130mm touring hubs?
 

any suggestions for 130mm touring hubs? sealed cartridge is preferred but not necessary.

besides phil wood...

Just about anything from Shimano from Tiagra to Ultegra would do. Not too exciting but it will get the job done. If you look around for some used XTs from around 1995 or so, those were 130mm and would work well. Is your bike really 130mm or could you fit a wider hub? If so, I'll look at current XT nondisc. Very good for a good price.

Other hubs are likely to be as pricey as Phils. But, on a positive note, the cockroaches will be riding the Phils after we are gone;)

+1 about what cyccommute posted. In the real world, I don't think there is much difference between 130 mm hubs and the 135 mm hubs. Any better grade of Shimano road hub with 36 spokes will work fine. It's possible to get 36 hole Dura Ace hubs on Ebay for a good price because all the racers want less spokes for lighter wheels.

well the difference would be that my frame has 130mm dropouts. i have a light racing wheelset but i want something pretty sturdy and reliable for touring. the xt's look good but all i see are 135mm and i dont wanna stretch my frame. its starting to look like i might have to shell out for phils...

What is the real difference between an XT hub and an Ultegra hub in strength or quality? Really? Any good bike shop and build up a set of 36 spoke road hubs with good DT Swiss or Mavic rims that will work great for touring. If you're worried about toughness, and that's a real worry with touring wheels, it's hard to beat hand build wheels using standard Shimano and DT Swiss parts.

well i just assumed that since the xt's are heavier than the ultegras and meant for mtb use that they may be stronger. and also from what ive heard, the seals are better....

Nah, Shimano hubs are all about the same really. Good Shimano hubs all have contact seals and boron hardened cones. I've got LX cones in my 105 hubs right now, so how much difference could there be?

I'm pretty sure Shinamo could make just one line of hubs and set a standard rear spacing for all bikes and things would be a whole lot more simple. But then Shimano isn't really into making things simple, they do business for $$$$. And having 2 lines oh hubs, MTB and road, helps sell more product.

BTW, the new 2007 Tiagra hubs look a whole lot like the older Ultegra hubs a few years ago (Shimano uses trickle down technology all the time) I haven't taken one apart to look that how smooth the cones are, but I've adjusted new wheels build around them and they seem to spin smoothly enough. I'd trust them to tour with.