Robert Axle Project Drive Thru dummy hub roller simplifies drivetrain cleanup

Written by Cory Benson Feb 05, 2020 9:06 a.m. ET

Robert Axle Project Drive Thru axle, dummy rear hub roller pulley for drivetrain maintenance

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The Robert Axle Project has a new tool developed with framebuilder Chris McGovern to make cleaning your bike easier – the Drive Thru dummy hub roller. It’s not the first roller we’ve seen to mimic a hub and allow us to spin the chain with the rear wheel off, but the affordable DriveThru is unique in letting you shift through the full range of your rear derailleur to make it easier to get in to clean every nook and cranny.

Robert Axle Project Drive Thru dummy hub, thru-axle roller pulley

Having just cleaned caked mud out of the cage & hollow pulleys on my gravel bike rear derailleur, through the spokes of my rear wheel of course, I can fully see the merits of using the Drive Thru. I’ve tried a basic chain keeper that let me spin the cranks with the derailleur in the position of the smallest/hardest cog, but it didn’t really help access into the derailleur’s parallelogram or allow much space into the pulley cage. Sure, the McGovern-designed Drive Thru won’t increase chain tension like climbing the larger cogs of a cassette, but it surely will make it easier to get at a grimy rear derailleur.

Drive Thru – Tech Details

The secret of the Drive Thru is simplicity, taking advantage of the ease of setup that bolt-on thru-axles allow. The 62g device is just a short section of 12mm alloy thru-axle with a knurled hand knob on one end and one of four common thread pitches on the other end – with tapered, lead-in threading to make for a quick install.

It is available in standard 1.0, 1.5 & 1.75mm thread pitches, plus the special 1.0 double lead-in threading specific to Mavic Speed Release. Then, a machined Delrin (engineered plastic) pulley slides over the short axle with an O-ring keeping it from falling off, thus retaining and allowing your chain to spin smoothly as you turn the cranks.

As you shift back and forth, the derailleur is free to move in and out, with the Delrin pulley sliding in and out on the axle to keep aligned with the derailleur pulleys.

Robert Axle Project Drive Thru – Pricing & availability

The Drive Thru is available direct from The Robert Axle Project for a surprisingly affordable $35 in any one of four thread pitches. A shop mechanic bundle of all three standard threadings is also sold for $70, sharing a single pulley.

Tool-free, the Drive Thru should speed up regular cleaning & maintenance of your derailleur. And it would also make cleaning, degreasing & re-lubing your chain a less messy job, keeping all the grime that coming off your chain, out of your cassette.

RobertAxleProject.com

Cory Benson

4,157 articles

Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.

Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.

Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.

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Manx

4 years ago

Parktools has already made one.

UglyYeti

4 years ago

Why not just use this pulley on the existing thru axle?

Messy

4 years ago

Can’t help ask why not just market a roller that slides onto the existing thru axle?

bobbyB

4 years ago

Reply to Messy

Search for the Park Tool DH-1. I’ve been using it for years.

thehill952

4 years ago

i bought the park one just for the pulley, and use the existing thru axle, way cheaper.
i did try a 3d printed pulley off ebay but the friction against the axle meant you couldnt change gears reliably

DavidW

4 years ago

I had the Park Tool version for a few years and it allows shifting over the entire cassette width. It works with both quick release and 12mm through axle bikes. It’s way cheaper than this one, works great, and, because it uses the existing through-axle, you don’t need multiple versions.

craigmedred

4 years ago

what thehill said.

robertaxle142

4 years ago

Thanks for the comments. Here’s the why… the easier something is to use the more likely you are to use it. With the cost of replacement parts for drivetrains today, keeping a drivetrain clean and happy is a smart investment of your time.

The advantage to our stub axle Drive Thru is that is much easier to thread into just the driveside dropout when you are on the driveside of the bike. It’s pretty challenging to efficiently load your stock thru axle through both dropouts, with a pulley on it, while holding the chain, without walking around to the other side of the bike. The stub axle also allows for the chain to be loaded onto and off of the pulley while the Drive Thru is installed. There is an o-ring on our Drive Thru that maintains the pulley on the stud, but still allows to easily remove the pulley for flat storage in your tool box.

If all you need is a pulley, check out Abbey Bike Tools. We share the same exact pulley with them, and they offer it individually.

Cheers,
Chris – The Robert Axle Project

Dinger

4 years ago

Reply to robertaxle142

Thanks for the well reasoned response. I agree with it.

Do you offer, or know of a good disc brake cover? The proximity of cleaning chemicals (& oils) to the brake caliper make it easy to contaminate the pads while cleaning, though getting the rotor out of there with wheel removal also reduces this risk. I’ve gotten in the habit of taking my pads out while cleaning but it’s somewhat inconvenient when I just want to freshen the bike up more quickly.

Author

Cory Benson

4 years ago

Reply to Dinger

@Dinger, we’ve had good experience with the Muc-Off velcro disc brake covers when the wheel is still attached to the bike. They are neoprene and not 100% sealed, but do a great job at deflecting airborne lubricant.
https://bikerumor.com/2018/10/22/muc-off-disc-brake-covers-protect-you-bike-while-you-scrub-it-squeaky-clean/

FUIS

4 years ago

I own both the Derlin pulley from Abbey Bike Works that fits over your existing thru axle and also the dummy hub from Robert Axle Product. The Abbey product is great, but as Chris says, it can be a handful to thread the axle through both dropouts while wrapping the chain around the pulley, all while it’s under tension.

The Robert Axle Project product is much easier to use since it only threads into the drive side dropout and can be fitted without getting lube from the chain all over your hands. Yes, there are other companies that have been making similar products. And yes, you can simply slip a pulley over your existing thru axle. If that works for you, great. For me, this makes things a little easier and I don’t end up with grease all over my hands. Money well spent in my book.

Tom

4 years ago

As others have said, the Park roller (which they do sell separately) works just fine with your stock axle, especially on road bikes.

On mtbs, a $5 clothes line roller from Ace Hardware works even better, since it’s larger diameter “opens” the derailleur up more. But you do have to drill it out with a 3/8″ bit.