Deadband is the period of hub operation after the freehub begins advancing but before the pawls start moving outward to engage the ratchet ring. Sidekick is the only hub in the world with a preset, adjustable deadband. 

In all traditional hubs, there is no deadband, only the period of rotation between the freehub and the hub shell where the pawls are between teeth on the ratchet, and the pawls are being pressed against the ratchet by the pawl springs at all times. Similarly for face-gear type hubs, there is only the space between engaged positions, and a spring presses the gears together at all times. These two systems describe the vast majority of hubs on the market today. 

In the Sidekick, a spring retracts the pawls away from the ratchet until they are required. As engagement (pedaling) begins, the pusher passes through the deadband before lifting the pawls towards the ratchet. 

With Sidekick’s adjustable deadband, the rider chooses the exact deadband desired to tune the hub response time and suspension benefit.