Cheap vs expensive MTB hubs

[Paul Ruinaard]

Bearings, reliability and it's not so much POE but angle of engagement.

 

I'm with DnD on the ratchet upgrade. 36-54 is a waste of money.

 

Chris King aren't light, but their bearings are the best in the business without dispute. If you service them and clean and lube the ring engagement they will last forever.

 

DT freehubs are made of cheese. This is probably my only 'complaint' but I got around it by pinning the cassette.

 

I think there used to be a far bigger gap between 'good' and 'cheap' hubs, but these days that gap seems to be closing considerably.

 

I built a set of 650b wheels onto a Lyne hub for my gravel bike and it is fantastic.

 

Hope are designed for the UK. They are largely fit and forget products, which IMHO is what you want. I have 2 x sets of hope, 1 x set of CK and 1 x set of DT swiss all in operation and I cannot fault any of them.

 

All easy to take apart and service/clean, all reliable and I couldn't give a hoot about the sound, so I'm probably not helping.

 

waffle waffle... sorry

WRT Hope as per above, the seals are designed for the UK market so they can keep out the mud n sh*te they ride in which is why they will be overkill for South Africa. Things that kill bearings are grime and stuff leaking past the seals. Stop that and you never change the bearings. Hence in SA Hope will lasta  lot longer than other Hubs.

 

Like everything its about the trade off between weight, reliability and price. Pick 2 - if you want low weight and high reliability you will get high price and visa versa. FWIW i have never had to change bearings on my Hope hubs and i have been riding them for over 10 years. I even have Hope road wheels now.

 

If you are a weight weenie then likely the seals will be lighter as well. MTBs are like high performance race machines - you can build light which then requires continual maintenance or you can go heavier and never have to worry.

 

DT are also good. Novatec are what they are - a cheaper alternative...

 

If you are worried about PoE get Industry Nine - but they sound like a swarm of bees...

[Wil6]

Ok so more expensive hubs are lighter, easier to service and more durable

 

But is there a performance gain?  Less friction in ratchet system resulting in better rolling resistance?  Less degree of engagement?

Thats not always true. My Hope 4's are not so light, but they are going strong for 3 years now, without a single service. I will take the weight penalty any day than buying other hubs in my life again

[Simon123]

Hope for me

[Zorro5614]

Yes the DT Swiss 350 or Hope Pro 4 sound like the best deal.  The new I9 101 Classic is a stretch at about R7 000.  As I already have these generic hubs, there is also the rebuilding costs of the wheels and new spokes

 

Don't think I have mentioned before.  The wheelset is the Zero Two Carbon Race wheels (Inhouse brand of Omnico) 

[Edge_Design]

I have Joytech hubs on my XC bike and Hope Pro 4 on my enduro bike... The biggest difference is the sound they make. I don't do massive mileage so can't really comment on durability as meaningfully as other people on here but haven't had a single issue with either.

 

If you're going to be doing 1000km+ per month then spend some money and get the Hope's (anything more expensive than that is because you're really worried about grams/image). If you're a more "recreational" rider then just buy a set of wheels and ride your bike - any noticeable performance difference is either in your mind or because the lower performance hubs just need a service.

[dev null]

I have now had 2 hubs where the bearings in the free body complete collapsed. Same rider. My son. These youngsters are damn heavy on their bikes. One hub was the i9 Torch on his HT, and the other was the CZero Formula hub on his Cannondale Scalpel Si. The Formula hub has a known reputation as being a crappy hub. Don't know what went on with the i9, but I think it was crappy bearings. I replaced them with better bearings and we have not had any issues since then. We also replaced that Formula hub on the CZero wheel with a cheap ECC hub, and we have not had any issue since. It is damn noisy though. That ECC hub has the same unidirectional drive system as the DT Swiss hubs, just not as refined and quiet.

 

I also have another bike with Hope 4 hubs that is still going strong.

 

From my perspective the bearing quality seems to be the most important and the place where failures are experienced the most, followed by the ratchet or whatever system is used for unidirectional drive.

 

My suggestion: if you are very hard on your equipment, get a CK, or maybe DT Swiss 240 and replace the bearings with the best Japanese bearings you can find. I wanted to also add Hope Pro 4, but I am not convinced by their ratchet and pawl setup.

