schlukas

hey guys,

me and my brother are both on the journey to fixed gear riding. he already bought a mavic wheelset with surly hubs and i found a mavic wheelset with formula hubs for a nice price.

obviously i dont wanna go cheaper than my bro, so i was hoping you could tell me which is better, or what i should go look for.

thanks

bonechilling

6 of one, half dozen of the other, quality wise.

But Formula hubs are generally considered the best value out there, better than Surly.

Live2Die

both are going to be good starter hubs. I like the surly's a little more but ridden both and they should be fine either way. if the price is right go for it otherwise I would look for the surly's. are they flip flop or fixed fixed? if you can get the fixed fixed surly's you won't regret it. especially if your just starting out incase you strip one side you have a back up. Oh and you can still put a freewheel on a fixed hub.

mihlbach

I've have two pairs of Surly Hubs...they are fine, but overpriced in my opinion. Go with Formulas...they are just as reliable, cheaper, and look a little better.

schlukas

wow, great response time

i'm thinking i'll go with flip-flop hubs unless someone convinces me otherwise..

could someone tell me what a 'sealed hub' means and whether it's good or not so good?

schlukas

oh yeah, and clinchers?

Ken Cox

I like the aesthetics of the Surly's over the Formula's.

Sealed means the bearings come with the balls and the races as one sealed unit that one can press in and out of the hub.
They generally tolerate weather and dirt a little better than ball and grease hubs.

In contrast, one can change the balls and grease in his hubs for less money, and one can do it at home without tools.
Some of the ball and grease hubs have considerably less drag and resistance than sealed bearings, and some don't.

exhibitx

i really like formulas, they seem like the best price to reliability ratio

Badbalance

Whats the difference between high flange and low flange?

Cynikal 

On the high flange the flange is higher.

andre nickatina

IMO, the Formulas spin a little better than the Surlys right out of the box. Get the Formulas. If you're going to spend more than $100 on hubs you might as well get some Gran Compe or Miche.

rodri9o

i like (and have) the formulas.
the bearings come out super easy if you want to bling 'em up and polish them.
i really like the way they look.

dmg

Surlys are good, but the current iteration have some weirdo design flaw that makes them loosen and tighten up with use - not a huge problem if you check them periodically, but that and the price are definite minuses.

SoreFeet

Formula...It might be a cheap hub but it works great. The only difference between Surly and Formula is price.

curiousincident

yes.

fixedup

formulas over surlys def. MICHE FTW

mander

I have a Surly fixed-fixed hub and don't like them all that much. It's a pain to replace the bearings, which I have to do every six months because i ride a lot. I prefer to service loose ball bearings; it's simpler and cheaper. And the tightening-loosening thing is annoying and took me a while to figure out.

OT: In spite of my dislike for cartridge bearings i am considering getting a Phil fixed hub for a bike I want to build up for fixed long distance riding. I like the idea of servicability with just an allen key.

My lbs guy claims the bearings in a phil hub will last much longer but i'm skeptical---can anyone say whether this is true?

dmg

There is a Phil-spec'ed bearing that will work in the Surly. I really don't see what the difference would be in durability betwixt a Phil hub with a Phil bearing and a Surly/Formula/whatever hub with a Phil bearing, other than the Surly's aforementioned tendency to clamp down with wear.

andre nickatina

it's the most well sealed hub on the market. atleast what i've always thought.

bonechilling

FWIW, I've been riding on the stock Formula bearings for about two years now, with almost daily use (depending on which bike I ride to work). Probably 20-ish miles everyday, at a minimum. They still roll smooth enough for my needs.

I_luv_hooters

i've never heard of changing the bearings every 6 months. maybe i need to change mine!

mander

Just take off your wheel and give the axle a spin with your bare hands hooters. If it doesn't feel like butter, i.e. if there is any ratchy rotten feeling it could be time.

I seem to have been killing Surly bearings every 5000 kms or so (that's two replacements in the year that Ive had them). An lbs guy told me that you can't expect too much more from cartridge bearings but it's still annoying. I think now that I know about the tightening loosening thing they are going to last longer.

marqueemoon

I haven't worn out my Surly bearings yet. I've had the wheels about 18 months. My local shop guru showed me how to pop off the seals on the cartridges and add grease. They really aren't very well greased from the factory.

I have heard nothing but good things about Formulas though - even from people who ride pretty hard. You can do the same think with Formulas - wipe out the stock grease as best you can with a clean rag and fill em' up.

ahand

formulas have never let me down