Originally Posted by
FastJake
Thanks veganbikes. I'm aware of Industry Nine, Hope, DT Swiss, Velocity, and Paul used to make one. Not sure if there are any others. I don't have experience with any of these brands as I've always avoided the boutique hubs in favor of Shimano and other old, loose-ball options.
Why mention best? Because cost is not a priority. In the future, when someone says "best", you might take it to mean "best at any price" and spare them from reading your useless posts. Notice I didn't say "best value."
It's not like I'm shopping for a new car where there are a million options and "best" depends on hundreds of possible factors, intended use, opinions, preferences, etc. and there is not one single answer. What criteria is there in a rear hub, besides weight and durability?
Paul no longer makes cassette hubs because the fine folks at Industry Nine stopped making the free hub body he was using but those hubs are awesome (have one on my touring bike and zero issues) Most of the U.S. builders make some of the finest hubs out there. Super easy to use and they look great. Shimano hubs are fun and certainly can be good quality and if you love working on cup and cone they are great but I like a good sealed cartridge bearing. Less to worry about.