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This can be a fairly huge launch day for Shimano, the bicycle element big not solely launched its new mid-level product line, CUES … but it surely’s launching its new mid-level hubs in the present day as nicely. Greater than only a new hub, this marks a radical departure for Shimano from its tried-and-true cup and cone bearing system to sealed cartridge bearings.
These new hubs mark fairly a departure from Shimano’s earlier hubs at this degree. Shimano says these hubs had been designed to be dependable like its earlier choices, but in addition way more versatile.
These new mid-range hubs include modular and detachable finish caps so you possibly can run both quick-release or thru-axle-type axles. The freehub physique on these new hubs can be modular, permitting for straightforward swapping of an HG cassette physique to a Micro Spline cassette physique, or vice versa.
The usage of cartridge bearings can be new for this hub line (and Shimano usually). The highest-of-the-tier TC600 hub makes use of as many as six cartridge bearings with 4 (twin double-row) within the freehub physique. The cartridge bearings are additionally used at the side of Shimano’s Labyrinth & Contact seals, offering what Shimano calls a “double-sealed hub” — not simply counting on the sealing of the bearings themselves.
The tiers of the brand new hub line appear to be this:
- TC600: twin double-row bearings and fast engagement, constructed for aggressive path driving and excessive torque, Labyrinth & Contact seal bearings
- TC500/QC500: Labyrinth & Contact seal bearings
- QC400: Contact seal bearings present a greater seal than conventional cone and cup bearings
- QC300: conventional cone and cup bearings
The TC500 and QC500 are additionally utilizing a mixture of cartridges — 4 really — with two within the hub physique and Labyrinth & Contact seals. The QC400 is using two cartridge bearings on the surface of the freehub physique, with Shimano’s Contact seal, whereas the QC300 is left to make use of Shimano’s conventional cup and cone bearings.
New Hub Nomenclature
The brand new line of hubs has a reasonably straightforward technique to inform what you’re getting or how to decide on the hub you need by wanting on the “coding” of the product.
For instance, the hub pictured above is the “FH-QC500-MS.” The “FH” on the entrance is the Free Hub. The following within the sequence is the “Q,” which, on this case, means “fast launch axle,” whereas the subsequent one, “C,” stands for “Heart Lock” for the rotor mount. Transferring to the “500,” that’s the extent of the hub, and the “MS” stands for what the free hub is suitable with; on this case, it’s Micro Spline. And lastly, the “B” stands for the Over Locknut Dimension, extra generally often called O.L.D. — on this case, the spacing is “Enhance.” This could match the spacing between your rear dropouts.
Considered one of Shimano’s objectives when creating this line of hubs was to simplify the serviceability of its hubs, in flip giving the bike retailers what they’ve been asking for.
Take a look at extra particulars by hitting the hyperlink under.
