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Hub Recomendations

Arsbars

Arsbars

"Finger Lickin' Good"
Mar 25, 2003
551
0
Charlotte, NC
I'm looking to build up my race frame for the spring.. '03 Orbea Lanza. I'm looking for hubs. I need advice. I'm not well educated in the MTB scene, I know enough.. but this is my first season racing so I don't need the best of the best. I do work at a shop thou, so I get cost...

Advice please
 
Dirty

Dirty

i said change it damn it....Janet...Slut!!
Aug 3, 2003
522
0
not only do you get cost...you get employee purchase...which is usually 20% off what QBP or BTI or whoever you would normally buy from charges...

ive had great success with both hadley and king hubs. I know theyre both on the expensive side but hey they work well, and last long...

if your shop is not part of the king cycle group youre gonna have a hard time getting king...or just flat out not be able to...
if you dont know about it, talk to your shop owner and try and get signed up as part of the king cycle group...then you get employee purchase on king parts...

otherwise give hadley a call, ive got there number, pm me if you cant find it. they dont have a website...
they do employee purchase....

of course sun ringle hubs have always had a good reputation, and dont cost as much as king or hadley...i cant speak from personal experience about them, but a lot of people i work/ride with have had success with them.

shimano hubs are usually reliable and very cheap.

hugi hubs i believe are at about the same price point as sun ringles, also good reliable hubs. the onyx are at a lower price point but are supposed to still hold up pretty well...so ive heard...

anybody else have experience with these hubs they want to share...or other suggestions?
 
R

rockracing

Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
427
0
Cape Town, South Africa
Originally posted by Bonk
Or if you're on more of a budget, Hope XC (Sport).

385 grams
ISO 9002 Quality
24 Engagements
Steel Driveshell

$129 @ JensonUSA
Click to expand...
I've got those, awesome, rode the front one all season and now just got the rear.......really top quality. Makes a nice clicking sound, and thats really important.....:D
 
M

Mike B.

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2001
1,522
0
State College, PA
From personal experience, Hugi 240s are decent weight and reliable. King hubs are the best looking and most reliable I've used. As mentioned, Shimano are decent but heavy and if you're going disc then you've got the spline interface to deal with. I've also used American Classic with success and they're very light weight but the bearings (rear especially) will wear out rather quickly but they're easy to change.
 
SuspectDevice

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,205
429
Roanoke, VA
I agree with Bonk... today:eek:

Hope hubs are super nice and pretty cheap, but my guess is that you don't have a hope account.

In that case i'd say go for a set of hughi/dt's on 517 radial front 3x rear dt 15/17's and alloy nipples.

You should be able to get a pair of those prebuilt from qbp wheelhouse pretty cheap.
 
Jesus

Jesus

Monkey
Jun 12, 2002
583
0
Louisville, KY
I goota say the Hope's also. I have used the Bulb's for XC and Dh wheels with absolutly no problems for about 3 years. The King's are nice, but I believe you have to also buy special tools to adjust the hub, which adds even more money.

Go Hope, you won't regret it. Also setting up an dircet dealer account with them is about as easy as it gets.

Geat people to deal with, and know their product well. Always seem to go 110% for me. And you can tell them Terry at Bike Hell told you that!
 
Drunken_Ninja

Drunken_Ninja

Turbo Monkey
Aug 25, 2002
1,094
1
Hangin' with Riggs and Mertah
i went for a middle of the road hub myself. i wanted performance and i did not want any exceptional weight.

i got some sram 9.o disc hubs.

it has a fiece buzzing noise

i haven't had any problems with the adapters

i got cartridge bearings in the things which is better than shimano.

they are lighter than deore disc hubs.

they are fast.

i figure that once you get into cartridge bearings you are pretty much ok unless you need to buy more durability...

all of the hubs other than sram were expensive...

they lasted me a year so far with no problems and i have tightened the adapters a few times in the process. I am happy.
 
SuspectDevice

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,205
429
Roanoke, VA
Originally posted by Drunken_Ninja
i went for a middle of the road hub myself. i wanted performance and i did not want any exceptional weight.

i got some sram 9.o disc hubs.

it has a fiece buzzing noise

i haven't had any problems with the adapters

i got cartridge bearings in the things which is better than shimano.

they are lighter than deore disc hubs.

they are fast.

i figure that once you get into cartridge bearings you are pretty much ok unless you need to buy more durability...

all of the hubs other than sram were expensive...

they lasted me a year so far with no problems and i have tightened the adapters a few times in the process. I am happy.
Click to expand...
unfortunately Sram has discontimued hub production. I built a pair with revo's/517 for race wheels 2 years ago, and by and large they are still okay.
 
