Hub upgrade
 

Have started riding my hybrid a bit lately and have decided to keep it as a back up bike and something for guests to ride (if they can fit on it).

I am considering a wheel, or at least a hub upgrade. I have always read bad things about the Joytech hubs that came on the bike. Not looking to spend more than I paid for the bike on this project. I would like some opinions on this.

Would a hub upgrade built into the Weinmann rims be worth while?
I'm looking at Shimano 756 xt 32h 6-bolt hubs. They say "double contact seals". Have read that the seals are part of the problem with the Joytech hubs.

Other suggestions?

If you want to replace the hub for performance reasons, I doubt you'd notice much of a difference.

Unless you were going to the work yourself, it may end up costing more than a whole new wheel.

Is there a problem with the current hubs you're looking to solve or are you just worried about a future failure?

I assume what you heard about them is amplified by the squeaky wheel phenomenon. Take it off the bike, see if the axle spins freely and isn't loose. If not, adjust. Either way, put it back on the bike and ride.

...why do you want to upgrade something you are going to shelve?

1)ask Your Wallet.

2) Shimano has replica Competitors that will be interchangable with Them, for spare service Parts

Giant May have Ordered a rebranded one of those with their name .. they are Huge, they can Do That .

It's one of the things done to lower the overall cost of the Bottom Line. ... what you were willing to pay for the product. :innocent:

@fietsbob. I understand why Raleigh put them on there. 2) Interchangeable parts would be a plus. 1) That time of the year!
@Darth Lefty. It's been on the shelf and is now coming off, at least for some limited use. There is another new bike trail (unpaved) opening up nearby. Running low air pressure in the 38's that are on there actually makes this bike ride pretty decent. Don't misunderstand me here. The Crossrip will do everything this bike will do and do it better. That does not mean I can't enjoy riding this bike some. Plus, I have something guests and family can ride when they visit.
@unterhausen. There are no noises or other problems. Note...STFU and ride it is definitely a possibility;).
@tjspiel. I would certainly consider a complete wheelset. The question is directed at dollars spent versus noticeable performance difference. You think an inexpensive wheelset or new hubs, such as the Shimano's I mentioned, would not be an upgrade worthy of pursuing?

Opinions......see below..................

What do you want to fix? "actually makes this bike ride pretty decent" The name printed on the hubs? A back-up bike? I can't think of a possible solution to whatever problem that you might have that could be done with the $1.50 budget that I would allocate for your project.

Well danggit. Ya'll are almost as much fun as a root canal.;) I guess I got my answer though, huh? Thanks for the replies. I'll just have to look elsewhere for a "performance" upgrade. Maybe a pointy helmet...

Even cheap hubs can last a very long time with regular servicing.
Buy some cone wrenches, bearing balls & tub of grease.

Another possibility is to stop reading about what various allegedly pointy headed experts "say" about this or that piece of equipment or accessory and just ride and enjoy as is a perfectly good and well running bicycle and forget about "upgrading" for the purpose of earning upgrading points

Don't believe everything you read...I've read and heard all kinds of bad things about formula hubs, surly hubs and shimano hubs. I use all of them and never had problems with any of them.

Don't upgrade your hubs, unless your hubs are bad and can't be fixed.

Then just buy a whole new wheel ..

commuting, It's another Consumable , like the rest of the drive train. brake shoes , etc.

Oh hell no! There's nothing wrong with the ones on the bike. :lol: You know, I didn't get the answer(s) I was looking/expecting/hoping for, but I think I got the right ones. That's a part of why I like to hang out
here. :thumb:

If your question is, "I like my bike but want to spend money to upgrade it; is my money spent best on hubs or something else?" Then the answer is, yes, you can spend money on your bike, but hubs are not the place to start. You get the best bang for your bike by upgrading your tires, especially when you consider the labor involved, i.e. very little. If you spend a moderate amount on tires, you get moderately good tires. If you spend a lot, you can get outstanding tires, and you might enjoy them quite a lot.

If performance is key, you can go even farther, you can buy lighter wheels, and you'll love the difference that makes. And in doing so, you'll replace your hubs, even though I would not mind riding Joytech hubs.

IMHO, just service the hubs - check cone tightness and grease the bearings.
performance improvement ? That could include new tires & wheelset - all attached to a new frame with upgraded group set, etc, and a better tuned engine.

You could sell the wheelset that has the JoyTech hubs and put the money towards a nicer wheelset.

