Onyx hubs transfer the precise amount of torque you want to the ground when you need it. Nasty climbs on boulders and rock require just the right amount of instantaneous power but only at your command. There is no substitute for absolute control of your machine.
Use your precious energy wisely. Uphill or downhill,
Listen carefully. Only the sound of the wind in your face separates you from the mountain. Enjoy the music of nature unfettered by the rancorous clicking of pawls. Onyx’s patented sprag clutch design removes the ratcheting noise of traditional hubs.
So first, a rundown of the main differences between the new Vesper and the Classic hub.
The hub shells are machined much more aggressively all the way out to machining excess material from the flanges.
The front hub uses significantly lighter bearings and an interchangeable endcap system that weighs much less than the Classic version.
Revised axle system.
Tool free endcaps.
Rear hub uses 1.5 sprag clutches compared with the 2 clutches of the Classic hubs.
Alloy freehub bodies standard (steel still available as an upgrade).
Steel Enduro bearings stock with Verinent ceramic bearings available as an upgrade.
No free laser engraving due to decreased space on the hubs.
While the lighter weight of the smaller sprag clutch and refined hub shell is definitely a major selling point, we won't go into that too much right now, because we want to get a hub set in our hands to weigh first. Instead we'll focus on what we've been most excited about ever since Onyx first announced it: the new freehub design. The new Vesper hub is the first hub to feature Onyx's new MFU (Modular Freehub Unit). The MFU allows you to simply swap the freehub body by pulling off the driveside endcap (yep, it's tool free!). Because the system is designed to work with DT Swiss freehub bodies, you have the option of using a Shimano Micro Spline freehub body made by DT Swiss, in addition to the Sram XDR and Shimano Hyperglide freehub bodies that are made by Onyx. As a side note, Onyx expects to have Campagnolo-compatible freehub bodies available soon, but isn't currently giving out specific dates, so just stay tuned and we'll let you know as soon as they're available. The new design simplifies the freehub body change process and also keeps the sprag clutch system inside the hub during those changes, thereby shielding it from dirt intrusion during the exchange process. Retrofit kits will be available for Classic hubs very soon, so if you have any pre-MFU Onyx hub and want to switch to an XDR or Shimano Micro Spline freehub, you'll soon be able to do so easily.
