Originally Posted by
Marcus_Ti
Am Classic hubs have had durability problems IMHO....also way back they had design problems (2004 or so to 2008 maybe?). For years they had "features" where the freehub would explode or low quality bearings and the not so odd hub shell failure. But they were *light*. Those days are mostly gone judging by the lack of mad raging forum posts about such things,
Search around enough and just about every new company trying to push the limits of a design will have had their share of failures and pissed off customers. I have two sets of wheels with AC hubs (one set from ~2005 on my lesser used road bike and the other from 2009 on my commuter which I've referenced here). If they had constant problems in the past, they've either corrected them or I've been lucky.
Originally Posted by
Marcus_Ti
but the micro hubs tend not to lace into as strong a wheel as other hubs
Hmmm, I'll call BS on this. While taller flanges might produce a stiffer wheel for a track cyclist, I highly doubt most road cyclists will feel any difference between widely spaced small flanges versus slightly larger, but narrower flanges. And this BHS copy of that hub (
SuperLight Wide Front Hub) has the following statement: "According to my test builder, also a racer, this hub produces an incredibly stiff wheel. "
Originally Posted by
Marcus_Ti
... or maybe people just don't buy their product much anymore after all the fusterclucks. But IMHO for the money there are better options.
BHS hubs (made by Bitex) are light and cheap too
Road Hubs and make for good strong wheels builds. Been reliable for a while. Kings and Whites are blingy, but for price/performance BHS/Bitex is the sweet spot.
The Bitex hubs seem like good value for the money, no argument there. They are quite light and very cheap. I may have to give them a try some day.
Originally Posted by
Marcus_Ti
I mean shoot a King R45 Belgium+ 28/28 build can be 1525-1550 grams IRL....which for just about anyone is light enough....and such a build isn't even trying to be lightweight.
It is fairly light but when you can build a set of wheels 200 grams lighter and for far less money, it doesn't make for a very attractive option, IMO. I considered both King and DT hubs when I built my wheels but looking at the weights and prices, the American Classic hub option (was Bitex even available in 2009?) simply made so much more sense to me. And I haven't regretted the decision.