Kinlin Wheels with Bitex Hubs

What Kinlin rims and Bitex hubs each bring

• KLM41 alloy. Kinlin developed this aluminum alloy with manganese and niobium, and lists the XR-31, TL-23 and TL-29 in it. Kinlin says it offers twice the elongation of conventional alloys, so the metal stretches further before it fails.
• T-10 process. Kinlin cold works each rim once it is round, rolling it twice on a patented machine, and only then heat treats it for 8 hours. It rates that higher in total strength and steadier in durability than the T-6 process it compares against.
• Steps kept in house. Kinlin says it runs the T-10 courses in house, including cold working, heat treatment, surface treating, drilling and finishing, and that T-6 makers outsource most of theirs. One factory stays responsible for the rim from start to finish.
• Gouge Guard on the freehub. Steel cassette cogs tend to bite notches into an aluminum freehub, and those notches make the cassette hard to remove. Bitex patented three small hardened stainless splines that take that pressure instead, and it is the Anti-Bite label on our Shimano HG driver choice.
• Six pawls in two sets. Bitex's patented freehub splits its pawls into two groups of three that take turns meeting the ratchet teeth, so the gap between engagement points is half what it would be. The company says the larger pawls also carry more load.
• A freehub you can change later. Each model lists its own freehub bodies, such as Shimano, Campagnolo, XDR or XD, and Bitex publishes videos showing how to swap one. Moving to a new drivetrain can mean a new freehub body and not a new hub.