub. I still prefer taking the cassette off but in a pinch it will work. Happy wrenching!
I did this upgrade last week and I highly recommend it. It's a shame the hubs don't come with 6 pawls stocks, but nonetheless a must upgrade imo
Getting mine on Thursday is it worth it
You didn't have to use the tool to take off the cassette. I just pulled on the cassette and the whole free body came off, as advised by my friend who is a bike tech. Great video though, thanks!
Exactly, you can just pull the cassette with with driver body altogether. Be careful, not to loose pawls or springs, though.
I just ordered the parts from lbs. Cant wait to ride it on my new trek fuel ex 8
Did u upgrade and is the engagement better
@@alcaholic640 yes feels pretty good my bike shop installed them for free so that was nice. now I am looking to get lighter set of wheels for xc riding
Thanks for the vid! I just did this. The freehub body did not want to come off so easily and when it did one of the pawls went flying. Other than that pretty smooth install. Now I can be one of those annoying riders on the trail with a bike thats too loud :P
Use dumonde freehub grease for quiet hubs. Dumonde freehub oil for a horde of bees
Ty so much my hub on my ex 8 18 blew in 5 days!
Did this today sounds great and is so much better for riding
Nice upgrade!
dude thank you for the part numbers! im doing the same to my wheels
Do you happen to still have these part numbers?
Very good Video
Thanks for watching!
Are most Bontrager hubs like this? My 2018 Trek Stache has a Bontrager hub on my duroc wheels. Yours is also pretty loud, I like the way it sounds. Did you just remove the grease from the teeth in the hub? Thanks
To my knowledge, this is only applicable for this type of wheelset. The only way to know for sure is to pull it apart - there are a few types of hubs that Bontrager uses and it's hard to know what style of engagement they use since they don't always build their own equipment. There should be a very light coat of freehub specific grease in the hub, I believe ParkTool has a video detailing freehub maintenance.
I don't understand. How does adding 3 pawls increase the engagement from 54 teeth to 108 teeth? Adding the 3 pawls does not double the number of teeth in the hub (if it does, how??).
How can this actually improve engagement without changing the drive ring? All this can really do is add rolling resistance since they all still have 'hang time' groove to groove
I did some research, corrected my idea, and ended up getting the same upgrade for my Slash. Ha.
The way the catches are spaced, only a single point grabs at a time.. so doubling the count actually doubles the chances of engagement..
And it sounds obnoxiously awesome
@@antaltieri7154 also wear out twice as fast depends whats more important wear or on instant throttle
@@kilner79 gotta go fast
Unfortunately the Bontrager Rapid Drive hub that came on my 2017 Stache 9.8 is not upgradeable, the bike shop said you need to have a 2018 or newer Rapid Drive hub.
Good to know!
So it means that with these 3 pawls you can get extra 54 points of engagement; the free hub always works engaging alway 3 pawls at a time?
Hey thanks so much for this video! My question is should I pack the hub with grease before putting everything back together?
Ideally, yes. You should use a lighter grease such as phil wood honey or DT swiss inner hub grease as opposed to regular thick green bearing grease. Hub internals benefit from less friction but also require maintenance more frequently than other sealed hub bearings. You will notice a difference in sound from what weight grease you put in. Do not put in thicker greases like automotive wheel bearing grease as they are too sticky and can cause the pawls not to return, making the freehub not engage properly.
@@adventurearkansas9926 Thank you!
