Best 126mm Hub
 

I need to build up a set of lighter wheels for my mid-80s Lotus. I don't want to respace my frame so I'll continue on with my 126mm, 6 cog freewheel. I recently swapped the caged bearings of my Shimano 600 BB for individual ceramic bearings and I'm very happy with the new setup so I'd like free or caged rather than sealed bearings in my new hubs so I can swap those out as well.

So, what are your recommendations for hubs that meet my requirements? I picked up a set of NOS Gnutti hubs, but they are 120mm. I've read that putting additional spacers on would make the axle prone to failure. What are your experiences, successful or unsuccessful, with "widening" hubs?

Best 126mm Hub
 

Oops.

Duplicate post.

First off, the only difference between a 120mm and 126mm loose bearing freewheel hub is that the 126mm hub has an additional 6mm of spacers on the freewheel side and a correspondingly longer axle. You can buy a longer axle and 6mm worth of spacers, and convert your hub from 120mm to 126mm spacing. However, a 126mm hub is more likely to have axle bending and failure problems than a 120mm hub. I would not recommend using this configuration if you are heavier than 200 lbs or place heavy loads on the rear of your bike. Instead, better get a 126mm freehub/casette. You will have the additional advantage that you can run 7-speeds on the casette.

Don't use caged bearings. Use loose balls.

I bought a set of those 70s era Gnuttis and their quality is only average. If you want the best 126mm standard rear hub, you may get numerous subjective 'bests'. I'd toss in my vote for Campy Records and Suntour Superbe Pros. But both are tough to find and even harder to find replacement parts for. And latter Superbe Pro are cartridge style, so they are out.
I'd opt for Shimano 600 hubs, very good build quality, nice sculpted skewers, smooth cup and cones. Plus good aftermarket parts support.
IMHO, if I were looking for replacements, I'd upgrade to a freehub. Superior design, easier maintenance, better shifting performance. And still can preserve 126mm spacing. You can run 6 or 7 speeds. The Shimano 600 freehub of the same generation as the rear hub is a good choice.

The Gnuttis are reasonable hubs and look pretty nice (especially if you polish them up before you build the wheels). Are these large-flange hubs?

Otherwise, Campagnolo Record or Tipo hubs have nicer bearings and (in my experience) stronger axles. The high-end Normandy and Pelessier hubs are also very nice.

Campy Records are not at all hard to find and parts are available.

Maxicars are considered by many to be the best.

I service a pair of gold band Normandy Luxe Competitions this morning. They're smooth, but certainly not Campagnolo Record smooth.

+1 on upgrading to a 126mm freehub. You might look for a hubset of Deore XT or Deore LX that takes a 6 or 7 speed Uniglide or Hyperglide cassette. Check ebay regularly and eventually you will find what you need. As WNG said you get superior design from a freehub. Finding one in 126mm will be a little more of a challenge compared to the 130mm modern standard, but its not that much of a challenge if you look for a while you'll eventually score what you need. If you get one of the Deore rear hubs, these come with a 130mm or even 135mm locknut to locknut dimension. You will need to purchase a 126mm chromoly replacement axle from Wheels Manufacturing for about $15. Have your bike shop order one from Quality Bicycle Parts. These are better than stock. Its really easy to swap out the axle for the 126mm one, You'll just need to remove the a couple of spacers and use a digital dial caliper to verify the final width from locknut to locknut.

I had a Lotus in the early 80s outfitted with Phil Wood hubs laced to Mavic rims, the bike was sold to a friend. Just talked to that friend the other day. I asked him about the Lotus (hoping he might want to sell it back to me) he told me it was his favorite ride, and running as smooth as it did twentyfive years ago.

Cheers,
Chris

I like to put as many spacers on the left side as can be taken off of the right side, without the small sprocket running too close to the frame.
This evens out the spoke tensions, reduces the stress on the freewheel side of the axle, and may improve chainline.
I find that 3-4mm clearance between sprocket and frame dropout is usually all that is needed!

Personally, I think Mavic hubs, both the 501's and the 571's, are among the best ever made.

If you go with a threaded hub, you can also use Suntour Ultra-7 freewheels to run 7 speeds. Not sure of their availability, but I used them a lot back in the old days.

My vote is for the Mavic 500 series hubsets from the mid 80's/early 90's Very smooth and "bulletproof" looking/feeling.
I might be biased though, because I'm currently lacing/building up a tubular wheelset using NOS 500 front and 550 rear Mavics. The feel and finish on them can challenge the best from the other premier component makers from other coutries which is quite a pleasant thing because French components never seem to get enough respect and the Mavic hubs are generally admired. They sure got very positive comments from people at my LBS when I took the hubset over there when I was buying the DT spokes to lace them up.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Plus Carbone 7

I've been a firm believer in Dura Ace 7400 series. Never seen anything that touches them in quality other than 120mm Campy Record. Second choice is Maillard Helicomatic. Yes, I've had excellent luck with them.

I loke my Mavic 501s because there is no maintenance and I never have to worry that I left the cones a little too tight or loose. They polish up nice, but not like Campy Record.

The OP's preference for loose balls over cartridge rules out my favourites, so my next choice would be a Dura-Ace 7400 series freehub with the 7 speed, HyperGlide body. The freehubs are far less prone to bent axles and a HyperGlide cassette is the best shifting performance upgrade you can make.

I like my Mavic 501s because there is no routine maintenance required and I never have to worry that I left the cones a little too tight or loose. They polish up nice, but not like Campy Record.

The only thing I have against Maillard 700s is that I have to be very careful not to harm the gold stickers when I polish them. It's the same way with Normandy Luxe Competitions.

Agreed. I just sold a set of wheels with 600ex hubs and even after sixteen years the races were still smooth with no wear or pitting. In their day the 600ex was highly regarded for being industrial strength.