Originally Posted by
VintageR
Well, not in every case.
Very nice hubs, they can cope with the best cup & cone hubs out there.
But - Shimano loved to deliver new hubs that were adjusted a lot too tightly. The result is that they roll really well when they're new, but they cease to be new after amazingly few miles.
So do yourself a favor and check the hubs for adjustment (and maybe even give then a good grease-over, because Shimano was very "tight" on grease).
Good call! I did check them out, and while the front was fine, the rear was definitely overtight. I pulled out the cone wrenches and got things in much better order there.
As it was caught before they even had a tire on, nipped that in the bud. Thanks again for the heads-up. I don't think it would've occurred to me independently.