Spank Industries Hex Drive Hubs offer high engagement, all the options at impressive price

Written by Zach Overholt Mar 06, 2020 3:55 p.m. ET

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There are some gorgeous hubs out there with insane engagement. But they can also cost a small fortune. If you’re looking for something that checks all the hub related boxes and is still surprisingly affordable, you may want to check out the new Hex Drive hubs from Spank Industries.

Featuring a massive ratchet ring with 102 teeth, the Hex Drive freehubs lock in with six spring loaded pawls, each with three steps. Working in unison, Spank claims that this results in 18 points of contact – assuming all six pawls are engaged at the same time. Combined with the 102t ring, that results in 3.5° engagement.

Freehub options include the new Shimano Micro Spline, SRAM XD, and Shimano HG with a special steel “Hex Drive Bite Block” insert to prevent the cassette from digging into the freehub body. Need even more durability? Spank will also offer a full steel version of each meant for e-bikes. But if you don’t mind the weight, and you’re hard on freehubs, it could be a good option for non-e-bikes as well.

The Hex Drive Gravel hubs add XDR and HG Road freehub options to be compatible with road & gravel drivetrains.

Spank claims they gave extra attention to the seal system on each hub to endure their durability in the worst conditions. They also included a full set of oversized sealed bearings and a Universal Fit adapter system. What does that mean? Spank says that all of their rear hub adapters work with all three freehub types. That means you won’t need a different end cap for the XD freehub compared to the Micro Spline end cap, and so on. The front hub adapters are also symmetrical and interchangeable from left to right.

All of the end caps are tool-free allowing for easy access to the inside of the hub for maintenance. Spank also offers Torque Cap compatible end caps for RockShox forks.

Available in a range of discipline specific hubs, you can find the Hex Drive system in both straight pull and J-Bend hub options for almost all dropout fitments. Weights are claimed to start at 147g for the front and 300g for the rear. The best part? All of these options are included for just $99 for front hubs and $199 for rear hubs.

32H J-Hook (DH / Freeride / All mountain / Trail)
28H Straight pull (Enduro / Trail)
28H J-Hook (Gravel)
Steel freehubs available soon for e-bikes

Not into gears? Spank also introduced a new single speed hub with the SS-DJ. Available with 11, 12, or 13t drivers, the hub is priced at $189 for the 135 x 10mm rear hub.

spank-ind.com

Zach Overholt

5,633 articles

Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.

Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.

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Frank

4 years ago

Looks like a great value. Looking forward to a review.

blahblah1233445

4 years ago

Nice hubs, but with similar budget I’d still go for DT 350 Straightpull. Cheaper, lighter, almost indestructable ratchet system and widely available in many shops.

Currently have 3 wheelsets on DT hubs (240s, 350 and 350 Fat) – never had a single failure with any of those.

Tom

4 years ago

Reply to blahblah1233445

nothing wrong with the DT hubs, I have them myself. But for mtb, they don’t offer great engagement angles, which absolutely makes a difference in technical trails. Unless you spring for the upgraded ratchet, which is far from cheap.

Luiggi

4 years ago

Reply to Tom

The higher engagement ring on DT hubs isn’t well suited for hard pedaling guys. I have seen too many busted to pieces just from attacking a sudden climb with a high gear.

Donny

4 years ago

Reply to Luiggi

Don’t buy the Chinese copy of the ratchet rings.

I busted 2 chainrings by pedaling too hard (yes it’s a thing if you’ve big quads) over the past 5y yet the ratchet looks new.

Shafty

4 years ago

Reply to Tom

You’re a bit off on your 350 claims. For a set of hubs, weight is almost identical between these and 350s. Maybe a 20g difference in favor of 350s. About $20-40 more for 350 XD 6 bolt hubs too. That’s ignoring the massive difference in engagement points. I’m not into either(they’re both too loud), but the 350s are great only after the 54t ratchet upgrade. That’s $80-100 on its own, last I checked, and still only half what these have.

These look similar to the ratchet design in Bontrager hubs. Not the best overall, but looks like great value.

blahblah1233445

4 years ago

Reply to Shafty

The difference in weight between those Spank hubs, and 350s is around 60g for a set. And here in Europe DT are cheap – 50€/125€ for front/back, which is much cheaper than Spank, adding the 36t, or 54t ratchet gives around the same price.

Luiggi – I’ve also seen a fair amount of busted ratchets and 90% of the time the cause was always the same – too much/wrong grease, which stuffed the teeth and didn’t allow for a full engagement. If done properly, this system is super strong, since those 54 teeth are engaged all at once.