Bear pawl hubs
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My $.02
I'm not 100% sure, but it sure looks like they're the BMT-03 for the front and the BMT-04 on the rear, despite the fact that the website only gives a 28 spoke count for the MBT-04 and the Abajo and the Cascade both have 32.
Bear Pawls | Roll With It
I have no maintenance advice because I know nothing. :???:
I'm not 100% sure, but it sure looks like they're the BMT-03 for the front and the BMT-04 on the rear, despite the fact that the website only gives a 28 spoke count for the MBT-04 and the Abajo and the Cascade both have 32.
Bear Pawls | Roll With It
I have no maintenance advice because I know nothing. :???:
I confirmed with Fezzari that these are BMB-004 but that's still going to give you no help because there's so little information on the website. And emailing bear pawls is worthless. However, they look like a simple pawl design so a basic GMBN or similar YouTube video will help with the maintenance. Bear Pawls says the hubs can be opened without tools, so it should be simple.
I'm interested in getting new freehubs for these because they actually have a neat system where you can easily upgrade the freehub to increase engagement or switch to a ratcheting system. But finding any of these parts has been like trying to find a unicorn. Let me know if you find anything!
Hey @BujiBiker, I am a crazy person and I spent way too much time trying to find a place to buy Bear Pawls hub parts. So, I found a U.S. contact person it and you can order parts to increase engagement or convert to ratcheting style freehub. And it's actually pretty cheap and easy to increase engagement! I don't want to post the info here because I found it through the notes of some distributor rep. But if you need to know more you can PM me.
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How has the new parts been working da_kube?
So far so good. I have maybe 150 miles on the new hubs. Engagement and sound is great. I've heard another user had issues with longevity so fingers crossed that they last. Alex Rims did send him an e-bike hub for just about free after he burned through his.
They are super easy to maintain and upgrade, so I dig that. Pawls kinda scare me, coming from DT ratchets. But so far so good.
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Maybe I didn't follow along well enough...did you get all new hubs or just a new free hub with more pawls?
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Hey da_kube, I would like to upgrade my 36T freehub to 72T. Would you be willing to share your contact with me as well? Thanks.
Hey guys. Evan from AlexRims is cool with me giving out the details for the freehub upgrade. You can email him here: [email protected]
I paid $70 for the 6 pawl hub. mtbnut1967, I think the teeth stay 36 but the number of pawls increase to 6 to double engagement. Bear Pawls has a 72T hub, but you gotta upgrade the whole hub, I think.
Here's a quick writeup on how to do this upgrade, since several have asked: Remove the wheel and then the cassette. Remove the endcaps with needlenose pliers (use something soft to protect the caps) and the freehub and carefully wrap those pawls with a rubber band to keep the springs from falling out. Be careful to note the orientation of the spacers on the hub and freehub. (if you find your hub engages poorly after, you missed this step). Clean all that stuff out with WD-40 or similar. Be careful you don't use something too crazy because it's bad for the sealed bearings. Lightly oil (Evan says TriFlow but I used wet chain lube) the hub teeth and new pawls on the freehub and also wrap that dude with a rubber band. Once you got that freehub on its way to seated you can remove the rubber bands and gently turn the freehub until all the pawls go click click click.
Hope that helps! Can anyone speak to the longevity of the hubs? The rims on the Cascade Peak seem decent so I'm hoping the hubs last. I've heard mixed reviews.
I paid $70 for the 6 pawl hub. mtbnut1967, I think the teeth stay 36 but the number of pawls increase to 6 to double engagement. Bear Pawls has a 72T hub, but you gotta upgrade the whole hub, I think.
Here's a quick writeup on how to do this upgrade, since several have asked: Remove the wheel and then the cassette. Remove the endcaps with needlenose pliers (use something soft to protect the caps) and the freehub and carefully wrap those pawls with a rubber band to keep the springs from falling out. Be careful to note the orientation of the spacers on the hub and freehub. (if you find your hub engages poorly after, you missed this step). Clean all that stuff out with WD-40 or similar. Be careful you don't use something too crazy because it's bad for the sealed bearings. Lightly oil (Evan says TriFlow but I used wet chain lube) the hub teeth and new pawls on the freehub and also wrap that dude with a rubber band. Once you got that freehub on its way to seated you can remove the rubber bands and gently turn the freehub until all the pawls go click click click.
Hope that helps! Can anyone speak to the longevity of the hubs? The rims on the Cascade Peak seem decent so I'm hoping the hubs last. I've heard mixed reviews.
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I'm now running a steel, 3 bearing, simultaneously engaging, coil sprung, 6 pawl e-bike freehub body, received through Evan. This thing could kill a tank, if it was going fast enough. All the "leaf" springs on my prior two bear pawl freehubs were failing, and the aluminum freehub body was deforming in significant ways at the pawl pockets. I killed 2 in less than a year.
All the popping and pinging went away with the new steel ebike rated hub. I cannot, however, speak to degrees of engagement. No idea, don't care, just want a bomber hub setup. I think I've got it now.
All the popping and pinging went away with the new steel ebike rated hub. I cannot, however, speak to degrees of engagement. No idea, don't care, just want a bomber hub setup. I think I've got it now.
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Sorry for the late update but I was able to get the 6 pawl hub from Evan and the install was pretty straight forward. Thanks for the tip on using the rubber band around the pawls because that made the process so much easier. Tried it without on my first attempt and could not get hub to engage properly. Also, make sure you install the spacer on the hub first.
So far I love the improved engagement and low cost makes this a no-brainer. Glad I found this thread.
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35 Posts
Freehub quality control issues
When I got my 2019 Cascade Peak I noticed right away that the freehub bearings were very tight. After some back and forth with Fezzari, they sent me a replacement which was a little better but still did not spin freely.
I decided to ride with the replacement unit anyway, but the bearings have failed after a little more than a year of moderate use (I have multiple bikes to ride). It is clear to me that Bear Pawls is not assembling these freehubs with the correct length of internal spacer, which puts a ton of load on the outboard bearing when the axle is tightened.
I have reached out to Fezzari about this with no response so far and web searches for parts turns up nothing. Another poster in this thread mentioned some kind of back door parts deal through Alex Rims. Is there really no other way to get parts for these hubs?
When I got my 2019 Cascade Peak I noticed right away that the freehub bearings were very tight. After some back and forth with Fezzari, they sent me a replacement which was a little better but still did not spin freely.
I decided to ride with the replacement unit anyway, but the bearings have failed after a little more than a year of moderate use (I have multiple bikes to ride). It is clear to me that Bear Pawls is not assembling these freehubs with the correct length of internal spacer, which puts a ton of load on the outboard bearing when the axle is tightened.
I have reached out to Fezzari about this with no response so far and web searches for parts turns up nothing. Another poster in this thread mentioned some kind of back door parts deal through Alex Rims. Is there really no other way to get parts for these hubs?
PM sent. Sadly they didn't do a great job establishing distribution in the U.S. But he should be able to help you out.
FYI, my freehub has been fine. I did notice metal shavings at the first service interval on the 6-pawl. Kind of concerning but after that it's been great and I checked a few months after the service and all was well.
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Hey, I reached out to Evan from AlexRims a couple of months ago (and followed up twice) with no response yet; any chance you know if he's moved on, it takes him a while to respond, or any other ideas?
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I did not try contacting Evan, but Fezzari sold me a new free hub for $35. When that one breaks I am getting a new wheelset.
Oh, Fezzari is stocking them now? I think that might be the place to check for the 4 and 6-pawl hubs. I can try to reach out to Evan but maybe he did move on. Or parts are on backorder. Also possible. But no response isn't good.
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