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So the rear hub on my cross bike had been making some power bang noises recently, took it apart today and whoa... 2 of the pawl springs had disintegrated. It's done less than a year, not that much use as I only ride the crosser in the winter really. Lucky it didn't fail on me miles from home. Worth a quick strip down and check every now and again.
Been doing that since their introduction, we don't service them without changing the springs as a matter of course.
Even after so little use? Bit rubbish. Those springs are wafer thin.
They don't seem as reliable as other hope products.
I've got a rear pro2 hub that's had weekly use since 2009 (this includes about 6-8 weeks of alps riding iver the years). Everything about it works perfectly - I strip & clean it every few months but never had to replace anything yet. I got the front at the same time and the bearings have only just starting to rumble a bit.
Possibly the most reliable product I've ever bought.
I am about to strip down my Pro II on my Soul for the first time in 5 years (ahem) - never missed a beat through weekly use and I'm heavy. I do have new springs amd pawls ready to go in!
Had that happen a few times on holidays. Here´s a story that might help if it happens to you on the trail. The last time it happened was in the middle of nowhere on the skills week I organise with Ed Oxley, the guy was gutted because he thought it was at least his day over. I managed to open the hub up, cut little strips from zip-ties and fold them to make a little spring and carefully reinsert it all. It lasted the rest of the holiday no problems at all and I would suspect was used for a while afterwards!
My dh bike [i]still[/i] has a cable-tie spring in it 😳 Every time this thread comes up I think i'll change it then I forget. Works really well, though.
The stock springs seem variable, I've gone through tonnes but if they were all like that you'd never heard anything else but complaints, as it is I guess I'm unlucky (I put in a whole new set before going out to white room, came back a week later with 2 broken, that was a bit eye-opening)
Touch wood mine have been fine.
I split an original pro2 in half, and the replacement Evo has been on the SS for about a year with no complaints.
I wonder if Northwinds failure was due to lots more freewheeling in the alps than in the UK? Not sure if mine being SS is a blessing or curse, i suppose it means that there's not a cassette funneling the mud down to the hub and forcing it through the seal?
Got to agree though, you hear a lot more issues with Pro2's than I ever heard of with XC's or bulbs, but maybe they sell more of them as cycling has become popular. I've still got an XC on my pitch, which again touch wood has had nothing except the bearings changed.
mine has been terrible, ive had a bearing failure which destroyed so badly i had to buy a new axle assembly and it also left me mid way down the nutcracker and suddenly on a fixie!!!not too safe!
pawl springs break with frightening regularity, all in all I'm really dissapointed with this one, my bulb was faultless for years...wish i had never 'upgraded'