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4 riders...I stopped counting at 13. LMS only did 5 all week, but I've got some secret sauce to keep air in the wombat's tires😉. Point being that it's the nature of the track.

For once I have to agree wholeheartedly with Bizutch. Wheels are disposable for a team at this level. At certain races as a mechanic I built 15 wheels in a weekend for racers. Sometimes they were 1 run wheels, sometimes they lasted two days. But not one person on my team at a WC raced on the same wheels they practiced on...especially at MSA. Wheels are disposable goods at a WC level. dead wheels at a race mean absolutely nothing.

It was a cracked rim, not sure what do you want them to do with that

Since you don't understand this, I'll explain. World Cup teams annihilate wheels all week long. Most of the wheels can make it back to the pits. A new wheel goes on for the next run. No one says a word & it gets rebuilt. One team...1 rider this weekend....annihilated SIX wheels before Finals. Their teammate nuked only ONE wheel a week after smashing multiple wheels. That plays out w/ every team & you aren't privy to it. Pros don't melt over wheels. It's been that way since the beginning. Every pit, every rider is cracking or splitting wheels. They just...

It's sad reading nonsense like this. The same wheels won him a World Cup a few weeks ago. Mondraker on the same wheels got 4th & 5th in this race. Mondraker runs the same tires as all 3 of the men's overall podium.

"Rolling speed, weight, and price are the other main differences between the hubs. The Sidekick produces less drag due to its retractable pawls, making for a noticeably higher coasting speed. It was also really quiet, which I preferred to the whizz of the DT." I would say the rolling speed and near silence of the Sidekick is as notable for me when riding as the anti-kickback feature. It's almost shocking how well my bike carries speed with the sidekick hub.

Curious, I know its slightly different but how does this not violate e*thirteen's patent?

Thanks to everyone who has ridden these hubs for sharing their experiences. I think Jeff's take makes sense, and I'm not a racer. However, it looked like Jeff clips in. I ride flats. For the non-racer, I'm wondering if the value proposition of these hubs is markedly different depending on whether you ride flats or clip in, and if the experience of one camp is all that relevant to the other. I'd also be using them on an enduro bike at the likes of Pisgah and Windrock, so proper steep, natural trails with lots of roots and rocks. Now that...

I clip in but ride the same trails as you, and I would 100% recommend the hub (or an Ochain) for you especially on flats. The free-feeling suspension and greatly reduced PKB is pretty noticeable on our chunkier, relatively slower trails with moments of speed and smashing. I would expect a rider on flats to have even more positives as your feet should want to stay more glued to the pedals through rough sections of trail. Downside is that both solutions can be a little cumbersome in the slower, more techy trails needing short and fast ratchets of the pedals...

Hey y'all, there's a great visual of the Sidekick internals in this month's Vital gear show. The relevant part is at 6:37 in. Super helpful for me as I've been continutally confused trying to figure out exactly how it works. Based on this video, it's never truly "a freecoaster," instead it seems like the hub transforms from a 1-pawl hub to a normal 3-pawl hub once the red magic floating ninja star engages. And it wouldn't become a 4-pawl hub, because according to ethirteen the pusher pawl on the floating red ninja star pusher plate never bears any drivetrain load...

Initial Impressions - Riding on a SJ Evo w Cascade Link, Float X, 18 degree setting. 1) It certainly does something. Others have said you feel like the bike rolls a little faster, and I agree with this. 2) The bike you put it on will have a big impact on how useful it really is. Obviously, the more kickback the bike has the more this product will matter. 3) I don't want to sound like a wet blanket, but most casual riders aren't going to notice a massive difference. I'll keep testing and reserve my right to change my...