javimic Posted December 10 Report Share Posted December 10 Hi! After weeks of use, this is my personal opinion. This is not the best hub I have ever owned. This comparison also involves Hope Pro 4 and Hope Pro 5. Reasons to buy: Reasonable price (u$s 249.-), sturdy construction, no skips in 2 months of use and minimal drag. When you touch it you can notice the impressive construction, stronger than Hope. Before this Spank hub I had a bad experience with 2 Hope pro 4 hubs and 1 Pro 5. Lots of skips and finally total sadness. On the other hand, the Hope warranty is solid if you buy from a trusted store (Tartybikes). Reasons to avoid: It has a lot of play until the pawl engages with the ratchet, at least a lot more play than the Hope Pro 4 (88 engagements points WhatsApp Video 2024-12-10 at 7.17.46 PM.mp4 ) or the Hope Pro 5 hub (108ep). I'm uploading a video for you to see the play. Even I was using a Jitsie Freewheel 18t (108ep) and it was quicker to engage and transmit power in a pedal kick. Feel free to tell me if I'm exaggerating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted December 11 Report Share Posted December 11 (edited) If it has slower engagement than a Pro 4, the pawls must not be engaging properly, and it's defective. Or your memory is off Hex has 102 engagement points, Pro 4 SS only 88. I have them here side by side and the difference is noticeable if you look for it (in practice, not so much). Edited December 11 by Daan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basstrials Posted December 11 Report Share Posted December 11 (edited) I have same one on my Cannondale and there is none issue like this.Maybe it is bad luck with or it is not suitable for trial use,who knows.Do you checked pawls and springs out? Edited December 11 by basstrials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted December 11 Author Report Share Posted December 11 14 hours ago, basstrials said: I have same one on my Cannondale and there is none issue like this.Maybe it is bad luck with or it is not suitable for trial use,who knows.Do you checked pawls and springs out? For a MTB it would be perfect. For trials I'm not saying it's not good, I just like it less than the Hopes in this regard. But I have never tried an i9…. soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted December 11 Author Report Share Posted December 11 15 hours ago, Daan said: ….. Hex has 102 engagement points, Pro 4 SS only 88. I have them here side by side and the difference is noticeable if you look for it (in practice, not so much). As I recently turned 47, anything is possible! 🤪 However, the hub is working properly and it can be used for trials but the engagement is slower than the Hopes. Despite the 102 ep against the 88 ep of Pro4. Total darkness…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Bourde Posted December 11 Report Share Posted December 11 (edited) Thank you for the feedback - this hub is as you said a good alternative to Hope, at least on paper. Did you check the chain tension? Did you check nothing is loose? The profile of teeth and the overall stiffness of the system play a role in the feeling. Some systems may have many engagement points, but until their teeth are really locked and the whole power could be transmitted, a dead or a spongy response coud be felt due to the play of flex of the system. So even with the same number of engagement points, two different freewheels can have a different feeling (e.g. hub with "instant engagement" like the Onyx, that uses a sprag clutch or trapped roller design may feel quite spongy) In addition do not forget, that the difference between the Hope pro IV SS freewheel with 88 p.o.e. and the Pro V with 108 p.o.e. (20 p.o.e. but 4,09° - 3,33°= 0,76° ) is less than between a freewheel with 72 p.o.e. and another with 88 (16 p.o.e, but 5° - 4,09° = 0,91°) I have a freewheel with 120 p.o.e. and another one with 135 and the difference is liminal. But considering the answers of Daan and basstrials, I assume your freewheel is defective. Edited Sunday at 06:26 PM by La Bourde 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SergeL Posted December 12 Report Share Posted December 12 I had "slow engage" issue with my old freewheel. Turned out pawls were badly worn around pivoting part and they easily got out from sockets. You should check hub's internals unless it's too late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted Saturday at 08:17 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 08:17 AM Its hard to quantify, but I notice this a lot. POEs is a useful metric but doesn't tell the full story. A King at 72 POE but ring drive will actually give you drive faster than - say - an 88 POE pawl type since after the click, the freehub needs to rotate a little before the pawls are engaged. The Halo SupaDrive 120 is really "bad" for this as an example, since the pawls slide and act like a wedge - yes there are technically 120 POEs, but it is absolutely more than 3 degrees from click to full engagement. Depending on how the Spank looks inside, could be totally normal / fine / undamaged. Wear is another factor as Serge said, with pawl seats stretching and allowing pawls to be "dragged" forward, so they need to re-seat before engagement. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted Saturday at 08:45 PM Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 08:45 PM On 12/11/2024 at 8:23 PM, La Bourde said: ... Did you check the chain tension? Did you check nothing is loose? The profile of teeth and the overall stiffness of the system play a role in the feeling. ... But considering the answers of Daan and basstrials, I assume your freewheel is defective. Thanks for your reply mate, there is a lot to learn about this. I will check if the system has any play that could influence the problem. Although the chain and tensioner are almost new, the ones that come with the Hex 2024, at first glance there could be something. Maybe not enough for a newbie like me to notice. On the other hand, the hub seems to be fine but I will take into account the answers from Daan and Basstrials. I will check it this weekend as well, since I have more time to dig deeper and enjoy some workshop time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted Saturday at 08:49 PM Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 08:49 PM On 12/12/2024 at 5:03 PM, SergeL said: I had "slow engage" issue with my old freewheel. Turned out pawls were badly worn around pivoting part and they easily got out from sockets. You should check hub's internals unless it's too late. The hub is new, bro, but I'll check it out this afternoon... 😉I hope the problem is not the hub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted Saturday at 08:58 PM Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 08:58 PM 12 hours ago, AdamR28 said: Its hard to quantify, but I notice this a lot. POEs is a useful metric but doesn't tell the full story. A King at 72 POE but ring drive will actually give you drive faster than - say - an 88 POE pawl type since after the click, the freehub needs to rotate a little before the pawls are engaged. The Halo SupaDrive 120 is really "bad" for this as an example, since the pawls slide and act like a wedge - yes there are technically 120 POEs, but it is absolutely more than 3 degrees from click to full engagement. Depending on how the Spank looks inside, could be totally normal / fine / undamaged. Wear is another factor as Serge said, with pawl seats stretching and allowing pawls to be "dragged" forward, so they need to re-seat before engagement. Awesome as always. I'll check it out and come back. Many thanks, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javimic Posted 7 hours ago Author Report Share Posted 7 hours ago Hi, Remember that we are talking about fine tuning. That being said, I have been checking the hubs and tips but I can only notice the difference when riding, that the ride feel is better for precision with the Hope Pro 5. Sorry guys, an expert could give us a technical report. Surely La Bourde or Adam R could do it if you two had the hub on your bikes. Also it has to be said that the system on the Spank Hex Drive seems looser than on the Pro 5, the Hope Pro 5 is on my 2020 Fourplay Team with the old tensioner. I don’t know if this could be the reason but the chain is tighter on the Hope Pro 5 system. The Inspired Hex chain is new and it gave the length the Tartybikes workshop (so, ok). Please could any of you give me a tip to improve the tension of the system? thanks in advance, Javi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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