Best 14mm Rear Hub

Stoked · Nov 24, 2009

ratchets are only 9 and 10t at the moment. 10t are on sale for $99.

profile minis? take a look at madera. same internals as profile (made by profile) but less machining on the shells to hit a lower price point. tons of options with profile/madera hubs. 14mm hollow cromo/ti, 3 pc female axle, 1 pc drivers (up to 11t) cogs 12T and up, optional ti bits etc.

cmc · Nov 24, 2009

if you did get a 10t, you could run a 23t up front with 24" wheels, for 55.2 gear inches. Profile does make 23t Imperial sprockets.....

Cru Jones · Nov 24, 2009

cmc said:
if you did get a 10t, you could run a 23t up front with 24" wheels, for 55.2 gear inches. Profile does make 23t Imperial sprockets.....

That's what I'm running. There are quite a few companies that make 23s. I have a S&M on there now.

Cru Jones · Nov 24, 2009

Ratchets are nice. Another solid and relatively affordable hub is the Primo Mix. But, again, 10 tooth is the biggest driver you can get.

Odyssey Hazards can come with a 13.

cmc · Nov 24, 2009

Cru Jones said:
. . .There are quite a few companies that make 23s. . . ..

i hadn't been paying attention--didn't realize 20" riders are down to 8t in the back, for 22/8 and 23/8 ......

jonKranked · Nov 24, 2009

To me, the G-sport ratchet stands out b/c its one of the few (only?) hubs out there with a driver on needle bearings instead of spherical cartridge bearings. This is probably gonna be my next hub since I keep toasting cartridge bearings.

DirtBag · Nov 24, 2009

v-digit said:
25 seems so tiny upfront, 23 would just be mental!

Running 22t Tree Lite with a with a Profile Mini rear hub with 10t driver on my Molly. No issues so far.

sittingduck · Nov 24, 2009

I ran 25/8 on my 20". 25/11 on my 26.

Stoked · Nov 24, 2009

v-digit said:
yea, saw that ratchet was on sale for 99, thought about jumping on it.
25 seems so tiny upfront, 23 would just be mental!

tim, u're running profile minis? which madera would i need to get to be able to run 13t?

yes i have a mini rear hub. you can get the madera straight from profile with the cog you want. the beauty is you can use cogs or 1pc drivers in the same hub body if you ever change your mind on gearing.
http://www.profileracing.com/estore2/index.php?productid=252

they will only sell with the options listed. if you want ti or hollow bits, try calling empire or dans. maybe they can build the hub you want. like if you want a hollow cromo axle or something else. or just get a mini and pay a lil more for what you want.

Stoked · Nov 24, 2009

jonKranked said:
To me, the G-sport ratchet stands out b/c its one of the few (only?) hubs out there with a driver on needle bearings instead of spherical cartridge bearings. This is probably gonna be my next hub since I keep toasting cartridge bearings.

what gearing do you use? how many bearings have you been through?

Cru Jones · Nov 24, 2009

The ratchet is nice, but it has its fair share of issues as well... according to teh internets. $100 is a steal for one of those, though. Think I'm going to pick one up.

jonKranked · Nov 24, 2009

Stoked said:
what gearing do you use? how many bearings have you been through?

I run 25x9 on a 20". In the last year I've had to replace all 3 bearings in the driver twice, and the third set (currently what I'm on) has been giving signs that they're about to go as well.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that I'm not really a small dude (about 200lbs), and I can put a pretty substantial amount of torque on the drivetrain when needed. And no, my chain is not overtightened.

Cru Jones said:
The ratchet is nice, but it has its fair share of issues as well... according to teh internets. $100 is a steal for one of those, though. Think I'm going to pick one up.

What issues would these be? I'm looking to lace up a new wheel and this is the hub I'm looking at.

Stoked · Nov 24, 2009

jonKranked said:
What issues would these be? I'm looking to lace up a new wheel and this is the hub I'm looking at.

bummer on the bearings man.

these are some of the arguments about the ratchet in its first version.

unreliable engagement, needs more maintenance than other hubs, compromised internals due to the lhd/rhd compatibility.

some people experienced trouble with the helicoil in the axle coming out/breaking. i'm sure its isolated though and a good amount of trouble coming from user error...how many times do you really take a back wheel off, right?

who knows. i like the ratchet plus you can pick up the aluminum 3/8 axle for $25 and save a little weight. http://www.empirebmx.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9409

Stoked · Nov 24, 2009

v-digit said:
not that i expect you to know this... but does that mean that in the future there possibly maybe be a 11t/12t options but just swapping out the 10t driver?

i can see it happening but not for a bit. seems like the 10t aren't selling too well with the sales going on...everybody wants the 9t. they'll make it if people want it.

jonKranked · Nov 24, 2009

Stoked said:
bummer on the bearings man.

these are some of the arguments about the ratchet in its first version.

unreliable engagement, needs more maintenance than other hubs, compromised internals due to the lhd/rhd compatibility.

some people experienced trouble with the helicoil in the axle coming out/breaking. i'm sure its isolated though and a good amount of trouble coming from user error...how many times do you really take a back wheel off, right?

who knows. i like the ratchet plus you can pick up the aluminum 3/8 axle for $25 and save a little weight. http://www.empirebmx.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9409

I've heard of pawl issues with drivers that are LHD/RHD convertable, and personally I'm not really a fan of that design. IMO, its a solution looking for a problem. Didn't know the ratchet hub used this.

w00dy · Nov 24, 2009

jonKranked said:
To me, the G-sport ratchet stands out b/c its one of the few (only?) hubs out there with a driver on needle bearings instead of spherical cartridge bearings. This is probably gonna be my next hub since I keep toasting cartridge bearings.

What hub are you running? That sounds like a bent axle to me.

cmc · Nov 24, 2009

jonKranked said:
. . . I'm not really a small dude (about 200lbs), and I can put a pretty substantial amount of torque on the drivetrain when needed. . . . .

i have heard this is why the BMX racing scene really hasn't opted for small drivetrains at all. still lots of guys at the track withi 44, 39 etc.

jonKranked · Nov 25, 2009

w00dy said:
What hub are you running? That sounds like a bent axle to me.

Its a generic hub that came on a kink complete. Last time I swapped bearings I did a quick check on the axle, and it seemed fine. I'll check it again.

cmc said:
i have heard this is why the BMX racing scene really hasn't opted for small drivetrains at all. still lots of guys at the track withi 44, 39 etc.

This is just a guess: it might be engagement points as well. You can get more engagement points in a larger freewheel (14t+) than you could in a 9t or 10t driver. Or at least have a pawl system that is more reliable. IDK. I'm just speculating, I don't know bmx racing.

Bikael Molton · Nov 25, 2009

im digging my Ratchet so far. Looks clean, works nice.

Bikael Molton · Nov 25, 2009

on the 20".

26" is 135mm, and I'm running a Hadley, which hasn't had a single problem in more than 2 years.

Axis · Nov 26, 2009

Local LBS told me that he has worked on 2 ratchets in the last month. But I know two really hard riders around 160 lbs who haven't had a problem all.

Odyssey makes an 11t driver available in QBP for... not much at all even lhd.

Axis · Nov 26, 2009

Oh I would not get the imperial get the wake or vermont chainwheel. The imperial is really soft and thin. Good for racing though.

Stoked · Nov 26, 2009

yea jon, sounds like the micro gears are killing your drivetrain

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