Looking for another set of wheels…and inevitably looking at another set of pro 2 hubs.

Can anyone talk me out of it? Anything else worth looking at or are they still the best things since sliced bread?

Still my first option.

Easy to work on, reliable, easily convertible.

Now I have the bearing tools it just makes sense to keep using the same.

Very happy with my DT Swiss 350’s. Roll better than my other, Hope hub’d, wheels. About the same price as Pro2’s too.

I’m not very well experienced in what hubs are betterer than others as I only have hopes and generic hubs to compare..

I suppose if I had the cash or the inclination I’d consider some higher end DT’s or i9 or Ck’s.. But i really like my current hope evo 2, so I don’t have the inclination. And I certainly don’t have the cash,

DT 350s are significantly cheaper, but not as easily converted to as many options.

Our three sets of Hope hubs are 7, 9 and not sure (bulbs) years in. Easy to work on, mega reliable. I basically change bearings occasionally and very rarely a worn pawl.

Honestly I wouldn’t touch I9’s. I’ve just written this on pink bike but its relevant here

bought a set of Reynolds carbon AM 29er wheels laced to I9 torch hubs. Within two months they needed a full bearing replacement, front and rear. a month later the free hub bearings went again, the inner race collapsed completely which allowed the cassette to lunch on the rear mech. A new free hub, mech and another set of bearings later, they lasted another 3 dry months before the wobble came back again. At which point I sold them and built up some LB’s on Hope ProII’s. Another bonus was that the seals were so loose on the free hub that taking the back wheel out, the cassette would just fall off, spitting springs and pawls everywhere. Always nice when you’re fixing a puncture mid ride and that happens. I’d care a spare couple of pawls in my back pocket to replace them when the inevitable happened.

Another set on an all out XC race bike were laced to some STans 355’s – new old stock 26ers, Again, three races in (these were my race only wheels) I had the dreaded bearing wobble and again it lunched another free hub. Speaking to the UK importer, they said that the free hubs were a weak point and that they’d changed the design. So another £80 and three months later it shat itself again.

I’ll never have another set – they’re rubbish. They look lovely and with the red hubs and red spokes they looked pimp, but they don’t last. I rank them up there with Crank Bros products – function follows form.

I’ve had Tune and King too, the King was lovely but crazy money. The Tune was nice enough but nothing special. I’d still go Hope every time and put up with the weight penalty.

Love hope hubs. Been on them for years. I’m currently holding out for some pro 4 in the new year for my new build. That does mean I might have some pro ii evo on flow rims (26″) for sale soon as new bike will be 650b busy making the trail come alive.

Haha. Well it was worth a try. Hope again it is.

Yeah,

There really is no better choice than Hope.

I’m not a fanboy of the brand, its just pure economics.

With new standards coming out every 2 weeks being able to convert their fitments so easy is great.

I went through a thought process that basically went “If you could get DT240S hubs for the same price as Pro 2s, you’d have to be an absolute idiot to get the Hopes”. And then I got some used DT240S in a wheelset. Ends up costing about £100 for some of the best hubs ever made, sorted.

240 front is a waste of money though, aside from it’s flexibility. and this is no better or worse than that provided by hope. i have one and it now has £2.50 bearings in it, after the OEM shat themselves after about 4 months use.

Aye, I’d never buy a new one tbh.

I’d used Hope hubs for years

but then noticed DT 350 hubs and found them to be very well priced and super durable, really well sealed, long lasting bearings and a great free hub mechanism

the 240’s are only worth buying if you want more axle options in the future (mainly the front hub), but with the price of the 350 its not a catastrophe if you have to sell and buy another hub to suit a new fork.

More Hope love here. When you have a world class British made product why not support the business and UK jobs ?

Err, what weight penalty? The Hope is 305g, the DT Swiss 350, 300g, the Chris King is 336g, the i9 is 250g (avg – depends on fittings). So only the i9 is lighter.

With it being a hub I wouldn’t worry about any of the above weights, five seconds of riding through mud will negate any difference.

I would buy DT 240 if i had a big pot of money; and have a couple of sets already, but to be honest not sure i’ve ever noticed the difference between them and my pro 2s.

And if you buy Hope you can save the cost / weight of a bell on your bike by simply freewheeling when you come up behind someone.

That said every time I get a choice in hubs, it’s Hope.

Just gonna hijack this a little.

I’m thinking the same thing today as I’m going to be “upgrading” to 650b soon and will need a new wheelset. Having always had Hope hubs I was just going to stick with what I know as they’ve been totally trouble and maintenance free for about 3 years.

However, Superstar have got 25% off today so these http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/sentinel-tesla-trail-wheelset.htm come in at about £180.

That’s a saving of £150ish on the Hope wheels, but I’m a big fan of familiarity! At what point does the cost saving beat the longevity/reputation!!?

So, pro 4 hubs now available. Noticed a lovely violet colour on the vital review of them. Wonder if it’s purple with fancy lighting or a swanky new colour.