3x3 Six in-hub gear system put to the test: A rival for Rohloff and the like?

​H+B Hightech is expanding its range with a new gear hub – the 3x3 Six. With six gears, a silent freewheel and a focus on urban mobility, it is designed to open the door to the premium world of hub gears. We’ve already had a chance to test ride the hub.

BIKE Verdict: A successful debut

​With the Nine, H+B Hightech has already demonstrated that it is possible to manufacture gear hubs to a high standard. The Six brings this DNA to everyday urban cycling and delivers impressively: precise gear changes, a silent freewheel, clever integrated E-Shift functions and a maintenance-free design that leaves little to be desired in city riding. Nevertheless, the Six won’t be a bargain compared to the Nine, let alone Rohloff and Pinion. The build quality and well-thought-out functionality may justify the premium price compared to the mass-produced models from Shimano and Enviolo for the intended premium target audience. - Adrian Kaether, Test & Technology Editor

Rohloff, Pinion, Nexus and the like: of course, anyone who’s ever taken a closer interest in bicycles will be familiar with them. For the past few years, however, a new player has been making waves in the world of low-maintenance hub gears and gearboxes. H + B Hightech is a metalworking firm based in the Swabian Alb and has tested the 3x3 Nine (reviewed here) made its debut. A gear hub designed for heavy-duty use, cargo bikes and challenging terrain. Now, with the 3x3 Six, the company is launching a sister model which, with fewer gears and a lower price, is intended to appeal to a wider audience.

The concept is clearly defined: whilst the Nine is designed for maximum performance under extreme conditions and a long range, the Six is geared towards urban mobility, daily commuting and moderate terrain. The Six is expected to be around a third cheaper than the Nine. Our test bike nevertheless costs over 5,500 euros. Both models, the Six and the Nine, share the same basic system architecture – so the Six is not a stripped-down stopgap solution, but a platform in its own right.

Technical specifications at a glance

Despite having fewer gears than the Nine, the Six adopts the core engineering philosophy of its bigger sister: a fully enclosed design, maintenance-free operation, high efficiency and a modular service concept that allows the gear unit to be removed without removing the spokes. Should a problem ever arise with the gearbox, the entire internal mechanism can be easily removed from the casing. This means you can send the gearbox itself to the manufacturer rather than the whole wheel. As before, the 3x3 is manufactured in the Swabian Alb – so ‘Made in Germany’ remains a key promise.

Context: Who needs six gears?

Before we get to the driving experience, it’s worth taking a quick look at the competition. The 3x3 Six faces two serious rivals in the urban segment: the Shimano Nexus as the standard five-speed gearbox as well as the Enviolo hub with continuously variable gearing. The latter is gaining an increasing share of the market for city and urban bikes.

The advantages and disadvantages compared with both systems are obvious. Compared with the Nexus, the Six offers a slightly higher gear range of 292 per cent with one additional gear. Particularly when compared with the Enviolo, the 3x3 system boasts significantly higher efficiency. The Nexus, too, is unlikely to operate quite as efficiently as the high-quality drivetrain in the 3x3.

That said, it’s only fair to be honest: in terms of price, the 3x3 Six remains firmly in the premium segment. This is particularly true of the exciting electronic shifting version. Whilst it may be cheaper than the Nine, it will struggle to compete on price with Shimano’s mass-market products. The Six is therefore aimed at buyers who want to make a conscious investment in quality, durability and low maintenance – and who are prepared to spend more to achieve this.

Test impressions: The Six in practice

We carried out our test rides on a Campus E:vo Allround – a customisable e-bike designed with touring comfort in mind, the one with the powerful PX engine, With a good suspension fork, suspension seatpost and wide tyres, it’s designed for comfortable city riding and moderate rides without extreme gradients. So it’s a very good match for the 3x3 Six.

Gear changes: crisp, precise, impressive

The first impression when getting on the bike is thoroughly positive. In our test configuration, the Six came with TRP’s wireless E-Shift lever and impresses with a shift point and operation on a par with high-quality derailleur levers – smooth yet clearly defined, with noticeable feedback. The gears engage audibly and unmistakably. There’s no trace of the occasionally spongy shifting feel found in some competing hub gear systems. This is likely to be a noticeable upgrade even compared to the mechanical 3x3 Six version with a twist grip.

Typical of a gearbox: gear changes are reliably smooth, even when stationary. This is a real bonus in everyday urban stop-and-go traffic. As with the Nine, you can also set a fixed starting gear. With this auto-downshift function, the Six always shifts into, say, second gear when stationary to ensure a smooth start. The system is operated via the Bosch unit, which also displays the selected gears. What isn’t possible (yet): automatic gear changes. The Bosch motor is actually capable of this. Whilst it certainly isn’t for everyone, it would be a nice extra feature for the 3x3 Six.

Gear ratios and power band: more than enough for city driving

Anyone who finds six gears a bit much should bear in mind that on an e-bike, five are often enough. The Six’s 292 per cent gear range is more than adequate for flat to moderately hilly urban terrain. The test bike is set up in such a way that the gears run out once you exceed 30 km/h. This means that lower gears are also available for steeper inclines; combined with the powerful PX motor, the gear selection feels just right.

The silent freewheel: an underestimated detail

A feature that initially appears to be little more than a footnote in the technical specifications turns out to be a real bonus when riding: the silent freewheel. In contrast to the characteristically rattling freewheels found on many competitors’ models, the Six glides through the city without any mechanical background noise – a riding sensation that contributes surprisingly greatly to the subjective tranquillity of the riding experience. Particularly when combined with the quiet motor assistance, this creates a relaxed, almost meditative sense of forward momentum.

One minor drawback: in some gears, a faint mechanical noise could be heard coming from the hub. It wasn’t really a problem, and is also common with rival products. The Rohloff, for example, which is loved by many, makes a significantly louder grinding noise in the lower gears. For a product in this price range, however, this is worth noting.

Efficiency and low maintenance: the big promises

The high efficiency of the 3x3 hubs is a key selling point – and is indeed noticeable when compared directly with the Enviolo. The power transmission feels more direct, and the drivetrain seems more efficient. We did not have any absolute measurement data available for this test, but our subjective riding impressions are consistent with the manufacturer’s claims. This is also true in theory: the difference in efficiency – from around 80 per cent (Enviolo) to over 90 per cent (3x3) – could certainly be felt, particularly at low assistance levels.

The service concept looks impressive on paper: the entire gearbox can be removed and replaced as a single unit without having to remove the spokes. According to the manufacturer, the process should take just a few minutes. We haven’t tried it ourselves. But the advantage over conventional hub gears would still be very real. Incidentally: in the event of minor technical issues, you can simply connect the 3x3 to a laptop using freely accessible, browser-based diagnostic software, allowing you to recalibrate the gearbox or check the firmware yourself. As an end customer, you’ll probably never need to do this, but it’s nice to see that it would be possible even without dealer access or a service connector.

>> A visit to 3x3: An inside look at the new gearbox manufacturer from the Swabian Alb

3x3 Six: a review at a glance:

Strengths:

• Efficiency
• Operation specifically as an electronic gearshift with a TRP lever
• Integration into the Bosch system
• Maintenance plan

Weaknesses:

• The price remains high