Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
I am currently running a Shimano MT15 rear wheel.
It has, I think it's own hub, and uses a pretty oddball freehub that are getting a bit hard to get hold of. I think when I bought the wheel there was only the MT15, subsequently different variants have been introduced with a more common freehub so identifying the correct unit is hard and more costly.
The hub has the traditional cup and cone bearings which while nice and simple aren't always the best sealed and I usually end up servicing them a couple of times a year. The non drive side cup is worn, but usable.
The bike is my general bike and commuting weapon and gets used in ALL conditions, in the wet some of the roads are more like the rapids and being used daily and a couple of kids I don't really probably have to service it as much as I should. I've been getting through freehubs at a rate of one a year, usually they just gummed up with gunk and are pretty grim when stripped, even if they look okay on the outside. Essentially I think water, salt, grit is finding it's way inside the unit and doing it's thing. The removed unit has sat in some brake cleaner just oozing black sludge for the last 48 hours, even then it refused to work unit I put the jar in an ultrasonic cleaner for half an hour (it's still a whole unit I've not opened it yet)
My front wheel has a Superstar V5 hub with sealed bearings, it's never been touched and still feels silky smooth after years of no attention.
I'm toying with the idea of replacing the rear hub to something with sealed bearings. With Superstar being taken over / sold / not being what they was it leaves me looking at Hope RS4 or 5 (I'm a pay a bit more and buy it once sort of chap). The bike is mainly used on road / light gravel. But looking at their freehubs the pawls look even more exposed than the Shimano units, as well as being about 3 times the price. I can live with that as long as they live 3 times as long...
Any thoughts?
Any other options for better hubs ideas?
In an ideal world I would service them more, but life gets in the way.
It has, I think it's own hub, and uses a pretty oddball freehub that are getting a bit hard to get hold of. I think when I bought the wheel there was only the MT15, subsequently different variants have been introduced with a more common freehub so identifying the correct unit is hard and more costly.
The hub has the traditional cup and cone bearings which while nice and simple aren't always the best sealed and I usually end up servicing them a couple of times a year. The non drive side cup is worn, but usable.
The bike is my general bike and commuting weapon and gets used in ALL conditions, in the wet some of the roads are more like the rapids and being used daily and a couple of kids I don't really probably have to service it as much as I should. I've been getting through freehubs at a rate of one a year, usually they just gummed up with gunk and are pretty grim when stripped, even if they look okay on the outside. Essentially I think water, salt, grit is finding it's way inside the unit and doing it's thing. The removed unit has sat in some brake cleaner just oozing black sludge for the last 48 hours, even then it refused to work unit I put the jar in an ultrasonic cleaner for half an hour (it's still a whole unit I've not opened it yet)
My front wheel has a Superstar V5 hub with sealed bearings, it's never been touched and still feels silky smooth after years of no attention.
I'm toying with the idea of replacing the rear hub to something with sealed bearings. With Superstar being taken over / sold / not being what they was it leaves me looking at Hope RS4 or 5 (I'm a pay a bit more and buy it once sort of chap). The bike is mainly used on road / light gravel. But looking at their freehubs the pawls look even more exposed than the Shimano units, as well as being about 3 times the price. I can live with that as long as they live 3 times as long...
Any thoughts?
Any other options for better hubs ideas?
In an ideal world I would service them more, but life gets in the way.
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