Forum menu
I’m thinking about building myself a nice light wheelset for my hardtail tonreplace the current e1900 one. Nothing wrong with them but they’re a bit heavy and unexciting I guess. No immediate hurry as they won’t get built until I get my new Marino hardtail frame (hopefully I’m time for my 40th in early December).
I’ve got Hope Pro 4’s on my fs bike and they’re ok - I could go with that option but I’m wondering about other options that maybe lighter. So far the short list is:
* Industry i9 Hydra - probably too expensive for me and someone I know just got a set so I’d prefer not to get exactly the same ones
* Erase Components - these are interesting but again they’re quite spendy - looking like 340 euros for the pair. Unknown quantity to me but they have titanium in them
* DT Swiss 240’s - very reliable - but possibly a very boring choice
* Chris King - I haven’t even looked at the cost of these as they’ll be above budget I’m sure
Planning on buying new - either 28 or 32 spokes depending on cost / availability etc.
Prob build with DT Swiss competition spokes and alu swuorx with DT XM421 rims. I don’t plan to run mega wide tyres so 25mm internal is fine and I think they’re a good compromise between weight and strength.
My only other consideration is the Pike on my bike is non-boost but the frame is boost. I’m weighing up sticking with the non-boost one and adding in the ultimate charger damper in due course or selling the current fork and getting a Pike ultimate.
Boring Hubs = Good hubs
Just get some jazzy stickers for them.
Ah - I’ve got black Pro 4’s and DT 370’s - I want something special this time ideally. If not I’ll just get more black Hope’s I expect.
DT240 for the win. I have had many exotic hubs, but none perform better or are as easy to service.
I'd get some that it's easy to get bits for - adaptors, freehubs, seals, bearings etc
I acknowledge Hope and DT are the sensible option - but what if I’d like a little more exotic and less sensible?
Bearing in mind I’ve taken a bit of a risk ordering a custom frame from Peru that they’ll be going on....(Reynolds 725 tubing so reasonably nice albeit not quite 853 nice)
I've come to the realisation that if something contains bearings, just get what works and isn't clearly a cheap (would-insert-a-country-name-here-but-doing-so-will-doubtless-incite-racial-disturbance-in-the-current-climate-for-incromprehensible-reasons) knock-off.
Onyx Vesper is very nice indeed. Not like and very spendy, but the silence and near zero drag of the freehub is fantastic.
I’ve used King hubs for years, truly lovely things, but the ever changing hub/frame standards could potential negate them. Last couple of hubs I’ve bought have been Novatec, put simply they work. Not as nice as King or even Hope, but I’m not bothered.
Second the Onyx Vesper if you're after exotic and good, if you want the best choice for me it's boring old (or the new 2021 version) 240s, they just do the job well and are easy to maintain and get spares for
The answers got to be DT240's.
A mechanic mate was building wheels using these hubs for a XCO team on the World Cup circuit, I think they look lovely, available in nice colours too:
https://www.aivee.fr/en/18-moyeux
235 grams for a rear, 120 grams for a front.
XTR, obviously.
Tune - look good.
Newmen - from bike discount in Germany.
Royce - expensive but, apparently, v good.
No cup and cone bearings for me - so Shimano and King are out.
I’d rather just fit and forget cartridge bearings and replace them when they die. I’d rather spend my maintenance time on servicing suspension etc
DT Swiss 350s. You don’t need anything else.
Tune - that’s a make I’d forgotten about. Will add to the list to checkout prices etc.
This sounds tacky but I wonder what a hub that was finished in an oil slick finish would be like? Maybe too much tbh....maybe I’ll just stick to a Sram oil slick chain and call that enough bling.
I’d rather just fit and forget cartridge bearings and replace them when they die.
Sounds like boring hubs are exactly what you need 😅
DT ftw. Simply miles better than anything else at similar budget.
I love the silence and engagement of my onyx hubs, but v pricy.
Aren't the Onyx pretty heavy?
I've read quite a few tales where i9s turned out to be a bit of a maintenance headache. Puts me right off tbh.
