Vice Bikes have a new front hub design that we've been working on and we would appreciate some opinions.
The hub is 20mm with a possible QR compatible bolt on axle in the future. The core of the design is around huge 47mm diameter and 12mm wide precision bearings. These bearings are very smooth, strong and long lasting. The large footprint of the bearings adds to the rigid nature of the design - a nature which starts with the 3 piece outer axle.
The outer axle acts like a vice when a 20mm axle is tightened through it. This vice action acts on the inner race of the bearings, clamping them firmly but without restricting the spinning motion.
Emphasis is very much on strength and not weight (a corner of the market already well catered for). Mass is an estimated 372g - this may seem a lot until compared to a Hope BigUn (318g). The difference is that almost half of the weight of ours is in the bearings, which is weight well spent given the strength, reliability and smoothness.
The entire is made from 7075 T6 alu, a material known for its very high strength as well as being very resistant to corrosion. As usual the machining and testing is carried out on the North Shore of Canada.
So thats it, any opinions appreciated - for more details see http://www.vicebikes.net/fronthub.html
The hub is 20mm with a possible QR compatible bolt on axle in the future. The core of the design is around huge 47mm diameter and 12mm wide precision bearings. These bearings are very smooth, strong and long lasting. The large footprint of the bearings adds to the rigid nature of the design - a nature which starts with the 3 piece outer axle.
The outer axle acts like a vice when a 20mm axle is tightened through it. This vice action acts on the inner race of the bearings, clamping them firmly but without restricting the spinning motion.
Emphasis is very much on strength and not weight (a corner of the market already well catered for). Mass is an estimated 372g - this may seem a lot until compared to a Hope BigUn (318g). The difference is that almost half of the weight of ours is in the bearings, which is weight well spent given the strength, reliability and smoothness.
The entire is made from 7075 T6 alu, a material known for its very high strength as well as being very resistant to corrosion. As usual the machining and testing is carried out on the North Shore of Canada.
So thats it, any opinions appreciated - for more details see http://www.vicebikes.net/fronthub.html
