I like to put a rubber band around the shell of the hub as I start to build a wheel. It's not so much so that it will shine the hub like those old leather things. It's more for the curious look of something without a joint in a seemingly inaccessible place, seemingly unless you know how wheels are built. But rubber bands don't last more than three or four years before they break. What is more permanent that I could use?

Silicone wrist band? Yellow "LIVESTRONG" ones are cheap.

Orange silicone O ring.

Use metal.. no need for a bell. lol


On a side note: does the rubberband actually keep your hub shiny like one of those leather straps?

I bought these from Rivendell years ago - they still have them: https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/hu91.htm



noticed something interesting - in my very hilly near-rural neighborhood, the deer hear these coming

Suede. Got a big suede coat ready to donate to the thrift store in the back of the car. Hmmm

A wooden bracelet might look cool and be a lot quieter than metal.

Nice to see this post.
I still remember first seeing "hub shiners" on older neighborhood kid's bike in the 70's. Couldn't really figure out what they were for, but I crafted my own shiners when I finally got my own 10 speed, out of junk I found around our house (from lengths of my old cub scout uniform belt, IIRC). Despite my best effort to ride the bike as much as possible to see my hubs shine to a brilliant chrome-like luster, they never really did..... Maybe if someone told me back then that anodizing's tough stuff, I guess.....

I saw a bike with where the front wheel was built with a small chairing around the hub. It had been drilled so spokes could be attached and it gave the appearance of a chain ring floating around the hub. I can't find a picture at the moment.....

May or may not be the same bike you mentioned, but I took this photo of Bob F. a couple months back.

I think I remember seeing Bob post a pic of this on the CR list.
But....How does it "work"?

Sounds like Noglider is looking for something continuous. Maybe a conversation starter, like "what the heck is that rubber band doing on that hub...and how did you get it there?" , or something.

But if anyone actually wants a hub shiner, which I thought went out with kids bikes with pom poms on the handlebar ends...I can make ya one. Leather, snap on.

Not sure how it "works", but he laced a 24 hole hub to a 36 hole rim(with 12 spokes going to the chainring).

You should carve a wood chain and put that in there:



Then people will not only marvel how you got it in there, but how a continuous chain could be made out of a piece of wood. Plus, noisy bikes are all the rage these days.

A bagel might work....... as long as it stays dry, it should petrified into something close to wood...

A plastic bracelet of some kind would work.

It's pretty easy to take a single piece of string (or cable, or leather, or a guitar string, or just about anything), maybe a meter long, and weave or braid it into a single continuous band. It will have a single small knot in it somewhere, but that's easy to hide on the interior.

Build it with at 52T chainring in there.

Hilarious responses, people. Keep 'em coming.

[MENTION=29368]rootboy[/MENTION], that's exactly what I'm after.

But seriously (are we serious at all about this?), I think [MENTION=73614]rhm[/MENTION]'s suggestion is best. Is there a weaving web page or video I can learn it from? I can't weave (yet) but I'm good at sailing knots and I did macrame as a kid.

Hub Shiner is a Job description for those who did not like the Anodized finish Look..

and spend a hour or so with the simichrome & some rags, every month..

The Mini reflectors [# 6] are fitted with a wing nut so the strip of Suede Or sheepskin can be added
to a finished wheel build..

I did something like that to the old Phil hub on my touring bike since the stainless steel shell had an iron content
so It would still rust if Ignored, in a Maritime climate.

Hub. Wasn't he Burt Shiner's brother?

Ah...right. Thanks. Talk about a conversation piece.

Many years ago there were shiners made from brushes - like a pipe cleaning brush in a round shape.

Punch in the eye will get you a shiner too.