I've never had an issue with Hope or Dt350s. Even on my new bike where I'm looking at posh XTR bits I can't see the point in paying any more. A set of Hydras is what, about £400 more than Pro4s? I'd spend that money on the Pike Ultimate upgrade tbh!
Fit forget and ride. Unfortunately I must recommend XT. Dismiss artisan and bespoke. Nobody will see the hubs if you are shredding it. 😁 essentially it is high-quality bearings in an aluminium case. No need to complicate. XT wrote the blueprint and the rest seek your attention.
DT 240's.
Its like sticking a Chris King headset in. You just do it once.
I have some Easton x4's and try getting service out of Silverfish or even Easton themselves - forget it. To be told to look on Ebay for second hand parts is not real customer service.
Get something with backup!
Ivm in a similar situation - got a refund voucher for some failed wheels and looking to buy soem decent hubs and build them into XM481s.
Hope were my go to option having used them before, however DT350 are looking increasingly appealing as ive been enjoying my almost silent mavic ratchet freehub on the other bike - presume DTa are similarly quiet?
Any thoughts on straight pull option too?
Tune hubs are very posh & light hubs King hubs nice engineering but not light & expensive & to change axle etc expensive.
Am currently running Acros hubs very loud & not cheap, ratchet hub like DT Swiss similar weight to 240s
Absolute Black make some trick looking hubs.
XT weigh a ton and need ten times more maintenance than cartridge bearing hubs. Swapped mine for American Classic which are lovely, light n smoov. Think they’re out of business now. Shame.
Halo on my other bike, they make nice hubs.
Is it me or do the Absolute Black hubs only come in non-boost? I can’t decide if I like the shape of them or not but it’s definitely different.
Those Acros hubs are pretty light - they can go on the list.
So:
Hope Pro4 as the ‘cheap’ option and known quantity
DT 240 for lightness and reliability - the sensible option / but quite pricey.
Acros - very light, pretty expensive but do-able I think
Erase - also pricey but pretty light and really unusual I think
Industry 9 - best pickup by far out of all the options but very spendy.
240s or new 240.
DT 240/350, or if I could justify the cost definitely Onyx. I've noticed some alternative ratchet style hubs are a lot louder than DT. Got some older Newmen wheels and the rear hub is very loud, also the bearing adjustment system is crap but they have gotten rid of that since. Wouldn't fancy anything that buzzes like Industry 9 personally.
Fast engagement is key. Once you’ve tried an Onyx or a Hydra, everything else will feel broken. Like V brakes vs twinpot hydrolics Or a Mag 21 vs a Pike
I'm extremely happy with my 5yr old DT240s. The new ones look even better. I'll not look any further (though quiet running is essential for me so that rules many out).
do you want bling colours or just a light hub?
I've got 240s on my bike/240/350 combo on samuels bike and hope on lewis's bike.
only used hope for the bling orange colour or they would have been 240s as well.
Fast engagement is key
To a (actually quite low) point, I certainly wouldn’t pay more for more POE, beyond 70 odd.
I’ve recently got a hydra on the rear to replace a torch. It’s a lovely thing and the engagement is unreal. The noise it makes with the 690 points of engagement can be a bit too much though. It’s not as loud as the old torch but there’s something about the frequency of it that I find a bit annoying. Even when pushing the bike it sounds like you’re doing 50mph, I’ve had walkers leap out of the way when I’m just rolling along at walking pace. My mate has got an onyx hub, polar opposite but it’s amazing. The engagement is instant but there’s a softness to it when you stamp on the pedals, a bit rubbery yet very solid feeling at the same time. Almost damped. Hard to describe really. The thing I love the most though is it’s dead silent, When I’ve had a go on his bike all you can hear is the tyres gripping the trail, it’s ace.
Faster engagement is always a trade off as it necessitates a finer mechanism with smaller teeth. Even the sprag clutch Onyx hubs aren't immune to this, inside that clutch are loads of very small moving parts.
The finer the mechanism, the harder time it's going to have coping when stuff starts to get in past the seals and the more likely it is to fail or just require more regular servicing.
