Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How common is this.. failure of suzue basic hubs

So, I had a problem..

(in this thread I called the hub a surly, which is what I thought I had ordered.. but turns out that it was a suzue basic hub)

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=36592&highlight=William+Karsten

Then I figured it out and
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=39925


So I'm riding now.. and it seems to be ok. (6 miles today so far)..

But then I read this:

http://www.onegear.com/pm/index.php?id=10

Which is exactly the problem I had.. and the threads looked exactly the same as this:
http://www.onegear.com/gallery/album11/suzuejunk

pretty common. someone on the LJ community bikepirates had the same thing happen.

when i'm looking at getting a new rear hub, i always make sure to check out the threading on it. it's unfortunate that this happens, especially so often with suzue, they make NJS compliant hubs...it just shouldn't be happening.

Well, if it dies, I'll get a surly. I'm just wondering if it's a fluke, or if it has other things that contribute to it.

it seems you've found my website. neat.

the suzue basic seems to be a pile of crap. it works if you're looking for something cheap, but the quality just isn't there, hence the price. it's good for someone who isn't sure they'll like riding fixed, though. much better to buy that and end up not using rather than anything more expensive.

i bent the stock axle in under 3 months, the threads didn't take long to go either.

i've got another wheel i built up for last season as a race wheel with a surly hub which i'm happy to say is working out quite well. i've moved it to commuting duty and i'll probably start next season on it until i build up a new set of wheels to go with my new-to-me frame.

Well,

I'm guessing it's on a limited life span then. I hate to build a new wheel, or rather have a new one built for me, but what ever's what ever,... bummer, really.

Are we talking the Promax SB hub (fixed/free) or the
SIL-SP hub? From what I can tell there is a major
difference between the two.

Marty

They are talking about the basic Suzue hub not hte promax, promax SB or Promax CF. After reading all this I think I would go with the higher end Suzue for $80-100.. or Shimano for $90 or Surly for $60.. Also there is the Miche for around $60 but it is single sided.

the suzue promax isn't all that great either. a friend of mine killed the bearings in his rear after about a year. granted he was riding it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, but still...

i've heard good things about the miche hubs.

phil woods are about the best hub out there for street fixed gear use, in my opinion.

I dunno what y'mean by "fail" but I've effed up up a few times:

1) Bent both front and rear axles;
2) Had the cones loosen or tighten themselves a number of times;
3) Had both hubs completely sieze;
4) Stripped the original bolts.

The problems I've had have been easy to fix though. I dunno if you're talking about the same experience (I didn't read the thread cos I'm lazy) but I wouldn't worry too much about them.

I like mine and I only maintain them once a month or so during my wheel-truing sessions...

phil woods are about the best hub out there for street fixed gear use, in my opinion.

Note to self. :D

I don't think I've heard a complaint about Phil wood hubs, but when you consider you could be 3-4 Suze Basic hubs for same cost as one phil wood hub... Sometimes it is hard to justify, as far as the promax there is 3 different models of that one even the Promax NJS model which has loose bearings, the Promax SB which has sealed bearings and the Promax CF with loose ball and bearings. The CF looks beautiful I must say though being Carbon Fibre :)

THe basic hub has no real seals so will require more maintence tearing down and regreasing the bearings etc..

but the phils will last FOREVER, and they have a warranty, AND they're VERY easy to service and adjust.

and then there was the chub hub (http://www.chubhub.com/).

i have a suzue basic.....dam i dont know what you people are doing that kills so many hubs! mines lasted and lasted. no bent axles, no dead bearings. ive only had to adjust the cones once. you hub killers need to learn a little finesse to keep your hubs alive!

i have a suzue basic.....dam i dont know what you people are doing that kills so many hubs! mines lasted and lasted. no bent axles, no dead bearings. ive only had to adjust the cones once. you hub killers need to learn a little finesse to keep your hubs alive!

How much do you weigh? And how do you ride?

Finesse can equal smoothness, or it can equal cowardess.

How much do you weigh? And how do you ride?

Finesse can equal smoothness, or it can equal cowardess.

a buck fifty, and smooth as a baby's butt :D

the suzue promax isn't all that great either. a friend of mine killed the bearings in his rear after about a year. granted he was riding it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, but still



What more could you ask for from a $60 hub???? Spend another $15, replace the bearings for another year of service!!

