Hello STW,

Long-time lurker, but I have found out I registered a few years back without introducing myself. Apologies for the rudeness, my name is Simon. I may have a few silly questions coming up, so bear with me, I do try Google before typing this nonsense.

I am in the market for a Cotic Escapade to build up as a bridleway/ “light singletrack”/ road bike/ do-it-all bike. Dirty words for sure, but I’ve wanted something of this ilk for a long time and it will happen for better or worse.

Now, the front forks and their 9mm thru axle. This is baffling to me, I don’t really understand it. Is it purely just another size of axle? how are the hubs held in place? With a Quick Release?

Cotic Escapade

I am looking at this hub. Will it fit the forks? I know Hope amongst others do hubs that will work, but I am trying to keep costs down, plus I favour Shimano (for illogical reasons), and like being able to service my bike myself.

Thanks in advance for your help 😀
Si.

The same wheels used to be specced on the Cotic X (which appears to have become the Escapade), so standard 9mm QR axle, without the slots.
Hope hubs are much easier to maintain DIY than Shimano IME. Cost is another matter, though I’ved never re-rimmed a shimano hub…….unlike some ‘000mile Hope hubs I’ve abused.

Very little of the >x< made it to the Escapade. Just about everything is different.

Anyway… front hub is the same sort of thing that DT Swiss and others offer. The 9mm axle IS the QR; you don’t have a separate axle and QR. As previously mentioned, a front hub from someone like Hope would be most adaptable and last longer.

If you have to use a standard axle and old style QR, you’ll need to pull the legs apart to get insertion.

(sorry for the phrasing there)

Thank you both for the help. I didn’t think it was too complicated, but I was getting in a right old pickle.

So Hope hubs are good then? I am getting contrasting views on them when looking around on the web.

You’ll get contrasting views on anything round the web 😉

As Kelvin says, essentially you’re using a fastening solution that is the width of the whole axle inside a normal QR hub so it’ll be a bit stiffer/more secure. A DT RWS/Spesh Stout or Superstar 9mm QR will do nicely – or you could bolt it. I gather Cy has a thing about disc brakes potentially causing regular QR to eject under braking, hence the flipped mount on the >X< and old RoadRat. I quite liked the old solution and my >X< is something I’m extremely attached to. I’ve been mulling a second one a size smaller for more hardcore offroad use for a while now (bought a 58 deliberately as a do it all size, ride M in Soul – >X< sizing was deliberately odd).

Hope hubs are fine, very rebuild able/adaptable and generally cool. There are more exotic options that are lighter/more highly engineered and also cost more. There have been occasional quibbles about QC but Hope are generally pretty good about warranty. I’d say most people that aren’t unlucky would have little issue with Pro2/Pro2 Evos. Buying tatty old wheelsets to strip for their Hope hubs after factoring in replacing bearings/pawls/springs is pretty normal. Scoring on the freehub from cheaper cassettes that don’t have alloy spiders is pretty normal unless you fit the steel version.

That said, the Cotic branded hubs on my >X< are still fine after 18 months of commuting, general trail abuse in the Peaks over last winter in the snow and ice and use as a roadie substitute in between.

Depending how hard you plan to run it and how cost sensitive the build is, Superstar Switch Evos could be a good shout if you replace the bearings before building them…

vincienup – Member

That said, the Cotic branded hubs on my >X< are still fine after 18 months of commuting, general trail abuse in the Peaks over last winter in the snow and ice and use as a roadie substitute in between.

Been very impressed with mine too – they spin incredibly smoothly given their age – Cotic should sell them separately, whatever they ate.

Would love to know actually, would like to find a 15mm adapter for mine.

What sort of weight are we looking at with the Cotic brand wheels? Ideally my wheelset would be under 2kg (even better if they were 200-300g under that). Not sure I would even notice the difference, but I feel like treating myself.

I really do like the look of Hope Hoops… but the replacement bearings and specialist tools are somewhat off-putting. Any idea on the mileage one could expect to get out of the Hope bearings?

