Same here. I feel that high engagement hubs are a marketing ploy to a certain extent similar to high range cassettes. Wide range usually has gears that never or rarely get used. While one can feel the difference between a high engagement hub and lower engagement, does it actually make a difference in climbing? Not for me. I think higher engagement hubs may suffer from fewer chipped pawls though because they engage quicker and you don’t ram that pawl into the ring gear. Back in the days of Shimano two pawl free hubs, I’d go through one freehub a year because the pawls would become chipped which was not assisted by the poor sealing of the drive side.
March 14, 2023, 10:28 a.m. - Andy Eunson
Same here. I feel that high engagement hubs are a marketing ploy to a certain extent similar to high range cassettes. Wide range usually has gears that never or rarely get used. While one can feel the difference between a high engagement hub and lower engagement, does it actually make a difference in climbing? Not for me. I think higher engagement hubs may suffer from fewer chipped pawls though because they engage quicker and you don’t ram that pawl into the ring gear. Back in the days of Shimano two pawl free hubs, I’d go through one freehub a year because the pawls would become chipped which was not assisted by the poor sealing of the drive side.