The good thing here is the fin on the SRAM UDH is plastic so it can easily be filed back to clear the sour dropout. I don’t see what they have done is an issue to be honest.
Some time ago I got my hands on silca 3d printed ti udhanger, it looked great. Got me thinking why someone just doesn’t make a finless design and share it so everyone in need could simply outsource it? I guess the availability is reassured because 3d printing business is here to stay.
I currently have that in my model at the moment. I’ve been trying to decide if I do it 3D printed or CNC.
I think I have solved the doubt
As a matter of fact, I landed on this very specific thread because I am one of these people who won’t buy a titanium bike because it doesn’t have UDH .
I didn’t go through all the thread yet, but it’s very interesting.
Basically my reasoning is that - if I’m buying a titanium frame - it’s meant to last for my whole life. Yet if I’m stuck with a proprietairy derailleur hanger, what if it breaks in 10 years from now? What if by then, that piece is nowhere to be found ?
Yes, I could find someone to make it for me. But if the piece is broken and I don’t have the drawing, it’s not going to be easy. Let alone I can find someone who would accept to do it, at a somewhat reasonnable price.
It feels like UDH - although maybe not perfect, according to what I read - guarantees me that I’ll still be able to find derailleur hangers in 20 years from now, even if the builder / frame provider has stopped his activities.
Nothing new I guess, but just a customer’s perspective.
BTW, the only build I found currently is the Sonder Sedona Ti. But the geometry doesn’t suit me and you can barely mount anything on this, so I’ll just wait.
Check out the revel R+, also any frame that uses Paragon sliding dropouts can use the udh inserts as far as I know. Swapping will raise the rear end and shift the wheel back by 5mm in both directions
This is a valid fear. I speak to consumers at least twice a week who own a beloved bike which had mis-hap with the hanger. However, the original framebuilder is no longer and there’s no support for the bike. Sometimes the business was only two or three years old
Thank you @RxDesigns for the shout-out!
@thomas.gdm Welcome!
For sure, I can see it from the consumer side, you have to buy what is available. Nothing wrong with that. This thread is 1) from the builder/designer perspective, and 2) from more than a year ago. Since then, the horse left the barn, and there is no going back!
This is why I believe companies should release the digital file of their hanger. You can easily 3D print a titanium or aluminum replacement in 2024.
My big fear is that UDH may lead to the bifurcation of drivetrains thanks to the patents surrounding the UDH interface. In 5 years you may see “shimano only” bikes or “SRAM only bikes”. Nothing is guaranteed 20 years from now!
I totally appreciate the customer’s perspective. That is the reason we are offering UDH on our bikes now! We made a big effort to mimize the impact (ugliness) and compatibility (we still build to “boost” 52mm chainline, not 55mm).
but the direct mount specification isn’t patented. It’s an open use specification. Only the use of the UDH branding is where SRAM want you to sign up to a free licence agreement. That’s my understanding of it. I highly doubt to the point of 99.999999999999% certain Shimano won’t create their own direct mount frame specification. They’ll design around the current Dia. 20x12.7mm hole. It may be via an adapter sleeve where their axle is a smaller diameter, so they have a point of difference to market, but will always be able to go into the SRAM hole.
Thanks for your responses !
@RxDesigns thanks for the recommendation ! Being based in Belgium - Europe, I was looking for a bike made in my region. But @Coco_PMW you make some pretty bikes, that’s for sure !
Could be, I’m not sufficiently knowledgeable to evaluate. But at least with a UDH compatible dropout, I know that 20 years from now I’ll still be able to supply derailleur hangers.
I read somewhere that SRAM may indeed have been pushing their UDH to force the market to adopt the SRAM hole in the dropout. As a mean to prepare for direct mount derailleurs such as the latest RED XPLR.
BTW, this forum is so interesting. I never actually imagined the complexity of the assembling titanium bikes.
You’re more than welcome to drop the workshop in Wijchen, the Netherlands and check out our UDH dropouts. These are stainless steel, but a titanium full suspension is being built and we are working on a titanium UDH compatible gravelbike.
That vertigo frame looks great.
That’s a very neat solution.
Reminds me of the dropout design shared by @DEVLINCC right at the start of this thread. Worth a re-post I reckon. Seems like plate style UDH dropouts consistently give off a much cleaner look than hooded ones, especially on road/gravel bikes with thinner stays.
Looks like a flexstay xc build coming up.
Sounds interesting! Any guestimate on the release date for the titanium gravelbike ?
Early 2025 if all goes to plan, but we can do it faster if someone buys one.
This is a super good point to draw attention to. SRAM (in my opinion) made the UDH in order to get there dropout/hanger in the door with a multitude of manufacturers. There’s no telling what they will do now that they have gotten what they wanted. They’re history of soft dropping divisive products is not a good look.
Additionally, the other issue I see is other manufacturers. Shimano seems to be a better option at the low and high end, while SRAM holds a better lineup in the middle. With the reputation of SRAM components though (weaker brakes, DOT fluid in some systems still, worse road gearing, and Di2 > AXS), I see a potential issue with UDH longevity if Shimano or someone else tries to fight this.
I also wanted to highlight that a large reason that I’ve seen SRAM’s market share go up is due to their release schedule in comparison to Shimano. SRAM typically releases products quicker and has more releases in a set period of time. This gives manufacturers a reason to use SRAM as it gives each bike an “upgrade” every time a new year or model is released.
In my experience as someone who sells bikes for a living, customers wanting the latest tech, who will typically be back for a new bike next year, purchase SRAM. Customers who are on a budget or want a bike to last a while typically purchase Shimano. I do not have a lot of people asking me about the new SRAM drivetrains, however, I get questions about GRX and Deore most days.
I agree with a lot of the feelings that are being discussed here. To counter with some positivity though, it’s only a 20mm hole with openly published design documents. That leaves the door wide open to future designs to adapt onto it and commandeer the standard in future. Versus the way it has been for years where every manufacturer has different hanger designs with no possibility to create anything for them.
Time will tell.
It’s been my longtime (20 years - since Honda’s DH program) desire to see a viable gearbox drivetrain for bicycles. Pinion is getting really close now that they have an electric shifting option.
We are getting closer every year and I am hopeful that bikes (at least MTBs) will go this route in the near future. The improved sprung / un-sprung weight ratio on FS designs alone is reason enough. Zeroed is leading the way on this front, but Intense is experimenting, too.
It solves the hanger issue completely and makes for much improved rear wheel design. Maybe in 20 more years we’ll look back and scratch our head over the ‘hanger wars’…
Cheers,
KP
Despite the claimed advantages of the SRAM UDH concept, it has not been universally adopted after several years. Shimano has not incorprated it into their derailleur designs, and frame manufacturers continue to produce dropouts with proprietary hangers. It will become another option, among the many that already exist.
It’s probaly better to incorporate dropouts using an available design(such the Cannondale K33049 I proposed previously). It’s not 'universal, but it has all of the advantages of a universal design(except for the possibility of mounting a particular SRAM derailleur, which has not been widely adopted by manufacturers).