Velo Orange Chronos Rear ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub
The Velo Orange Chronos Rear ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub is the disc rear for touring, gravel and year-round commuting: a floating 36-tooth ratchet in place of pawls, a freehub body and end caps that come off by hand, and 58mm flanges around large sealed cartridge bearings. It runs 135mm quick release or 12x142mm thru-axle with the end caps included, and weighs 307 grams with a Shimano body.
It is drilled 28 or 32 hole in silver or black, with a choice of Shimano HG, Shimano Micro Spline, Campagnolo or SRAM XD freehub body. This page covers the 135/142 disc rear, built to order in Georgia.
Design and construction
Velo Orange designed the Chronos for the long haul, and the disc rear is where that shows most. The floating ratchet takes the place of pawls and, Velo Orange says, handles high torque with ease, which matters on a loaded touring bike in a low gear. Thirty-six teeth engage every 10 degrees, and Velo Orange sells a 54-tooth ratchet for more engagement on technical trails.
The flanges sit 34.6mm left and 17.3mm right of center. Against the rim-brake Chronos rear, at 36.9 and 14.2, the drive-side flange sits farther out, so the wheel has less dish and the two sides are closer in tension, a real advantage under a loaded rack. The rotor mount is ISO 6-bolt; there is no Centerlock Chronos.
How it rides
This is a hub for riders who keep riding when it rains, who carry their own gear and who want to fix their own wheel by the side of the road. Pull the freehub off by hand and a drive-side spoke can go in without a cassette tool; reseat it and ride on.
On a gravel bike the 36-tooth ratchet is plenty; on a loaded touring bike a 32-hole build with straight-gauge spokes is our usual recommendation, and 28 hole suits a lighter all-road wheel.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Brake | ISO 6-bolt disc |
| Axle | QR 5x135mm or thru-axle 12x142mm, end caps included (skewer or axle not included) |
| Freehub bodies | Shimano HG, Shimano Micro Spline, Campagnolo or SRAM XD, chosen in the configurator; the body is included in the price |
| Ratchet | Floating ratchet, 36t stock (54t sold by Velo Orange) |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Flange diameter | 58 mm, both sides |
| Left center-to-flange | 34.6 mm (rotor side) |
| Right center-to-flange | 17.3 mm |
| Weight | 307g with Shimano body |
| Bearings | Sealed cartridge |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | silver, black |
About this listing
This listing is the Chronos disc rear for 135mm quick-release and 142mm thru-axle frames: 6-bolt rotor mount, 28 or 32 hole, about 307g with a Shimano body.
A Boost 148 mountain bike or bikepacking frame needs the Chronos Boost rear, which has wider-set flanges, and a rim-brake frame the plain Chronos Rear Hub. Pair this hub with the Chronos Front ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub for a matched disc set.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
135mm quick release is common on disc touring and older gravel frames; 12x142mm thru-axle is the modern road, gravel and cyclocross standard. The axle size is usually printed on the frame or the thru-axle itself. Velo Orange does not include a skewer or thru-axle.
Shimano HG takes Shimano and SRAM HG cassettes through 11-speed and Shimano road 12-speed; Micro Spline takes Shimano 12-speed mountain cassettes; SRAM XD takes SRAM's 10-tooth cassettes. Every body is the same price. It builds with standard J-bend spokes on a disc rim such as the Velo Orange Voyager or Orbital; choose gravel, touring or road disc as the bike type and the configurator recommends spoke count and lacing.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Velo Orange Chronos Rear ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this hub pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc and touring builds.
Testing, standards and warranty at Velo Orange
Velo Orange works with specialist partner factories in Taiwan and documented its hub factory on a 2025 visit, when its new hubs were in the pipeline and early samples were in testing. Hub shells and freehub bodies are cold-forged in-house on presses up to 650 tons, then CNC machined for cleanup and the 6-bolt rotor mount. Spoke holes are punched rather than drilled, which leaves a chamfer that Velo Orange says suits J-bend spokes best because it avoids a stress riser at the elbow. Velo Orange states that every hub is tested for smoothness and play before it is packaged.
On the Chronos rears Velo Orange has moved from pawls to a floating ratchet, which it says gives excellent engagement and handles high torque loads with ease; 36 teeth are stock, and a 54-tooth ratchet is sold as a replacement part for more engagement off-road. The end caps and freehub body come off by hand, which Velo Orange describes as tool-free maintenance that turns a roadside drive-side spoke replacement into a minor detour.
Velo Orange does not publish impact, fatigue or ISO test results for the Chronos. On warranty it states that defective parts can be exchanged for one year from the purchase date, with proof of purchase.
From Velo Orange
Sources on Velo Orange's site:
- Chronos Rear Disc Hub
- Replacement Chronos Rear Hub Ratchets
- Behind the Scenes: Velo Orange's Factory Visits in Taiwan
- Velo Orange Hubs collection
Velo Orange publishes those claims; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velo Orange makes the Chronos disc rear; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before a spoke is cut, bring the wheel up to tension in stages with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last.
The configurator only offers rims, spokes and nipples that fit this hub, strikes through combinations that are not made rather than hiding them, and prices the wheel live as you choose.
Warranty
Velo Orange's warranty. Velo Orange exchanges defective parts and accessories, its rims and hubs among them, for one year from the purchase date. Proof of purchase is required, because the warranty period runs from the day the part was bought.
ProWheelBuilder. Built into a wheel by us, this part is covered by our own one-year wheel warranty on top of the maker's. For a year we replace broken spokes whatever caused them, and we cover the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild if it needs one. If a rim or hub fails and its maker covers it, we run that claim for you; if the maker says no, you get an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off retail. You pay the shipping each way. Wheels built from parts you send us are excluded.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Chronos Rear Disc Hub questions
Is this the old Velo Orange disc rear hub?
No. Velo Orange discontinued its earlier pawl hubs. This listing now carries the Chronos disc rear that replaced them: floating ratchet, tool-free freehub, 307g, 28 or 32 hole.
135 QR or 142 thru-axle?
Whichever your frame uses. The hub converts with end caps, so choose that axle and we set it up.
Can I run a 12-speed mountain cassette?
Yes: pick the Micro Spline body for Shimano 12-speed mountain or the SRAM XD body for SRAM Eagle.
Will my Centerlock rotor fit?
No. The Chronos is 6-bolt only, so use an ISO 6-bolt rotor.
Can I replace a drive-side spoke on the road?
Yes. The end caps and freehub come off by hand, which is exactly why Velo Orange designed it that way.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Chronos disc rear?
No. Velo Orange makes the hub. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a wheel to your spec.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
