Stories posted under Pinkbike Community blogs are not edited, vetted, or approved by the Pinkbike editorial team. These are stories from Pinkbike users. If a blog post is offensive or violates the Terms of Services, please report the blog to Community moderators.

Canfield Brothers 9t Micro Drive Rear Hub Review

Feb 6, 2013 at 3:34
by Nicholas Simcik  
It is always great to see innovation in this industry! Especially innovation that does not result in a new "standard". Sure, some of the new "standards" are great, but for many, it makes things unattainable. It is nice to be able to simply upgrade your current ride with new technology. Canfield decided to bring to the average rider something only previously seen on World Cup race bikes.

photo

A few years ago DT Swiss and a few other companies put together a driver-style freehub to allow riders to run a smaller front chain ring and a wider range, yet still compact cassette. It was seen on riders like Sam Hill's World Cup bikes. The average rider has never seen it available. While it never went to production, it helped spark a movement. (The complete Specialized Carbon Demo will be the first production bike to have the DT Swiss version of this hub) Sram's XX1 uses a similar concept. The Canfield Brothers got together to produce a 9t compatible hub. Able to work with 9 or 10 speed drivetrains, it makes 1x9/10 systems for your trail bike perfect or allow you to run a 30 or 32 tooth ring on your DH bike for maximum clearance. You can also run a cassette ranging 9-36! Available in 150, 142, and 135 widths, there is a hub available for your bike. While it is hard to claim a hub as revolutionary, a driver style hub for mountain bikes kind of is. It simplifies your bike, increases your ground clearance, gives you a wider gear range, and makes for a cleaner looking drivetrain.

As you can see by the photo, the freehub is significantly different than a standard hub. This is what allows the 9t cog to fit. As result of this different freehub, a different lockring is used and therefor a different lockring tool is used. Just something to keep in mind as this is an additional expense for those who like to have all the tools for their bike in their tool box.

Set Up
I have been on this hub most of the summer. The original set up on my Transition TR250 was running a 36t chainring, 11-26t cassette, and an MRP System 4. With the new hub, I put on an MRP G2SL Mini guide and a 32t ring, and a Shimano Capreo cassette 9-26. This gave me about 1/2 inch more clearance, a wider range on the cassette and similar top end gearing. You will need to run a specific cassette, but Canfield will be happy to set you up with one. The upper cogs are traditional cogs, but in order to make the 9t fit, the bottom few cogs are smaller and a different type of lock ring is used. Since I got just the hub, I laced up a DT Swiss F630 rim. The hub uses traditional J-bend spokes which are easily found through any bike shop, so in a pinch, you won't be stressing about finding a specialty spoke.

Other options: MRP makes a Micro guide which will allow you to run a 30t or even a 28t front ring. With a 4 bolt crank, a 32 is the smallest you can run, but with something like the XO crank, you can run those smaller rings. If you are looking for a more pedal-friendly cassette, you can run all the way up to a 36t cog on the cassette.

Initially I was concerned that the 9t would be a problem with a regular chain as opposed to a half-link which worked better on my driver hubs on my hardtail. But, I did not experience any issues with the chain slipping or not engaging enough teeth on the cog. Overall, it worked like a cassette. The derailleur lines the chain up for the gear and the cassette holds it there. Nothing revolutionary, just a solid improvement if you are seeking greater clearance or a larger gear range.

The Ride
I had been running a Hadley hub on my Transition TR250, so I was used to the high engagement. When I put on the Canfield hub, I was immediately impressed with the engagement. I could not tell a difference on the trail between my tried and true Hadley hub and the new Canfield hub. It also has a very positive engagement, a solid click and after months of use, no slippage. The hub sounds great without being annoying while on the trail. The durability of the hub is solid for a high end hub of this nature. The bearings are durable and showed no signs of wear at the end of the summer when I opened it up to check them. They were tight, smooth and still had plenty of the original grease. The cassette worked like a cassette. A solid piece from Shimano that does its job.

The Conclusion
High end hubs change the on trail feeling of your bike. The quick engagement means instant power to the ground coming out of corners and for sneaking in a pedal before a jump. High end, high engagement hubs range from a few hundred bucks up to upwards of $500. The Canfield Components 9t Micro Drive rear hub at $300 is right in the mid-range price while offering great engagement and a durable product. This hub increases your drivetrain clearance for rough terrain and makes 1x10 on your trail bike a much more reasonable venture.

Author Info:
simcik avatar

Member since Apr 21, 2004
11 articles

21 Comments
  • 1 0
 Great article! Should mention that to use the MRP Micro you need to use a Bling Ring or similar style spiderless chainring. I have this setup on my AM rig with a 28t Bling Ring driving a 9-36t cassette. VERY wide range and it's smooth as butter!
  • 4 0
 Canfield bikes is under the radar, but there products are insanely nice. Nice work brothers.
  • 2 0
 Check out their Crampon Ultimate pedals too. Great design and great reliability.
  • 1 0
 I like this, an affordable alternative to XX1. I've been wanting to get a high end hub, and lose the front derailleur. I'll go for a 32 X 9-36
  • 2 0
 You wont regret it! Its going on my new TR450 for sure
  • 1 0
 I have no problem with innovation that requires a new standard. That's a silly comment. We want new standards. Better standards.
  • 1 0
 a 30t up front matched with a 9-23t cassette would give more flexibility than a 36 with a 11-26t cassette, on the high end AND low end...definitely the way to go !!!
  • 1 0
 Or, looked at another way, the 30T mated to a 9-36 rear provides all the range you'll ever need for normal riding. Combined with a clutch derailleur, and you got yourself a less expensive XX1 system. Can do this 9sp too if you want with the HG-61 cassette Shimano makes, although the jumps between gears might be a bit big... This is going to be my Enduro setup for now.
  • 1 0
 sweet! I've been wanting to try one of these guys out for a while! Glad it worked out for you
  • 1 0
 what is the engagement in degrees? Im an i9 fanatic, but im looking to make some changes
  • 1 0
 12.5 degrees I believe. They engage pretty darn well compared to my I9s and give a lot more gear options
  • 1 0
 theres no way its 12.5, that would make them the shittiest wheels ever. I know the Canfield brothers, they would not do that. i9s are something like 2.7
  • 1 0
 The hub has 32 points of engagement. 360 degrees divided by 32 is 12.5 degrees. I9s are either 3 or 6 degrees of engagement depending if 3 or 6 pawls are utilized
  • 1 0
 When are they available and do you know the pricing for the cassettes on average and the tool?
  • 1 0
 They are available now. Contact www.canfieldbrothers.com/contact for more information about the hub and cassette. Tell them Nick sent ya.
  • 1 0
 I need to get me one of these.
  • 1 0
 Yup!
  • 1 0
 So does the hub have pawls, or star Ratchet?
  • 1 0
 Pawls, the pawls are 3 double rows and 32 point engagement.
  • 1 0
 Thanks
  • 1 0
 Nice write up nick







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.019946
Mobile Version of Website