Chris King classic/r45. The classic are way overbuilt for road cycling, hence they are on my training wheels. In the future i will get r45 on some carbon rims for racing/TTs. Both models are King quality/same price so it is up to you. R45s will have a Campagnolo option and a ceramic bearing version. You can convert the classic for mtb/disc/tandem use in case that becomes your thing some time in the future. R45 are road only and allow for radial lacing/low spoke count (imo only useful for high performance intended racing wheels. )

-Carcinogent

P.S. The Ringdrive is just icing on the cake. The buzz is an acquired taste=)

incorrect.

yeah, my friend just linked me a youtube to the Chris king "sound" ....it's worse than those Cicadas we had to deal with all summer long

Maybe it's an acquired taste. I think they sound like heaven.:thumb::thumb::thumb:

When on the bike even the CK classic are not that loud. R45 are noted to be quieter. I thought I can use the hubs as a pre-warning when i pass somebody. Haven't turned any heads yet. The freehub on my old Mavic wheels was louder... The "buzz" is definitely weird when riding at first but you get used to it in a ride or two.

-Carcinogent

Incentive to pedal.

Here you go again.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frw8dW20H24

I always say the same thing...if you can here the the clicking you aren't pedaling enough....sadly I here mine too often

By glorious, he means an angry swarm of bees about to descend on you if you dont HTFU and start pedaling

Or you can save your money and go this route
http://chrisking.com/ringtone

The zing is an acquired taste and initially more incentive to soft pedal...


Yes indeed. The sound is easily recognized and when you catch up with another rider can be used as an early warning sign that someone faster is about to pass. LOL

Anyone try Novatec hubs? I just ordered some November tubulars and decided to stick with the stock Novatec hub option to save some dough. I figured there was no sense in upgrading to the CK or WI hubs since I was looking at the wheels as a budget racing wheelset in the first place. However, I did upgrade to black cx-ray spokes for $120 since I saved $100 on the pre-order. I'm wondering if I would have been better off spending that $120 towards the CK R45 hub upgrade instead. Then again, is a hub just a hub once it gets past a certain point of quality/reliability? You're going to have to tear them down and rebuild them after so many miles either way.

I do love the smoothness of my DA 7900 hubs on my c24 clinchers. I haven't needed to service them yet so I can't comment on durability and serviceability.

How do the White Industry hubs sound compared to the Chris King hubs? I know they are loud (white I like), but I can't imagine them sounding as loud as the Chris King's. They do sound like a large swarm of angry bees.

I've got one too. Very nice. Rim got bent in a race crash, so looking for a new rim to rebuild with.

from what I see it's the brand they come with straight from China. Not sure if they are good or not, I just know that it's what they come with. I've found the full sets for around 430 shipped

Do you mean full wheelsets for $430? Would you mind sharing a source?

I am thinking a set of these (hope pro3 mono)
Attachment 223495
laced to these
Attachment 223498
they are easily serviceable, light enough but loud.

I'll inbox you

Not as loud. The Whites sound like ordinary hubs- not super loud/annoying like CK hubs but not quiet either. They roll really well. The Ti freehub can withstand the torque from large solo cogs. The one drawback is the weight- H2/H3 hubs are 360g for the set. BHS superlights are 280g.

I have a set of Novatechs. They're ok hubs. The front's seen a number of years of duty on my rain bike with zero maintenance. But I think the BHS superlights are just as good and are cheaper and lighter. Some of the Novatecs can be had with a freehub that's got a steel spline in it to prevent notching of the aluminum freehub, which is kind of cool. http://www.bdopcycling.com/Hubs-Road.asp

Beside the weight, do different hubs make a practical difference?

I got some Forumula hubs on a whim as part of a group buy and have been very pleasantly surprised. They've got a fair amount of miles on them at this point and are buttery smooth still. Very light too. They're sold under a variety of other brand names (Formula is the original manufacturer though).

There's quality of materials, flange design, and freehub design. There's also the bearings, although many modern hubs can use standard bearings from a variety of manufacturers and grades.

To answer the original question, it depends on the application. Price is almost always a factor, otherwise I'd have tried some Tune hubs with Zipp rims by now. Shimano and Campy hubs are quite dependable, White Industries hubs are light and very purdy, and Novatec and Formula hubs seem to be a great bang for the buck in my experience. My current "lightweight climbing" wheels are on American Classic hubs, which are super light and have been doing fine.

Me too ? I'm looking at some Chinese imports on Ebay that might be a good price to quality ratio.

:lol:

That sound would either give me an incentive to pedal or keep me from riding.

just picked up a front Mavic 501 and building it up - like butta.
Quality and durability - My Dura Ace and Kings are perfect. Angry bee sound good.

Never been a big fan of King hubs for road.

The White Industries aren't the lightest but you'll have them for the rest of your life. Great hubs for training wheels. I built up a set with A 23 rims that came in just under 1500 grams for 24/28 spoke wheels.

Dude!! You use TRAINING WHEELS???? You gotta learn how to balance, man...

SP
Bend, OR

Incorrect.

Novatec is a Taiwan brand manufactured in Taiwan.

I just built a pair of these up. Chris King R45 hubs, Stan's A340's, 20/24 with DT Swiss aerolite spokes with allow spokes, front radial, rear 3x. Came in at just over 1200 g. Another friend go a pair made up with 28/32 in the mid 1300 g's. Not bad for clinchers.

ah Bob, correcting with enthusiasm again... :)

Agreed, the newer style doesn't look as classy but they sure are smooth!