Bicycle Mechanics - Which Hub is Better?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Which Hub is Better?

Portis
04-17-04, 02:57 PM
I have two identical bikes with identical rear hubs. With each bike in the stand I spin the rear wheel and listen to it. One hub has a louder noise "tick-tick-tick) than the other. Which hub has more life left in it? Or can you tell my listening?

Davet
04-17-04, 03:40 PM
I don't think you can tell the relative quality of those two hubs by listening to the noise difference of the pawls. That usually indicates that one is lubed more than the other.
Portis
04-17-04, 07:14 PM
I don't think you can tell the relative quality of those two hubs by listening to the noise difference of the pawls. That usually indicates that one is lubed more than the other.

So which one is lubed more? the quieter one, I assume?

froze
04-17-04, 10:17 PM
I don't think you can tell the relative quality of those two hubs by listening to the noise difference of the pawls. That usually indicates that one is lubed more than the other.

Dave is correct, but it could also mean that one brand of hub is built to be quieter than another, and that is not an indication of a bad hub either. My Suntour Superbe hub makes such little noise that on the road you can't hear it; but a Chris King hub on the other hand is very loud. So I hope that confuses you even more!
Davet
04-17-04, 10:44 PM
Dave is correct, but it could also mean that one brand of hub is built to be quieter than another, and that is not an indication of a bad hub either. My Suntour Superbe hub makes such little noise that on the road you can't hear it; but a Chris King hub on the other hand is very loud. So I hope that confuses you even more!
Ranger said his hubs were identical. So theroretically the quiet hub has more lube in it than the noisy one. However that may not always be the case. I have 3 wheelsets with current Dura Ace hubs, and each rear wheel makes a different amount of noise. One is dead quiet.

More important to hub life is proper greasing of the ball bearings, and proper hub adjustment.
madpogue
04-19-04, 11:38 AM
I have 3 wheelsets with current Dura Ace hubs, and each rear wheel makes a different amount of noise. One is dead quiet. I wonder if this might be a product of the rim and spokes to which each hub is laced. Maybe different build-ups telegraph freehub pawl noise differently. Maybe some even act to silence it. Just conjecturing...
Rev.Chuck
04-19-04, 07:17 PM
My hubs talk to me, they say" Pedal harder, you big wuss"