This is very late but as far as i know, only the points of engagement will be doubled and the degree of engagement will stay as is
At first glance this is what you'd think but there's a subtle difference in activation. The second set of pawls is slightly offset to provide a different activation angle compared to the first, therefore reducing the degree of engagement while keeping the points of engagement the same. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the vid. It's worth noting a couple things here. First, Bontragers do NOT come with XD Drivers (thanks, Trek); therefore, Ad Ark had already converted the free hub body prior to this vid. If you are, like me, trying to find guidance on how to remove the Shimano compatible free hub body (in my case on the Rapid Drive 108 free hub), it comes off the same way as we see in this video. This isn't obvious as hubs come apart in many different ways, and I take apart hubs about once every almost never. I got the end cap off with a pliers (cloth underneath to avoid scratching), then the free hub body slid off, as in the video. If you're wondering why I'm watching this video, as my hub already has all the pawls, it's due to the dearth of advice on how to switch the Bontys to an XD. One doesn't want to make a mistake on a pricey wheel. Also, you have to move ALL the pawls and springs from the Shimano compatible free hub to the XD--not rocket science, but again, novice home mechanics don't want to F it up.
Hey Buz, thanks for the comment. My bike came with SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain as the 2018 model and was already equipped with XD driver. Those with Shimano 11 speed and below drivetrains or the new SRAM NX or SX 12 speed eagle drivetrains will come with the 'standard' Shimano freehub body. The 2019 Remedy 7 and 9.7 both come with NX drivetrain and will thus have the Shimano freehub. If you're buying this wheelset as-is, you'll have to get the XD driver and swap parts as you mentioned. Not too complicated, just a few extra steps. For your swap, as you mentioned already, you just need to remove the endcap, remove the freehub body, swap all springs and pawls to the new freehub body, install extra springs and pawls if wanted, grease the freehub body, then reinstall. Glad I could help, I know other brands have really hard to service stuff. Roval/Specialized equipment was like pulling teeth when I swapped freehubs.
Nice upgrade and looks pretty easy!
Aby idea whi makes these for Bontrager? Planning on getting one of these wheelsets.
Bontrager/Trek is a large enough brand that they likely manufacture this stuff in house to save money. If you want this wheelset specifically, you'll have to buy it from a Trek dealer as they don't sell standalone like Shimano or 3rd party manufacturers. That being said, their prices are very competitive.
nice vid. Is the 108 louder or quieter than the 54? I have the same bike and I don't like the sound of the 54. Thanks!
Definitely louder. You can briefly hear the 54 at the beginning of the video when I'm removing the wheel. The noise is different though, at speed it's more of a drone (sounds similar to I9 or Chris King) rather than distinct ratcheting. Unfortunately there's not much you can do to change the type of noise besides swapping hubs entirely!
I just ordered a 2018 Trek Fuel Ex7 which says it comes equipped with “Bontrager Line Comp 30” wheels? So that rear hub will definitely have the three open pawl slots? If so I will order the extra pawls/ Springs. Tell me what you think and thanks for the great video!
Only way to be sure is to open it up. From what I could tell on Bontrager's website, they use the same SRAM XD driver on all their high end MTB wheels with Rapid Drive (likely to save cost) so it should have the same as the one I did.
Adventure Arkansas just found this link which answers the question. Sweet. ruclips.net/video/Sj6FEDOnLCg/видео.html
Nice find man! This applies to more wheelsets than I thought!
Thats the problem here in Denmark, There are no shop or online shop where you can purchase small upgtade parts. 😥
Same here in US unfortunately... Gotta order them from a Trek store or bike shop that sells Trek.
Nice job. too bad it couldn't be demonstrated before and after on a climb. I think i have a 6 pawl horizon with 42 points. I think my stock wheel is 32? Like it. Very good demo of the internals. thank you. I think the body requires some care pulling it off, some hubs have loose bits that cane come off and can be lost track of.
I've lost a few of those springs in my day :)
@@adventurearkansas9926 i am currently looking for a plastic pulley that goes on my false axle from park tool, that i use to clean the back end and mech with the wheel off. Any ideas on what i might have handy that would fit on an axle, that is plastic, that i could slip on there to hold the chain? Grrrrr. i also hate black parts as they are real hard to find.
@@alutious Old jockey wheel is the first thing that came to mind. Or rig two plastic bottle caps (think gatorade sized) open ends out and the chain should stay in the center. You'll need to drill them in the center or use a knife or something. If it's a thru axle a piece of garden hose is something i've seen before as well - probably the most durable and easiest option.
