Originally Posted by
Lasse
The design on the Shimano hubs is very simple: seal rings keep (most of) the dirt and water out.
You can check out some exploded views of their hubs at
http://techdocs.shimano.com . I'm surprised to see the XTR FH-M970 only has one seal ring (non drive side), while the LX FH-M580 has three seal rings (left & right hand seal rings and a 'sub unit rubber seal'). Does the XTR hub compensate this somehow or does it need more maintenance?
those are neat to see the parts. As you say, you can easily see the various seals and such. Going from my experience over the years with taking apart mostly low to upper mid range hubs, I'd go with more seals any day of the week. My Rockhopper hub story as back up for that.
that said, the roller bearing type hubs must be great..but they are more expensive, but would be worth it in the long run Im sure.
interesting with teh shimano docs, some of the hubs have the bearings in those cage things to keep them all together, certainly easier to take apart and to keep track of (like old style headsets)