And why? I'm in the middle of putting together a wheel set, and I'm cogitating on hubs. Assume I know nothing about hubs. Yeah, that's it...assume!
-EGS
-EGS
Phil Wood or Chris King?
- Thread starter E. Guido Soda
- Start date
King.
hadley. they're great. i've got one set that's almost a decade old now and still going strong (once a year service, nothing else). i currently have 2 sets. several color options, available in all spacing and axle configurations. and most of the hubs can be converted to fit diff size axles. available as qr and bolt on.
kings are really nice, but annoying to service and overpriced (imo). their proprietary system doesn't offer any real advantage other than the fact that its different, and requires proprietary tools to service.
industry 9 also makes really nice hubs. they have their proprietary spoke hubs, but also make normal j-bend spoke compatible hubs. really great quality hubs all around, highest engagement too.
profile (yes, bmx profile) also makes really good mtb hubs. they now have a 208pt engagement hub, but its something crazy like $400.
never had any personal experience with phil wood hubs, but i've heard nothing but good things about them.
Best part - all of the above companies make their components in the good ol' USA. you really can't go wrong.
kings are really nice, but annoying to service and overpriced (imo). their proprietary system doesn't offer any real advantage other than the fact that its different, and requires proprietary tools to service.
industry 9 also makes really nice hubs. they have their proprietary spoke hubs, but also make normal j-bend spoke compatible hubs. really great quality hubs all around, highest engagement too.
profile (yes, bmx profile) also makes really good mtb hubs. they now have a 208pt engagement hub, but its something crazy like $400.
never had any personal experience with phil wood hubs, but i've heard nothing but good things about them.
Best part - all of the above companies make their components in the good ol' USA. you really can't go wrong.
I went with his choices, I want to sell my Kings, cause I have three Hadley wheels and one set of I-9s right now.
i took his advice, and assumed he knew nothing about hubs
and for the record - king hubs CAN be torqued through (ie - busting the star ratchet mechanism)
How ya like the I-9's? They are on the table at this point, as well...
They are nice, not sure I would spend the money on them again, A pair of Hadleys can be bought for a lot less money.
my $0.02... if you are gonna go with I9, go with their spoke system instead of j-bends.
Have you considered Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs? cheapest of the bunch, reliable and they come in all of the bling colours. Check this comparison out, might help with your decision:
Reviews :: Dropmachine.com - HUB SHOWDOWN :: Chris King, Hadley, Industry Nine, DT, Stealth, and Hope
Reviews :: Dropmachine.com - HUB SHOWDOWN :: Chris King, Hadley, Industry Nine, DT, Stealth, and Hope
Hope is a nice hub but not the engagement of the rest.
I am a big DT Swiss fan. Light and simple and well made. One thing that is nice is that the freehub comes off without tools. So when I smacked my derailleur last month and bent the hanger and shifted into the spokes, I could pull the cassette away from the spokes and easily extract the chain.
I have heard from a couple friends that own Kings is that they do require maintenance and they keep loosening for one pal. He may not be the best mechanic though. I was looking at Project 321 recently and they use I9 internals. My shop told me that a local bike manufacturer speced I9 on their higher end bikes. They had contamination issues here in Vancouver. It is really wet here so maybe I9 is not good in wet locales.
I have Hopes and had to replace one bearing in a year of hard use. Simple and well made. Bonus is they can be converted to numerous standards. So if you get a new frame or fork with a different axle you can probably buy an adapter and keep the wheels.
No experience with Hadley. Don't see them around here much. I don't know why.
I have heard from a couple friends that own Kings is that they do require maintenance and they keep loosening for one pal. He may not be the best mechanic though. I was looking at Project 321 recently and they use I9 internals. My shop told me that a local bike manufacturer speced I9 on their higher end bikes. They had contamination issues here in Vancouver. It is really wet here so maybe I9 is not good in wet locales.
I have Hopes and had to replace one bearing in a year of hard use. Simple and well made. Bonus is they can be converted to numerous standards. So if you get a new frame or fork with a different axle you can probably buy an adapter and keep the wheels.
No experience with Hadley. Don't see them around here much. I don't know why.
Thanks for the input, and Rachid, I actually read that article. So I got a quote from wheelbuilder.com, and I was going to post for some input on those guys, but I'll keep it in this thread and see if I can get some feedback on them. Anyone ever use wheelbuilder.com?
10% discount on all hardware for a total of $935.68. For whatever reason at wheelbuilder.com, Phils are more expensive than the Kings, upping the quote to $1000 or so. So I guess the original question resurfaces: King or Wood. Seems like a coin toss based on personal preference and user experience...and Kings make hella noise. Anyway, my guess is that they are both exceptionally high quality with King requiring a little more (proprietary) maintenance and the Woods being bombproff and more traditionally built/easier to maintain. These things considered, I might be more apt to shell out the extry $70 for Woods.
-EGS
10% discount on all hardware for a total of $935.68. For whatever reason at wheelbuilder.com, Phils are more expensive than the Kings, upping the quote to $1000 or so. So I guess the original question resurfaces: King or Wood. Seems like a coin toss based on personal preference and user experience...and Kings make hella noise. Anyway, my guess is that they are both exceptionally high quality with King requiring a little more (proprietary) maintenance and the Woods being bombproff and more traditionally built/easier to maintain. These things considered, I might be more apt to shell out the extry $70 for Woods.
-EGS
look at it this way, the money you save going with the kings will easily be offset by having to buy the tools needed to maintain them.
I hear you loud and clear.
I own Kings, Hadleys, Hopes and DTs. Hadleys are my favorite of the bunch. Super easy to work on, best engagement of the bunch (tied with King), quietest, reasonable weight, and dead reliable. All are good, but the Hadleys are a cut above IMO.
I find these tempting. DT 440 hubs are great hubs and mavic 729 rims are the best dh rims mavic ever put out.
Mountain - Downhill & Freeride - Mavic 729/DT Hugi T/A Bike Wheels - Bicycle Wheel Warehouse
Mountain - Downhill & Freeride - Mavic 729/DT Hugi T/A Bike Wheels - Bicycle Wheel Warehouse
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ftfy.
Went with the King's. Phil's couldn't get us a red hub for three months...no bueno. And it turns out, I really like the ABT - Angry Bee Technology: BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...here I come, yo. It's a sweet buid, too. Will post updated pics soon...
they are awesome hubs. i dont have a single complaint about my King hub. we sell a ton of them and havent had a single issue with any of them...even the purported "torque through."
you will probably need to set the preload on the bearings after the first few rides, but that is easy and takes a minute to do
you will probably need to set the preload on the bearings after the first few rides, but that is easy and takes a minute to do