Is there much difference..

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Steve Austin

The Marmalade Kid
Location
Mlehworld
no cyclist really needs better than 105 other then the folk whizzing through Kent today.

With regard to Hubs, get the best bearings you can, and don't worry bout the rest.
 

Oddsos

Über Member
Location
Pencoed
I've abused a few of those hubs and have yet to find a hub that is properly durable (and light). Current niggles are

Aluminium freehubs for 9/10 speed Shimano. The splines aren't high enough to support the loads from the cassette and get mangled quickly. Replacing free hub bodies is an expensive necessity on the DT 240 hubs I've got. The bearings aren't hugely well sealed or durable. As far as I can tell the drive side bearing in the free hub can't be accessed and the freehub has to be replaced once this bearing dies.

10 speed Dura ace. The bearings are cup and cone and require wierd size cone spanners. This is fine as long as you don't do the sort of riding that kills cups as I don't think these are replaceable. The freehub is supported on an aluminium axle instead of scewing into the hub body as on old Dura ace. This means that you have cartridge bearings pressed into the free hub body. The bearings on my training wheels started making horrible noises after a couple of thousand miles. As far as I can tell the bearing in the free hub can't be accessed and the freehub has to be replaced once this bearing dies. I've resorted to trickling a runny grease into the bearings whenever they get noisy. They are still working after 10 thousand miles with sporadic greasing. Overall these are okay hubs though.

9 speed 105 and Ultegra. Generally pretty content woth these. The free hubs tend to gum up horribly by the end of winter, however a couple of months in a jam jar of oil tends to sort this out. The cup and cone bearings die after a couple of winters of use. I clean and regrease irregularly every couple of thousand miles. Maybe if I spent more time regreasing things I would get longer out of the hubs. Fine for a hub that is going to get abused and die.

For my next all round wheels I'm tempted by Hope Ti hubs. These look as though they should be pretty light, have replaceable cartridge bearings and not suffer from a cassette chewed free hub body.
 

spesh

Well-Known Member
Oddsos said:
For my next all round wheels I'm tempted by Hope Ti hubs. These look as though they should be pretty light, have replaceable cartridge bearings and not suffer from a cassette chewed free hub body.

Mmmmm...Hope hubs... :?:

Had a pair of them on my mountain bike, they were the dog's danglies. Had to get the bearings changed on the rear, but the front hub was fine after over seven years of off-road fun.
 
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