Speedline Killer Buzz Hubs Review

November 14th, 2022
bmxultra
0

When Speedline Parts launched the Killer Buzz hubs earlier this year there was quite the … well … buzz. The slick, but unassuming, hub shells are jam packed with goodness and Speedline tell us they are “virtually friction free when you are coasting and pumping”. They also state on their website that “while some of those Silent or #stealthy hubs have a seemingly instant engagement, they have a lot of drag when coasting”. I’m going to let that soak in for a moment.

What’s important to you when purchasing hubs? Is it weight? Points of engagement? Reliability? How about price, or looks? I haven’t tried every hub on the market, but I have been fortunate to use some of the more popular hubs over the years and Speedline’s Killer Buzz hubset rates right up there with best of them.

Driver Mechanism

I’ve been using Profile Elite and AC-2 hubs more recently. They have a traditional spring and pawl/ratchet ring set up. The AC-2 is either 48 or 96 points of engagement, depending on how you set them up, and the Elite hub has 204 points of engagement for near instant engagement. The springs pushing the pawls against the ratchet ring while freewheeling is where the swarm of bees hub sound comes from. It’s a driver setup that’s been widely used for decades, it’s tried and true and it’s loud.

The popular Onyx hubs use a one way clutch bearing mechanism, it’s heavier and more expensive, but it provides instant engagement and is silent.

Then we have the Speedline Killer Buzz hubs, they sound similar to a Profile hub, but louder, actually much louder, hence the name. The big difference here is that Speedline use a Worm Drive driver mechanism in the Killer Buzz hubs. Speedline’s worm drive is similar to the Chris King BMX hub of old, it is loosely like the spring, pawl and ratchet. Instead of pawls it has two ratchet rings that luck for drive or buzz to freewheel. Instead of the ratchet rings engaging horizontally the worm drive engages vertically. It has one big spring that pushes from the centre of the hub out and utilises two ratchets with all 72 points engaging at once.

So you may have already done the math, 72 points of engagement is engaging every 5 degrees. That’s a lot higher than Shimano’s standard of 12 degrees. Is it enough for BMX racing? It’s more than enough for most of us, and worth it when you consider the pay off – remember earlier when we said “virtually friction free when you are coasting and pumping”. Think about it, you are fully engaged at the start hill, then it’s just a matter of keeping your speed going through corners and anywhere else you can sneak a pedal in.

They were awesome on any track I used them on, that included varying surfaces and track layout. Drive out of the starting gate felt great too. The hub engaged smoothly when I needed it around the track. The two main things I noticed was they roll smooth and fast. On top of that they must be the loudest hubs on the market.

We asked the mad scientist and head honcho at Speedline, Bill Ryan, about the hubs and this is what he to say.

Q: It seems you are using a Chris King style driver? Did the Chris King patent expired recently.

A: “The Chris King Patent did expire in 2017. The Killer Buzz hub uses an outer ring like the older style Chris King Hubs, but uses a different style of spring pack.”

Q: Are there replacement parts for maintenance?

A: “When used normally for BMX racing, it shouldn’t ever wear out. It has 2 Heat Treated 4130 Cro-mo Limited Slip Style drive Rings that lock engagement and give the most positive force. But if it does wear out, we will have replacement parts available. The Killer Buzz program is just getting started and is in it’s infancy.”

Q: Are there any upgrade options? Ceramic bearings? Ti bolts?

A: “The Current Hubs are fitted with 7075 t-6 Axles, 7075 T-6 Drivers, Hardened Steel Ball Sealed Bearings. They are ready to go, we are going to offer Cro-mo and Titanium Driver options, and Titanium Bolt Kits as well.

I hate Ceramic Bearings for BMX bikes due to Micro pitting. But I have heard the technology is getting better, much like Carbon Fiber. I hated Carbon Fiber, and we kept testing, innovating, and look where we
are now.”

Configurable

The Killer Buzz comes in disk or non-disk vesrion, they come with a 20mm front hub with a through axel.

The rear hub is 10mm but is made to fit a 15mm frame, with a larger contact area where the hub shell and the volcano washer contact the dropouts. All you need is the 15 – 10mm adapter and you are all set.

Weight

Speedline’s Killer Buzz hubs are up with the best of them when it comes to weight. Check this out.

