richcottrell Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I wanted to review one FBBC's newer products, which is their take on a hub trainer. Simply called "The Hub", what makes this tool a little different from the others in its class is it is made to work with standard size weight plates that get threaded onto this hub trainer from the bottom. There is a 1” nut welded to the bottom, so the loading pin is basically a big fat bolt. Without ever using one, right away I liked this newer design for two reasons: 1) When you drop the weights with the traditional Hub trainers (like the ones from IronMind or Sorinex), first the weights hit the ground, and then the Hub device hits the loading pin. While it might not bother you, it always drove me crazy, so this threaded design eliminates that second impact. I realize that FBBC is not the first to eliminate that second impact. The first to my knowledge would be the one from David Horne’s GripTop series. That requires the World of Grip loading pin so it is a bit different, but the two are similar. But… 2) This threaded loading pin [just a bolt actually] is only 5 inches long, so while that gives enough room for 4 of my 25lb standard plates, it keeps the top of the trainer much closer to the floor then with a loading pin (which is usually over a foot long). While I have never lifted any weight plates via the hub for a real, I feel that by being closer to the ground, this Hub trainer is able to more closely mimic the actual feat of the original Hub Lift. Actually, shorter bolts could be used to get this hub even closer to the ground; and for the hub monsters out there like John, a longer bolt could also be used. According to FBBC, that welded 1” nut should support over 1000lbs. With that in mind, I say, “Good luck overloading this device and please post a video when you do.” I picked up my FBBC Hub trainer at this year’s Gripmas. It only cost $35, so even though I already have a great hub trainer from Sorinex, for the above reasons, I did not hesitate to buy one and save on shipping. It is a nice little unit. The whole piece is painted, except for the actual outside of the rim. That is left unpainted steel so it will condition over time as the unit ages. While I have only used this new Hub for a few sessions, I do like it very much. As a matter of fact, I am ordering a second one so I might someday work up to training to do the big twin Hub45 lift. At first, I did not like the fact that the plate under the rim was square with sharp edges. I thought it should be a nice circle and figured the only reason why it was not rounded was to keep the cost of the unit down. After using it just a few times I am glad the unit has these larger flat areas. They actually make it super simple to spin off the Hub and change weights. It also gives some real estate to grab onto if you want to screw it on real tight. Either way [on or off], you do not even have to puck the thing up nor do you need any books. You just spin the thing like a steering wheel. I am giving "The Hub" a big thumbs up, and hope to start adding some real hub training into my program from now on. Let me end this by saying one last thing: If you would like to visit Fat Bastard Barbell Company's web site, do not go to fbbc.com... Repeat: Do not visit fbbc.com It reminds me of one Christmas years ago when my father wanted to buy his own gift. As an avid golfer, he wanted a new a bag for his golf clubs. He figured he would get it at Dicks, so he went to the computer after dinner. When he got on the internet… well you can guess what he might have typed to get to Dicks Sporting Goods. Lets just say he did not get to their “official” site… “Dicks.com” was a different internet outfit at the time… and while my dad did find plenty of equipment there, Dicks.com did not sell sporting goods... Here is the link to the product I have been talking about: http://www.fatbastardbarbellco.com/THE-HUB.html Merry Christmas, rich 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Great review. Very in depth and specific. I always enjoy reviews like these. If I was a grip guy, I'd buy one for sure. Thanks for taking the time. But I did go to fbbc.com just to see, it's a baptist church website. Idk why you gave a warning not to go there. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickg Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 @EJ you must like to live dangerously. Nice review. How does it compare to the ironmind hub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I typed fbbc.com before seeing EJ comment and laughed my rear off. No clue why I never thought to look up that URL. Thanks for the review glad your enjoying the Hub. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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