Are You Freecoaster Curious? 🔄

Ever watched someone roll a fakie and come out of it like it was nothing, and wondered how? Odds are they're running a freecoaster.

A freecoaster is a rear hub that lets the wheel roll backwards without the cranks turning with it. Roll back on a cassette hub and your cranks spin backwards too, so you're either pedalling backwards or fighting to keep your feet planted. On a freecoaster they stay put. Fakies, half cabs and rolling tricks all get easier, and once you've ridden one it's hard to go back.

Freecoaster or cassette?

Neither one is better, they just suit different riding. A cassette engages the moment you push on the pedals, it's simple and it needs very little looking after. A freecoaster has a clutch inside that lets it coast both ways, and most have a little bit of slack, a short bit of free pedal before the hub bites. That takes some getting used to, and a freecoaster asks for a bit more care than a cassette.

If you ride a lot of street and want your fakies and switch tricks dialled, a freecoaster is worth a look. If you mostly ride park, dirt or race, a cassette is probably all you need.

We go through it properly in this video:

A freecoaster wheel that keeps it sensible

The catch with freecoasters has always been the price. So we built one in house. The LUX LAB took a Federal Motion freecoaster hub and laced it to an Odyssey Stage 2 rim, built to handle some street abuse without blowing the budget.

• Hub: Federal Motion freecoaster, with hub guards so it's ready for grinds
• Rim: Odyssey Stage 2, 36 hole
• Spokes: Spectre straight gauge, 184mm drive side and 186mm non-drive side
• Nipples: black brass
• Driver: 9T, in left or right hand drive
• Built to order: each wheel is laced when you order it, so it isn't available for immediate pick up in store

You know who rides for both Federal and Odyssey? Boyd Hilder. Just sayin.

Which drive side do I need?

Check which side your chain sits on now. Chain on the right is right hand drive, which is what most bikes run. Chain on the left is left hand drive. Still not sure? Get in touch and we'll sort you out.

Build a whole bike around it

Got a freecoaster on your dream bike list? Pick every part in our bike builder and enter the build in our Dream Build Giveaway. You could win the lot, up to $5,000. Entries close 15 November.