what is a good hub?

[Toxanadu]

so what makes a good track hub? bearings? seals? weight?
any opinions on these 3 hubs:

-Formula
-miche
-nashbar

[Learn_not2burn]

Nashbar and Formula are definetely on the lower end, Miche is just slightly better. All three are known as being very cost efficient hubs. They are cheaper while still having no problems. They will last you, as long as you keep cog and lockring tight.

[fixedpip]

What makes a good track hub really is personal issue and it also depends if you're using the hub solely on the track.

For racing you're looking for a strong hub with the lowest drag possible (much of this though is in our heads) and that strikes fear into your opponents ie Zipp hubs, Suntour superbe Pros, Dura Ace 7600s etc

That said, all three of the hubs you listed are fine. All have sealed bearings, which have a little more drag but will last a really long time before the bearings need replacing. All will be totally fine for training, entry-level racing and beyond.

Note: that the Miche requires a Miche/Phil/Campy/EAI lockring. The Forumla and Nashbar hubs can take DuraAce lockrings.

I personally would get a Formula hub just because they come in a fixed/fixed variety. Not too sure if Miche has a double sided hub. Don't know much about the Nashbar but some folks over in the SingleSpeed/FixedGear forum really rate 'em.

[lotek]

bearings. . .
my 25 yo campy record cup and cone spins better than any seal bearing hub

thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

[CafeRacer]

Forumula hubs work great. Im not gonna lie, the bearings are undersized for the load a velodrome will put on them if your a big guy. I use formula's on my clicher street / training wheels. Theyve been crashed on, run over, run thru salt, you name it and they still havent broken, cracked or stripped. That being said, its easy to over tighten them and kill the bearings. Im often supprised how many of the high end expensive track hubs use way too small and ****ty cartridge bearings. Phil, Pauls, Zipp etc.

On my race wheels I use Suzue Pro-maxes. Nothing rolls better than a super high polished raceway and an almost seal-less hub. Old Campy hubs are famous for being smooth as hell! Dura-Ace hubs are also super super smooth.

As far as hubs stripping I've seen them all do it. Non are better than others as far as that goes. In most the cases I saw it was from either cross threading or from running the cog slightly loose and then relying on the loc-ring. Solution: tighten the cog enough so it wont come off in a track stand and throw the loc ring out the window of your car.....or sell it to some poser curior for $20 because it says "NJS" on it :) :)

[sivat]

bearings. . .
my 25 yo campy record cup and cone spins better than any seal bearing hub

thats my story and I'm sticking to it.
Loose bearing will always be smoother that a sealed bearing. This is true for hubs, headsets and bottom brackets. If I had a bike that would only be ridden on dry days, in clean conditions, and I had the time to regrease the bearings pretty often, I would only run loose bearings. Since my bike sees mostly dirty roads, often sandy, sometimes wet, and I'm lazy, i'll stick to the sealed bearings.

[mosscoveredhat]

Sort of unrelated, what is the difference in threading on the Campy/EAI/Phill/Miche lockring to the Dura-Ace lockring?

[ultraman6970]

In the past I remember no difference but since i have always used campy and becasue I have read here and there looks like the lock ring thread is different in the shimano one in the last decade maybe.

Miche's are nice hubs and super cheap. Campagnolo will always be campagnolo. Shimano Dura-ace are nice I have to recognize that, good stuff.

About the other japanese stuff i have no idea I never got one so far today.

What I would say is that the MACK hubs are awesome. Nice finishing, super lights, they look super strong (I still have to build the wheels and tested them my self in the track). Is a good item if u r able to get a pair. The price is too good to be true and looks a lot better than low end jap. stuff.

thanks...