[Sing]
It’s bulletproof, nothing to fuse
Pedal away, pedal away
One cog, eh?!, it’s all the same
Pedal away, pedal away

You crank it down, magnetic pawls
It is titanium
Engages fast, magnetic pawls
It is titanium
[/Sing]
{Sort of David Guetta x Sia}

With all the GD nonsense, I missed the official September 16th launch of Project 321’s brand new, Canadian-made, single-speed certified* G3Ti hub system that combines a classic simple-speed-chic six-bolt rotor hub shell, with 1/2 the hub engagements, but twice the hub engagement, to deliver a still lightning fast 2.5° pickup. So, you’ve probably read the exact same press release elsewhere, but, here goes.

Oh, also, I’ll note here that I’ve not held the indomitable magic metal upgrade in my own two hands, or seen the simple 6-bolt hub shell in person. But Project 321 is one of the few brands covered by my 3P review policy that shares product releases with me and I would certainly have shared this information at the embargo date if the option was available.

*{But not single-speed-specific, these are a forever-hub option for all the trunk-leg multi-speed drivetrain destroying Mega-MEAT-motor-mile-manifesters out there.}

Here’s some straight up-ish press copy:

“The launch in summary: we’re releasing a higher-torque version of our G3 hubs, the G3Ti. The crux of the release is a new Titanium freehub that mates up with our existing hub systems, that will be able to handle the torque of… single speed bikes, fully loaded bike packing and adventure rigs, and heavier and/or more powerful analogue bike riders* who prefer to mash the pedals as opposed to shifting and spinning at normal cadences. We’ve also worked hard to make sure they don’t cost a penny more than our existing G3 hub sets, meaning end consumers can buy a titanium driver equipped G3Ti for…** great value for money when you compare them against our high-end competitors.“

Additionally, I think the most important thing to note is that P321’s freehubs are available in XD, MicroSpline, and HG driver standards. Shoutout to Shimano LinkGlide and all the #1FG riders out there for the heavy lift in keeping this classic spline pattern alive in the high-end wheel market as HG rolls towards it’s fiftieth birthday.

These titanium driver options are also backwards compatible with older G3 hubs, so anyone worried about fusing their cogs to their freehub or otherwise stressed about how their wattage is being translated into their bicycle could consider a Ti-driver update.

*{“Analogue bike riders” is supposedly what they call bicycle riders in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. We’ll cut them some slack though since MiSSiSSauga has single-speed in its name twice.}

**{I’ve not included pricing in our current turbulent times. You can check out the single-speed-optimized hub section of the P321 website or, better yet, contact your awesome local bicycle retailer for a quote.}

Up front, it’s true, the G3 hubs I’ve been running since October 2023 engage twice as fast and have shrugged off hundreds of hours of one-speed action. That’s a near-instant 1.25° between engagement points, and the aluminum freehub body has held up superbly. That said, the G3Ti engages twice as strong. Where G3’s 8x magnetically retracted, 3-step pawls are grabbing the 72T drive ring in pairs, every hit of the G3Ti is being sung by a quartet.

To put it, perhaps, more plainly, the G3 hubs* have 288 points of engagement and the G3Ti hubs have 144 points of engagement. I know that sounds like a massive difference, half-or-double, but in practice they will both full-positive when it comes to hammering technical moves.

*{Now available in the 6-Lock system, Centrelock {6-Lock sans adapter}, and 6-bolt IS rotor versions.}

Alright, here’s some more actual press copy edited slightly ‘for clarity’:

“The latest generation… deliver more power to the wheel than ever before; that means more stress on the components… Building on the proven performance of our G3 and RG3 hubs, we developed the new G3Ti for riders looking for even greater strength, durability, and confidence under the growing demands…

At the heart of G3Ti is a new titanium freehub body, replacing the aluminum freehubs used on standard G3 and RG3 hubs. Titanium provides an exceptionally tough and strong platform designed to handle the increased torque of today… giving you long-term durability you can rely on. Through our own inhouse testing protocols, the G3Ti titanium driver and M-Pulse drive mechanism has withstood peak torque loads exceeding 1100 Nm without failure. We’re confident in guaranteeing you that they will provide a platform that’s more than strong enough… with plenty of safety margin to spare.“

Yeah, so. I love the so-fast M-Pulse magnetic action, the fantastic G3 axle system, the persnickety design details, and the top-notch after sale support and the combination of twice the physical engagement {still wicked fast at half the engagement points} and a titanium driver sound awesome. Which, sound awesome, rather than annoying, is another thing the Project 321 hubs do. Okay, okay, the last point is personal preference.

I’m all but certain I missed a few details of note, so for the Canuck-hub-curious here’s a link again to the stoic-and-strong-single-speeder section of Project 321’s website.

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