Originally Posted by
Rowan
Saves you cash at least on the outlay. The only concern was whether the hub would fit the dropouts.
I must say SLX does seem to be a good compromise in the Shimano line-up. Good price but also pretty good engineering. I sometimes regret not putting SLX hubs on our Thorn touring bikes instead of opting for the XT hubs with the aluminium axles (which haven't given any trouble so far).
For what it is worth you can still get the M756 XT hubs with steel axles. I actually just ordered a set for a customer yesterday doing an around the world tour. I will say though, I think the aluminum axle hubs will be just fine as long as they are properly adjusted and maintained but that is no different than any other Shimano hub really. They might be more sensitive to contaminants with the smaller bearings but that is nothing more than a guess with no solid info to back that up.
For accelerated wear I fall into the mindset of building a cheap single speed or fixed gear bike to take the majority of your wear. Single speed with disc brakes would be even better as you do not have to deal with rim wear and disc pads seem to last forever on commuter bikes in all but the worst of conditions.
If you must have gears, this is a groupo I will eventually run once my current stuff is no longer working. It is designed around cyclocross racers who are notorious for killing shifters and derailleurs from mud, sand, and crashes. It is all completely rebuild able and the shifters are simply bar end shifters mounted in a much more convenient place allowing you to shift from the hoods.
Gevenalle - Cyclocross