Hub Choice - Future Proofing

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When it comes to choosing hubs for a wheel build, I was just wondering what kind of options are out there re: shims and adapters (which don't compromise performance or durability) to cater for changes in systems and measurements down the line?

I'm weighing options up for a build at the moment and need QR skewers and a 135mm hub width for the bike they will be used on. However, I'm thinking that the wheels might be with me longer than the bike. I might want end up wanting to use them with thru' axles and narrower drop-outs on a future bike.

In that situation is the normal course of action just to cut one's losses and have new ones built for a new bike?

I understand some hubs will convert from QR to thru' axle - is this true of most hubs and are the adpaters much cop?

And in terms of the hub width - I guess it's impossible for a 135mm hub to be fitted to a bike with 130mm between the drop-outs, right? How about the other way around? Is there a possibility of using spacers to fit a 130mm hub wheel to a bike with 135mm between the drop-outs? If so is there be any sense in one having wheels built on a 130mm hub to give the option of covering both bases, as it were?

Cheers,

Andy
 
Location
Loch side.
Go 135mm and adapt whatever 130mm frames you to 135. In other words, future-proof your frame.
Very few manufacturers make adaptable hubs but Hope is one notable one. At present you can adapt from QR to TA and several OLD standards. Some Hope front hubs can be adapted to 20mm axles as well.
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
135mm is usually for disc brakes. So it's more a decision to stay with disc or rim brakes.

I personally opted for disc brakes and QR
 
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EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
Go 135mm and adapt whatever 130mm frames you to 135. In other words, future-proof your frame.
Sorry to be dim, but not sure I understand what you mean?

Very few manufacturers make adaptable hubs but Hope is one notable one. At present you can adapt from QR to TA and several OLD standards. Some Hope front hubs can be adapted to 20mm axles as well.
Thanks for the tip, I'll look into that.

135mm is usually for disc brakes
Ah, I didn't realise that. I thought 130mm was for most road bikes and 135mm for most CX/MTB, but it didn't occur to me that disc brakes would be the reason for that. I can't see me wanting to switch from discs to rim brakes with these wheels so perhaps all my pontificating about faffing with different axle widths is moot after all!
 

Threevok

Growing old disgracefully
Location
South Wales
I bought Hopes for this very purpose, so I can take my very expensive wheels and fit them to any 26" frame and forks by simple conversion

I have already swapped them from QR Skewers to 9mm/10mm QR Through axles.

Both my wheelsets came with 15mm adapters too

** EDIT ** 12mm adapters not 15mm
 
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EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
Id go with 142-148..

Or road 135
The bike they'll be going on initially is a Boardman CX - so I think I'd have to go road 135 - the others would be too wide, no?

I have already swapped them from QR Skewers to 9mm/10mm QR Through axles.

Both my wheelsets came with 15mm adapters too
So the hubs came with adapters for 2 different sizes of through axles? Or is that because you bought pre-built Hope wheelsets rather than just Hope hubs?

Cheers
 

Threevok

Growing old disgracefully
Location
South Wales
Sorry about my above post - I meant 12mm adapters not 15mm

I bought both pre-built - one's a set of off-the-shelf Hope Hoops, and the other I had hand built with XC-717 rims - both from Merlin

I specified QR when ordering both, but I could have just as easily specified another axle size.

I'm not sure if they come with 12mm axles as standard when bought on their own and merlin just put these in the box for me when adding the QR convertors
 
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