[FlipSide]

I currently own RaceFace Vault hubs and I am considering building another set. (If you need to know, the plan would be to have a wheelset with CushCore for list-assisted riding and a lighter one for trail riding).

My plan would be to take advantage of the tool-less design of the Vault hub and swap the drive ring body + cassette assembly between wheelsets. It would be much faster than swapping the cassette from one wheel to the other using a chainwhip and cassette tool.

Are there good reasons not to do that? I am thinking about:

• Possible increased wear on the o-ring/seal?
• Premature wear of the pawls system? Maybe it is better to have the ring drive and pawls wear together?
• Something else?

My plan seems like a fast and elegant solution to rapidly swap between wheelsets without having to buy a 500$ cassette, but I don’t want to create more problems by doing so. Any advice you could give me on this will be welcome.

I have also written to the RF Service department about this. We'll see what they say about this, but I'm also interested to know what you monkeys think about this. Is it a good idea or a bad idea?

Thanks!

 

[jonKranked]

how often would you be swapping them that you're concerned about wear?

also, maybe its just my personal preference, but i wouldn't want the same gearing for a bike park as i would for trail riding.

 

[Jm_]

I switch cassettes between wheels semi-frequently. I suppose I could just do the whole thing since the DT drivers are probably the same on 180 and 240 hubs, but I just take the cassette off. Sometimes it's between dissimilar hubs, like Hope to DT, so I just take the cassette off.

For a bikepark, I don't agree you need a baby-cassette (ultegra, etc.), they can be nice to have for that kind of riding, but definitely not necessary.

 

[FlipSide]

how often would you be swapping them that you're concerned about wear?

also, maybe its just my personal preference, but i wouldn't want the same gearing for a bike park as i would for trail riding.

Thanks!

I would swap maybe 10-15 times per season.

I agree with your comment about gearing. The best scenario would certainly be to have a dedicated park bike, but I now have an Enduro bike that does it all and the gearing is fine for me as it is (34t chainring with 10/50 Eagle cassette). Also worth mentionning: the lift-assisted riding I do is not downhill tracks all the time. I also ride long loops that involve a lot of pedalling and climbing, so the gearing I have is fine.

My only issue with the bike is that I love the CushCore inserts for riding the East Coast Rox of MSA, but I hate their weight for other trail centers where the CC inserts are overkill. A second wheelset seems like a nice solution, but the swap needs to be easy:
- Swapping the cassette + driver assembly would be the fastest and easiest
- Swapping the cassette using a chainwhip and cassette tool add a little complexity to the operation, but I can live with that.
- Purchasing a new 10/50 cassette for the second wheelset is simple but expensive AF, as I'd go XO1-level.

 

[jonKranked]

ah got it. that makes more sense. when i think lift access i think full on DH.

i don't think anything would wear notably quicker (pawls, cassette, chain, bearings). maybe the orings/seal you mentioned? but those are generally inexpensive items.

 

[jonKranked]

For a bikepark, I don't agree you need a baby-cassette (ultegra, etc.), they can be nice to have for that kind of riding, but definitely not necessary.

agree its not necessary, but i did specify its personal preference. as a former DH racer, i don't find myself needing a large range - the 3 largest gears would really never get used, and i like having smaller jumps between cog sizes. again personal preference, (but i was operating under the assumption this was full on DH riding).

 

[HAB]

I do that sort of tool-free freehub swap with DT wheels once in a while. Works fine, hasn't caused any issues.

Any reason you'd really want to have an X01 level cassette on the gravity wheels though? Seems like you could cheap out there and not really worry about the weight penalty.

 

[FlipSide]

I do that sort of tool-free freehub swap with DT wheels once in a while. Works fine, hasn't caused any issues.

Any reason you'd really want to have an X01 level cassette on the gravity wheels though? Seems like you could cheap out there and not really worry about the weight penalty.

I have a GX cassette on the bike at the moment and I find it to be in rougher shape than the 11sp XX1 cassette I had on my previous bike, even though the GX Eagle has much less mileage.

Unless I am mistaken on this, I find the machined SRAM cassette of XO1- and XX1-level to be higher quality an more durable than the GX-level. I'd keep the GX for the gravity bike for sure, but I was quite decided to move up to XO1 for the cassette and derailleur.

 

[FlipSide]

I got an answer from Race Face within a few hours. Great service!

He told me my plan was good and I shouldn’t run into issues if I am careful not to let dirt contaminate the pawls system when I make the switch.

 

[englertracing]

Dirt is really the biggest issue.
Do it upside down.