Easton has just uncovered a new lightweight, oversized disc brake road bike hub as part of their new EA90 SL Disc wheelset. Calling the hubset stronger, lighter and more versatile it gets its first ride in the new premium aluminum EA90SL wheelset. But Easton suggested that we should expect to see it popping up in more road disc wheels in the near future for more paved, gravel & dirt riding.
Easton Vault road disc brake hubset
The new hub promises high & fast engagement with a three pawl system (each with two teeth) and a 60 tooth drive ring for quick 6° engagement.
It also gets large sealed bearings & improved seals in the hub body itself, that Easton says better fits with the foul weather & mixed surface road riding that road disc, gravel & cross tend to encounter. The whole things is also easy to service, tool-free so you can keep your wheels spinning smoothly.
The centerlock hubset is also easily adaptable across all axle standards, with the oversized hubshells working with larger axles. That means in the front you can go for QR, 12mm or 15mm thru-axles with tool-free endcaps. And in the back you have the option of QR or 12x142mm.
The oversized shell also means improved rear wheel torsional & lateral stiffness for more efficient power transfer. It also helped Easton build the wheels with straight-pull equal-length spokes for easier servicing & good durability. And of course it all comes out lighter, supposedly trimming 48g off the previous M1 hubset used in disc brake wheels.
EA90 SL Disc road wheels
The new hubs are first available in the newly updated centerlock Easton EA90 SL Disc road wheels. The $900 aluminum tubeless clincher wheelset weighs 1537g, with a 19.5mm internal/24mm external, 27mm deep welded alloy rim. It gets built up on the new Vault Disc hubs with 24 three cross straight-pull double butted Sapim spokes & alloy nipples, both front & rear. Curiously, the new wheels only shed a claimed 3g over the 6-bolt M1 hub version, even with the claimed lighter Vault hubs and an otherwise identical build setup.
