EB17: Rotor locks in new road & MTB hubs, super light Aldhu 3D+ road crank, more

Just before Eurobike officially kicked off, Rotor already let the cat out of the bag. One of their newest products was to be an all new free hub design that uses radial and angular pawls with a floating ratchet ring. Stating that the design offers less drag while saving weight, Rotor also points out that the design makes it easy to maintain without any special tools since there aren’t any threaded parts. From the get go, Rotor is offering three configurations – road rim, road disc, and MTB Boost.

Both the Road and MTB hubs use five of the angled pawls for 14.4º engagement, but the company says they are working on an enduro version that will have more pawls and will cut the engagement down to just 5º. As shown in the video above, when coasting, the clutch system moves the ratchet ring away from the pawls. If you keep coasting, the ring will stay disengaged for supposedly less friction, but as soon as you start pedaling the ring will reengage. It’s definitely not the quietest system, which could be a deterrent if you’re not into loud hubs. For complete pricing, weights, and more, check out the original post here.

In other big news for Rotor, they were showing off their new Aldhu 3D+ modular crankset, which they are calling their lightest ever. Taking naming inspiration from Carlos Sastre’s first victory on Rotor components while climbing the Alpe d’Huez, the crankset knocks 50g off their 3D+ crank for a complete weight of 597g. Made in Spain from 7055 aluminum for the arms and 7075 for the rings and other components, the crank features a 30mm spindle and a direct mount spidering, or a 110 x 4 BCD spider if you prefer traditional rings. The cranks are also available in rim brake or disc brake chain lines (43.5mm or 46mm), and in 170, 172.5, and 175mm lengths. Priced at $500 with round rings, spidering options will include 52/36, 50/34, and 53/39t, and the cranks include Rotors OCP mount technology for fine tuning the clocking of oval chainrings.

The Aldhu 3d+ spider is a bit heavier and subsequently more expensive than the spidering, but it will allow you to use other rings including Q-rings if you already have them.

Finally, Rotor was also showing their 2INpower dual sided MTB power meter which they say was the first to market in the industry. The cranks offer true dual sided measurement with four pairs of strain gauges, and include a lithium-ion battery that is rechargeable through the magnetic charging port on the driveside crank arm. Charging is said to take about 3hrs and will provide up to 250hrs of ride time. Complete weight of a 170mm length arm with a direct mount Q-ring in 30t is 695g claimed, and the cranks are available in Boost 1x only chainlines. Compatible with ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart, the cranks are OCP compatible and offered in 165, 170, and 175mm lengths.

rotorbike.com