Are Sovos hubs dangerous?
04-01-11, 12:00 PM
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Are Sovos hubs dangerous?
The front hub on my 84 Trek is Sovos and I found this when looking them up.
Do I need to start looking for a replacement wheel or hub ASAP?
Do I need to start looking for a replacement wheel or hub ASAP?
Sovos hubs suck, from my experience. Never had them on a fixie, but I did have them on entry-level Treks and Cannondales I used to have. The bearing races lasted less than one season after light to normal use. The problem is the softness of the metal they use which causes pitting. These hubs are no good.
They may cause you a whole lot of HARM in the process of breaking. (and you should take that to mean anything you want it to, b/c I think all senses of the word apply.) I know of someone who had one who had some serious issues with Sovos (and be aware that's all I know...I don't know what his issues WERE but I know they caused him HARM, and as a result he bought a nicer SURLY hub...)
04-01-11, 12:50 PM
#2
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If you are a real worrier, Take it to a Professional Bike Shop for visual inspection.
that cannot be done here.
that cannot be done here.
Last edited by fietsbob; 04-01-11 at 04:29 PM.
04-01-11, 03:41 PM
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There is nothing inherently wrong with Sovos hubs and the second posting you quoted seems a lot more hysterical than factual.
But if yours is original to the bike and hasn't been maintained properly, I'd have it inspected and overhauled if it need it. As fietsbob noted, it can't be done here.
But if yours is original to the bike and hasn't been maintained properly, I'd have it inspected and overhauled if it need it. As fietsbob noted, it can't be done here.
04-01-11, 04:14 PM
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If your bikes bearings are properly adjusted and tightened and the wheel spins freely there's no great chance of the wheel magically locking up. Poor bearings may wear faster than better quality bearings, but wear makes them looser not tighter.
If your hubs seem OK, they are. If they're sloppy, noisy, make grinding sounds, or don't spin freely have them checked
BTW- Sovos hubs have been used as original spec. on hundreds of thousands of bicycles, where the rules for tracking and reporting failures leading to injury are much stricter than the aftermarket. If there were any issues, we'd know about it by now.
If your hubs seem OK, they are. If they're sloppy, noisy, make grinding sounds, or don't spin freely have them checked
BTW- Sovos hubs have been used as original spec. on hundreds of thousands of bicycles, where the rules for tracking and reporting failures leading to injury are much stricter than the aftermarket. If there were any issues, we'd know about it by now.
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Last edited by FBinNY; 04-01-11 at 04:17 PM.
04-01-11, 04:35 PM
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Okay cool. Yeah, theyre not behaving in any way that indicates any type of damage. So I will just keep it in mind that they are known to wear out faster. Thanks.
It seems like the Matrix Strada & Mallard wheel in the back is original, and the Sun Rims M14A & Sovos in the front is a replacement.
It seems like the Matrix Strada & Mallard wheel in the back is original, and the Sun Rims M14A & Sovos in the front is a replacement.
Last edited by NukeouT; 04-01-11 at 04:39 PM.
04-01-11, 04:46 PM
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In all fairness, "rumored to wear faster" might be more appropriate. I'd be surprised to find that they wore any faster than hubs comparable in cost or overall quality.
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04-01-11, 04:51 PM
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Yeah. I was only worried to the extent that I didnt know if this was a type of hubs that was commonly known to fail often.
04-01-11, 04:58 PM
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You have 27 year old bike with OE hubs, that have no indication being a problem and your worried that it has may be rumored to fail frequently.
I think that your experience has shown that this is a quite durable hub.
I think that your experience has shown that this is a quite durable hub.
04-05-11, 05:20 PM
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Well I got the bike for free from a friend just three months ago. I have only ridden it four times so far.
04-05-11, 06:14 PM
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Well, they got this far and after 26+ years, if they were going to fail catastrophically they would have before now. They will eventually "fail" by wearing out and pitting the cones or races but that's normal, not dangerous.
04-06-11, 01:57 AM
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I could see if the hub flanges were prone to cracking/braking but simple bearing and race pitting is common in any wheelset/hub in the sovos price range. I have built sovos wheels out of used sovos hubs with confidence in their durability.
06-01-19, 09:21 PM
#12
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24 years later...
Here are some photos of a SOVOS 7 speed free hub. The owner was concerned, not about the bearings, but the lack of freewheeling. As the bearing cup was breaking apart, the outer part of the cup was pushing outwards into the outer body and causing it to not freewheel. I would expect wheel was getting loose and wobbly but the owner had already removed the axle prior to him bringing in it for service. This sort of bearing damage is typically caused by the bearing being far too tight. Some times caused by a loose locknut that allows the cone to turn inward while riding.
There are far worse hubs. The vast majority of hubs on bicycles are these Chinese sheet metal hubs that are standard equipment on most box mart bicycles. The bearing cups are stamped sheet metal with no support. Once a cone starts to turn in due to a loose locknut, this is the result:
There are far worse hubs. The vast majority of hubs on bicycles are these Chinese sheet metal hubs that are standard equipment on most box mart bicycles. The bearing cups are stamped sheet metal with no support. Once a cone starts to turn in due to a loose locknut, this is the result:
06-02-19, 10:19 AM
#13
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They were just chosen to lower the selling cost of the bike as a whole .. due to their low cost ..
It all adds up to the bottom line total..
Feel free to buy new wheels ..
It all adds up to the bottom line total..
Feel free to buy new wheels ..
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