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TECH NEWS

AbsoluteBlack launches £519 HollowCage derailleur pulley cage, promising "the new era of silent pulleys"

The HollowCage is "the only cage that can dynamically adapt to the variable chainline, minimising friction at the lower pulley” claims the brand behind the innovative GrapheneLube

AbsoluteBlack has unveiled its new carbon-polymer HollowCage rear derailleur pulley cage with bespoke, oversized ceramic bearings and advanced silencing pulleys. It costs £519, yeah that’s incredibly pricey… but AbsoluteBlack claims it marks "a new era" for silent derailleur operation, promising the unique mono-plate design is "the quietest, best shifting, aerodynamic cage design created to date."

The Hollowcage isn't the first oversized pulley system - CeramicSpeed can be found in the pro peloton and there are also OEM options from the far east - but the claims of silence and the price point for starters make AbsoluteBlack's offering stand out from the rest. It claims the HollowCage is “almost silent”, and the brand says it has been able to reduce the sound level by 12-14db, which is roughly a 60% reduction in noise compared to standard Dura-Ace pulleys if true. 

AbsoluteBlackCompo-July21-04.jpg

AbsoluteBlack explains that 'xring rubber suspended bands' dampen the chain impact on the guide pulley teeth. This eliminates the engagement noise, which it claims is the single biggest contributor to overall drivetrain noise.

Flexibility is good when its comes to derailleur pulley cages, AbsoluteBlack explains, as it allows the cage and lower pulley to align better with the angle of the chain when using the higher gears of the cassette.

“This means less friction (and less watts lost) as the pulley doesn’t have to fight against the chain itself,” AbsoluteBlack adds.

AbsoluteBlackCompo-July21-03.jpg

Instead of bending the lower part of the cage slightly outward to align better with the chain when using top of the cassette range, as Shimano has done, AbsoluteBlack has created a mono plate cage that it says “can dynamically adapt to the chain angle”.

The HollowCage also uses very tall teeth profiles for its oversized upper pulley, which provides the best possible shifting precision according to AbsoluteBlack. 

AbsoluteBlack tested the HollowCage against the OEM Dura-Ace cage in a bespoke wind tunnel designed for smaller objects, and found that its new oversized cage was more aerodynamic. 

AbsoluteBlackCompo-July21-02.jpg

“However, the absolute difference is relatively small, proving that a bigger cage will not set you back and cause any meaningful watt losses, no matter which cage you use,” AbsoluteBlack adds.

Now lets dig into the watt savings the whole oversized pulley system can provide...

AbsoluteBlack explains that while bearing quality and its lubrication, and the number of teeth in the pulleys, can make a difference, the biggest savings come down to the cage spring tension and the ability of the lower part of the cage to align with the chain.

“There is a linear correlation between spring tension and the power losses generated by the cage,” AbsoluteBlack says.

“Shallow pulley teeth paradoxically require higher spring tension to maintain reasonable shifting quality.

“HollowCage is using lower spring tension than any other cage on the market, while still providing excellent shifting thanks to the unique combination of pulley stiffness and tall teeth profiles.”

AbsoluteBlackCompo-July21-07.jpg

The entire cage also weighs in at just 71g, which AbsoluteBlack claims makes its one of the lightest oversized cages on the market.

There’s no question that AbsoluteBlack like to innovate big time, and they’re rather successful at it too. Last year it was the GrapheneLube, which was the world’ first hydrocarbon-carbon-based chain lubricant containing graphene, with promises of “up to 1800km on single application” along with “3-10W savings over other lubes.” The price was mega high at £114.99, but reviewer Dave Atkinson found that it did appear to be very good at reducing friction losses and it lasts very well outdoors. It's also the lube of choice for UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogacar, who haven't done too badly in the last two editions Tour de France

We’ll be getting a HollowCage in for review to see if it does really live up to these claims like the GrapheneLube appears to... 

