Originally Posted by
mihlbach
Please clarify what you mean by "quality". While I agree that surly hub bearings aren't the best, such blanket generalizations about cartridge versus looseball are totally baseless. Looseball will not suddenly make you faster or smooth out your ride compared to a good set of sealed bearings. Arguing that the additional drag (if any) introduced by a set of properly adjusted catrtidge bearings will slow you down or decrease ride quality is like trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. The vast majority of high end hubs are not looseball. With the exception of the track/fg subculture (which is irrationally resistant to innovation) no one is even debating this issue. As Andre noted, (some, but not all) Shimano hubs are loose ball, but compared to most modern high end hubs, Shimano road hubs are super old-school in design. How many pro cyclists are riding Shimano or other looseball hubs?...practically no one.
I don't knwo about pro cyclists. I just know that when I slap on a pair of Formula cartridge bearing hubs, my speed maintenance and my ability to pick up a quick burst on a high-cadence sprint is somewhat lower than when I ride my Suntour Superbe pros. the difference is not huge, its not like moving from cheap flimsy cranks to Sugio 75s or something, but there is a difference. Now, maybe if I really shelled out the cash for a nice set of cartridge bearing hubs -- Phils for example -- which I may have to do if I move to a rainy climate, then there may be no difference. But I have no experience with these as of yet. As of now, I'd rather shell out a little less for the Dura Ace hubs which I know will consistently run smooth than pay more for the Phils which may give the same performance.
But, of course, one should always take all my ramblings in this forum with a large chunk of IMO salt.