[Zorro5614]

I have never weighed the Zero Two Carbon wheels, but according to Steve from Omnico my 29er boost wheels are their heaviest at about 1500g

[Jewbacca]

Just be aware of Flange depth too.

 

The 240s have tiny flanges, so you use longer spokes. This apparently greates more torsional flex. 

 

Wider hub flanges will use shorter spokes and create a more rugged wheel. The trade off between a 'racing' wheel and a trail/do it all wheel.

 

I actually only mentioned this so I could repeat the word flange several times. I'm childish like that.

 

IMHO, bang for buck would be the DT 350 or the Hope. I also prefer the quieter sounding hubs to the loud ones, but as I said earlier, I honestly don't really care.

 

My Pink Chris King hubs give me tremendous joy. They are on my faithful 'do it all' bike and they operate flawlessly getting bashed about on trails and grinding out huge miles when needed. BUT they do cost a packet. Best money I ever spent though.

 

They will add weight to your wheels, but they are 'lifers' and you will probably leave them to your kids.

[dev null]

Oh, the other thing is that not all hub manufacturers have models for straight pull spokes, which then limits what you can use if your wheel has straight pull spokes.

[Zorro5614]

Guess it also depends on how many times you change bikes.  Hopefully Boost is here to stay for a while

 

Don't what I was really expecting with changing my hubs (buying speed), does look like is going to transform me into extraordinary racer or climber.  

[DieselnDust]

Yes the DT Swiss 350 or Hope Pro 4 sound like the best deal.  The new I9 101 Classic is a stretch at about R7 000.  As I already have these generic hubs, there is also the rebuilding costs of the wheels and new spokes

 

Don't think I have mentioned before.  The wheelset is the Zero Two Carbon Race wheels (Inhouse brand of Omnico) 

 

 

I'm not sure why you would need more than what the ZeroTwo wheels offer. They're pretty bomb proof and excellent value for money. The Hubs are similar that used by many other brands of wheels. Maybe when you really need you can upgrade the rear hub but I'd save the cash for now just ride them. They're very good wheels. The project is Steve Bowman's. Anyone whose been around the MTB world for the last 30years will know Steve goes back a long way and has been building wheels for decades

[Zorro5614]

I'm not sure why you would need more than what the ZeroTwo wheels offer. They're pretty bomb proof and excellent value for money. The Hubs are similar that used by many other brands of wheels. Maybe when you really need you can upgrade the rear hub but I'd save the cash for now just ride them. They're very good wheels. The project is Steve Bowman's. Anyone whose been around the MTB world for the last 30years will know Steve goes back a long way and has been building wheels for decades

Thank Diesel, will keep that in mind

[Jewbacca]

I'm not sure why you would need more than what the ZeroTwo wheels offer. They're pretty bomb proof and excellent value for money. The Hubs are similar that used by many other brands of wheels. Maybe when you really need you can upgrade the rear hub but I'd save the cash for now just ride them. They're very good wheels. The project is Steve Bowman's. Anyone whose been around the MTB world for the last 30years will know Steve goes back a long way and has been building wheels for decades

In fact, the 02 hubs are 'identical' to the Lyne ones.

 

Their free hubs, end caps etc are all interchangeable. So there are 2 local support avenues for you.

[gummibear]

Have Hope on my road and mob wheels and never had any issues.Actually don't know anyone that has had issues with their Hopes.

[Zorro5614]

In fact, the 02 hubs are 'identical' to the Lyne ones.

 

Their free hubs, end caps etc are all interchangeable. So there are 2 local support avenues for you.

Good to hear.  Will "better" bearings make any difference to how fast the wheels spin up and keep spinning?

[100Tours]

It's a lot of money for DT Swiss 240S to save maybe 100grams

 

Been riding these generic hubs now for 6 months (3 pawl, 4 sealed bearings) and no real issues so far.  Maybe I just looking for any performance gain to cover up how unfit I am

 

Mainly riding XC so hubs "upgrade" may be a waste of money?

 

Hubs should be smooth and fast, not light (they are not 'rotating mass' in the same way that your rim is). Hope are very durable, and will probably do everything you want.  You should keep your rims light however - like some roadies will go for alu nipples rather than brass because they're lighter and they sit on the outside of the wheel. Having said that I'd stick with more durable nipples on a MTB, but you get the idea.