20mm Front Hub: 150 grams

Front Hubs	Weight
Profile Elite 15/20mm (Hub w/15mm Axle Bolts)	6.9oz / 197 grams
Profile AC-2 (weighed w/20mm bolts)	7.75oz / 220 grams
ONYX Helix 100	8.1 oz / 229 grams

V-brake Rear Hub: 400 grams

Rear Hubs	Weight
Profile Elite 10mm (with cromo cog, alloy driver & cromo bolts)	15.15 oz / 430 grams
Profile Elite 10mm (with alloy cog, titanium driver & titanium bolts)	13.95oz / 396 grams
Profile Elite 15mm	12.5 oz / 355 grams
Profile Elite 20mm	12.6 o z/ 357 grams
Onyx Ultra SS Rear Cassette Hub (10mm or 20mm axle)	20 oz / 566 grams
Onyx Ultra Rear Cassette Hub (10mm)	16.3 oz / 462 grams

Price

When it comes to price the Speedline Killer Buzz hubset is about the same price as just a rear Onyx hub, and a bit less than a Profile AC-2 hubset, or around the price of Profile Elite hubset.

Looking for current prices? Check with your local bike shop.

Manufacturer’s Description

We know the trend is to be silent, you want to have that Ninja attack on your opponent as you try to swoop up from behind. But there is something to be said for the LOUD hubs, and these are LOUD! The new Speedline Killer Buzz Hubs use our Worm Drive system to give you near instant engagement, but better than that they have a minimal amount of rolling resistance. With Less rolling resistance, these hubs will go faster when you are coasting rather than having the drag to slow you down… And lets face it. How often are you PEDALING the ENTIRE track, Be honest… we all coast more than we pedal. So shouldn’t that be where you want the advantage?

Currently available in 36h Pro size, in Disk or Non Disk options.

Currently Black only – More colors coming soon.
Also available in complete wheels laced up to our new Speedline Alloy Rims with Double Butted Stainless steel spokes.
Comes with a Cro-mo rear 16t cog that is Shimano® Compatible
Rear axles is set for 10mm and 15 mm frames with the included hardware and the 20mm front hub includes the 20mm front axle.
Weight is 400 grams for the rear V Brake and 150 grams for the front 20mm hub.
Hub Dimensions are as follows for Lacing Needs
- Front Hub
  - 47.9mm Spoke Hole Center
  - Spoke Hole 2.5mm
  - 32mm From Flange to Center
  - 100mm Total Width.
- Rear Non Disk Hub
  - 57.15mm Drive Flange Spoke Hole Center
  - 44.45 mm Non Drive Flange Spoke Hole Center
  - Spoke Hole 2.5mm
  - Drive Flange to center – 28.25mm
  - Non Drive Flange to Center 29.75mm
  - Total Width Cone to Cone 110mm
- Rear Disk Hub
  - 57.15mm Drive Flange Spoke Hole Center
  - 57.15 Non Drive Flange Spoke Hole Center
  - Spoke Hole 2.5mm
  - Drive Flange to center – 28.25mm
  - Non Drive Flange to Center 21.5mm
  - Total Width Cone to Cone 110mm

Final Words

If you are looking for a reliable high performance hubset that’s affordable, light, looks great and offers less drag when coasting, then the Speedline Killer Buzz hubs might be just what you are looking for.

Oh and it’s no secret that if you buy the Speedline Killer Buzz hubs as a complete wheel set it will only set you back a few extra bucks than just the hubs alone. That includes Speedline Alloy rims, spokes and lacing, well worth checking out.

Gallery

Rating 19/20

Value for money:	5/5
Weight:	4.5/5
Functionality:	5/5
Looks/Finish:	4.5/5

Comments

I got the Speedline Killer Buzz hubs specifically for my Supercross ENVY BLK. It has 20mm forks and a 15mm dropouts. You could say the hubs were made for that frame. But I could confidently use them on any bike I have with a 20mm front end. They are light weight. I found them smooth, reliable, and affordable too.
While the Speedline Killer Buzz hub aren’t the lightest out of the box, they are pretty damn close and are sure to push the lightest when the titanium options become available.
I rode the Killer Buzz hubs for quite some time before passing judgement. Surely they were too good to be true? But they functioned without a hiccup. A perfect hub for modern BMX tracks.
The only thing I can fault is the colour range. Personally I am happy with black, but if you’re looking to colour match your Killer Buzz hubs with your other components you might have to wait as Speedline state “more colours coming soon”. It’s just a matter of when.