Drunken_Ninja

Drunken_Ninja

Turbo Monkey
Aug 25, 2002
1,094
1
Hangin' with Riggs and Mertah
Originally posted by SuspectDevice
unfortunately Sram has discontimued hub production. I built a pair with revo's/517 for race wheels 2 years ago, and by and large they are still okay.
Click to expand...
No they haven't. You been lied to by a shimano dealer.

I think HUGI hubs are owned by sram. so hugi makes a version of their hubs for sram. I was calling one of my local bike shops to get a second pair this year and this is what they told me...

no canadian distributor is carrying them though it is possible to get them through an american company...i can't remember who

I almost got a pair of X9's for $200 canadian.
 
SuspectDevice

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,205
429
Roanoke, VA
Originally posted by Drunken_Ninja
No they haven't. You been lied to by a shimano dealer.

I think HUGI hubs are owned by sram. so hugi makes a version of their hubs for sram. I was calling one of my local bike shops to get a second pair this year and this is what they told me...
Click to expand...
Hugi= DT/union. Still no relation to the Rockshox/Sachs/Sram behemoth yet...

The Sramhubs were basically identical to the Sachs hubs of the mid-nineties. The only additon was the threaded flange for the disc brake adaptor. Various distributors may still have some hubs in stock but they have been discontinued by SRAM, as per my inside rep.
 
Wumpus

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
Originally posted by Jesus
The King's are nice, but I believe you have to also buy special tools to adjust the hub, which adds even more money.
Click to expand...
all you need is two 6mm allen wrenches to adjust the hubs which needs to be done quite frequently -- every few rides. You need the special tools to service them.
 
R

rekt23

Chimp
Feb 26, 2003
15
0
pa
if you're building up a set of wheels, give already built up hoops a try. mavic has a great set of wheels and an awesome warranty program, and bontrager wheels use swiss made hub bodies with their own bearings. AND the bontragers are adaptable to the new shimomo disc rotors. and if you work in a shop both companies give a rockin bro deal.
 
fonseca

fonseca

Monkey
May 2, 2002
292
0
Virginia
Originally posted by cbcbcbcb
I've had a set of WTB LaserDisc Lites since last spring. They are laced to Mavic X517 rims on an Ellsworth Truth. I do XC/trail rides 3-4 times per week.

The hubs have worked great. They are light (just over 400g/pair) and cheap ($200 at AE Bike. See http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&Description=hub&Brand=85100&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0)

Definitely worth a look.
Click to expand...
Those are rebadged American Classic hubs, which have a good reputation and are very light. The WTB version is a great deal. Check out oddsandendos.com for high quality custom wheels with those hubs, at good prices.

Of course, if you work at a shop, you can do better pricewise.

Sram discontinued their hubs several years ago.
 
recidivist

recidivist

Monkey
Aug 29, 2002
283
1
Soquel, Cali
Originally posted by Wumpus
all you need is two 6mm allen wrenches to adjust the [King] hubs which needs to be done quite frequently -- every few rides. You need the special tools to service them.
Click to expand...
There is actually a "King Cone Tool" which will engage those two little holes in the cones, but it's only really necessary if they get over-tightened. In general, you're right, two 6mms is all you need.
 
recidivist

recidivist

Monkey
Aug 29, 2002
283
1
Soquel, Cali
Originally posted by fonseca
Those are rebadged American Classic hubs, which have a good reputation and are very light. The WTB version is a great deal. Check out oddsandendos.com for high quality custom wheels with those hubs, at good prices.
Click to expand...
I've always believed the WTBs and Am Classics were the same, but can't figure out why the WTBs are so much cheaper...

Are they really, really the same, or do the WTBs have less machining, weaker bearings, etc...?
 
fonseca

fonseca

Monkey
May 2, 2002
292
0
Virginia
I think there are some slight differences, such as the flanges being sized to WTB's specs, but the internals are supposed to be the same.

They are so cheap because the large quantity WTB had made probably brought the price down, although I can't help but think American Classic is seriously hurting sales of their own hubs as a result. Also, the WTB version is only available in 32 hole.

AC hubs had some reliability issues with the old design (with greaseports) several years back, most likely because no one ever used the greaseports, and they weren't well-sealed in order for grease to be pushed out. The new version and the WTB version are well-sealed and don't have greaseports.

I have steered several friends towards the WTB hubs for XC race wheels. I think they are the best bang for the buck in that category. Light, and fast engagement. I wouldn't use them for my main "trail" wheelset myself, as I like heavier components I don't have to worry about breaking. I use a 20mm front hub and 15mm rear axle in 36h.
 
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