I've been using Tni's Evo Lite Hub (Evolution Lite Hub) for years in our Nomulab wheels,
and while the 20H rear hub has been officially announced as discontinued,
all the other specifications are probably being phased out too—the distributor just hasn't said so publicly yet.
Even accounting for the global pandemic situation,
we've had an extremely long stock shortage, and
it looks like the original Novatech 291SL front hub and
482SL rear hub have stopped being produced.
The image above shows the Evo Lite Hubs we have in stock.
There are a few more beyond what's shown in the photo.
Still, it's certain that the Evo Lite Hub will eventually be discontinued, and
when I asked the distributor about this,
they recommended an alternative hub that's already lined up.
Well, I'm calling it a "replacement hub" on my own terms here.
If the distributor said "replacement," they'd be admitting
that the Evo Lite Hub is being discontinued.
That hub is this "six60 hub."
It's pronounced "six sixty," but
from now on I'll be calling it the 660 (roku-roku-maru) hub on this blog.
It's easier to write that way.
The name comes from the fact that the rear hub's ratchet has 60 teeth in one rotation.
Sixty is straightforward enough, but
what does "six" mean? I wondered, so I did some investigating.
Six pawls and
sixty teeth (didn't count them all myself, but
if that's what it's branded as, it's almost certainly right).
I'm a bit concerned about the relatively small bearings in the rear hub body,
but since the Leaf hub uses the same size
and the ends aren't straight-press fit, it might work.
The Leaf hub had four bearings total—two in the hub body and two in the freebody—all the same size,
but in the 660 hub, the freebody bearings are 6902s—
larger than those in the hub body.
Here's the front hub, unrelated to the model name's origin.
It's got a pretty wide flange.
This marking isn't a serial number—
all the stock we currently have shows the same thing.
It might be an internal model code and manufacturing date.
The rear hub dimensions are nice and tight on high/low.
So, this 660 hub can't be a complete drop-in replacement for the Evo Lite.
There are gaps in the specifications.
First, the rear hub's freebody only comes in Shimano 11-speed.
And moreover, this Shimano 11-speed version
apparently can't be used with Shimano 12-speed sprockets—
the distributor has already announced this.
Well, I don't think many people are buying 9200-series 12-speed components in rim brake configuration anyway...
Next, spoke hole counts.
Front hubs come in 18, 20, and 24H options,
but rear hubs come in 24 and 32H—
for some reason, there's no 28H.
So for 28H rear hubs or
Campagnolo and SRAM XDR freebody cases,
you have to stick with the Evo Lite Hub.
But the distributor doesn't have stock of these specifications anymore.
We do, though. Strange, isn't it?
Of course we don't have an infinite supply, but
we're holding enough to fill the current backorders.
"Even if it gets more expensive with ceramic bearings,
let's just use the Tni Wing Hub"—
as a workaround to get 28H rear hubs or non-Shimano freebodies,
the distributor's stock of those is also mysteriously unavailable.
Wheee. ←sound of a failed whistle
For our Nomulab rim brake wheels,
we'll eventually transition to the 660 hub,
but for now we'll be sticking with the Evo Lite Hub for a while longer.
and while the 20H rear hub has been officially announced as discontinued,
all the other specifications are probably being phased out too—the distributor just hasn't said so publicly yet.
Even accounting for the global pandemic situation,
we've had an extremely long stock shortage, and
it looks like the original Novatech 291SL front hub and
482SL rear hub have stopped being produced.
The image above shows the Evo Lite Hubs we have in stock.
There are a few more beyond what's shown in the photo.
Still, it's certain that the Evo Lite Hub will eventually be discontinued, and
when I asked the distributor about this,
they recommended an alternative hub that's already lined up.
Well, I'm calling it a "replacement hub" on my own terms here.
If the distributor said "replacement," they'd be admitting
that the Evo Lite Hub is being discontinued.
That hub is this "six60 hub."
It's pronounced "six sixty," but
from now on I'll be calling it the 660 (roku-roku-maru) hub on this blog.
It's easier to write that way.
The name comes from the fact that the rear hub's ratchet has 60 teeth in one rotation.
Sixty is straightforward enough, but
what does "six" mean? I wondered, so I did some investigating.
Six pawls and
sixty teeth (didn't count them all myself, but
if that's what it's branded as, it's almost certainly right).
I'm a bit concerned about the relatively small bearings in the rear hub body,
but since the Leaf hub uses the same size
and the ends aren't straight-press fit, it might work.
The Leaf hub had four bearings total—two in the hub body and two in the freebody—all the same size,
but in the 660 hub, the freebody bearings are 6902s—
larger than those in the hub body.
Here's the front hub, unrelated to the model name's origin.
It's got a pretty wide flange.
This marking isn't a serial number—
all the stock we currently have shows the same thing.
It might be an internal model code and manufacturing date.
The rear hub dimensions are nice and tight on high/low.
So, this 660 hub can't be a complete drop-in replacement for the Evo Lite.
There are gaps in the specifications.
First, the rear hub's freebody only comes in Shimano 11-speed.
And moreover, this Shimano 11-speed version
apparently can't be used with Shimano 12-speed sprockets—
the distributor has already announced this.
Well, I don't think many people are buying 9200-series 12-speed components in rim brake configuration anyway...
Next, spoke hole counts.
Front hubs come in 18, 20, and 24H options,
but rear hubs come in 24 and 32H—
for some reason, there's no 28H.
So for 28H rear hubs or
Campagnolo and SRAM XDR freebody cases,
you have to stick with the Evo Lite Hub.
But the distributor doesn't have stock of these specifications anymore.
We do, though. Strange, isn't it?
Of course we don't have an infinite supply, but
we're holding enough to fill the current backorders.
"Even if it gets more expensive with ceramic bearings,
let's just use the Tni Wing Hub"—
as a workaround to get 28H rear hubs or non-Shimano freebodies,
the distributor's stock of those is also mysteriously unavailable.
Wheee. ←sound of a failed whistle
For our Nomulab rim brake wheels,
we'll eventually transition to the 660 hub,
but for now we'll be sticking with the Evo Lite Hub for a while longer.