@@adventurearkansas9926 Interesting. For a thru axle the park tool says to not use the tool, it says to pull the pulley off and just put that on the axle, and put the axle back in without the wheel. This is how i lost it lol. So I don't think i would trust a bottle cap on my axle. However, i might be able to use the rest of the tool, not sure. I think the mini axle is for a skewer. One of the benefits of the pulley and the park tool thingy is you can still shift and it slides along in the back. I have a broken derailleur with some spare jockey wheels. How you would rig those up? The center of the pulley is too small for an axle. Got me thinking. I could drill them out and then smooth them by wet sanding or steel wool.
@@alutious If the pulley would work on the tool that's what i would recommend. A lot of times you can just press the bearings out if they're off a high end derailleur. I'm not super familiar with that type of tool, anytime i'm doing work on the chain or derailleur i'll have the wheel on the bike.
Hi, how do you like these Line comp wheels? How do they hold up and how often do you service the freehub?
I have continuing issues with my rear hub on my Trek Xcaliber 9 and I'm seriously thinking of changing to a Line Comp 30 and go straight for 108 upgrade, as these seem to be well reviewed.
Regards
Hey Mathias, I had the stock ones on my Remedy for about a year before upgrading - I actually took the rear hub to the new wheelset!! The line comp 30 was a great wheelset and took a lot of abuse. It still holds a tubeless seal even with all the dents and scrapes I put on them. For an X-cal they're a bit heavy but definitely bulletproof. Unless you huck to flat huge drops all the time, you'll run out of suspension before you damage the wheels. I relaced the rear hub from my Line Comp 30 onto a set of carbon Roval (specialized) hoops and they've been rock solid. If you use the recommended weight oil in the hub you'll have to change it once a year or so but it's not a hard task. Cheers
Nice! You finally did it!
Hi
My ask is only do you like the line 30 comp hubs?
Maybe i buy this wheelset from a 2019 trek remedy just a little bit I'm afraid it's good in the long run?
I hope you write a short review from the hubs.
Service or time to run etc.
Cheers, Mate
Hi Imre! I've been very pleased with the quality of the hubs. They're not as loud or fancy as an Industry 9 or Hope set, but they also cost a fraction of the price. If you're looking to buy a set of wheels to use and replace the rims when necessary, the Line series is a very good wheelset to do so. I've been running the rear hub on my carbon rims for half a year and have had zero issues. I would definitely consider buying a takeoff or lightly used wheelset just to have the hubs to reuse.
What lubricant did you use? I heard bontrager uses and recommends their own blend of lub. But I don’t know what it’s called. Or if they have a part number.
I use Phil Wood tenacious oil but any high-weight oil will do the trick. Gear oil for car transmissions is the optimal consistency to aim for. Too thin and it deteriorates quickly, too thick and the pawls stick. You can also use lithium grease for a more robust waterproofing but oils are more suited to the job.
Thanks for the video. Waiting on parts for this conversion.
What cassette are you running in this video??
Glad to hear! I'm using the stock SRAM XG-1275 GX Eagle 10-50 cassette.
On my trek marlin 5 i have connection 29 wheels with a dc-22 on it very not noisy like i want can i put those line comp 30 29 inches on my treck ?
Great video. You know if the parts will work on a Bontrager line 40 rim? Thanks
So long as they have the Rapid Drive hubs, then yes. You're just looking for the 6 slots with 3 already filled on the inside of the freehub body. The only way to find out is to take the freehub off.
Were you able to do this modification? Just got my trek and curious
Desert_Rat_ MTB I can’t find the parts online
@@boeysantos Unfortunately, the parts aren't available online. Trek stores and stores that sell Trek bikes can get them for you.
is it working for Bontrager line comp 40 as well?
hey i've made this upgrade on my wheelset but now the inner freehub bearing and the outer wheel bearing are too close together and cause a lot of friction when freewheeling.
