mattyknacks

I am a large (clyde) rider who mostly rides on the city streets and on paved and unpaved rail-trails and dirt roads. I also commute on my converted mountain bike. Ok, now for the questions:

I had a wheelset built by a LBS with Velocity Deep V rims and Shimano Deore hubs. The builder gave me his opinions based on my Deep V recommendation. He said I should go with Shimano Deore high flange hubs (M-525 disc). I asked him if I should bump that up to LX or XT hubs for strength, and he said that the difference in strength and durability were minimal and that the higher priced LX and XT hubs were lighter and not necessarily stronger.

So, what are the differences in these three hubs? Is XT alot better than Deore? Is XT more expensive than Deore because of less weight? Should I have insisted on XT anyway?

Matty in Brooklyn

mycoatl

Others will chime in, but one difference is the seals used on the hubs. My understanding is that LX and XT use the same seals, which are better than those on the Deore. With that said, the Deore seals are probably just as good as what was used on XT 5 years ago. I wouldn't sweat the differences--your rims are going to wear out long before your hubs do.

I also agree with the builder that it's not really about strength at that point, and the differences are more about weight (and machining tolerances/precision and longevity of use). Will you get 5-10 years of service out of your Deore hubs if you take care of them? Yes. Will you build your next set of wheels around them when your rims wear out? Maybe not. But that's OK. Components are expensive and it's often cheaper to buy a machine build wheel or inexpensive handbuilt wheel and rebuild it, rather than buying materials and starting from scratch.