I'm currently mid-wrangle for a warranty after a relatively expensive rear hub has developed slipping in the freehub, conveniently after one year… 🙁

For various reasons I won't be able to fight the warranty very hard, so if it comes to a replacement rear hub, whats good, especially in the freehub?

I was sold on the DT 340 hub as it was about half the price of a Chris King and I hear the freehub is easily serviced and reliable. I couldn't find any info on the freehub bodies though, are they alu or steel?

How about Hadley hubs? Bit of an unknown but apparently popular with Tandem riders?

cheers

IIRC the hadly hubs are reliable with the tandem crew if maintained a lot – the seals are not up to much – from memory of others experience – not first hand.

Why not Hope – or is it one of them you have had issues with?

DT hubs use an alu. cassette carrier and they are very reliable and easy to pull apart for a clean and grease. How ever they cut up really badly and I always have to file burrs off mine when changing cassettes.

I've got a Hadley on my 5 Spot and like it a lot. No issues so far. I also have a DT 440 hub, the body of which split across a spoke hole and then across the hub body. I have a feeling they need special tools to dismantle. For the money, Hope XCs are still hard to beat with a good warranty too.

Whats wrong with hope ian ?

been running hopes for years on road and mtb and dh …..when i need hubs they are the first place i look !

Hope seems like the glaringly obvious answer here…

My 14 year old one is still going fine…

I've ahad a 12mm 240 for two years and apart from bearings its been fine

Re: Hope, the freehub on my old XC occasionally slipped, plus I was never wildy impressed with bearing durability, perhaps I just needed to replace the bearings with some better ones.

Are Pro2 freehubs as simple and as serviceable as the XCs?

One thing that attracted me to DT is that they can run centrelock (clue to the malfunctioning hub I currently have… 🙄 ) which would mean I didn't need to fork out for new rotors, although one of those is developing play as we speak, top marks all round Shimano!

Had the same issues as Ian re: Hope XC hub. My 340 rear hub has given me zero problems in the 3.5years I've had it so far *goes off to touch some wood*

I wouldn't ever service it myself though so no comment there…

DT star ratchet is a very good system but I found it prone to sticking in the very cold temps we had recently -10 and below. Hope might "only" be 3 pawl but my riding buddies had no such problems with their hubs.

From a DIY pov the rear hub design is badly let down by the fact you need a special tool to remove the star ratchet ring to get at the inner freehub bearing. The tool is similar to a shimano BB tool costing £5 – £10 but DT, or perhaps their importers, feel it's somehow reasonable to charge circa £55. Fcekin robbery…

Also, DT powdercoat their hub bodies and this does flake off around the hub flanges over time

My Traversees have DT internals, fantastic hub… Decently quick takeup, low noise, and so far completely reliable. But then my XT hub was also completely reliable.

Just gone with Hope for a second set, I'd have loved a DT hub for this set too but not at the price they are seperate.

Are Pro2 freehubs as simple and as serviceable as the XCs?

I am really bad a fixing things and i can do this job simple.Knock out old bearings slide in the new ones that is it.They have lasted me ages now just make sure you put a spider cassette as cheap cassettes really dig into the alloy freehub thus making taking them off a PITA

Interesting…

I've got an old Hope XC with a Ti freehub currently holding my girlfriend's bike up, could just overhaul it and run that for the time being, but I'm really hankering for a hub that I can really lay the power through without worrying about skipping. The DT still sounds like a good bet, service niggles aside (there must be shops that could do that for you?).

And there was me thinking XTR would be the last hub I ever bought 🙁

13thfloormonk
i am really guilty of not changing gear and pushing a big gear uphill and the pro 2s have really stood up well.I know loads of people with them and i have never heard any compliant.I have three wheel sets all built on them on

My only DT hub experience was a bad and expensive one.

I've had about 10 sets of DT hubs and they've all been awesome. I've only once needed to replace the 'inner' bearing in about 7 years, so it's not a particular issue that you need the tool to get at it, the outer bearings tend to die first!

