Hope Hubs?
 

Can you guys tell me a little bit about these hubs?

There are two sets of hubs that Hope makes that do not use disk brakes, Pro 2 & Pro 3. Which used for road wheels?

The Hope hubs are not as expensive compared to the mighty Chris King hubs, I figure this is a good route for me to go as of right now.

Whats the difference from spoke count? I want to go light as possible so I would like to go 28 front and back, will this cause problems?

No personal experience. BUT I had a lengthy chat with Troy Watson of Ligero Wheels. He raves about the quality/workmanship of Hope hubs. He says when you take them apart (for servicing), there is this characteristic reverse suction sound which, to him, speaks to the quality of the seal.

Funny you should mention the Chris King hubs .. I went with those instead :)

Though I suspect you'll like the Hope ones. Great quality it appears for lower price than the CK.

Edit: The Pro 3 is what I was looking at. I think in the end, it was the wait time (at least for Troy to get them) that swayed me. And I am vain and want to match the CK headset in red that I already have.

Thanks for the reply,

I do want to get some Chris King hubs but they are a bit pricey for me and plus the Chris King hubs will come out in the end costing half of what I paid for my bike, not worth it.

If I decided to go with the Hope hubs, the hubs I want are Pro 3's?

Yeap. Pro 3.

I have Hope Hubs on the Tandem. These are Hope Bigun hubs and are strong. The quality of these hubs is unbelievable.

Now hope used to make a lightweight hub - Pre Disc brakes and these were fantastic. Best thing to do is contact Hope and ask them if they will do what you want. Always found them helpfull.

http://www.hopetech.com/

Hope Hubs are the True Schwag. Oh yes. I had them 10 years ago. I sold the wheels (sniff).

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...adsealcopy.jpg

Next question.

Im sorry what?

Hey what spoke count should I go with 28, 32, or 36?

What does spoke count determine, strength/weight?

That's about the size of it. More spokes make a slightly heavier wheel (~35 g for every four spokes), but it's stronger since there's less rim distance between spokes. Also, since power transfer takes place through the spokes on the rear wheel, more spokes mean each individual spoke has less stress put on it. Your weight is a factor, too, since fewer spokes translates into less load capacity per wheel. Basically, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, 36 spokes are generally just fine.

Now that said, my wheels are 28 spoke, mostly because I found rims at a reasonable price that just happened to be 28 hole. I haven't experienced any problems, but the bike isn't really out of its break-in period, so time will tell. Besides, I think the mechanic that put them together will probably affect the durability at least as much, if not more (he's a total n00b at this, but he's learning :)). I suppose if you have your heart set on 28 hole and you're not particularly heavy, they'll be OK.

As for Hope hubs, my friend has a set on his mountain bike, and he loves them. In the few miles I rode it, they seemed to be nice units (although his rear is a LOT louder than my Ultegra 9sp, but that might be due to wear/maintenance, being that they're a couple years old).

The Hope Freebody has a distinctive click to it so if you want quiet hubs- These- along with quite a few high end hubs are not for you. I like the noisy click in a group ride- Shows the others that while they are working hard to keep the pace- I am coasting. Last rebuild on Mt Big un hubs was a strip down and regrease of the freebody. No wear after 8,000 miles of extreme hard use on the tandem.

Oh yea, I want the loud hub sound. My current wheels which are stock/no namers do not make any noise at all!

I weigh about 180-184lbs will 28 spoke wheels be alright or should I go 36?

You have to consider rim depth as well. You can go with less spokes with a deep rim, because the rim itself is stiffer and spreads the load to more spokes. I'm 200lbs and I ride with 28 spokes with a 30mm deep rim with no problem. If I were using a shallower rim, like an aerohead or open pro, I'd want 32 or more spokes. If you want to push it with the low spoke count, just make sure your wheels are tensioned properly and you should be OK.

I'll probably go with an Aerohead rim with 32 spokes to be safe.

Does anyone know if the Hope Pro 3's are Shimano 8, 9, 10 speed compatible? Also, where would you buy a set of Hope hubs, which online store would you trust? It does not seem like Hope is very popular, even on Hopeusa.com there is not enough information on the hubs. Maybe its my computer but no info shows.

I have used some 8 speed hope hubs with a campag set-up at least 10 years ago. They were loud and fantastic hubs. They were red.

I belive they are still going strong, no doubts there. They could not supply a 9 speed freehub for them, so they are still on the bike with the new owner.

The Hope hubs are only 8 speed compatible?

No- but 10 year old 8 speed could be.

And whilst on the hubs and spoking. 36 spoke are stronger than 32- both by the number of spokes and (From my wheelbuilder) 32 spokes will leave a weak spot on the spoking with certain spoking patterns. For the minimal weight gain that 4 spokes will give- I would suggest getting 36 spokes.

And I have two sets of Hope hubs-One set black and the other red. The anodised finish is very durable and no colour change has taken place in the 5 years I have had them.- OR if I have- it has been even over the whole hub.