Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Suzue Jr. Hubs

hey guys, are these hubs total crap? ive heard some not so good things on this board about them, but i need some cheap hubs, and these keep coming up in my searches for cheapness.

i can only speak to the front one. it's smooth, as long as you repack it every couple of months. if i had the choice again, i'd go for something sealed (e.g., iro, surly, and even those nashbar hubs).

Search the forums. I asked a similar question a while ago and many before me asked similar questions.

alright i did a search, and more importantly does anyone know where i can buy a quality hub for cheap besides ebay, since no one on here seems to have one to sell

IRO hubs are what I use. I think they were $70 for a set and they're great quality. You can get what appear to be the same hubs on ebay from ben's bikes for a little less.

Nashbar has inexpensive hubs that I would guess would be good quality: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=85&subcategory=1107&brand=&sku=12032&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

what do you guys think of this hub? i cant tell by the description if it is a Suzue Jr. Hub or not, can someone help me http://nycbikes.com/item.php?item_id=231

I've been using my suzue basic/junior whatever since about July/August, brakeless for the last 2 months, and haven't had a problem. I'm just planning on never changing the cog.

Sure looks like a suzu basic to me, they are steel. BTW i have one and it's not the best( i hear) but working fine.

I've had a suzue basic for over a year. For $35 I've been happy. The only thing I would recomend would be better nuts. I had to tighten the originals down so much that the axel would stretch. Oh yeah....get either a EAI or DA cog..not a surly. The threads are too small.

My next hub will be a IRO. They come in 130mm spacing, are sealed, and only $70 for the set. That and good customer service to boot..

yea im definantly thinking about getting that hub, its only 17.50+shipping

Dont mean to try and out think you here, but if you are planning on getting a set of wheels built on those hubs (and you're not doing it yourself), then you should check out IRO's basic wheelset. I had a local guy, really good, build me a set of wheels, he supplied everything but the rear hub (I used a Suzue basic Alu.) and got the whole deal for $100 sans the rear hub. It took some work and some time to get it all together and they are a nice set, but basically I only saved about $30 over IRO's basic set which uses IRO's quality sealed Hub.

Here is what will happen:
You'll by the steel cheep hub
Find a local bike shop that says "we'll build you a wheel for $20!"
They charge you $20 for their cheapest rim, $36 for Stainless non butted spokes, a nipple & rim tape fee of $5, and their "build cost" of $20

You just got a wheel that might be good, might be bad depending on how lucky you get with the hub and the builder for $98.50 no shipping no tire no tube.

You could get a $100 wheel from IRO, with a good hub, built well, nice rims, good guy. You'll pay shipping over the $100 but I think he gives you tires and tubes.

Just a thought.

Milo

hmm, i guess i should have elaborated? there is a co-op not to far from my house, they have new and used rims for cheap, i dont care about rims or spokes(which they have too) and hopefully someone there can help me build it myself? or i could buy the stuff and take it to the shop and have them build it? and the hub is only going to be about 20 including shipping, and a rim, maybe 20 and spokes, maybe 10, so theres 50 and ill learn how to do it myself for next time.

Yeah, I was in that boat once. Its not that it is impossible or even too difficult, but from the people I have talked to at the local co-op only a few people really knew how to build wheels. Spokes are cheep, if you can find the right size (not too easy especially with a mid flange hub like that). And yeah you might learn how to build wheels really well, or you might not. If you plan on actually building wheels a lot in the future then go for it, but if its just to save money then you may be disappointed.

Seriously, I have a pair of wheels that are a product of exactly what you are talking about, went to the co-op, was impressed by the options and relative cheepness, decided to build some wheels, and by the time I got them right I had built a bike from scratch, overhauled a geared bike, and ridden about 300 miles on a bike that I bought from IRO about a week after I decided to build those wheels. Oh and they are still on my wall waiting for a cycle-cross frame that I am working on at said co-op.

Check these websites out.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
http://www.terminalvelocity.demon.co.uk/WheelBuild/

If this is going to become a thing for you then great, if its not though then its just another act of hey look what I did once. And you can do anything once.

Milo

You know, I'm sounding negative. Sorry for that.

Go for it. You may dig it. What do I know. :)

For me, the Suzue Jr was a good lil trooper while I used it. You have to keep an eye on the rear. The cones usually need a bit of adjustment for the first couple of months. The cog and lockring threading leave a little to be desired. Skidding will definitely shorten it life span. The front hub was problem free.

I relegated my Suzue/MA2's to the garage rafters when I upgraded to DA's on Open Pros. I've subsequently picked up a Suzue ProMax (Disco Hub) rear and am going to have my local shop swap it for the Junior, these wheel go on the Raleigh convert.

The hub pictured/linked above looks more like a BMX type.

Additional: As purchased, the Junior's axle nuts suck.

hey all, I recently acquired a new wheel with a suzue hub. I will say this the hub is pretty decent looking and seems solid, but the bearings do suck! And what is up with the 14 mm axle!? So here is my question.. Is it possible to put sealed bearings in these things? And if so can I exchange my axle to a 15 mm? any help would be much appreciated.

i've got six loose bearing surly front hubs but haven't used any of them. just repacked one that i might build up with Phil grease that's the only progress i've made

I have a pro-max sb and so i would recommend going with a higher end suzue hub. it is worth it