I switched the front wheel set on "Red" with the front wheel set on "Black". My Catrike 700 "Black" is my performance 700 and "Red" is my cruising 700. Up to now the Chris King hubs were on "Black" but when I give them a spin they slow down noticeably faster then the Catrike hubs on "Red". The Catrike hubs spin easily and long. So I took off the tires and switched them around. Now the superior freewheeling Catrike hubs are on "Black". My Catrike "Red" is not built up for speed so it now sports the Chris King hubs.
The Chris King hubs have about a 200 mile break in period and that period has come and gone a long time ago and they're still sluggish compared to the Catrike hubs. They look great but the axle did require the expert machining of Dana at Bent Up Cycles to get them to work with the Catrike spindles.
I keep a detailed log of all my rides so in time I should be able to tell if there is a noticeable difference by comparing max speeds on certain hills where I spin out and gravity takes over. I'll update this post in the next couple of weeks.
My conclusion...the proprietary front Catrike hubs are good hubs specifically designed by Catrike for it's trikes. It's not worth going with another brand hub for the front wheels.
Updated 9/22
I un-switched the hubs. If there is any difference in performance between the Catrike hubs and the CK hubs then I sure can't tell. In the interest of aesthetics I put the CK hubs back on "Black" and the Catrike hubs are now back on "Red". Experiment over!
Updated 9/22
I un-switched the hubs. If there is any difference in performance between the Catrike hubs and the CK hubs then I sure can't tell. In the interest of aesthetics I put the CK hubs back on "Black" and the Catrike hubs are now back on "Red". Experiment over!
It's hard to tell from the pic but the Chris King hubs protrude out on the side a little more then the Catrike Hubs.
