As I don’t have the dosh for a pair of Sektors + a new front wheel + a post mount front brake I’m thinking of getting a front Hope Hoop on Stan’s Flow Rims and a bolt through axle for my 2005 Fox TALAS 32’s.

Has anyone had a go a doing that kind of thing? Does it work and if so how much stiffer? Any recomendations on axles?

Ta, J

yes on my 04 floats noticeable stiffer with a superstar one like his…..

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=286

Do they do them in non-QR (i.e. hex bolt)? That might be slightly stiffer still.

Kimbers I don’t need one but like that idea what size hub doo dads do you use for it?

You can’t go bolt through, but you can go 9mm through axel with some hubs.

You might find pro’2 stiffer anyway as they have a 20mm axel inside. My hope XC wheels are stiffer than my shimano ones, and hope bulb made stiffer wheeels again, all with similar flange sizes so I’d put it down to axel size.

I did something similar and it was a definite improvement, not as good as having a stiff fork in the first place though.

I used one of the DT Swiss RWS axles, mainly because I was in the States at the time and Superstar wouldn’t ship there.

yeah – those hubs that use a solid axle all the way through are much stiffer than QR ones.

Do they do them in non-QR (i.e. hex bolt)? That might be slightly stiffer still.

In theory there should not be any difference, all a bolt does is apply a force, a qr does the same thing, if done up tight enough..

In theory there should not be any difference, all a bolt does is apply a force, a qr does the same thing, if done up tight enough..

I reckon you could do a hex nut up tighter than a QR though.

I reckon you could do a hex nut up tighter than a QR though.

Yeah I can see your point, but there is a point where it cannot get any tighter and if you apply any more force greater than that then there are other issues…

but there is a point where it cannot get any tighter

Yes, when it snaps!

This confuses me slightly. Which hubs are compatible with the 9mm superstar skewers? Only Dt etc or are Pro2s compatible or do they need to be converted?

Pro2’s are but need converting with a readily available kit 🙂

I have Shimano hubs and have been investigating replacing the 9mm threaded hollow axle and QR, with a 9mm threaded solid axle and track nuts. This is very cheap to do but means you have to carry a spanner on rides.

Whether this significantly stiffens the lowers/axle interface is a moot point since the shape and surface area of the interface is unchanged. At least with a solid axle it should be more rigid, and you can do up track nuts silly tight. Forks that have bolt-thru lowers have a much bigger interface with the axle which is why they should be much stiffer.

It’s a tough one because the upgrade cost to a bolt-thru fork and supporting wheels is ~500 notes.

pro2s are compatible and you need the conversion kit for 9mm thru axel
if you ask nicely you should be able to get them already specced

dt also do them, probably superstar too, but i havent checked, i think halo combats and specialised stout hubs are all convertible too

Does anyone have a link to where I could purchase the Hope converion kit? I am interested in doing this with my forks but can’t seem to find the right thing on CRC etc.

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/176/hub443/hope-pro-2-front-9mm-thru-bolt-conversion-kit.html

Brilliant, thanks!

OOO, im all over that pro2 conversion kit!
i had one of brants 9mm 456 hubs, which was great until it came to replacing the bearings, and it turns out you cant! (rubbish)

pro2 conversion and im back in the game!

Excuse the idiotic post but can the Superstars QR be used as a direct replacement for a standard hollow QR?

i had one of brants 9mm 456 hubs, which was great until it came to replacing the bearings, and it turns out you cant! (rubbish)

Can’t they be changed? Just finishing a build with one now – Joytech aren’t they?

Sadly no they can’t, at least for cup and cone hubs. The axle has to be threaded to take the cone/washer/nut arrangement*. With cartridge bearing hubs, it depends if the ends(?) are designed to be replaceable/interchangeable. Hope Pro II, Superstar Switch and DTSwiss 240 are examples of such hubs.

I would be interested if anyone has attempted conversion of DTSwiss 370 hubs using the DTSwiss 240 ends, as I have these and they are not designed for it.

* as in my previous post, I found out that with Shimano 9mm QR hubs, you can replace the hollow 9mm axle with a longer solid one that still has the necessary threading. Then you can use track nuts instead of a QR skewer.

Excuse the idiotic post but can the Superstars QR be used as a direct replacement for a standard hollow QR?

im not sure what you mean? do you mean removing the Qr and then the axel itself from a standard hub?

Back to my original post – I’ve currently got a Hope XC. I’m guessing the PRO II is the way to go?

J

yes proIIs get my vote

Probably (other adaptable hubs are available), the XC can’t take different axle/end caps. Pro2 has 20mm axle and can swap end caps for QR, 15mm, 20mm bolt, maxle etc etc, but not lefty or Maverick as they’re 25mm or something even weirder.

In other words, can I convert a Hope XC to work with a 9mm threaded solid axle and track nuts? Or do I need to go Pro II + kit + 9 mm QR? The Solid axle + Track nuts has to be stiffest if not the prettiest or lightest. (also the cheapest!!!)

i had a good look around sv, and could find no instructions.
they can be bought under a few brands.
Also, once the hub had finally siezed and the wheel was pretty much unusable, i took a hammer to it. The bearings appear to be press fitted, but the shape of the internals means that once they are seated, you cant get a drift behind them to get them out.

Do you know how in a hope freehub, you have to shift a spacer to one side, to be able to get the drift behind the bearings?
well in these, the spacer in the middle is fixed, a part of the shell, so cant be removed.
not that my hammer and I could work out at least.

on the plus side, the flange measurements are close enough that i bought a new hope pro2 (QR) and transplanted the rim and old spokes across directly

Sorry!

“can I convert a Hope XC to work with a 9mm threaded solid axle and track nuts?”

Sorry no I don’t think you can. It’s because I don’t think Hope XC uses threaded axles – the axle ends are a press fit, not the same as Shimano threaded on bearing cups. Sorry if I have hijacked/confused matters.

does the stiffness really lie with the size of the axel?

took a rental bike out yesterday and despite it having a 20mm axel it felt as floppy as a floppy thing. looked at the spokes and they were (IMO) too loose. maybe have a look at tightening the spokes up *

*maybe crap advise.

Cheers Olly.