Over the past 5 years, KHE’s freecoaster system has taken over the niche market. This was not because their product is the best we can do, but it is better than other options that were available (see my post on radial vs. axial freecoaster systems). In this post we will look at how the KHE system has evolved in its lifespan.
In the beginning was the Geisha. It offered a stud system (EAS) that allowed easy changing between 3/8” and 14mm in three different materials. That’s right, when it first came out, there were aluminum, steel, and titanium studs. They even went so far as to have a hybrid aluminum/steel clutch in their flatland version. The major advantage of the KHE was it’s ball-spring resistor, and low weight (Poverty coasters had the same resistor with a roller thrust bearing behind the clutch. But the resistor was eventually welded into place and the hub was pretty heavy in comparison)
Quickly after their initial run, the aluminum and ti studs, as well as the hybrid clutch were discontinued. To most people, this didn’t matter as the studs would unscrew with the axle regardless of material. Many would have preferred to use a bolt-on system (female axle), but KHE used a 3/8-26 thread in the aluminum spindle, which is very difficult to find bolts for. Blue6 now sells a bolt-on conversion kit for the KHE EAS system with titanium bolts and aluminum collars.
Now I am not sure if this next change came before the 1-piece axle or after, but it was an improvement none the less. KHE replaced the brass ball retainers with steel. Again, most people were unaffected, but to KHE’s defense, it was an attempt to fix the issue of customers tapping their axles out the wrong way (to remove any KHE axle, tap the drive side). Unfortunately, some people, when they encounter resistance, just hit the axle harder. Thus, customers still damage the retainers, and must purchase a new axle to replace them. I was always a bit annoyed that they didn’t make the retainers themselves available for the customers who damage them.
The next change marks the inflection point; when all of a sudden KHE took over the market, expanding horizontally to prevent competition. They finally came out with a 1-piece steel axle just before releasing the Federal and Reverse freecoasters. Both hubs were the same, but with different hubshells, and marketed under different brands. They both featured steel-one piece axle, but at a 4 oz weight penalty.
At this point, the Odyssey Reloader was out of the market, and the Poverty was rumored to be on it’s last run. KHE looked to fill the niche. They introduced LHD versions of both the Federal and Reverse. In order to do so, they would have to replace the threaded engagement ring with a splined one (if you run a threaded hubshell with LHD driver and clutch, the engagement ring will unscrew). There have been some issues with the splined ring coming loose, either by initial fit or compression of the aluminum splines. If you have this issue, retaining compound or JB Weld on the splines will fix it.
Some customers had issues blowing out the drive-side hubshell bearing. KHE attempted to fix this by switching the 6905 deep groove bearing with a 7905 angular contact bearing. Although not yet confirmed, it is believed the 7905 they are using is a 15 degree contact angle. Even this modest change can make a difference to someone who persistently blows out their drive side bearing. Unfortunately, the bearing seat is too thin to allow it to be bored out to accept an angular contact roller bearing, which would eliminate the issue all together (see Rob Ridge’s modified Reloader).
The drive side hubshell bearing was small potatoes compared to the driver bearing issues inherent in axial coaster systems (especially those with smaller drivers, unsealed bearings, and 14mm axles). KHE’s first attempt to resolve this issue was in the switch to steel in their 1-piece axle. The hope was that steel would better resist deformation of the measly 0.5mm bearing shoulder on the axle. It didn’t work. Their next attempt was to install a thrust bushing behind the 6902 bearings in the driver. I do not know how this has affected the number of driver bearing issues, but can’t help see it as an attempt to again fix the symptom (blown bearings) rather than the problem (axial wheel loads on the driver bearings).
Their most recent attempt to fix the driver issue was to have a custom bearing made by reducing the inner diameter from 15mm to 14mm. This gives a 1.5mm shoulder as opposed to a 0.5mm one. Although I like that they are addressing the issue, custom bearings always create headaches (such as buying a new axle that won’t work with your existing bearings). And again, it is not a proper solution to the underlying problem.
And finally, the one I skipped: somewhere along the line, KHE made a modification to the 1-piece axle to allow external slack adjustment. This was the first coaster to do so. It uses a simple screw attached to the internal stop-washer. A nice improvement indeed, but I have felt no inclination to change my slack, once set to my preference, in any of the coasters I have ridden.
So what can you take out of all of this?
- KHE has made incremental improvements in their design over the years. This extends the lifespan of the product line.
- KHE has committed to their system by expanding horizontally, now having 5 production models as nearly 50% of coasters currently available (Astern, Geisha lt, Reverse, Federal, Alienation).
- Pushing KHE to make specific improvements may actually manifest them. Though look for incremental change, as they will likely milk this system for as long as they can before releasing something new (I hope they are working on a radial system, since they are still the only company to have released one, even if it was a failure).
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