Can you advise what might have been done wrong here?
I've not managed to loose the bearing seal and there were no washers or spacers to lose either.
thanks for the video,
can you help?
Double check that you have the spacer that goes in between the freewheel and the frame, I forgot that the first time I put my wheel on. Adding more pawls increases freehub friction, but you should still be able to spin the wheel freely. Check to see if the freewheel bearing is flush with the body, and likewise with the hub bearing. If all else fails, take it in to your favorite shop and have them look at it! Cheers
@@adventurearkansas9926 hey thanks, i think the rubber seal was the wrong way up in the end
The one I rode seemed like it was relatively high engagement already... Is that just me being a pleb or is the stock hub already decent? Or maybe the one I rode had the upgrade done...
The stock hub is no slouch at 6 degree engagement. I don't notice going from my bike to another high end bike with a 6* but when I get on my hardtail with a 10*, the difference is actually noticeable. 3* to 10* is more than 3x the engagement distance so it's very clunky to me. Normal non performance hubs are around 20 degrees engagement for reference.
Best upgrade!!!!!!!
Can we use the pawls and spring from this XD freehub on Shimano freehub?
I haven't tried this personally, but it should work the same. Take the freehub off and see it has 6 holes.
What does this actually do? I already have the 108t
The engagement is not the problem with these wheels. The rear hub is junk. The pawl ring come loose, making the hub useless. There is no fixing it. I am 140 lbs and my pawl ring spins im the hub body. What would a bigger, more powerful rider do to these hubs? Doubt it would last a season.
No additonal grease?
How would you rate the durability of the Bontrager Line Comp wheels? Thinking about getting one to replace my front wheel as the price on their site is $150 for the 40mm width. Do you know how they compare to WTB ST/Scrapers?
The stock 30mm ones that came on my Remedy didn't last long - but I'm also rough on my equipment. I rode the rear out on a flat multiple times and even managed to get a pretty good dent in the front even with 160mm travel. But, even though the rim edge bent, it still held a tubeless tire with no leaks and didn't go out of round due to the thick profile. The wider the rim generally the easier it is to make them oblong on a hard impact so just be wary of that. I've had a few Stan's rims do that since they have a thin profile. For the front wheel, I'd say it's a good deal. They hubs have been great but a bit heavy.
@@adventurearkansas9926 Have you tested out/compared it to WTB ST/Scrapers?
@@mellissanash7517 I have not rider either wheelset so cannot compare
it does not change the engagement angle. this is determined by the tooth size around the pawl
There are two ways to change your engagement angle in a simple ratchet system: More teeth around the hub ring (this is what you're talking about) and having another set of offset pawls. When I am installing new pawls, I'm installing them into drillings that are offset from the other ones such that they engage when the others are on the ramp of the next tooth. While you *can* increase engagement angle via having finer teeth on the ring, the strength of the teeth go down when there are more and also the manufacturing cost of making a precision part goes way up. This style that Bontrager uses sacrifices a little bit of hub friction (vs a 3 pawl with increased outer ring teeth) for the increased durability of the larger teeth on their design.
Many thanks 🙏
Hi, no need to grease new pawls?
You don’t need the cassette tool. Just grab the cassette and pull the whole thing off. Cassette and freehub body all at one.
Anyone know if this can be done on 27.5 plus Sunringle Duroc wheels that come on the Ex 8? I don’t think they have the XD Driver but can’t find what driver it has.
The EX 8 does have an XD Driver (it has a SRAM Eagle cassette), but I don't think that this upgrade is possible seeing as it's not marketed as a Rapid Drive hub. It's still worth a try, but I believe they use a hub shell with less points of engagement. If you do happen to check, please reply and let me know as I am curious as well!
