I have Shimano 105 hubs on one of my road bikes and they've had to be re-packed once in 12 years, so I can agree with what is said here but I wonder if Phil has had any changes to their hubs since the article was written, over 9 years ago? I've always wondered why Phils were so damned expensive as well, is it really just hype? Who here runs Phils?

As of this writing (Nov 98) both Campagnolo and Shimano have stuck with cup-and-cone bearings for their hubs, while most third parties are manufacturing cartridge bearings, probably because cartridges are much easier to manufacture than cup or cone races.

Right now Shimano makes the best inexpensive hubs: they are sealed correctly (double contact or contact/labyrinth), are fairly durable, and are quite serviceable. Hubs such as Phil Wood's are much more expensive, but may be better in some respects.