Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to replace the rear wheel on my Wabi Classic that sees daily commuting and recreational use. I currently have a functional if gnarly Miche hub with gritty bearings and a solidly seized cog on one side laced to a very old Mavic rim.

Aside from the various hub offerings, I'm curious about the Velocity track hubs and have found almost no information on them. MSRP is $70.00 for bolt-on, solid-axle rear with typical-looking cartridge bearings. Has anyone ever used these? Any references to "Velocity Track Hub(s)" I can find on the net are all from several years ago and say that they're a branded OEM product from Formula. I wonder if since making the move to the USA they've started making these hubs in-house or if they are still primarily a rim outfit. See Velocity Wheels - Hand Made in USA

PS - aside from aesthetics or some track-specific rules, can anyone point to a good reason not to use a regular road hub for the front? I have a 105 front hub on the bike now and it's going strong after 10+ years on various bikes.

PPS - is it a safe assumption that all "middle range" hubs are more or less equivalent? As long as the shell is properly made out of decent material, isn't most every maker using similar grade cartridge bearings from a handful of industrial bearing makers? Can any one brand (Formula, Miche, All-City, Suzue, etc.) be said to be functionally distinct for the average street rider?

Long-winded, but thanks. Curious what y'all think.

Ok then, this came straight from Velocity:

"Our hubs are Velocity branded Formula track hubs, they are probably the industry standard... there is a reason they have been in our lineup for about 10-12 years."

In case anyone else had been wondering.

Well here's my two cents and I'd be interested to hear what other people think as well

1. I currently have a hand made rear deep v with the hub you link to on my fixed daily ride. For what it's worth, the cartridge bearing went bad in under 2 years and had to be replaced (I do ride in all conditions in Chicago though, so it takes a beating). I'm also generally unhappy with the wheel. However, the rim is bombproof. I've been running a machine made formula hub deep v on the front for 7 years without any problems with the hub. It's also unclear to me whether the Velocity hub is rebranded formula or not, but my guess would be it is, similar to Origin8 hubs being rebranded formula.

2. If you're already riding the road hub and like it then I think you have your answer. A front wheel is a front wheel since you aren't concerned with riding on the track or aesthetics.

3. I do think it's safe to assume the middle range hubs are more or less equivalent. I personally wouldn't pay twice as much or more for a Phil hub (or equivalent) for a bike for average street use but of course lots of people swear by them.

Bdop sells Novatec hubs, and they're pretty nice. I've used their fg/ss hubs and their higher end road hubs, and they're dependable. Normal sized bearings that are easy to replace if needed, and decent weights.

Link to his site

I've currently got Novatec hubs on my bianchi and really enjoy them, seem to do the trick and very well at that

I guess then, aside from the seized cog on one side, I should just pop the gritty bearings out of my Miche hub and, with a decent replacement, it'll be as good as any other hub south of $100 no?

I just realized (oops...overdue for maintenance) that the trusty 105 hub on my front wheel is a loose ball cup-and-cone arrangement (as are all other Shimano hubs, apparently) that spins perfectly quietly and for a long time. I don't mind the extra maintenance of a cup-and-cone type, and might even prefer it if I were to replace the rear hub or build up a new wheel in the future. Other than the lovely but far too expensive Dura-Ace option, is any other maker still putting out loose-ball track hubs for a (not insane) reasonable price?

Thanks for your comments everyone!

Get the Ultegra hubs. Sweet spot for price vs. performance. Skewers are rock solid too compared to the external cam crap that comes with most hubs now.

Whoops, should've made that clearer; I'm good with the front hub and, at this rate, I can't see replacing it unless it fails somehow. A loose-ball REAR hub is what I'm asking about now. Thanks.

For unsealed, for a decent hub it's DA track orCampy Record Track.