Oh come on, if it is only about the sound then would'nt it just suffice to move one of the pawls to any of the other locations? ;D
Whre i can find this thungs? We dont have in indonesia
Any idea if a similar upgrade can be made to a 2019 Roscoe 8? I would love a cheaper than buying a hope hub upgrade.
Only way to check is to tear the hub apart. The hubs on my bike were bontrager branded 'rapid drive' hubs.
Adventure Arkansas well fine then. 😂😂 Good video dude.
I have a 2019 roscoe 8 with line 40 wheelset will this upgrade work on those as well?
I've seen where it is possible but different paws are used for shimano freehub body, there not compatible with rapid drive hub.
Super helpful video. Thanks for taking the time to produce this.
No problem, thanks for watching!
Any idea if this upgrade is capable on the Bontrager Paradigm TLR?
Ya I'm curious about this too
the three springs and 3 pawls cost $42??
Total MSRP of the parts was about $25. After shipping and tax it came out to be $42. The shipping was fairly high and I'm not sure why I got charged shipping for a shop stock... but yes, the total was $42.
@@adventurearkansas9926 damn seeing as how those parts should all be shipped with 1 stamp quite the markup.. nonetheless thanks for sharing will be doing this upgrade shortly when i can locate the parts. trek said they are out of stock till december
Do most of the hub has a ready to put pawls?
I'm gonna say no. For Bontrager, only hubs marked with 'Rapid Drive' have this feature that I know of.
Hi, I'm considering a new take off wheelset from 2018 EX7. I'm assuming it would be upgradable to 6 pawls.
Does anyone know if the Bontrager and Line 30 Comp are removable stickers? Looking for a more stealthy look, so if they are stickers that would be preferable. Thanks.
Yes they are stickers. A vast majority of wheelsets will use stickers for graphics. The only wheelset I've owned that had painted graphics was a set of H+SON Archetypes on a track bike a long time ago.
Hi. My steel drive ring is loose, and for that reason i have no engagement. Zero engagement. How can i fix it?
That's a new one! The steel drive rings are often interference pressed into the hub or spline fit tolerance pressed into the hub. Either way, if the drive ring is loose and able to spin - the hub is toast. Can you post a picture to imgur and paste the link? Or upload a short vid to youtube - I'm curious to see what is happening.
Adventure Arkansas sure. A vid could explain better the thing. I’ll tell you when i upload it
Do you have to add grease at all?
You do not need to add grease but I typically clean and regrease every year or so. Phil's Tenacious Oil is the weapon of choice here, or any hub or bearing grease.
Nice. Where Can I get this item? Do you have a Link to get it online?
I would suggest finding your local Bontrager/Trek service shop and ordering it through them. If you live in the UK, Triton cycles has the Rapid Drive 108 freehub pawls and springs for 9 and 7 pounds respectively on their website, so a bit less than ordering it through Trek.
www.tritoncycles.co.uk/components-c9/hub-spares-skewers-c122/rapid-drive-108-freehub-pawls-p19294
www.tritoncycles.co.uk/components-c9/hub-spares-skewers-c122/rapid-drive-108-freehub-pawl-springs-p19295
Hello everyone! are those hubs DT 240 hubs?
Hi mate I’m looking to upgrade my wheels, would a 12 speed sram cassette fit into a comp line 30 wheels?
Do you know what freehub the wheelset has? The SRAM NX (and SX) line uses a different spline pattern than the rest of their 12 speed cassettes. All sram GX and above use an XD driver, everything else uses the shimano standard spline. If you have an XD freehub on your wheelset and a GX or above cassette, they will work. Only reason I harp on the details is that SRAM NX uses the shimano standard for extreme cost savings and people always try to swap them over to XD driver wheelsets.
