"The game changing hub" - Cycling Weekly - London Bike Show 2015
Hello cycle lovers, my name is Jan Deckx,engineer and artist, passionate about cycling and bikes since before I can remember. I'm from Belgium, homeland of Eddy Merckx, Tom Boonen, Philipe Gilbert and many other famous pro-racers.
Most of us know about the challenge of changing a rear wheel fast and easy and keeping your hands clean at the same time. A year ago I came up with the idea to separate the rear wheel from the cassette so the cassette stays attached to the frame. The biggest challenge was to overcome the internal weakness of the axle and to make the construction as simple as possible. These challenges have been overcome in my game-changing hub D-Fix!
This hub can also be used in mountain bikes.
In the Cycling Weekly video (see link below), you can see the wheel taken out in about 3 seconds. The wheel can be taken out and put back in 6,5 seconds.
https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/will-game-changing-freehub-design-ever-make-market-157363
I have built two prototypes D-Fix I and D-Fix II.
° D-Fix I is a totally new rear wheel hub creation.
° D-Fix II is a modification of an existing hub, a famous high-quality brand.
Both are patented.
Both are tested by myself in a race bike under hard condiditions. Climbing Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, most of the steep climbs of Lige-Bastogne-Lige, Tour de Flanders and sprints on very steep short slopes and all this for over 15,000 km.
The next step I want to take is to start the production of D-Fix II, the modified hub.
Your contribution will help me turn this project into reality and, most of all on your bicycle! In the future, changing a rear wheel will be as simple as taking off a front wheel. Transportation and maintenance will also become a lot easier.
Switching a wheel from a Campa cassette to a Shimano - or a Sram cassette will also be easy.
The exact price of a modified hub will be known after the first production run.
I am being supported by Flanders Bike Valley, an independent organization in Belgium. For start-ups in the bike business, they offer mentoring and provide facilities and opportunities for production and networking in their incubator building in Flanders.
https://www.flandersbikevalley.be/
Needs
The design is complete, so now I need your help to raise funds for:
° Independent testing. Estimated at 2,000€ for two prototypes and axle strength test. I know this construction is as strong as a conventionel hub, an independent test however can give a max. torque.
° Materials: the construction is built in aluminium 7075 and titanium, this means high quality materials.
° Machinery: teach-in lathe. Approx. 35,000€
° Premises: "Flanders Bike Valley" offers me a low rent unit in their incubator building.
° Packaging and Distribution
° As the business grows, and to ship the hub or the wheel world wide, I will also need to change the patent to a PCT patent for world wide protection during the first couple of years. Max. 25,000€
The Impact
https://www.pedalnorth.com/content/jan-deckx-interview
This link shows an interview with James Ward of the bike magazine PedalNorth
Risks & Challenges
With this hub I want to break-through the existing conventional hub system and show that this innovative construction improves the cycling experience of the biking community. This is the challenge!