rear track hub | suggestions/comments
 

in the market for an inexpensive, hopefully reliably sturdy rear track hub. thirty-two hole.

price range: 100 US dollars or less. is that even possible?

it would be nice to hear your suggestions/comments about which hub would be fit the bill. please post links to reliable online retailers when available. thank you in advance. :)

Do you have a preference about loose ball vs. sealed bearings? How about Fixed/Fixed vs. Fixed/Free?

formula. under 50, reliable as hell.

sealed bearings...aren't most if not all sealed hubs nowadays. forumlas are great. but I am playing with the notion that there may be something interesting on the market?

Dura-Ace for $104
http://www.beyondbikes.com/ItemMatri...mpaign=Froogle

Formula for $44
http://www.bikepartsusa.com/cgi-bin/...source=froogle

Surly for $56
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...b.aspx?sc=FRGL

i have a surly rear hub and it's worked out quite well. I like it's medium sized phalanges

adjusting surly hubs is a total PITA -- I would avoid.

I recommend these: http://www.irocycle.com/index.asp?Pa...ROD&ProdID=133

rebranded dia compe gran compes w/ upgraded bearings. logo comes off with acetone. comparable to formulas. they are quite excellent.

formula or iro is really all you need.

since i bought all the hubs i need and then some, here's where i got mine

http://shop.ebay.com/irocycle/m.html...&_trksid=p3686

the low flange hubs are great, really light compared to most economy hubs, and they're sealed formula units, so they've been as reliable as hell for me

get them for 20 bucks plus about 10 for shipping (i think he covers ebay fees with the high shipping, but 30 shipped for a new formula track hub is great)

if high flange is more your speed then you can get a set for 40 bucks

Surly hubs a PITA? Really? They work just like every other hub I've ever seen, just takes a cone wrench. Truthfully, you can do it with your fingers, long as you get the locknuts tight afterwards.

If those are difficult, formula hubs must come with a butler in a tux to adjust them for you.

I was thinking the same but wasnt going to say anything. Iv had a pair and they were no harder to adjust than my formulas or campy's.

dimension

ya there is nothing hard about surly hubs. you pretty much adjust all hubs the same way...

Suzue
 

Pro Max
http://www.businesscycles.com/graphics/thub-promax3.jpg

Honestly just get a Formula hub and shell out some money for a bearing upgrade. With sealed hubs the only thing that really matters is what kind of bearings are in there. I just put some Mavic bearings in my Miche rear hub for vast improvements. Total cost was about 55 for the hub and 18 for new bearings. Keep in mind that I bought bearings from the LBS that stocks Cervelo's and has several types of Carbon wheels on proud display, so they were probably charging full price. It's a much cheaper option that doesn't scream "steal me."

surly hubs are not like every other hub. are formulas adjustable? nope. do formula hubs have angular cartridges? nope. what other hub of this kind does not have a spacer?

surly hubs have been the most finicky hubs I've worked with. perhaps you guys have had better experiences, while others have similar problems that I've had: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=+site...5ffa94030d2d34

while they're not "bad" hubs, I see no benefit to this design and they definitely take a bit more work to get right when you have to replace the bearings -- and if you dont get them just right, they lock up later on or have alot of play. the design seems pointless and of zero benefit.

they're overpriced, anyways, compared to formulas which always perform well.

dimension/bens/novatec or formula or iro...all good choices for quality, budget hubs. one cannot go wrong with any of these, imho.