Oh look, I am being lazy. Millions of topics regarding lifespan of bearings.

‘Specialist tools’ is around £20’s worth of drifts £22.95 here.

You can manage without the actual bearing drifts if you must, but the one for pressing the freehub seal back in would probably be awkward not to have.

As a bonus you may find that they fit many other hubs using the same size bearings. You could probably save the money to buy them by getting equally good bearings that aren’t in a Hope bag. I do know a fanatic Enduroer who claims to have worn out Hope bearings in 6 months without jet washing but I’m sure that’s an edge case. Most people, myself included seem to get a long and happy life. Methods of installation (ie without proper drifts) can seriously shorten bearing lifespan.

Don’t forget that unlike cup and cone hubs, cartridge bearings are maintenance free. You replace the sealed bearings when they’re ruined but they don’t damage internal surfaces getting to such a state, so you won’t be needing the tools on a regular basis like you would for cone spanners.

I built up my Escapade last week, transferring all the parts over from my Kaffenback. I bloody love it! Worlds apart from the kaffenback in handling terms, and a bit lighter too.

I was worried about the 9mm thru-axle too, but it turns out that you can put a standard hub in by holding the fork legs apart slightly. The hub axle collar will just go into the holes. I use the QR stalk to keep the wheel in. I’ll put up a picture later.

My wheels are XT hubs on DTSwiss RR415 rims. I don’t know what the weight is exactly, but I calculated when I built them that they would be about the same weight as the Kinesis CX wheel set that they had out at the time (2 years ago now). I’ve done 4000km on them, and serviced them once. TBH I’m considering getting a new set in the coming months, so interested to see what you go for!

I built up my Escapade last week, transferring all the parts over from my Kaffenback. I bloody love it! Worlds apart from the kaffenback in handling terms, and a bit lighter too.

Original Kaffenback? Or new one?

vincienup – Member

the one for pressing the freehub seal back in would probably be awkward not to have.

Not really- slides in easily with any blunt implement, I use the ball end of an allen key.

Brant – original

Brant – original

Yeah. Quite different 🙂

I have just costed up a wheelset built by Chain Reaction Cycles with XT hubs… £343! Sod it, I will get the Hope Hoops 😉

@Vincie, yeah, having a look around at it all, the cost of my so-branded “specialist” tools really isn’t too much of a bother. The internet and all the knowledge available is sometimes a handicap; I would have bought the Hopes ages ago if I didn’t keep reading things.

Buuuut… I can only find the 29ers (with Crest rims in black) with “XX1”. I understand this is the freehub body? Is this SRAM only? Might see how long till the standard freehubs are back in stock with W*ggle.

OK, SRAM’s 1×11 setup is XX1. Isn’t Google good?

OK, so bought Hope Hoops with Crests, £314 inc. delivery from Merlin Cycles. Now for the rest…

OK, got to stop beginning posts with “OK”.

Are you running low pressures?

No, hadn’t even considered this would be a problem. I will be running with tubes and normal tyres. Stans have this to say:

“For all of our rims running them with a tube the max pressure is the max pressure as listed on the tire. The limits we state on our rims are not because our rims can not handle the pressure but because the tires can not handle the pressure when run tubeless. Inflate a tire tubeless above the recommended pressure as listed on our rim you risk breaking the bead of the tire and blowing it off the rim.”

So all good.

Good, good! Run tubes, and use something fatter than 28c and you’ll be fine.

I don’t like skinny tyres anyway; the roads of Hampshire need something FATTER 😉

37c here

Oh for heaven’s sake!

Wheels have just arrived, very please with them: so light they feel like they might float away in a breeze.

Please, some more advice needed.

Re. front hubs, I think they are standard quick release

I have already bought this.

Do I need to buy this 9mm conversion kit?

I may have answered my own question, but if I have learnt one thing from bicycles, it is “never assume anything.”

Yep, thats what you need to work with that superstar axle.

Good man, thanks a lot.