KOOVA Hub Technology Innovation: From Pawls to Driver System
In 2010, when we first entered the hub industry, pawl systems were almost the sole choice in the market. At that time, there were only a handful of domestic manufacturers, and they primarily relied on technical support from Taiwanese companies. In 2011, KOOVA resolutely decided to enter the hub field, and from its first project, applied a four-bearing design to its products.
Birth and Innovation of the Driver System
A chance encounter with DT Swiss's innovative structure inspired us to develop higher-performance hubs. After in-depth research and repeated experiments, KOOVA successfully developed the 8-series and 9-series products. Although completely different from DT Swiss's clutch structure, they demonstrated equally outstanding performance.
With the market's ever-changing demands for sound, KOOVA initiated the development of the Driver system in 2017. To avoid existing patents, we invested a significant amount of time and effort in patent searches and completed the design drawings in June 2017. In February 2019, the KOOVA Driver system was successfully granted a patent (CN201820585583.2).
Technical Details and Innovations
- Tooth Stability:KOOVA collaborated with a foreign company with over 40 years of heat treatment experience to deeply optimize the heat treatment process of the teeth, effectively improving the shape stability, wear resistance, and anti-chipping performance of the teeth.
- Sound Tuning:We invited acoustic experts to conduct in-depth research on the relationship between sound and frictional vibration through simulation and numerous experiments. By improving the production process of the teeth, such as simulating 2000km of road riding through rocking polishing, we successfully optimized the sound.
- Spring Design:After nearly 30 trials and evaluations, we finally determined two spring wire diameters and spring force values and used piano wire as the raw material.
- Grease Selection:The choice of grease is crucial to the performance of the hub. After six months of repeated testing, we finally selected Krupp NB52 viscosity grease from Germany to meet the requirements of wear resistance, rust prevention, low noise, low viscosity, and self-lubrication of the ratchet.
- Waterproof Design:All KOOVA hub series adopt fluorine rubber seals and a labyrinth-style dustproof and waterproof structure, effectively ensuring the product's waterproof performance.
Core Competitiveness
- Independent Research and Development:The KOOVA Driver system is an entirely independently developed innovative product with independent intellectual property rights.
- Exquisite Craftsmanship:KOOVA has deep technical accumulation in the heat treatment of teeth, sound tuning, spring design, and grease selection.
- Rigorous Testing:KOOVA products have undergone long-term testing and evaluation in Southeast Asia and Central and South America, ensuring the product's reliability and durability.
Summary
With its outstanding performance, innovative design, and exquisite craftsmanship, KOOVA hubs have established a good reputation in the industry. We always adhere to technological innovation, continuously pursue the ultimate performance of products, and provide better products and services for a wide range of cycling enthusiasts.
- 1. Ratchet bite problem: The key to the design and production of a hub lies in the ratchet bite, which puts forward higher requirements for the manufacturing process of the ratchet. If you find that the hub is not engaging quickly enough, or that the pawls are not fully engaged. This means your freehub needs to be replaced.