>there must be shops that could do that for you?).,
<

Sure, but I prefer to do my own service work wherever possible and I suspect many bike shops don't have the DT tools. I have a pair of 440's I'm selling if you are interested. DT made a run for Magura so branded with Magura logos. Front is 20mm with new Enduro bearings in and not ridden since. Rear is 135mm QR and could do with the aforementioned bearing being cleaned and regreased or possibly replaced. Quite rare I'd guess – Merlin built them up with DT 5.1's

My ratchet issue could just have been down to them needing a clean. One big spring and 36 point engagement is certainly a better solution than 3 tiny pawls and 3 tiny springs

I agree heatherbash, not a fan of 'black boxes' on my bike that I can't fix, however one bearing I can live with.

I'd be interested in the rear hub if its a hub only, but it'll be a few weeks before I know if I'm buying or not, who knows, I might even get my XTR warrantied…

Never had a problem with my hub skipping, and I'll bet the Bike Works will service the hub for you. They are quite noisy though – comparable with Hope!

I've got an old Hope XC with a Ti freehub currently holding my girlfriend's bike up, could just overhaul it and run that for the time being, but I'm really hankering for a hub that I can really lay the power through without worrying about skipping.

It's too good for her. Have it away! I've got one of them. 5 years old and I've cleaned the freehub twice. It makes a really satisfying clang when it engages and has never skipped. Hope XC freehubs need quite light grease as the springs are quite shandy.. Finishline seems to work.

Of the 10 or so DT wheelsets we have on the bikes right now, only one hub has had any issues… 440fr front, bearings got a bit tight. Wheelset is 4years old now though and seen more than its fair share of action.
Yep, they all have some freehub spline markings from cassettes, but nothing too worrying. This is only an issue with single cassette gears, the ones on the alloy spider carrier don't cause any harm.

DT have a quicker pickup (36T vs 18T) star ratchet now too if that's your thing.

I like that they are noisy enough to remind you to pedal, but not loud enough to be downright annoying 🙂

ian – got 2 pro 2s here ran SS

neither have ever slipped

1 has had 3 new pawl springs after 5 years. still original bearings !

the xc i had for a year before i got the second pro 2 for my race bike – its bearings were abyssmal

Having destroyed another brand's freehub (on a £380 wheelset so not extortionate but should work) within 25 miles of gentle riding, I went back to Hope.

My wife and I have 5 Hope hubbed wheelsets between us, ranging from lesss than 12 weeks to over 12 years old, ProIIs back to the old Mono XCs and we're yet to experience a failure.

Five year warranty is it at the moment? And from other stories on here when you actually need their warranty, they honour it.

So my vote is Hope. Boring, but that's the way I like my hubs. (Boring brakes are also good)

Hope hubs are a no brainer really, yes the bearing do wear out, however its not a major job to replace them, and if they do fail then Hope actually honour there warranty or if its your fault they do there best to sort you out.

Owned Hopes in the past but I'm not sure they are any better than the sundry other brands kicking around with the same generic design. Hope customer servise is superb though. Unfortunately the racket off the Pro 2's is enough to put me off them. DT by comparison are very quiet…

Hope are good value at present though with the £ being in the sh1tter against other currencies.

13th FM – would prefer to sell as a pair and they are wheelsets (rear rim needs replaced but front is in good condition) but let me know if you change your mind

All good advice, thanks!

Think the sensible option is refurbish my old XC and give it another chance, but save up for some DTs in the meantime. Has anyone experimented with stronger springs under the XC pawls? 😉

Thankfully my gf hates the noise of the XC anyway so it shouldn't be too hard to wrest it back from her.

DT star ratchet is a very good system but I found it prone to sticking in the very cold temps we had recently -10 and below.

Fish the carrier off, give it a clean, use a lighter lube. That fixed mine when we had the snow. 5 minute job.