scubes Posted July 17, 2021 Share So I bought a new bike and the specs of the bike online said the front hub is a sealed Giant unit. In the bike shop I checked all specs except the hubs for some reason (trusted the web specs). Then I see the front hub is not a sealed unit and not a Giant hub either. (The rear hub is also not a Giant hub, different to the web specs) Dragons sports are the guys to contact and Gavin Salt tells me they made a running change and on dragon's website it is stated that the front hub is a non sealed unit and not a Giant hub. I didn't even think to check dragon's site beforehand to check for specs. Kinda disappointing. Gavin basically said it makes no difference and if I want a sealed hub I must wait until next year and then there may be rotor compatibility issues. Any thoughts on this from anyone who knows more than I do? And how much better is a sealed hub? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted July 17, 2021 Share very hard to comment without specifics like brand and models of hubs under discussion BenReaper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasilvarsa Posted July 17, 2021 Share Shimano Cup and Cone Bearing Hubs are Easy and Cheap to Service but Offer Less Protection for Wet Riding and Bike Washing and Need to be Serviced more Often. Sealed Bearing Hubs are Better for Wet Riding and Bike Washing but are more Difficult to Service but Last much Longer Between Services. With Sealed Bearing Hubs, Sometimes the Whole Hub has to be Replaced if parts such as the Shaft Cannot be Sourced. BenReaper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubes Posted July 17, 2021 Share 1 hour ago, DieselnDust said: very hard to comment without specifics like brand and models of hubs under discussions So specs should be- F- Giant Tracker Performance Boost 15x110, sealed bearing [R] - Giant Tracker Giant Sport QR141, loose ball What I got instead is: F- shimano FH-MT410 R- Shimano FH-MT401 DieselnDust 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alouette3 Posted July 18, 2021 Share Shimano's spec sheets shows those hubs to be fitted with sealed cartridge bearings? Where is your info from indicating "non-sealed" cup and cone? Also the Giant rear you mentioned it's supposed to come with say "loose ball" which is cup and cone. Personally I'd prefer the Shimano over Giant unit, as spares will be much easier to find, freewheel units etc. as you won't have to rely on the Giant supply and support chain but rather get the universal coverage of Shimano. Edited July 18, 2021 by Alouette3 ChrisF and BenReaper 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenReaper Posted July 18, 2021 Share As mentioned above sealed bearing hubs tend to outlast and outperform cup-and-cone, but the cost more to maintain. Also with OEM branded parts such as hubs there are many instances where parts become unavailable after a period of time. For instance with the first 29er Giants you had OEM sealed bearing hubs in the higher spec models. Every so often you would have a freebody fail and there were no replacement parts available. You would then have to replace the entire hub. With Shimano cup-and-cone hubs you will rarely struggle to find parts and they tend yo last forever when maintained properly. If you do want to upgrade to sealed bearing hubs I'd recommend something aftermarket rather than OEM, and do enough research on parts availability for whatever brand you decide on. scubes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenReaper Posted July 18, 2021 Share Just now, BenReaper said: As mentioned above sealed bearing hubs tend to outlast and outperform cup-and-cone, but the cost more to maintain. (Between service intervals I must ad) Also with OEM branded parts such as hubs there are many instances where parts become unavailable after a period of time. For instance with the first 29er Giants you had OEM sealed bearing hubs in the higher spec models. Every so often you would have a freebody fail and there were no replacement parts available. You would then have to replace the entire hub. With Shimano cup-and-cone hubs you will rarely struggle to find parts and they tend yo last forever when maintained properly. If you do want to upgrade to sealed bearing hubs I'd recommend something aftermarket rather than OEM, and do enough research on parts availability for whatever brand you decide on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubes Posted July 18, 2021 Share 35 minutes ago, Alouette3 said: Shimano's spec sheets shows those hubs to be fitted with sealed cartridge bearings? Where is your info from indicating "non-sealed" cup and cone? Also the Giant rear you mentioned it's supposed to come with say "loose ball" which is cup and cone. Personally I'd prefer the Shimano over Giant unit, as spares will be much easier to find, freewheel units etc. as you won't have to rely on the Giant supply and support chain but rather get the universal coverage of Shimano. Okay thanks that is helpful- I wasn't able to find that information So it seems I'll be okay sticking with these hubs, thanks guys for the comprehensive info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alouette3 Posted July 18, 2021 Share Think they have actually done you a favour ???? scubes, DieselnDust and BenReaper 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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