ILTB, this is not about upgrade "points". It's about an upgrade that would make the bike roll better. noglider, the first thing I did when I got the bike was to swap the Kenda Kouriers that came on it (I hated those tires) with some Bontrager H2's. They roll sooo much better. I did automobile front end work for about 10 years and noticing how a vehicle rolls is something that is very obvious to me. Funny, I can tell a difference (car or bike) by the time the tires roll over a couple of times.

Problem with my idea is that I'm not willing to spend enough money to make it an easy decision, at least for me, due to lack of experience. I was hoping for some suggestions or combinations of products that I was not aware of. Again, lack of experience with bikes hurts me here. My thoughts are that replacing a cheap wheelset with another cheap wheelset will probably not yield the desired results. If a dollar figure would help, then $300.00 would be pushing the limit. Considering some of the comments on this, I might even have to rethink that.

If there has been a problem with these wheels it would be loose spokes back when the bike was my daily commuter. I put it on the workstand every 100-150 miles (sooner if I got caught in the rain) to wipe it down, lube the drivetrain and while I was at it, I would true the back wheel. In that mileage, generally, there would be a spoke starting to "pop". It only took a couple of minutes and I have not considered it a big deal.

OK, well, the differences among hubs does not make a performance difference. You adjust the hubs to have little or no play, and the result is a small amount of friction, and it's pretty much the same in cheap hubs and fine hubs. There's a lot to read and discuss, and you'll get an idea where to direct your attention in doing upgrades and in purchasing your next bike. The primary concern with hubs is durability. Joytech hubs may not have the greatest track record; I don't know. But until they stop working, they work. As others said, overhaul them before they present a problem. This might keep them rolling indefinitely.

I wouldn't replace the hubs just to replace the hubs, unless you want to spend money just to spend money. Repack and adjust them if they need it.

However, breaking spokes every 150 miles is not normal at all, and even needing to retrue that often is abnormal, unless you have very exacting standards of trueness (like 1 mm) or bash the bike around a lot. So a better way to spend some money, at least to me, might be to buy a Park TS2.2 truing stand and completely true and tension the wheels. You'll get a very useful tool out of it, and then you can correct any failings with the Crossrip wheels, build new wheels, etc - the tool and the gained skill will pay for itself in time.

+1

To me there wouldn't be much value gained from replacing the hub other than what you learned in the process if you were to do the work yourself.

Though people have been downplaying it in this thread, you can see a difference between a high end performance hub and a cheaper one just by spinning the wheel. The wheel with the better bearings will seem to spin forever. The problem is that I'm not sure what difference that will make in actual use. Especially on a backup bike, used on trails.

A high performance wheel will also have improved aerodynamics via a deeper rim profile, fewer spokes, and maybe even flat spokes vs round. It will also be significantly lighter. You probably don't want fewer spokes on an off road bike anyway but pairing an expensive hub with a cheap rim loses those other benefits.

I didn't mean it was breaking spokes. They just start to "ping" a bit. I just snug the loose one up till it feels similar in tension to the ones close to it (on the same side of the wheel). Not very accurate, I know. I then clamp a pointer on the rear rack and take care of the side to side "runout". I suppose if that continues, I will need a truing stand to rebuild a wheel! I don't thrash the bike on or off road. I don't hop up or down curbs. I'm a bit of a clyde at 220lbs.

Learning how to build wheels sounds like a fun project. Don't know if I can justify the stand mentioned. Would one of the less expensive ones work out for someone not really in the biz?

When I built my first set of wheels I just used my bike frame and fork as a stand. If wheel building is just an occasional thing, then an expensive stand is unnecessary.

That's what I did too. You can use zip ties attached to the fork legs as "pointers" or markers to show where the wheels aren't straight.

good advice here so far.

But, let me get this straight, This is your back up bike and it's a hybrid right? Meaning:it's a bike you don't ride much if at all and it doesn't do anything all that well except to exist as a bicycle shaped object.

Sounds like you have the itch to get your hands greasy and you need a project bike. Start one! That or put the money into your daily rider, or save your money for the next bike. Joytech hubs? Sure, yeah, they are fine for the intended purpose...an unridden hybrid bike.

You may have something there with the project bike. Only problem is I have some home projects that I need to complete first. At this point, if I brought another bike home, especially one in a box, I'd have to change my username to something like "stub";)

Actually, after dusting the bike off and putting it back on the road, I've enjoyed riding it. I'm going to ride it to work this morning. At least I plan on using it more this year than last.

There was this old Schwinn on C/L a couple of days ago. Looked like what I would call a mixte. Maybe a LeTour? I just know the dear wife would like it if I got it cleaned up and... well you know!