Don't know if this is old news yet, but the Formula track hubs sold by IRO, Nashbar, Velocity, ect., are now availible to the public through a couple of large distributors. They should go for about $35 each from almost any LBS, which is close to the cost of a basic Suzue hub, only with a replaceable cartridge instead of the cheap cup & cone.

[Edit - As pointed out below, Nashbar does not use this hub. There's apears to be a cheap cup and cone as well.]

Nashbar has them on sale for $29.

Where? I couldn't find them yesterday.

BTW, I'm helping a friend build a fixed on the cheap, and the LBS has the Suzue basic on a built wheel for cheap, and the bearings are smooth as cottage cheese. Unbelievable how rough they were. Granted, a built wheel for about $60 is nothing

Assuming this is the same one...

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

Thanks!

I saw some formula hubs on a what looked like stock fuji track pro at one of the LBSes around me. Kind of surprised me actually. Nice looking hubs for the cost.

this has come up a few times before, but i really don't think that that nashbar hub is a formula hub. anyone who owns one (or many) like i do will be able to see the difference.

it may be a decent quality hub, and probably better than a suzue basic, but i don't think it's a formula.

sidenote: if this is true about the price of formula hubs going down so sharply i feel bad for tony at IRO...he was the one to break ground with these things, and deserves the business.

wait i don't follow. whihc one felt rough? it doesn' matter to me much really, whatever i get will be replaceable cartridge. i r lazy

Yes! I don't know why people keep saying this. I don't think the nashbar hubs are the formula/IRO/ben's bikes hubs. They look different and have several different components. Why? Why do people keep lumping them altogether?

The Fuji does come with Formula hubs this year. Dunno if it was the same previously, the '05 lists them as Formula whereas previous years are just "alloy".

The suzue...

I stand corrected, the Nashbar hubs aren't the Formula hubs, but I'm pretty sure the IRO hubs are, and I know Velocity and quite a few others use them. The point is, they are pretty good, despite the fact that they take a sorta cheap cartridge bearing. They are way better than anything else at that price point, both in looks and quality. I'm excited about it. With my bikeshop discount, those things are like $20 a peice. I wish I needed a cheap wheelset.

Bearings are as nice or cheap as you want them to be. Even if they ship with cheap bearings, they're standard sized so you go out and buy yourself a set of super high grade ABEC-9's if that's you thing.

Wait a minute! I remember about 10 years ago, buying ABEC-5 bearings for my rollerblades, which originally came with either 3, or even 1. Do you mean to tell me that these are what cartridge bearing hubs use? (I have no experience replacing cartridge bicycle bearings) Hmm?

Jess

Yes.

ABEC-x is actually a ball bearing precision scale (Annular Bearing Engineer Council), but the cartridges in cartridge hubs are basically the same as you used in skates. I don't know that they're actually interchangeable parts though.

Man, I remember how hot it was when ABEC-3's were available for skates. I think my old Backyards here still have a set of ABEC-1 Killer Bees. Man them was the days.

Probably Jess. Bearings is bearings. Back when I restored MGs, I would pull apart a tranny, Drive to the local SKS bearing store, where they would measure them up and sell me replacements at 1/10th of what the dealer would.

the nashbar hubs aren't formula's, i have one of each, the nashbar's have different cutouts and axles, their both nice and perfectly serviceable hubs. just comes down to price...
like boston trevor said, bearings can be upgraded cheap and easy. its really only worth it in my opinion when the stock ones wear out.
also, like i've said before, the basic hubs can be upgraded easily if you have the inclination, don't diss cup and cones just because.
they have their place and purpose.

If memory serves me, there is not a high-grade bearing made for the cartridge size used in the Formula hub. Not to say that there aren't many that are decent, just not precision or long-lasting. I'm not dissing cup and cone hubs, I like my DA hubs very much, I just know from experience as a mechanic that cheap cup and cone hubs really suck to work on, and are in some ways inferior to cheap cartridge hubs.

For the ultimate in smoothness and durability, order a set of phil wood bearings @ $17/set. smoooth! baby!

I'm looking here and I'm pretty sure there are actually Phil Wood bearings that I can get to replace these. I haven't even ridden my Formula/IRO hub yet, much less replaced the bearings, but they're standard 6000 size press-fit. PW sells Philspec 6000 cartridges. But maybe you had something nicer in mind.... ;)

i've never had a set of phil hubs in my hands...do they have any kind of seal that makes them weatherproof, other than the bearings?

i guess what i'm getting at is, is there anything to make me want to buy a set of phils rather than just put phil bearings in my formula hubs?

All this bearing talk reminds me of growing up and skating a hell of a lot (skateboarding that is). I still skate occasionally (anyone down for a session at Wilson?).

Ah, the brands, NMB, SKF, Abec. I still run Powell Swiss Bearings in my wheels - they were always the best. I should swap them out in my hubs...

Though Phil's sound cheaper!

I would imagine that the threads on the Phil's are better machined, and the hub (most likely the flanges in particular) is less susceptible to breaking (not that formula hubs are known for breaking). But if spin is what you are going for, then that's a pretty good idea.

I've got a set of Black Widows in some wheels that I've been debating if I could press them into my hubs... It seems like servicable skateboard bearings would be better suited in hubs, where they wouldn't take so much abuse.

Edit: The I.D. on the skateboard bearings are smaller than the I.D. on the bike bearings. It was too good to be true.