I finally got my 2nd generation hub – the first generation hub that I rode for a few months developed some problems. Unlike the earlier models, with six pins inside the hub, this model has 12, so shifting is much smoother.
I was eager to try it out and took it for a short spin that turned into 2 miles. I was amazed to find that even after a six-month hiatus, I never UPD’ed even when down-shifting, which I used to find pretty tricky. I probably shifted a dozen times with no troubles.
There is even less slop than there was with the first hub, and that’s saying something because the first hub was already pretty slop-free. With the newer hub, it felt like I was riding a regular 29" uni and then like I was riding a “regular” 45" uni. I never felt the wiggling or bumping that some geared unis have had.
I only managed to get it up to 16.7 mph – I had had a long day, riding my Coker over 25 miles including 3 trips across the Brooklyn Bridge after riding about 17 miles yesterday – but I think that when I feel comfortable on it again (and not so tired), I’ll be able to reach speeds about 20% greater (my top speed on the old hub was 21 mph).
Bravo, Florian!