Robert Axle Project Drive Thru – A Smart Dummy Hub For Thru-Axles

Back in the olden days, before disk brakes and thru-axles became all the rage, various brands had dummy hubs that kept your chain off of your chainstays when the rear wheel was removed. They clamped onto the dropout like your wheel would, and had a guide allowing you to pedal as needed. But then thru-axles happened and rendered them useless. Like a beacon of light from a superhero, Robert Axle Project arrived with their Drive Thru dummy hub, and all was again right in Metropolis.

Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but there is some truth to it. Whenever I would work on my bikes with the rear wheel off, I always used a dummy hub to keep the chain off the paint and keep the chainstay clean. After moving from a Trek Boone with quick release to a Focus Mares, and now a Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, I didn’t have a good solution. The Drive Thru solved the issue and became my go-to.

Calling it a dummy hub is a bit of an insult though because it is a pretty smart design. McGovern Cycles created the original version, but Robet Axle Project has brought it to the masses. The Drive Thru is made up of the post that threads into the dropout, the wheel the chain goes onto and allows you to spin the cranks as needed, and a rubber O-ring to keep the wheel from falling off the post when not engaged in a frame. The 2″ long post has a knurled end to provide grip when threading it into the frame and allows the wheel to move side to side, allowing you to shift gears like you would with a cassette.

In use, the Drive Thru was a breeze. With the wheel off, it threaded easily into the Mavic SpeedRelease dropout on the Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie. I used it numerous times, but specifically when cleaning the frame or swapping wheels. I don’t clean the chain while it is on the bike, but it held the chain in place and off the chainstay while cleaning the back end of the bike. I did spin the crank and shift gears and it was cool to see the wheel slide from side to side as the rear derailleur moved through the imaginary gears, which helps with checking derailleur movement or cleaning it. Right after the Topeak Prepstand Pro, the Drive Thru is the next thing I grab when cleaning or working with the wheel off.

The Drive Thru is available in four different threads to match your frame. Thread pitches of 1.0, 1.5, and 1.75 are available separately or as a three-pack, and most recently they have also added the Mavic SpeedRelease standard, which is what I am testing on the Van Dessel’s I have in house. Each post is labeled so it is easy to figure out which post you need. To change posts, just slide the o-ring and wheel off, and slide them back onto the new post.

If you are not sure what axle you need, Robert Axle Project has an Axle Finder on their site that will help you figure out which thread pitch your bike uses. The Drive Thru is not listed, but you can use their rear axle to figure it out. If your bike isn’t listed, and the pitch is not listed on the axle, they have instructions in part 3 further down the page.

A single Drive Thru will set you back $35, which isn’t bad for the quality of tool you get. If you go for the three-pack, you’ll get the three thread pitches and a wheel for $70. As of now, the Mavic SpeedRelease is only available on its own.

If you work at home, or in a shop, the Drive Thru is a tool that you’ll underestimate how much you’ll use. It’s a simple design, but very well executed by a brand that is known for creating premium lightweight, and functional thru-axle solutions for trailers and trainers.

The Robert Axle Project