Adventure Arkansas thank for the detailed reply! The wheel I’ve seen has the 148 shimano freehub and my bike has the Sram NX 12 speed. So I’m guessing my bike has the 148 shimano freehub on my bike as well then? It just confuses the hell out of me when the description of the wheels say “148 shimano 10/11 speed”
@@redbul3335 Yup it has what's referred to as the hyperglide freehub. Shimano has kept (basically) the same spline pattern for freehubs since ditching the threaded freewheel. Shimano 12 spd is on a different spline pattern called Microspline. Let's break it down: 148 = 148mm over locknut distance (OLD) this is the hub spacing on the wheels. This size is known as boost spacing. Regular thru axle is 142x10 and quick release is 135x9. If you try to put a 148 in a 142 frame, it won't fit (too big). Likewise a 142 wheel will be too small to fit in a 148 frame. Shimano 10/11 speed simply means that is has the hyperglide spline pattern. 6-11 speed cassettes will fit on a hyperglide freehub, sometimes they use a small spacer to account for freehub width changes over the years. Like my previous comment said, most SRAM 12 speed will use the XD driver. And now that Shimano has 12 speed, they use the Microspline freehub for their stuff. I've been out of technical work for awhile, so I'm not sure if ALL shimano 12 speed uses microspline or if it's just high end stuff like sram. If you're looking to buy a wheel to transfer your cassette onto, buy one with a shimano freehub. If you're wanting to upgrade to a GX cassette (saves a LOT of weight!) you can buy a wheel with an XD driver and get a GX cassette as well. All sram 12 speed groupsets work interchangeably which is one of the reasons I've been recommending their stuff since Eagle came out. Cheers
Just did this to mine and it’s pretty quiet
Anyone know what size cartridge bearings are used in these hubs or the part number for bearings?
Is this sram xd driver work on xx1 12 speed ?
where did you buy the parts??
Biking Scotsman I bought them from my local Trek dealer! I don't think they're available elsewhere in the US
Link for buy this ?
Can this be done on a 2020 roscoe 8?
No, the Roscoe 8 uses Formula branded hubs, not the Trek branded ones on the Remedy. There might be a similar hack but this particular one will not work.
I talked to the Trek store about my 2019 Roscoe 8. Pretty much your only option is a Hope Pro 4 rear hub.
Is the comp 30 a good wheelset?
hokiedokie I think it's a pretty good wheelset, a little heavy but they're nice and wide. Reasonably strong but I have been able to dent them in multiple places. That's something to be expected of all alloy rims though.
Adventure Arkansas Any suggestions on a wheelset upgrade?
Hey guys do you happen to know which xd body would I get for my 2020 fuel ex 7?
You should be good with this upgrade, I just did my 2021 Fuel ex 9.7
Hey, nice video! Whats your height ?
I am 5'10 ish
Can I make this upgrade to my 2021 Marlin 7??
No I have a marlin too and they come with cheap freehubs that aren’t upgradable.
Where did you order those parts?
I ordered them through a Trek dealer. I don't think they're available anywhere else.
Anyone know or try to see if the I9 pawls work with this configuration?
No
Wonder if this works on my trek stache 9.7 2020
yes, it will.
This was not an Upgrade from an 54 teeth to an 108 teeth hub. This was video shows only how to build in 6 pawls instead of 3 at a free hub driver. The 54 tooth are fix in the hub. So there is a little bit louder but no difference in the fuction as the distance between the teeth is not changed.
Michael, see my previous comments for more explanation. The pawl drillings are offset and the second set engage at a different time, making the points of engagement higher. I did not mention anything about the steel drive ring other than how it engages with the pawls.
Is the an xd driver?
Mine has an XD driver yes. I believe you can also get this hub with a shimano freehub as well
Where can I order the parts?
Trek bike shop or any bike shop that sells Trek products. REI has the ability to order them in but you have to go in and ask.
Why didn’t you clean all that dirt out of your hub and grease again? lol 😂
link for the parts? cant find them
Hi! These parts aren't available to order online in the US. You'll need to buy them directly from a Trek dealer or a bike shop that sells Trek products.
