max-a-mill

currently i am having less trouble with my "backup" on-one hub than my "nice" paul hub on my ss mtb; i also can't tell any performance difference.

as some have said, i think it all comes down to the bearings and the durability or the hub body itself. if your hub spins real nice it dosen't matter how much you paid for it. you might get more durability or less maintenance by spending more but i have yet to see this proven.

my next hubs will be white industries or phils cause i like the fact that there is no adjustable bearing preload. if hubs work right and are built to correct specs you shouldn't really ever need to adjust bearing preload i think. and i think maybe that improper preload (that must have tightened itself over the course of a ride) is what fried my most recent set of bearings in my pauls or maybe it was just *****ty ceramic bearings? i dunno.

LóFarkas

About right but I just want to remark that not all cup&cone hubs have crap or nonexistent seals. Track hubs meant for track use have no seals at all, of course. But the thread is about "nice hubs". There are plenty of road/MTB cup&cone hubs with very good seals that don't require much maintenance at all. I run a Shimano XT in the rear and I know it has double contact seals... nothing will get in there. Worth considering when you buy your next front hub, ss hub or an ISO bolt-on fixed rear.

max-a-mill

just to pipe in one more time: i agree with lofarkas on two points in this thread.

shimano loose ball hubs are the bomb. they seem to have figured out how to make loose balls last longer than any cartidge bearing hubs i have used so far.

old mercedes diesels are indestructable (mine has 210 thousand miles on the odometer and shows no signs of dieing). it still needs to be converted to veggie oil though

Aeroplane

Definitely true, I was referring to track hubs only, so Shimano only has the DA's in that realm. Most of their MTB and road hubs are very nicely sealed loose-balls with great seals.

queerpunk

+animatronic holiday window displays.

my front wheel has a 105 road hub. it was smooth two years ago, and the only maintenance i've done on it is just backed off the cones a tiny, tiny bit once. it's very smooth, which speaks to how well these loose ball hubs are sealed.

1fluffhead

No doubt about that! I have and drive a '84 benz wagon that has a little over 220 thousand miles on it. The body will rust through before the engine will ever die.

vomitron

Cup/cone is less about weight and more about bearing drag. Less seals + the ability to run with oil rather than grease = spins for days.

Phil makes cartridge ceramic bearings now that are low seal + no lube, but I don't see why you would buy $600 worth of cartridges when the aforementioned cup/cone setup is probably just as fast.

Quacker

Where is the cheepest place to get a set of formula's. I know I can get them rebranded at Harris Cyclery for 60$ for the pair. Is there any place better?

trons

nope.

evanyc

if you want em already built up you can get em for cheaper from here

mezza

I have a 6 year old daughter called Mercedes. So I'd say Fords are a car and Mercedes are more expensive, prone to crying if not getting their own way but very cute.

Ken Cox

My Bianchi Pista came with cheap, light, funtional wheels (hubs).

I've replaced them, but, for a year they served me well as long as I paid attention when I changed cogs and as long as I used the same manufacturer's cogs.

I think the most common life-ending incident for hubs comes from stripping either the cog or lock ring threads.

My reading, I think of Sheldon Brown, said that each cog manufacturer has slightly different threads, and if one switches between manufacturers, it will unnecessarily wear out the threads on the hub until they fail, prematurely.
I noticed different manufacturer's cogs actually threaded on to the hub with a different feeling, and so I believe whoever said whatever.
I now use only EAI cogs.

So, my cheapo Bianchi wheels and hubs served me just fine until I had too much money, and I got the Cane Creek track wheels.
Do I notice a difference?
Absolutely.
Much less inertia and they have required no service in a year of riding by a 235 pound rider.
$475 worth of difference?
Hm.
Would I do it again?
Hm.

It depends.

If something happened to my Pista and I needed to replace it, I would duplicate it exactly as I have put it together this time, including the Cane Creek wheels/hubs.

However, if I again had too much money and wanted to build another fixie just to treat myself, I think I'd go Dura Ace hubs with DT Swiss wheels.
Why build a clone?

I still have the original Bianchi wheelset, with Alex rims and no-name hub, and I'd put them on a bike in a heartbeat and feel good about it.

Moximitre

when I read the thread title. I heard Seinfeld. ok, you can have your thread back.

gruppo

In this thread, nothing. But the people that use them, lots. And most of the differences aren't pretty...

citypigeon

I want a pair of steinwerks hubs soooooo *****in baddd!!

soze

So far, my IRO's (laced to Salsa Delgado rims for extra sozeproofness) seem to be pretty tough and hold to my primary requirement of "can I kill a bear with it and ride off afterward". If I want to treat myself I'll get swankier bearings.

And early 80's MB TDs have an 18 Constitution.

Jamtastic

wait for a deal on phils... i bought used. blew an axle... got it replaced. Got my wheelset for cheaper than an iro set phil to open pro.