As most of you know, I've been tossing Lyle's name around here and there over the last few months. Aside from using me for my shop space and abundance of free parts (u no I luv u), Lyle's spent the better part of a year designing a GNARLY new set of track hubs that could withstand all the pain and withering abuse one could possibly ever take...
Oh and for all the studio wankers out there: I'm not a studio photographer! So I'm sorry if using something as inconsistent as a MIG welder for a light source horrifies you. Fuckin' pansies.. Anyways I suck at that shit so I figured, why not make it that much more challenging?! I think the photos came out fairly decent with a little bit of guess work:
More photos on my flickr set..
The hubs are easily the strongest, most solid ones I've ever seen for built for tracks bikes. Sitting one of them down next to a Phil Wood hub really shows you just how brutal they are. The flanges are taller, thicker and the bolts are HUGE! Bearings are wicked smooth too! I sincerely doubt there's any other track hub out there right now that's anywhere near as durable as this one..
For more information you can get in touch with Lyle to find out every minutely anal detail about these fantabulusly new hubs via his website:
Vallie Components
The hubs pictured are in Beta test phase now. Though I've been told that the revisions have already been made and are just awaiting further trials before the second wave are ready to be put into production.. More info on them as I get it!
For those of you attending NAHBS this weekend, you can meet him and see his hub in person. Be sure to say what's up and drool over their magnificence!
Also, I gave him a stack of promotional Monster Track DVDs that I got in the mail to hand out to people for free. He doesn't have a lot so the password is: 'Rocky IV' if you want one...
9 comments:
Coolest bike part photos EVER!
Ahhh- thanks a lot man!
awesome! go lyle! those hubs look beefy as shit!
as far as the photos go, they look great. in fact, I thought they WERE professionally done. :)
They look exactly like Level's hubs.
^ You couldn't be further off the mark my friend. There's some HUGE differences to each of their designs...
ohhh...you know I need those.
yeah, it seems on these that the stress is entirely on the bolts, where Level has designed their hubs such that the stress is bourne by 'knuckles' ensuring that the bolts can never be sheared off
Im feelin those....
^^ While that is true and it a great design element you're also stuck with whatever cogs Level has to offer. Where are there are a few different manufacturers who make the same 6 bolt pattern as the Vallie hubs. As far as the durability goes I would say that three bolts and three 'knuckles' are about the same as 6 bolts. That and the knuckles don't necessarily ensure that the bolts can't be sheared off. I mean, we're talking about aluminum here. How much stronger do you think that shit is compared to steel bolts? The other problem of course is that if you were to damage one of the knuckles badly enough there's a good chance that the hub would be rendered unusable. Anyways, just some thoughts..
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