Bearings are made to wear out. If you are busting axles or wearing out bearings prematurely then something else is up.

a buck fifty, and smooth as a baby's butt :D

So at 190 and a bit of a hammer down or full on brakes guy.. perhaps I need something more durable. Not everyone's a buck fity :)

I don't know how common it is, but I own a basic, it is on my MTB SS, I don't ride it often so it hasn't failed on me.

I have blown through the bearings on two Surly hubs, that's been frustrating, I get a year out of them so it isn't bad, and that's a lot of hard hammering I've been torturing them with daily rides and my weight, of course I get them tightened in too tight as well.

The problem I've run into on the Surly hubs, is getting th eold bearing sleaves out of the hub. I can't get one side out, so i can't put the bearings in. So, essentially the hub is trashed, until I figure out how to get the old sleeve out of the hub.

I love these hubs though. I'm a horse, and ride big gears, 52x16 usually, up hills, and down. I commute on my fixes so I log a lot of miles. I'm thinking of seeing if Surly won't endorse me, cause it's a great product.

Of course reading about Phil Woods has me thiking about trying a hub, Hmmmm.

the suzue promax isn't all that great either. a friend of mine killed the bearings in his rear after about a year. granted he was riding it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, but still...

i've heard good things about the miche hubs.

phil woods are about the best hub out there for street fixed gear use, in my opinion.

Is that the Promax with cup and cone bearings or the one with sealed bearings that died?

i'm pretty sure he had the sealed ones. i saw it, they siezed up pretty hard. it was either that or the axle broke...either way, that hub was not spinning easily, and it was making a grinding noise when he tried to ride it, and my friend was pretty pissed because he had to work.

i've had the same dura ace rear for two years now and i just overhauled it for the first time a few months ago. from what i remember, the D/A wheel was pretty comparable with the suzue wheel as far as price goes at the time...

i'm pretty sure he had the sealed ones. i saw it, they siezed up pretty hard. it was either that or the axle broke...either way, that hub was not spinning easily, and it was making a grinding noise when he tried to ride it, and my friend was pretty pissed because he had to work.

i've had the same dura ace rear for two years now and i just overhauled it for the first time a few months ago. from what i remember, the D/A wheel was pretty comparable with the suzue wheel as far as price goes at the time...

I thought as much. Sealed bearings aren't the best for a hub. They can take the radial (from the rim to axle) forces bot not the axial (along the axle) force. Cup and cone are not the cheapest (for good quality) but they can stand the complicated forces in ahub alot better.

i don't buy that. i think any hub that is built with quality in mind will last a looong time.

and...riding BMX for many years has demonstrated that a sealed hub will last 10X longer than an unseald hub. and the forced exerted on a BMX hub (particularly the read) are so much greater than the forces exerted on a fixed gear hub.

i chalk track hub failure up to shoddy craftsmanship and defective products.

the suzue NJS hub probably lasts a lot longer than the sealed promax because of the manufacturing standards it takes to make a good unseald hub, rather than the fact that cup and cone hubs can handle the forces better than sealed hubs. the toughest hubs out there use sealed bearings as opposed to loose ball.

now i stop rambling.

The Suzue promax hub I have is my first sealed bearing hub. I put about 1000 miles on it this year. They were mostly road miles in rain and shine. I have had no problems with it and would recommend it to anyone. I do not consider it to be a high end hub but more of a middle of the road hub.

When I got the hub I had to respace it and got a look at the bearings. They seem like they would be easy to replace.

I have heard that you replace sealed bearing when you start to feel play. Is this correct??

I don't know how common it is, but I own a basic, it is on my MTB SS, I don't ride it often so it hasn't failed on me.



i never thought about putting a suzue basic on a SS MTB....thats pretty unique. id like to see a picture of that! sounds pretty cool to me!

bulleyes hubs are good, built just like a phil wood

what exactly do you mean by built just like a phil wood? they look the same or they are the same?

made in america by a local guy in cal and same barrel shape,and seal bearings are used.

do you by chance have a link to a bulleyes website. i tried finding one and i could not

fax 818-846-0953, phone 818-846-9163, toll# 800-8740600