Has anyone out there got a sound argument either way on this one?
It doesn't seem to be just down to price, as at the top end, Hope and Chris King go the freehub route whilst White Industries and Phil Wood stick to a traditional screw-on free-wheel design. The rest of the market from there on down seems to be pretty evenly divided.
My gut feeling is that it makes better maintenance and financial sense to buy a middle quality screw-on hub and just replace the free-wheel when necessary, rather than get into spares and repairs on the complete hub. First thoughts are Surly.
Any thoughts based on long term experience out there?
Thanks,
Rob

It's a good question. i went for the SS specific wheel and freewheel route and stuck a WI freewheel on. It has been faultless so far. My only gripe is the wheels aren't too light and I can't easily change the ratio (I use it for 'racing' as well as the usual dicking about)so I *might* change to the freehub and spacer route and get a few options with gearing.
We'll see.

I like freehub.

gives you the options of gears either on the bike or at a later date for the wheel, easy to change cogs, cheap and fancy cogs easily available, chainline adjustment is possible and easy.

do it properly and use a decent screw on. for a start a stack of spacers looks a bodge. Of course we don't know what your drop out spacing is. Are you converting a mountain bike spaced 135 or using a proper frame?

I've had enough crashes and ridden home fixed on a gimp enough times related to screw on freewheels to learn my lesson, I'd never go with anything other than a freehib now.

have used on-one ss hubs with wi FW for some years now. very good. mate tried hope freehub, with certain manufacturer's sprocket reputed to be wide of base, sharing it's name with a groovey armada beat combo, which wore out in no time, and he's back to same as me. am inclined to think the freehub might be the way to go, if you're starting from scratch, but maybe surly cogs?
otherwise i'm very happy with what i've been running for 2+ years, ta very much.

what samuri said.

Thanks for the input, folks.
On my budget, I think my present choices basically boil down to the Surly screw-on disk hub,a NOS Bontrager SS freehub that I have been offered, or the somewhat cheaper On-One offering. My tendancy is to go for the Bontrager (built by DT Swiss?), but no one seems to have too much to say about these.
Your collective thoughts, please!

No one in BMX uses screw on freehubs. No one really uses them in MTB. White, Paul, and Phil Wood are just reactionary. Get a Hope, they rule. 😉

if you're set on getting a screw-on then just get the on-one hub. cheap and very easy to service.

Regular freehub here, I don't really care if it looks like a bodge (my bikes are not anal vanity projects), runs for years, cogs are cheap and readily available, and freehubs are cheaper than WI freewheels (except perhaps xtr)

Freehubs just work, they're cheap to replace, you can adjust the chain line to just so… Screw ons are a throwback, and you have to spend quite a lot of money to get a decent one.

Bontrager (built by DT Swiss?), but no one seems to have too much to say about these
I had one that came off a GF Rig. It wasn't very good. The more expensive Bontrager wheels use/d DT hubs, almost certain these weren't DTs.

Used both here, now using Freehubs here, as Samuri mentioned, cheap bmx screw on don't last.

Also its easy to adjust the chain line with a freehub and cheaper to play around with different gear ratios.

Saying that, WI are nice 😉

Thanks, everyone, for the input.
I've dug deep into the piggy bank and gone for the Hope disk SS – British made, serviceable, adjustable chain-line, did I say British made?
Preparing myself for click, click, click……

Freehub here. Started years ago with screw ons but had too many 'failures most catastrophic' as did those using them around me. And those I know using WI aren't happy about the £££ to life that they are getting.
I find sprockets a bit easier to change, and I can keep a good selection of different ones for different areas or races.
Genarally freehubs give you a bit of notice before they pack in and lastly your singlespeed rear wheel can be put on your geared bike in emergencies and vice versa.

I have done both now and have never had an issue with either. I ran spacers on normal hubs for several bikes with no problems (surly cogs are most definitely the way to go) and have had a screw on DMR wheel for several years now.

I've found none of my freewheels have died suddenly but an AC one died from water a few years ago, I wore my ACS Claw out and it started skipping pawls after three years and I've currently got a cheap 6 quid on that I found in my spares box which is defying me and still working.

Freehub is easiest for swapping stuff around on but I've never had a serious issue using freewheels.