If you are going to run your bike SS only would you go for a SS specific rear hub or would you go with a regular hub? The frame has an EBB so a bolt thru rear axle is not required.

I understand that the main difference is the body of the SS hub is steel compared to aluminium and this obviously comes with a bit of a weight penalty.

Is it worth the compromise? Would the SS cog damage the aluminium hub?

Do you mean a true SS hub that takes a screw on freewheel ONLY or a ‘singlespeed’ hub that’s a normal cassette hub with a steel freehub body?
(Or something in between, and yes there is such a thing!)

SS hubs have no dishing, so can be built stronger. Or you can build them lighter for the same strength.

And if you get what PP suggests, screw-on freewheel hubs are very simple mechanically. Usually only 2 hub bearings in them (50p upwards to replace) and Shimano freewheels only cost about £15 (to replace your cog AND freewheel mechanism).

better dish with a screw on type frewheel = strongerer

Thanks for the replies Guys!

In this case, I was looking at the Hope Pro 2 EVO hubs with the SS specific one having a normal cassette hub with a steel freehub body.

That’s a shiny thing, but a lot of expense, and you’ll have the hassle of drifting out those awkward bearings from inside the freehub at regular intervals (assuming you’re going to ride it a lot!).

I’d be looking at something like:
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/30777/DMR_SingleSpeed_Rear_Hub
or maybe one of these:
http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/135mm_fixed_hubs/c21.html

Seeing as On-one haven’t got their version of the “Revolver” listed at the moment.

The hope SS/trials isn’t quite a normal freehub, the freehub bit is smaller to increase dish on the wheel but you still get room for spacers to allow flexibility in getting your chainline perfect. Also could run Dingle if you want to.

I think it has more points of engagement too, but don’t quote me on that.

I have the SS/Trials Hope rear wheel, it’s basically a 5-speed cassette body, so better dishing and scope to adjust chainline.

Mine is the bolt-in version rather than bolt-through, which I have found makes it a lot easier to remove and install the wheel, because it can be quite difficult to drift an axle out against the chain tension. Definitely worth getting that feature if you can from my point of view.

Don’t know if there are more points of engagement as it’s the only Hope hub I own, but it’s a proper chainsaw noise that comes out of it.

IIRC the pawls are offset slightly in the trials hub so that only half of them engage at any one time, the upside of that is that they engage twice as often. Presumably there’s a (possibly durability) reason why they don’t do this in the conventional hub? Phone Hope and ask them I’m sure they’ll be able to advise.

IME freewheel (as oposed to freehub like hope) hubs are old skool, old tech and out dated. Yes W.I. freewheels can be rebuilt, but they cost £60, and you need another one each time you change ratio. Freehub designs cost a bit more for the hub, but they can be adjusted for chainline and thick based sprockets are only ~£20 or just buy a sora/tigra 11-23 cassette for more ratios than you can shake a stick at..

ss specific hubs (eg screw on) are for looks. no real world benefit and in fact most are less reliable due to crappy freehubs which are far less reliable, even the expensive ones IME.

plus standard cassette ones are usually easier to get your chainline right with and you can use them on your geared bikes if you want/need.

I bought some SS wheels and the nicest ones have been the Bonty SS. Heavy but durable. SSC make some pretty hubs too.
BTW I have a 29er SS set for sale if anybody wants.

WI freewheel is great at putting up with mud and grit through the winter. But ’tis true that changing to a different sized sprocket is much more involved than with a regular freehub.

So I guess if you’re the kind of person who is unable to make up their mind as to what ratio to have, and can’t just MTFU, then a freehub is for you 🙂

wouldnt swap my pro22 SS for the world … its still on original bearings – went through a period of about 3 years of doing ALL my riding on it ! – they need replaced now after the puffer killed them !

Interesting one, this.

A dishless SS cassette or screw-on hub will, in theory be stronger, and therefore can be built lighter.

I’ve just sold my DMR Revolver on 717, and I’m going with an old Hope XC on 317. The reasons for this are simply that, at some point, I may want to run gears on my Singular Hummingbird, and also that two rear wheels for the bike was a bit of a luxury. Otherwise, the only downside I could see was that, if I wanted to change ratios, I was a bit stuck. I’d have to buy another freewheel at vast expense. It’s not really been an issue before, mind.

The DMR has been completely reliable, and the WI freewheel I ran for the last three or four years has had not a single hiccup. I stripped it down recently, and aside from a quick degrease and re-oil, it needed for nothing.

In short: screw-on hub for a cheap build, but you’ll have to pay through the nose for a good enough freehub. Or just buy a standard wheel and spacers and run your choice of sprocket. You can then use it on other bikes as and when you want.

I looked at the singlespeed cassette hubs a while back, and they seem like too much of a compromise, if that makes sense. You have to pay an (albeit) small premium for them when you’re pretty much, to all intents and purposes, buying a normal hub.

My advice: if you don’t trash wheels regularly, just get a bog standard rear cassette wheel and space out a sprocket. It’ll be cheaper than a SS cassette hub, you can use it on geared bikes, and you can change the ratio as and when you like.

HTH!

old XC had a steel freehub body unless you upgraded it to ti …

do that with a pro2 and youll cut through your free hub with standard SS cogs – Wide base cogs how ever are fine … even on my Pro 2 SP hubs

the other advantage of running a single cog on a standard freehub is that you can adjust the chainline far more easily using spacers at the back.

Standard wheels every time.
Whoever grumbled that their dished wheel wasn’t strong enough?

Trail rat – aye, steel freehub body, but I only ever use wide based cogs, tbh. No reason not to. Now you mentioned the Ti option, I’ve to the upgrade fever. Bah!

I have the SS/Trials Hope rear wheel, it’s basically a 5-speed cassette body, so better dishing and scope to adjust chainline.

I can fit 7 9sp cogs on my Hope SS hub. Having a dishless rear wheel is *very* nice I have to say in terms of a stiffer build.

doof doof – noticeably stiffer? Do you trash wheels on a regular basis? I’m not trying to call you out or anything, by the way – I’m curious. I haven’t trashed a rear wheel in a long, long time, and have to say I don’t notice the difference between my dished and dishless rear wheels on the singlespeed. And I was able to tell the difference between a 317 and a Stan’s Olympic build in terms of stiffness.

No problems with my Surly/WI set-up. Very smooth.
No difference in stifness to the std XT hub with a spacer set-up I ran before. Just a nicer sound from the WI. 😉

IMAG0327 by pten2106, on Flickr