If you happened to catch the On the Horizon with Brian about Volume and Demolition over on BMXunion then you might have heard that Demolition has a new hub available. This seemed like a good opportunity to dissect another part down and see what it’s made of. Brian Castillo takes us through the process that took a few years to get this hub clicking just right…
Starting this off, what made you guys want to do another rear hub? I know you have the Anorexia hub in the line up that seems to be pretty solid.
We’ve had the Anorexia for a very long time in our lineup. It’s a very good hub for the price and weight it comes in. We wanted to update our lineup this year with a high end hub. We discontinued producing our Ashley cassette hub and added the new Rolls cassette.
Lets start from the beginning. What were a few of the original concepts that were brought to the drawing board right off the bat? Who all had some input on how this was going to be put together? Were there any ideas that didn’t make the cut?
The concept of the bushing driver was first released a couple of years ago by one of the hub vendors. We just kept holding off on getting on board with producing the hub due to problems. I believe we were the first to test the hub but a couple of issues at the time with the hub kept coming up. We finally went back to the project and in the meantime others companies had the bushing driver system as well.
Where did the name come from and is it anyones signature hub?
We really wanted a synonym with a smooth/ flawless system and we thought ROLLS was best fitting.
How long did it take to put together all of the ideas to get the drawings done and set for prototypes to be made?
It was years in the works for us. The vendor has all the credit to take, we didn’t create the system but we definitely helped make it even more flawless than what they had. We changed the internals a bit to have some of the pieces interchangeable if necessary.
Were there a few different designs that you worked with, or was it just the one that was being worked with?
We all felt as though the bearingless driver needed to be in our lineup due to all the smaller driver bearings always blowing up. We stuck with the project till we felt it was a flawless hub that we wouldn’t see any returns on.
So once the prototypes showed up, who all tested the Rolls hub? What were some of the problems that needed changing?
I think everyone on the team tested it. I ordered a ton of samples and had everyone test them and report back to us on any changes that needed to be made. At that point there were only minor things that needed to be corrected.
How long were the prototypes tested for? What kind of time did it take to get it into production?
The first prototype I had of this hub was in 2007. The first one seized up a lot and it didn’t have all the bushings that kept dirt out. It was a project that needed some work and we put it on the back burner for some time.
Lets get to some of the special features. What is the hub shell made out of? Did you try any other materials or were you pretty set on the one you chose?
We stick with the same material (6061 AL) for the shells, it’s the internals that really weigh a hub down. The axle is a new Nickel/ CR-MO hollow axle.
You guys went with a 14mm chromoly and nickel hollow axle. What’s the benefit to having nickel in the mix?
It’s just to make it that much more stronger than your average heat treated chromoly axle.
So there aren’t any bearings in the driver. How does this work?
The axle is machined where the bearings would normally go. Over top is a metal sleeve throughout the machined area of the axle and the polymer bushing slides onto that metal sleeve.
Why is the Rolls is only available in 9 tooth? Do you plan on bringing a 10 tooth into the mix? How has testing on the 8 tooth been going?
We’ve discontinued doing any driver size over 9t. 9t and 8t are the only things really moving at the moment. The 8t’s were giving us problems still and we held off on getting those out. We are currently testing them still and are hoping for release very soon.
There is also an optional guard available for the hub. What are some of the features of that? Can you use any other hub guards on this hub?
The guard that is sold separate is made up of 7075 Al. and is tall enough to protect the majority of the spokes that would be grinded down when grinding.
I haven’t tried everyones guard on the Rolls but since we used the standard thread on the Rolls and not the reverse thread system we’ve used in the past, you should be able to use a lot of the other guards on the market.
What are the color options and weight on the Rolls hub? Left and right hand drive, right?
The colors at the moment are: Black, teal and white. It’s available in RHD and LHD. The weight is at a cool 14.3 oz
What kind of a warranty can we expect out of this if something were to come up?
If you break or damage the hub, send back the receipt and the hub back to us and we’ll do our best to resolve the situation asap.
When will the hub be available, and what should it be retailing for?
The Rolls hub is available now and MSRP is: $170 for hub and $25 for the guard.
What is your next big project that you are working on?
I have a ton of drawings in the works. Right now they’re drawings, so I can’t really say if they’ll even make it to production. You’ll have to hit me back in a couple months after we get the samples of those projects.
Is there anything I missed you want to add?
I don’t think so, looks like we covered everything. Thanks!
