Originally Posted by
miamijim
Back to the question of 'too much'. I say yes and here's my rationale.
There's no question Superbe Pro hubs are high quality rivaling Dura Ace and Record. If your looking to complete a Superbe Pro build I can see someone paying $200+ for a NOS set. To that person they're worth it and that's all that matters.It's the overall scarcity I have a problem with. In the future, if you need cones your screwed. Suntour didn't sell a lot of Superbe Pro hubs and they sure as heck didn't make a lot of replacement parts. Perhaps I'm a little different than other people but that's a primary reason I shy away from certain parts.
I'm a Dura Ace guy but I try not to buy Dura Ace hubs because a majority of them I come across, and Record hubs as well, need cones. Has anyone tried to source 74XX Dura Ace cones? Good luck with that.... Has anyone tried to source Record cones? Easy, easy. Heck, I have 20+ NOS rear cones and maybe 10 NOS fronts in my spare parts box. Do I have any Dura Ace cones? Nope.
I'm not saying Superbe Pro cup/cone hubs are obsolete but if you need cones for them they are obsolete. That's my issue with paying $200+.
Supply and demand? ehhh.... Only 2 people bid. If another set comes up for sale the guy who came in second is going to get one hell of a deal.
Um…is anyone going to point out to him that the entire point of the thread was discussing the clearing price on Superbe Pro SEALED BEARING hubs? I'm not sure he understands the difference between crappy loose ball/cone setups and sealed bearings.
Campy and Shimano stuck with loose ball and cone setups forever. Not because Campagnolo and Dura-Ace hubs were good kit, not because these hubs rolled or even raced efficiently, but because they were simply cheeper and simpler to manufacture. I love Campagnolo stuff, but most Campy stuff isn't half as descent as the reputation that precedes it. In fact following the demise of Zeus, Campagnolo stuff definitely took a step backwards. Where Campagnolo top shelf stuff had previously been dripping with Titanium, and this was advertised with gaudy silk screening, the use of titanium bits to lighten Campy components isn't the same on modern stuff. Even the highest end Campy of the current generation has cheap alloy and steel bits that on previous generations would have been titanium. So much in cycling is a function of the ignorant masses not comprehending the difference between what actually is good kit, and what is marketed and has a reputation as being good kit.
Most people didn't know how much better Mavic hubs were than Campy and Shimano offerings. Campy and Shimano were still selling threaded steel rod axles with loose ball/cone setups forever, into the 9/10 era I believe. Mavic had huge and lightweight alloy axles and sealed bearing hubs back during 7/8 speed era.
To the poster here, though, there is NO issue with sourcing Superbe Pro cones because if you get good Suntour Superbe Hubs they are sealed bearings, that are infinity serviceable back to a "new" state by simply pressing in new sealed bearings. There are NO cones and no loose balls. That's lost on you I think. Superbe Pro hubs were always just Sansin anyway. Sansin and Mavic were so far ahead of the curve it wasn't even funny. Still everyone thinks Dura-Ace and Campagnolo was good kit. Just like a Campagnolo derailleur was good kit simply because it said Campy on it? Anyone who knows anything knows that Suntour slant parallelogram derailleurs of that era were actually better shifting. Same with hubs. Superbe Pro sealed bearing hubs were well ahead of the curve. They are "forever" hubs provided you don't crash them, because the sealed bearing nature allows them to be returned to "new." Every bike coop is full of crappy old Campy and high end Shimano loose ball/cone hub that say Record, Chorus, Ultegra, or Dura-Ace. Garbage with a fancy group name on it is still garbage.
Vintage sealed bearing hubs are special. They are interesting because they led the tech curve, advancing the paradigm change. They are interesting for being not just good kit, but better kit. They are interesting because you can't get them anymore. Riding with around with Superbe Pro hubs is a statement that you're not a lemming in a Shimanoculture world. You know better. You actually have good components, not just components the manufacturer wants you to think are good.