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23 comments

Avatar
Drinfinity | 2 years ago
1 like

How is introducing a damping elastomer into the drive chain good for those obsessed with milliwatts? The claimed noise reduction appears to come from "xring rubber suspended bands". Is the energy lost via sound in a normal jockey wheel more or less than that lost to these £500 elastic bands?

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
2 likes

C'mon, which of you lot have whored your email addresses for the competition to win one of these overpriced, overhyped pieces of non necessity novel and innovative design masterpieces? 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
0 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

C'mon, which of you lot have whored your email addresses for the competition to win one of these overpriced, overhyped pieces of non necessity novel and innovative design masterpieces? 

Thanks - I hadn't spotted the competition. Consider my email address well and truly whored.

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mdavidford replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
0 likes

Didn't we all do that when we signed up for an account here anyway?

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RobD | 2 years ago
0 likes

I kind of like it, I like the big hollow space instead of the usual jockey wheel shape. Would I buy one? No chance, but I'm hoping some of the ideas from the various oversized cages out there get incorporated into new groupset designs.

Avatar
Ihatecheese | 2 years ago
0 likes

These guys have found their business model. The way to make £ for them is to charge on the ridiculous side for lube or cages that aren't required. 10x markup? Let's go higher !! 

Borderline snake oil but will look interesting on the Instagram show bikes that pop up or where a guy for some reason lifts their bike and wants to share the sound of their freehub!? 🙃 This is meant for a bike stand where you may hear that dB delta I suppose. 

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 2 years ago
6 likes

Sounds like AbsoluteCrap to me.

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Velophaart_95 replied to Rapha Nadal | 2 years ago
1 like

Yes, I'd agree. "A fool and their money are easily parted" - buy this and you most certainly are. 

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Sriracha replied to Rapha Nadal | 2 years ago
1 like

Rings hollow to me too.

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Dingaling | 2 years ago
4 likes

They have left something out. Namely, this wonderful device must eliminate the roar of the wind in riders ears so they can actually hear the jockey wheels running.

 

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Sriracha | 2 years ago
2 likes

So this works by saving precious grams, in your wallet.

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peted76 | 2 years ago
2 likes

 but, but.. it's so pretty..  

This will be a winning willy wang if someone turns up to a cake ride with one of these bad boys. 

 

 

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nortonp | 2 years ago
1 like

The Emperor's new clothes......

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RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
2 likes

call me up when they promise "the new era of silent wheel hubs" beacuse im sure the click of my wheel hub when free wheeling is 1000x louder than my pulleys.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
2 likes

RoubaixCube wrote:

call me up when they promise "the new era of silent wheel hubs" beacuse im sure the click of my wheel hub when free wheeling is 1000x louder than my pulleys.

certainly louder than the pulleys when you are free-wheeling

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OnTheRopes replied to RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
0 likes

Not if you use Campag wheels, silent running on most.

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ktache replied to OnTheRopes | 2 years ago
0 likes

The newish XTR freehub is meant to be very quiet.

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hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
3 likes

Ooh - shiny!

I think I'll wait for some Chinese knock-offs to appear on FleaBay.

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wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
2 likes

ho ho, a pulley cage for only slightly more than I paid for my first road bike.

60% saving in noise, but no claims as to how many watts are saved.

and the big saving is apparently from less chain tension. Strange as back in the day people purchased devices to increase chain tension to stop the chain coming off the chainrings, although this was on mountain bikes.

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Hirsute replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
0 likes

Do cyclists have very sensitive hearing ?

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the infamous grouse replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like

hirsute wrote:

Do cyclists have very sensitive hearing ?

only the ones without shit in their ears

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Simon E replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
1 like

wycombewheeler wrote:

ho ho, a pulley cage for only slightly more than I paid for my first road bike.

I'm sure they will have customers for these ugly devices. These days there appear to be an awful lot of people who have so much money that they can't wait to get rid of it.

Avatar
Global Nomad replied to Simon E | 2 years ago
3 likes

i suppose the hard part is being the one they give it to

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