When the team asked for a simple, durable freecoaster hub with an adjustable slack setting, we got to work on developing something totally new. The Eclat Cortex Freecoaster takes the tried and tested clutch style internals, and addresses ALL of the problems that those hubs had infamously been plagued with in the past.
The Cortex uses our new IOS mechanism (Internal O-Ring System). This replaces the ball and spring found on KHE style hubs, and uses a high quality rubber o-ring and a long lasting steel spring to maintain constant friction to the axle. This is gives the hub a super smooth feel and will last a long time without any maintenance needed.
The driver uses x2 Japanese cartridge bearings with a polymer bushing behind them for added support. We tried multiple driver setups and found this to be the most reliable and solid combination possible.
The biggest issue with clutch style hubs has always been the sideways “play” that happens over time as the Drive threads into the Clutch and “clamps” the driver side hub bearing, crushing it and ultimately weakening it and causing play. The Cortex uses an integrated “stop ring” which prevents that bearing from being crushed. This stop ring works so well, that we have team riders still riding very early samples with absolutely no play or sideways movement in the hub. This has been a huge issues in Freecoasters in general, so we are excited to have come up with a simple, yet proven solution.
Team riders like Dillon Lloyd and Bruno Hoffmann asked for a hub with a large slack setting, so the Cortex comes out of the box with a large slack creating around 1/4 of a crank of slack. The Cortex slack is also adjustable by using the internal washers supplied with the hub.
We built the Cortex onto a CNC machined 6060-T6 alloy shell, sitting on a fully heat tread male 14mm axle for unmatched strength. We also made it fully compatible with our new Nylon Gong driver guard, making it the perfect hub for the modern day street rider.
The Cortex is available next month in RSD or LSD either as a hub or as a complete wheel laced up to our NEW Trippin XL or Bondi V2 rims.
