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review

White Industries Eric's Eccentric ENO hub

9
£124.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent solution for converting vertical dropout frames to fixed/singlespeed
Weight: 
325g
Contact: 
www.sidewayscycles.co.uk

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The White Inudstries ENO hub is a very clever bit of kit. If you are looking to convert/simplify/butcher an old geared bike into a single speed or fixed gear for duties as a winter hack, commute/pub/hipster bike, or for whatever reason, the chances are that the frame will have vertical rear drop outs.

This is going to be a problem unless you find the magic gear for your set up otherwise your chain tension is going to be whack. Normally your derailleur takes care of any differences of chain length or in the case of most single speeds, a horizontal drop out. But, because you would have done without the derailleur and you have no means of moving your wheel back or forward in the vertical dropouts you are now left with a problem.

You might think that you can rectify this problem by putting a jockey wheel that will pull the bottom of the chain up either in place of the derailleur or to increase the chain wrap on the front chainset. This is all very well if you are running a freewheel (although in my opinion looks untidy) but if you are running a fixed gear the chain tension reverses from the top of the rear cog to the top of the front chain ring to the bottom of the front chain ring and the top of the rear cog and therefore puts force on the chain device when you do resistance braking. Not good.

This clever hub helps you adjust your chain length by having an axle that is off centre (eccentric) by 7.5mm. By putting the offset axle-bolts into your dropouts you can then twist the axle in an arc away from the bottom bracket and correct the chain tension then tighten up the bolts once the slack has been taken up. We'd recommend using this in conjunction with a half link chain so that the smallest amount of correction would be needed or you could find your wheel offset by almost a centimetre. It didn't have a noticeable effect on the geometry of the bike either, as long as you weren't in the extremes.

The high polished alloy body (also available in black anodise) is beautifully machined from solid billet using strong 6061-T6 aluminium alloy which helps keep the weight down to 325grams which is about 20 or so grams lighter than say a Miche track hub. Running on 2 super smooth and replaceable cartridge bearings should mean easy maintenance when the time comes which won't be any time soon. Simple servicing instructions are available on the White Industries website. This hub is a flip flop design allowing you to run a screw-on freewheel on one side and a fixed cog mounted on a spline with an English lock ring keeping it in place on the other. See separate upcoming review for cog.

Once correctly adjusted with a spanner and a hex key the hub hasn't moved one bit, keeping the chain perfectly tensioned and, because the cog is mounted on a spline, there hasn't been any slip or loosening, giving you consistent, instant, reliable feedback.

Also available is a disc/freewheel version primarily for off road single speed riding.

Verdict

A top quality hub that offers an excellent solution to converting any frame with a vertical drop out into running a fixed gear or single speed freewheel.

road.cc test report

Make and model: White Industries ENO hub

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A hub designed to take up the slack of a chain where no other adjustment is offered i.e. horizontal drop outs, eccentric bottom bracket. Ideal for fixie/single speed conversions whether for road or off road, not only is this hub light but it is also strong!

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Available in 126, 130 or 135mm axle spacing. Machined from solid billet 6061-T6 Alloy. Fixed/free flip flop hub. Uses a splined fixed cog and standard threaded freewheel.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

It looks beautiful, even the engraved logo.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Lightweight and strong = performance.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

only runs on two cartridge bearings which are replaceable.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10

The only way to make this hub lighter would compromise strength.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

This looks quality. Buying the cog that mates with this hub is the only real sting.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

flawlessly

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The splined cog fitting means no more slipping. EVER.

Did you enjoy using the product? yes

Would you consider buying the product? yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 78  Weight: 178

I usually ride: Sparton, brakeless fixed  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

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7 comments

Avatar
vorsprung | 14 years ago
0 likes

One thing you don't mention in the review but surely is of intereest is that only white industries sprockets will fit on this hub
So you are stuck with a single costly supplier for this item

Avatar
purplecup replied to vorsprung | 14 years ago
0 likes
vorsprung wrote:

One thing you don't mention in the review but surely is of intereest is that only white industries sprockets will fit on this hub
So you are stuck with a single costly supplier for this item

looks like it has a standard thread on one side though, no?

Avatar
DaSy | 14 years ago
0 likes

I have the WI Eno hubs (standard, not the eccentric ones)on my single speed Pace RC200, and also had to swap out the bearings fairly soon, but since fitting some decent SKF races they lasted a good few muddy Chilterns winters.

Avatar
VecchioJo | 14 years ago
0 likes

well the new bearings survived a lot longer than the originals (do americans ever understand about perma-damp when it comes to bearings?), whether they'd last long under a Winter of road grime i couldn't say, but the hub did make this a more fun than a barrel of buttered monkeys for which i am forever thankful..

//farm1.static.flickr.com/93/228431133_553945ab3d.jpg)

Avatar
dave atkinson | 14 years ago
0 likes

sounds like it's better for road use than offroad then VJ?

Avatar
VecchioJo | 14 years ago
0 likes

the bearings in mine lasted one wet mountainbike ride on the North Downs, and the axle-ends are a right b!$ch to get off, and with the frame/gear combo i had it could be tricky to get the brake pads to hit the rim right such was the eccentricity of the hub and the lack of adjustment in the brake, apart from that...  1

i put new bearings in and sold the hub on

Avatar
monty dog | 14 years ago
0 likes

I've been running an ENO rear on a spare carbon race frame since last summer as a go-fast fixed gear bike and it's a really well designed and robust hub. The quality of the fit and finish of the splined sprocket is superb - expensive but it feel like it will last a very long time. Adjustment isn't anything like as complicated as the instructions infer - position the eccentric behind and below the axle and pressure on the saddle tensions the chain - or carry a 19mm cone wrench rather than a heavy adjustable.

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