11/29/14 1:52 PM

Why didn't freehubs work like this from the beginning?

http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/11/25/d-fix-rear-hub-reinvents-wheel-removal-remove-the-wheel-leave-the-cassette/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Bikerumor+-+Cycling+Icon+Passes%2C+Grease-Free+Wheel+Changes%2C+Black+Friday+Deals+and+Much+More!&utm_campaign=20141126_m123294235_Bikerumor+-+Cycling+World+Icon+Passes%2C+Grease-Free+Wheel+Changes%2C+Black+Friday+Deals+and+Much+More!&utm_term=D-Fix

With a little development to reduced the amount of turning of the skewer to 1/4 - 1/2 turn, this could be a real winner! I really love the idea of being able to adjust the shifting without having a spinning wheel to contend with. In theory, it could also create completely "neutral" wheels that could be interchanged on bikes with Campy or S-brand cassettes.

11/29/14 2:05 PM

That is the shizz. But it made me think it might be better on the disc side when road races are all disc bikes/wheels. No disc or caliper adjustment alignment issues if the rotor stays on the stay both front and back on a tire swap over...

11/29/14 3:16 PM

Of course this is just a reinvention of the ~1960? Cinelli Bivalent hub, where not only does the wheel come off the bike sans-freewheel, but with front and rear wheels being identical so are fully interchangeable.

11/29/14 3:23 PM

A wheel worth re-inventing perhaps? ;)

11/29/14 9:01 PM

Unfortunately, with the dish in modern 10/11 speed wheels, there's no chance of creating wheels that are front/rear interchangeable without dramatically widening the rear triangle. That would never fly on road bikes.

12/4/14 2:10 PM

I'm thinking that any new developments in this area will have to accommodate disc brakes, but it seems to me that it might be the front fork that would need to be widened, in order to accommodate the more-outboard rear disc(?).

12/4/14 3:24 PM

"front fork that would need to be widened, in order to accommodate the more-outboard rear disc"

Expound, either that is ambiguous or beyond my seeing the idea. ;)

12/4/14 8:02 PM

The front would need to be wider if you were wanting to be able to swap front and rear wheels. I think Brian misspoke when he talked about widening the rear triangle.

12/4/14 8:23 PM

Oh, OK... Duh. so the front and rear can be interchangeable. They aren't now, so still see the potential for the disk staying on the frame, rather than the cassette side. Or both on the rear and dis con the front. Because let's face it, it is a matter of time before the Pro bike in the Pro races are all disc.

12/5/14 8:59 AM

quote:

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Because let's face it, it is a matter of time before the Pro bike in the Pro races are all disc.

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12/5/14 11:32 AM

We'll come back in a year and see whether the pros are using disc or not

12/5/14 12:21 PM

In order to make the rear wheel symmetric, it would be necessary to widen the rear triangle and push the freehub to the right, so the wheel wouldn't have to be dished. You'd probably have to go as wide as a fat bike (170-190mm) for it to work with a 10 or 11 speed cassette.

However, if you skip the idea of being able to interchange front and rear wheels, you have a viable concept. In fact, the ultimate setup might be a cassette and brake disk that stay attached to the frame, with only the spoked section of the wheel being quickly interchangeable. For bikes equipped with rim brakes, a fixed spacer in place of the disk would allow the same wheels to interchange. That could eliminate all issues with interchangeability of rear wheels.

Back to Kerry's point, if the fork was widened as well and a fixed spacer was added to one side to compensate for dish, it would be possible to have universal spare wheels that would fit either end of the bike.

I think this is a pretty cool concept, though I'm not holding my breath waiting for it to happen.

12/5/14 12:31 PM

"if you skip the idea of being able to interchange front and rear wheels, you have a viable concept"

My brain did not even go there to start. Built to many wheels to have thought that would be viable maybe. ;)

But forgetting the cassette side, sticking only with the disc side in my minds eye anyway.... With front and rear specific wheels, just like what we have already in that regard...

Although maybe being able to give a racer a fresh rotor in a wheel swap, especially on MTN stages should not be removed from an equation either. ;)