Is this the same hub in the trek remedy 8 2019? Thanks
Should be - 2018, 2019, and 2020 all have the same wheelset on the 8 - although I will say at 4,000 USD the 2020 Remedy 8 is not the bargain it used to be. The 2018 was 3,300 and had identical specs.
Anyone found a source for these parts in the US?
I got mine at my local trek dealer for like $30-$40
Trek dealer anywhere
Necesito conseguir ese repuesto y no lo consigo!!!
La pieza solo está disponible a través de los distribuidores de Trek. (Google Translate -
lo siento no hablo español :( )
And Trek can't put 3 extra pawls in for the "lesser" value bike... To make it sound like the upgrade.... Talk about marketing.
All about price points, it most certainly is about marketing - but not in the way you're talking about. Luckily there is a world of people who notice these things so that I can make a video about it!
Adventure Arkansas yea don't get me long I love trek work for a dealer, but they have the option of adding 3 Pawls so why not.....
Timmy Rickert nowadays every new car has a drive by wire throttle and abs system. Everything you need for cruise control, you just need a button and software. Not all cars come standard with cruise control. Why? Just like you said, to make it sound like an upgrade.
hahah my bike...
My onyx hubs are better 😂
Wil this work on the Trek fuel EX 7 2020?
Yes, I just did it to mine 2 days ago. Well worth the $30 investment, it feels more "crisp" and responds instantly. The only drawback that Ive noticed is a very subtle increase in wheel drag while coasting however it doesnt seem to affect the pedaling. I removed the grease and used a couple drops of dry lube instead of grease to keep the paws from getting gummed up and sticking. Also produces a nice noticably louder sound with dry lube vs grease 👌
@@single-trackdiaries4071 @wheel drag... My LBS pushed this upgrade on me for my new Stache 7. I never got to experience the hub without the upgrade. I seem to have a considerable amount of wheel drag. Someone else saw my wheel barely spin and come to a stop on my car rack and commented on it thinking the brake was rubbing.
I took the bike back in and they said it was the rotor dragging and they corrected it, however it still spins with significant resistance relative to the other trek bikes on their showroom floor.
Is this something I should pursue with the shop to get it corrected? I really didn't want the upgrade in the first place.
Seriously how much is that slight engagement increase benefiting when riding sluggish 3" tires anyway?
@@TheClassicGamefan honestly its a matter of how much you see yourself wanting the quick engagement vs wanting less wheel drag. The upgrade is good for a responsive pedal for things like climbing, but if you ride more flat ground or downhill it may be better to have the hub converted back to 54t. I think this is just the trade off we all face in terms of this hub upgrade. The wheel drag comes from the added resistance, so the stock hub has 3 pawls vs the upgrade that has the 6 pawls. The extra pawls can always be removed for less resistance at the cost of having more "play" in your pedal before the hub engages. Id say have them removed but keep them to see which you prefer after spending time riding both set ups.
@@single-trackdiaries4071 Thanks a lot for the reply. You summarized what I've been discovering... yes I think I ride a good bit of flat and around town so the resistance seems noticeable. (I ride through town to get to 'n from the local trails)
I think I will go back to 54T for the time being. Also going to 2.8" from 3" tires which should also reduce the bike's sluggishness around town.
@@TheClassicGamefan For sure, definetly not a bad idea to try the 2.8 tires first to see if that improves it before you convert back. Also, you could try a different lubrication in the hub, if they packed it with a thick grease vs lubricating oil and the amount used may be something to look into because that can also affect how well the hub rolls so maybe try running a lighter grease or a non-wax type chain lubrication to produce as little friction as possible without having to use sticky greases. I also thought it was my brakes rubbing at first but after thoroughly checking and then rechecking my brakes I have no doubt in my mind that the hub is causing the resistance. After a little research, it seems that the wheel drag is pretty common and there are a few things to try first before converting back or ultimately getting a higher spec hub.
Could anyone tell me if the XD can be changed from paws to ratchet?
The driver in the video is an XD. Not sure if Shimano has the same internals.