kaybs41282 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi everyone, what's the deal with front freewheels. What are they for? What's the advantage? Do they make much difference? What happens on the rear hub? All help gratefully received Clueless and curious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Shortage Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Shifts more weight to the middle, rear hub is fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Advantages-Ground clearance due to smaller ring (unless you run 'burns that is), generally a lighter setup than running a rear freehub, weight is distributed more evenly as no heavy mechanics on the rear wheel (Hope pro 2 is 427g + cassette or sprocket, Echo TR is 219g + sprocket), some will say they like the sound, generally cheaper. Disadvantages-Some will say they hate the sound, chain permanantly moving so trousers get shredded very easily, no use for street trials because of chain turning constantly That's all I can think of in terms of pros and cons, coming from oldskool trials like yourself I was a bit unsure to begin with but now I run FFW I wouldn't go back. I like the fact that you save quite a bit in terms of weight from the backend, cheaper to buy and maintain (buy an Echo SL, fit it and thats it) and I generally trust it more. All it means is instead of having a freehub on the rear your hub has either a spline or a thread and a fixed rear sprocket on. It's (yet again in trials) purely a personal preferance thing, people who run FFW's will swear they're miles better than freehubs and likewise people running freehubs swearing they're miles better than FFW's. If your in the situation where your gonna need to buy a new rear wheelbuild I'd recommend going the whole hog and getting set for a FFW, if you already have a Pro 2 or can get one cheap then stick with it as you'll never have to buy another, especially with Hopes unbelievable customer service. Bit of a random answer but there you go! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaybs41282 Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Wow very thorough! So it doesn't makes things directly easier as such just weight saving advantages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Anscombe Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 i used to hate freewheels .mainly because there were only acs claws around which had somthing like 30 or 40 e.p points.......so i went for a minni casette profile hub and ran it for years and loved it! But nowa days the freewheels are much much better and offer more e.p points like 108.i think my try all freewheel is! So i have more engagements but not only that its right at my feet which makes the bike feel more responsive.It also levels the weight of the bike out...so no more heavy rear ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Also easier/cheaper to swap out a crank with freehweel/bash on it than a whole rear wheel in a comp should the freewheel die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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