Just need to know peoples experience with them, need to cut a corner on a build so i can get a full XTR bike and a new hardtail.. so will need to save a few pennys but not many, are XT hubs ok and will they last?

Cup and cone bearings, so be prepared to keep on top of maintenance. Will last for years if you treat them well.

Something with sealed bearings might be easier – try superstar hubs.
I have some xt’s, some superstar’s and have just bought some hopes…

Superstars have done a winter of ss with no issues that were unexpected! (normal wear)

Try um – they are chaep and servicable..

XT hubs are great, if using them is your idea of cutting a corner then you’re a lucky bunny.

My only issue with them is the feehub. I manage to get through freehubs at an alarming rate.

The bearings are excellent, and some say cup & cone is better suited to the lateral loads than cartridge.

umm , thanks for all the info people, any way still cant make up my mind over how to spec my new bike 🙂 wolnt be able to afford a new one for a while so want to get it right, ok, if you have to chose between hope hubs and reba RLt or Xt hubs and Reba rlt TI forks what one would you go for?

XT hubs & Reba RLt’s, & something nice elsewhere.
Nowt wrong with XT hubs.
Keep em packed with quality grease, & open them up before using as Shimano dont put much in at the factory.

XT hubs & Reba RLt’s, & something nice elsewhere.
Nowt wrong with XT hubs.
Keep em packed with quality grease, & open them up before using as Shimano dont put much in at the factory.

going for full 2011 XTR for everything else, Merlin will do you a full xtr hard-tail for 2 grand at the moment!

No.

2 rear hubs in just over a year.

You cant buy new cups from Shimano

Had to buy a new hub & hacksaw it in half to press out the new cups for the old hub (more economical than rebuilding the rim onto the new hub).

Why bother mucking around around like that. Get a good sealed bearing hub like a Hope. Easy to work on, well designed and parts readily available.

There’s a load of other places I’d rather cut corners than on wheels… XTR cranks are a big spend and a long-term financial issue since the rings cost so much (and most of the weight saving is in the rings not the arms) Drop that down to XT and you’ll gain a ton of budget for elsewhere without too much sacrifice, especially after the old rings kick the bucket.

(my 2 main bikes have XTR cranks but with a combination of XT and deore rings 😉 )

What’s this bike to do? £2k on a hardtail is a lot of money and takes you way into diminishing returns.

i intend to transplant the bits to a scott spark frame, and put the old stuff on the new hardtail frame, just cant work out what combo of forks and hubs to go for, i need to buy a complete groupset to get it for the low price!

Three years with XT M775 wheels and no end of trouble with the REAR hub.

Front has been trouble free but the rear is a pain in the arse. From very early on it developed play due to the lock nuts loosening off and I just cannot eradicate it (regular maintenance, plenty of experience with looking after older XT hubs). I’ve cannibalised internals from other hubs but the cups are now worn and can’t be replaced.

Frustrating because they are otherwise an excellent wheelset.

All this might be moot if you’re planning building your own wheels around the hubs, but I’d avoid the M775 factory wheelset.

Conversely, my experience of Hope hubs has been a joy.

Yep, I’m with stuartie-c. The rear has been a pain in the arse this winter to the extent I just bought a whole new rear XT hub (circa £35 including a nice XT skewer) and replaced all the internals on my XT rear hub packed with plenty of grease….running nicely again now but for how long?

New xt hubs are meant to be dire. I’ve no idea about xtr, but in previous years the only REAL difference was weight – durability was as good.

Given the above I’d avoid current xt. If you can lower yourself then LX are just as durable and only negligibly heavier. I’d only get xtr if I got reassurance that the freehub issue xt suffers from is not present.

Like Northwind,I’d never spend £2K on a bike, but it’s your money!

XT hubs are great, BUT (as with all cup and cone hubs?) even when new, take apart and rebuild. Locktite the drive side cone & locknut leaving correct axle protrusion, plenty of quality grease, and adjust non drive side cone for a little freeplay to be removed by QR (if using one).

they’re ace.

well sealed cup and cone bearings, set them properly and they’ll last donkeys years.

you do need to ‘set’ them though, and there is a knack.

i’ll do them for you if you live in sheffield, for a pint and a bacon sandwich.

The cups can be replaced ( or should I say removed ), they are a hardened steel insert in an alloy body. It’s just that you’ll have to buy a blooming complete hub and press them out.

Seems to me that Shimano don’t want you easily resurrecting old hubs.

It was the exact same nut slackening / tightening on the axle that trashed mine.

