BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
German manufacturer WeThePeople (distributed via Hot Wheels) has leaked a drawing of a fork design that its toying with. Prototypes will likely be seen at Eurobike, along with the ’09 bike range. (see link below)
The design eliminates the traditional dropout style fork, opting for drilled holes on each leg to which hubs with three-piece axles will fix, such as this hub from Profile.
The new fork features an investment cast dropout sub assembly with CNC central support. WeThePeople hope that it will assist them in getting ‘smarter with our manufacturing processes.’
At the same time the manufacturer has also been working on a matching M10 female-axle system hub, which will be released around 2009. It uses a skewer system similar to some modern motorbike set-ups with a hollow axle and thread-through bolt. The bolt has a fixed head one side and threaded on the other. The benefit of this is a far neater system, meaning access only to one side of the hub, and flush-mount hardware.
