Alias530

Engagement is obviously less of a concern with road than mountain bikes... I would think long term low maintenance reliability would be a big deciding factor.

I'm sure Chris King R45's are great but their claimed required maintenance is pretty absurd compared to others.

DT 240's? Dura Ace? Cost no object, I'd rather spend $400 once than $200 twice and deal with the hassle when the first one breaks.

ClarkinHawaii

For my money (which admittedly isn't much!), Ultegra gives you the most bang for your buck and anything above that level you experience the law of diminishing returns.

I mean nothing at the Ultegra level or above is going to "break", so you're talking huge price increases for tiny (subjective?) improvements.

It's polished a little better, it's a little bit lighter, the bearings last 80,000 miles instead of 70,000, etc.

This should open it up for some good dissenting opinions!

coupster

Shimano freehubs are also whisper quiet. All of my wheels have Ultegra hubs.

TobinH

I think it depends on your priorities. Durability is important to me, so I avoid aluminum axles and cassette bodies. That makes White Industry hubs my favourite. If weight is very important to you, perhaps Tune or Alchemy? They are very light but not excessively fragile. If you want to save some money, don't care about weight so much and are happy with 32h wheels, Shimano hubs are very nice.

LesterOfPuppets

MikeyBoyAz

Can you define BEST with these parameters?

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound

Thanks.

Homebrew01

Can't argue with that. If only I could fit a cassette on the rear.

I have 1 wheel with a Campy 10 Record rear hub. Very nice.

Bandera

Cup and cone design addresses exactly that, I have Campag Record front hubs that have been in service for >40 years and are still extremely smooth.
That being said cassette rears are the standard which means Shimano with cup/cone design. I own 6700, RS30 and RS81 front and rear.
Smooth, solid dependable hubs that I can overhaul on a regular schedule that are also affordable.

If someone else is picking up the tab: DA 9000 please in C24, C35 and C50 rim depths.............both clincher and tubular.

-Bandera

Deontologist

Formula.

Stucky

What exactly would be the difference between the worst hubs and the best hubs? [Not counting overly-fancy high-maintenance obsessive-compulsive ones]

bt

for impressing people or for long lasting trouble free use?

Silvercivic27

For the record the most recent wheelset I had built up had a defective Ultegra rear hub that I could never get fixed, and another customer at the shop I frequent also got a defective rear hub. I replaced it with a Chris King R45 which has been fine so far. I've also had good luck with DT240s.

Bandera

Function and Longevity vs. Cost.

How smooth are the bearings out the box, how precise are the flange spacings, spoke hole drillings/chamfering, how tough is the shell material and the axles?
Over years of use how well are the bearings sealed for adverse conditions and how are they serviced/adjusted/replaced?
How many times can the same hub be re-spoked without spoke hole elongation/deformation?
How available are replacement bearings, cones, axles, locknuts and freehubs years/decades post purchase?

Not all hardware is disposable.

-Bandera

hairnet

My one issue with Shimano hubs is that I don't know if I will find replacement cones in the future because they make so many different kinds. I guess I should just have them saved for the future. For me that's 8 different hubs

loimpact

Bob @ Psimet thinks highly of good hubs and I'd suspect he'd give a strong opinion here if he chimes in.

I'll throw out White Industries for one.

To me....and I've dealt with pretensioned bearings in lots of things in my life but I really think that cartridge bearings are the way to go. Even something as nice as Ultegra........all you have to do is snug the bearings up a little too tight (or loose, though arguably tight is worse)......and you've got trouble. Both loose and tight are problems you won't have with cartridge bearings. Install them and forget it. Just ride.

If I win the lottery, I'll certainly perform a test and report back.

Jiggle

Dura Ace 9000 is the best all-rounder. Durable, stiff, titanium freehub body, quality bearings, easy adjustment, and only $300 a set, with skewers, from Hobby Japan. You can sell the skewers for $80 if you don't want them.

Record are good too but they limit the drillings.

If you want to spend more money, you can get White Industries. They're $450 a set with no skewers. That gets you some color options.

If you really want to spend more money on some CNC'd aluminum, there is Chris King and DT.

Ultegra and below are good but the drillings are limited. You can do 32, 36, or 24 with the 36.

niknak

I've used Shimano, American Classic, Alchemy (front only), Bike Hub Store, Chris King, White Industries. They've all been pretty much trouble-free. I don't think you can really go wrong with aftermarket hubs these days. When the freehub body goes or when the cartridge bearings go, replace them and ride thousands more miles. NBD.

With that being said, I like the American Classics because the freehub is really quiet and the hub is light and less expensive than other lightweight competitors. Bike Hub Store hubs are solid and cheap but noisier than I like. White Industries look the best IMO, especially polished silver. However they are more expensive and heavier. They are made in the USA. Not a fan of CKs. Too noisy and you need special tools for servicing.

Best Appearance = White Industries
Best Value = Bike Hub Store
Best Overall = American Classic

Jiggle

Pick a thread about BHS house brand hubs and there will be posts about excessive axle play. I'd rather just get a Novatec.

gc3

For my post #3000, I give you..... Wait for it....

The pinkest ones.....

LesterOfPuppets

Put some gold nuts on there, and YES, we have a winner!

dtrain

I have r45s. Got 'em on the cheap, and like 'em. If I were paying most of retail I think t11 or DA 9000 would be on my list. My 'commuter' set are dt350...not bad.

zonatandem

Chris King; Phil Wood: Topolino.

Stucky

No, anodized blue!

LesterOfPuppets

That works too. 3DV would be HOTT!!!

znomit

The loudest.