TuckerUK has the right idea, in hindsight it may well have prevented the damage caused to mine.

my experience is – bloody annoying!

i ditched them for pro2’s in the end, when i first had them i had little knowledge of maintenance in general, but my buddy had to adjust the cones on them every couple of months, the rear one especially….even within the average couple of months there would be some play after a couple of rocky rides…they were so frustrating and frankly felt a lot weaker than pro2’s both on QR…

no issues with pro2’s since one of the best changes i made!

if you can be bothered with maintenance then go for them, if you have a little more money id go with pro2s or equivalent!

of course mixed reviews, but id never go back to them now after having pro2’s

Bearings need regular maintenance.
Freehubs don’t last long.
They weight a lot.

Despite all that they are still pretty good though.

regular maintenance? – nah.

go easy on the jet washing, and they’ll go for years, and years, and years.

XT wheels rock! I have had a set and have run them for about 2 and a half years. All tyes of riding – uk xc to dh in alps. But yeah, regular maintenance and stay away from the jet wash… Free hubs could last longer I guess.

Merlin will do you a full xtr hard-tail for 2 grand at the moment

Sorry for the slight hijack…… but which bike is 2k for full xtr?

Stupid question time, I assume everyone is talking about 9mm QR versions of the XT hubs? I’m running QR XT hubs which I bought new in 2009. Is there any good quides for servicing them?

I don’t like them, as I hate maintenance and would rather have hassle-free sealed hubs like my Pro 2s 🙂

Starting to get hacked off with servicing my shimano cup and cone every few rides over winter. Also still can’t quite get it set up right so there is a bit of play left for the QR to take care of (it doesn’t seem to make much difference when closed). So make sure all wheel play is gone before while still keeping the hub turning smoothly.

Just done 2 winters on mine and still running lovely and smooth. Thought I’d better open them up to check them over, and the bearings still looked like new. Topped up the grease and hopefully they’ll run smoothly for another couple of years.

Had no problems with the freewheel either – though mine are the slightly older 6-bolt ones though? M756 I think?

i ditched them for pro2’s in the end, when i first had them i had little knowledge of maintenance in general, but my buddy had to adjust the cones on them every couple of months, the rear one especially….even within the average couple of months there would be some play after a couple of rocky rides…they were so frustrating and frankly felt a lot weaker than pro2’s both on QR…

no issues with pro2’s since one of the best changes i made!

How long have you had your Pro 2s? Get used to paying £20 for a set of bearings rather than 50p, by the way…. And they won’t last any longer either.

TBH it sounds like your mate was a bit of a crap mechanic, thy shouldn’t be going loose that fast, and once a year is good enough for servicing IME

I wish I still had the pics I took of the cones on some 4 year old Deore M525 hubs. Serviced once a year, one freehub replacement and the cones were utterly perfect, glassy smooth. 🙂

I’ve got 2 sets and like others I had a lot of problems with the rear loosening after a couple of rides. Got my LBS to rebuild it and it’s been fine for over 2 years. can’t fault them but strip and rebuild the rear before using.

I had the loosening problems as well.. always have with cup & cone even back on my bmx.

I have XT hubs on both bikes, 21/2 yrs on one and 5 on the other and they have been fine. My maintenance regime is minimal and my bike washing clumsy but they have survived incredibly well. Even the free hubs have given no trouble

thanks, still cant make up my mind lol 🙂

I think most of the negative comments to relate to the recent generation of xt.

FOG – Member
I have XT hubs on both bikes, 21/2 yrs on one and 5 on the other and they have been fine. My maintenance regime is minimal and my bike washing clumsy but they have survived incredibly well. Even the free hubs have given no trouble

+1.

What the hell do you lot do to hubs? 😆

I’ve been using various generations of XT back as far as 96 and NEVER had to rebuild after a few rides, and rarely had to rebuild one at all.

My current set on my FS must be over 3 years old, I’ve got a rear on an old HT which must be 8 years old. I can’t remember stripping either set (or my 2 year old Hope 2s), and they get ridden all year and through the wet Welsh winter…..

Ive had hope on most of my fleet and 3 years without any kind of servicing and maintenance and still run sweet.

Just acquired a bike with near as new xt 778 hubs and after 3 rides the front has seized on me.

If you want hassle free IMO hope all the way.

PS what kind of grease to use in the XT hubs? Does it need to be dura ace or what alternatives are there?

I use Castrol LM. Any quality grease will do, water resistant might be better.

I got some XT hubs off a friend about 5 years ago. As above, I took them apart immediately and gave them a good clean and grease, put them back together carefully. The back has long since been sold with a bike but the front is still going strong.

Bit heavy mind.

i use them on my SS winter bike and clean and grease every year. That is the hassle level above Hope IMHO a 1 hour job every year.

Shimano – only for those on less than £35K

What is it with servicing XT hubs all the time, am running an XT / 217 SUP wheel rear had build in 96, never serviced, still running fine, thinking the rim will give out before the hub.

You don’t ride much then? 😉

I gave up on Shi*mano years ago, endless shagged feehubs and driveside cones. A poor choice if you ride all year round.