Obviously hubs made to very high tolerances with very good sealing can offset this to a degree, but if 'fit and forget' is your priority then I'd be wary of any super fast engaging hubs, especially if you're an all weather rider or not fond of working on them.
Royce or Mack hubs. Nice, unique and light.
DT 370 suck.
350 really good, 240 epic.
Other stuff is bling..
Pedal kickback becomes more pronounced with higher engagement point hubs on some suspension bikes. I've had all the DT ratchets, 18 teeth felt horrible, so much wasted crank rotation, 36 is just about right in my opinion. Got a 54 now which is nice, more than enough really, not too much buzz, but being on a VPP Intense I can feel a bit of kickback occasionally that probably wouldn't be noticeable with the 36.
Might be worth watching this:
hatter
Subscriber
Faster engagement is always a trade off as it necessitates a finer mechanism with smaller teeth. Even the sprag clutch Onyx hubs aren’t immune to this, inside that clutch are loads of very small moving parts.The finer the mechanism, the harder time it’s going to have coping when stuff starts to get in past the seals and the more likely it is to fail or just require more regular servicing.
Obviously hubs made to very high tolerances with very good sealing can offset this to a degree, but if ‘fit and forget’ is your priority then I’d be wary of any super fast engaging hubs, especially if you’re an all weather rider or not fond of working on them.
While this is a sound theory, it should be noted that on most hubs, the chosen mechanism is located at the point where the hub shell and freehub body come apart.
On the Onyx, the sprag bearing is actually in-between the two hub shell bearings. It's not impervious to dirt, but the bearings will suffer long before the sprags do.
Not sure I can ever remember seeing dirt inside the hub shell when replacing bearings.
Cheers for all the replies again.
Onyx is out if they’re really quiet. I didn’t used to like loud hubs but I’ve changed my mind on that now.
The 370’s I’ve got currently are quite clicky and I like that. Then I got Hunts on the road bike and Hopes on my full suss bike and I like them even more for the noise.
The hydras on my mates bike make the Hopes sound a bit agricultural - I haven’t ridden that bike though to see if it would get too wearing or not. I’m not sure I’m highly sensitive to pickup as the 370’s are pretty slow and feel ok - but they do feel less instant than the Hopes or the Hunts (but then the Hunts are on a road bike with no slack anywhere).
I don’t think I’m after bling colours - the new bike is probably going to be painted a deep blue - something like midnight blue candy metallic with either metal flake or a flip in it to black.
I want it to be reasonably light, decent handling and kind of expensive looking but quite subtle. So probably not any anodised colours as I’m not sure it would look good with the blue. Hunt rims would probably look better than the Dt ones in terms of the plain finish ironically.
Extralite Hubs?
Pretty exotic, light as heck...
BTW, are they still making DT Swiss 240 in QR flavour for OLD135 and OLD100 disc?
Seems to be unable to find any other QR than 130/100, road, non-disc...
Cheers!
I.
Noisy hubs are good for riding in BC - lets the bears know you are about!
Wish I could get out there this summer.
If you want boring reliability with a bit of flash, then some of the pre-built DT Swiss wheels are good. For example my E1700 wheels come with 350 hubs, but they're painted white pearlescent which is nice.
Currently showing as not in stock, but you could email & enquire...
Rideworks are 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 made 👌
Personally I wouldn't go near I9 hubs. I've ranted before about them but I've had nowt but trouble with the three sets I've had. My brother has a spare Hydra sat in his shed - it's never been ridden yet playing about with it a few weekends ago, it was getting crazy tight. Just from sitting there.
I like Hope and King - don't mind 240's but as you say they're a bit dull. Today I'm going to build up a Superstar V6 after my Halo Supradrive shit itself for the 4th time in 200km. Will be interesting to see how it lasts.
Shimano and DT 350 / 240s are the only hubs on my MTB shortlists these days. Halo for TW-made hubs as they support them with spares and source from a good supplier.
I've used Hopes exclusively since the late 90s. Never had a single problem with them. Yes they're not "posh" but unlike pretty much all other bike components I've used over the years/decades, I've found them to be faultless and personally I'd prefer to have the dependability of a bike that works over something thats a touch lighter/"posh-er".