Sometimes the coolest things are in the places you'd least expect. We found the new Chosen Smart Hub while wandering the back isles of Interbike. This hub is unique in that the pawls retract and do not engage while you are coasting. The result is a near frictionless, quiet coasting experience.
When you do start to pedal, the patented Close Drive System engages when the piece inboard of the pawls wedges them outward. A circular spring pulls them in when coasting.
Because the pawls do not engage as you are coasting, this also means that the hub acts similar to a freecoaster, something often used in the BMX world. This may have a similar feel to riding chainless in that you can pedal backward easily (possibly too easily?).
Chosen is promoting the hub mainly for commuter bike use because it allows users to pull the bike out of the stand without their cranks rotating. We see some interesting potential applications in the mountain bike world as well, and they plan to offer thru-axle versions in the future.
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