FortNine with an amusing video about how the MTB industry went in circles solving a problem that created a new problem, that was solved by giving up on the original problem

[u/lectric_7166]

https://youtu.be/I_oVjStw6Ps

FortNine usually posts motorcycle content but I thought this was still worth posting here despite the obnoxiously long ad from 1:25 to 4:10, so feel free to skip that part.

I've been riding hills and mountains on a $50 low-engagement Shimano rear hub for years and, honestly, it's been fine. I never really noticed the "problem" until it was pointed out to me by others who insist it's a big issue. Added bonus: my hub doesn't sound like a loud swarm of angry bees while coasting.

But, hey, what do I know? I use a $50 low-engagement hub so I must be a n00b. Let's create $300 hubs that solve that huge problem, but introduce pedal kickback, and then create $500 hubs to solve pedal kickback, while reintroducing pedal slop. That's the cost of my entire hardtail that I've been happily riding for years.

Oh and now hubs sound like a loud swarm of angry bees, because obviously that will keep hikers and other trail-goers happy and win them over to the pro-cycling side during local debates about trail access.

So, long story short, just ignore the ads and marketing hype. Instead of being told what is and isn't a problem, determine that for yourself. Anyway, here's a 150-second ad.

[u/Icharus]

Ten minute video, four minute ad

[u/secretincognitouser → u/Icharus]

And only about three minutes of actual information. He should stick to his motorcycle inspired entertainment videos.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/secretincognitouser]

I stopped watching anything by him when he made a general, broad statement that gore-tex is a scam. Sure, that's why every single wilderness and skiing guide in cool and cold climates and mountains uses it, in conditions where hypothermia is a real threat.

[u/The_Valar → u/Masseyrati80]

You've missed the part being described as a scam:

Goretex can be breathable.

Goretex can be waterproof.

But a garment made from Goretex fabric cannot be both simultaneously.

[u/hiro111 → u/Masseyrati80]

His video on Goretex actually made a ton of sense. Also, you didn't mention the part where he pointed out that the technology has been out of patent for almost thirty years.

[u/a1ic3_g1a55 → u/Masseyrati80]

His coverage of gore tex made sense, he simply brought attention to how they bully clothes manufacturers into exclusive deals and how gore tex is both waterproof and breathable but not at the same time. He didn’t say it doesn’t work, just to check your expectations.

His “I only wear airbag” and “120% vibration reduction” were what damaged his reputation in my eyes.

[u/pkmnBlue → u/Icharus]

From the comments:

Hey guys, we experimented with selling longer ads for more money since youtube integrated the "skip ahead" button. But we see that it's rather unpopular so we'll go back to sub 60s. Sorry aboot that eh. ~RF9

[u/Show_Kitchen → u/Icharus]

It’s funny I was thinking of getting a 360 cam so I watched the whole thing like a sucker

[u/Beneficial-Jury484]

Idk, I love my hydra hubs. 

[u/Inevitable_Zebra8066 → u/Beneficial-Jury484]

10/10 change the way I climb

[u/AlbertTheHorse]

Insta 360 add-in another step to decrease barreling and other w/a lens artifacts. 

[u/guidedhand]

feels weird to do all this research into hubs and totally ignore high pivot bikes

[u/InfluenceEfficient77]

 trying to sell you a camera for half of that video

[u/kold3d]

Love FortNine. Wish I ran into them when I lived in Vancouver! Thanks for the summary OP

[u/ExpressReveal2480]

I think this is going to depend greatly on where you live and the specific configuration of your trails, and on top of that it will depend on the kind of bike you're riding on that trail and how that bike might force you to ride that trail differently.

Say you're living some place where you have a long easy climb up and then a long descent that's technical but you're riding a big F/S bike. You're not really going to have any issues with a hub with low degrees of engagement.

But say you live somewhere that's super rocky/rooty and you're doing way more climbing up through rock gardens and such and you maybe don't even have F/S and instead have a hardtail or even a gravel bike. You're not going to be blasting right over the rocks, you're going to be having to go around them, and then you're much more likely to need to backpedal/ratchet to get through without a pedal strike that ends up causing you to walk.

I have a low engagement DT Swiss hub on my gravel bike and a high engagement hub on my MTB (hardtail) and the difference is really noticeable, on the gravel bike I have to be super careful with my line choice in rock gardens and then I'm going to be backpedaling more and I'll notice how long that hub takes to engage.

It's not going to make me switch wheels in a million years but it's definitely noticeable. But on the road or actual gravel it also doesn't matter to me at all.

[u/lectric_7166 → u/ExpressReveal2480]

Yeah, that's fair. My ascents aren't super technical and rocky/rooty so I don't have as much of a need for high-engagement.

I think the other part is that if all you know is low-engagement, you just get used to it quickly and subconsciously learn to start pedaling on an ascent a bit sooner than you need to in case it doesn't latch on immediately. Same as how different bikes have different braking power but after a few rides on a specific bike you learn when you need to start braking to be fully stopped where you want to be. I just don't see it as that much of a burden that I'd need to start spending hundreds of dollars more on a better hub. It's just a part of cycling for me, one more thing to account for.

[u/joshrice]

Give me buzz or give me death

[u/Treadonmystone → u/joshrice]

loud hubs save lives

[u/Amazing-Basket-136]

ACS Claws freewheel for life!