Shimano’s Micro Spline licence criteria expands

Manufacturers interested in utilising Shimano’s Micro Spline technology are now invited to contact the components giant following an expansion of the licence.

First revealed in 2018, the freehub technology first appeared on the XTR M9100 12-speed mountain bike cassette. The demand to roll the tech out further, says Shimano, has grown steadily as industry members have tested the system.

The Micro-Spline system has 23 splines instead of the 13 found on the HG Freehub standard. The freehub body is slightly shorter, allowing the smallest cog to sit outboard of the freehub body.

As it stands, DT Swiss, Industry Nine, Newmen, Reynolds and Fulcrum are licensed to produce the Micro Spline hubs, though CI.N did also spot the technology on Ison Distribution’s Halo wheelsets at the past week’s Cycle Show.

Those wishing to utilise the licence are now invited to contact their Shimano account manager either at Shimano Europe, or via their local distributor.

For technical detail as to why Shimano decided to create the standard, BikeRadar has a write up here.