Having ridden my ss with hope hoops at the weekend, I found increased the engagement (and lack of weight) compared to my XT wheelset on my geared bike incredible!

Of course, the problem is now I want a new wheelset on my geared bike!

Obviously, being a ss hub the pro 11 has double the engagement of a standard pro 11, but both have a lot more than my XT. I’m just wondering if the Pro 2s are the best hubs to go for in terms of engagement and weight – and value for money of course.

(Oh and can the CKs really justify the extra money?! (Not that I can afford them anyway!))

…If a set of Hope Hoops (pref 28, 32) came up on the classifieds I’d probably go for them. However, if buying new the Pro 3s are not much more than the pro 2s – so are they they better/worse?! They certainly seem lighter. I’ve read that the 24 spoke version can flex, but being a fairly light woman (7.5 stone), I don’t think that’d be a problem.

What do you reckon? I really would appreciate some advice on this!

i would avoid king rear hubs – dont like uk conditions and need a bit of tlc faff and high tool costs to maintain them based on my 2nd hand one i had – BUT they look nice and people think they are the best and wont listen to any distractors… I love their headsets thouogh…

pro 2 / 3 are noisy and seem to chew up bearings quicker than my old xcs – still rate them though but would rather have xcs for longevity..

however

personal favourite – DT240s – brill hubs apart from silly 50 quid tool required to service inner hub bearing… BUT way light and quick engagement – expensive though…

paul

I have a pair of barely used Pro III SP’s if your interested……

For the money, hope are very good and from reports on STW the customer service is superb.

I’ve had my Chris Kings for over 4 years now and had no problems, just a clean and regrease every 6 months.

Both good choices.

Cool, thanks guys. Report on CKs sound a bit mixed then… I guess a regrease every six months isn’t too bad…

Rickmeister – may well be interested in your Pro 3s – can you send me a mail (address in profile)

I’ll check out the DT240s too, thanks Paul. Btw, are they re-buildable like Hopes?

Cheers, guys.

kings are SO easy to service however.
a quick [and 3 month frequency] 10 minute ring drive lube avoids any necessary bearing replacement !
king every time… capex -v- opex winner !

Just checked out the DT240s – look nice, but too pricey for me I’m afraid – unless some came up secondhand. I think I might just put an add on the classifieds and see what people have.

Cheers!

Pro2’s for me. Light enough without being silly, and so very easy to work on.

Lighter than the king Iso hubs too.

I have Pro II’s at the moment and they’re excellent. Both have had no maintainance at all in 2 years and the hubs keep turning buttery smooth.

The next wheels I get will have Royce hubs though.. The price is just a little more than Hope, but is less than CK and won’t be affected byt the price hike in bike parts as they’re made in the UK !!

pro 2 / 3 are noisy

i like the sound, its reasuring to me in some way.

MountainMonkey, YGM.

CK are a rip off. No better than Hope and way more expensive.

Have you considered American Classic? Very light (just about the lightest) and not too pricey. Very early ones were apparently rubbish but they’ve improved hugely although a lot of people still quote the reputation of the old ones.

Although I don’t ride them, I will on the next set of wheels I get. Currently on XTR and 2xProII and have had no problems at all. My older Hope XCs were also flawless, just needed new bearings every couple of years.

New Shimano XT and XTR both have double the engagement points of the old ones (36 instead of 18, more than Hope at 24) if that matters a lot. Also, they’re pretty lightweight hubs now, the XTR at about 275g and the XT at 330g.

Personally though, if I was looking like you are now for new hubs, on a reasonable but not silly money budget, and wanted a combination of light weight, reliability and easy to service, Hope Pro 2’s get the nod every time (though I’d have ti quieten the freehub myself).

I’m happy with the DT’s I picked up very cheap a year or so ago though still 😉

Oh, and should ask if you need different fork/frame compatibility (ie 20mm/15mm/QR front or 12mm/10mm/QR rear) at all? If so, then the Hope’s are definitely the way forward, they have everything else licked in terms of cross compatibility! If you only need QR hubs, and that’s not going to change, check out the “Progress” hubs on Just Riding Along website. They’re a bit lighter, and cheaper, than Hope, look very well made, and I’ve heard good things about them. Qr only though!

Burgtec if you feel flush or Hope if sensible. Have had both for years and love them a lot. Maintenance? What is the meaning if this strange word?
Lust!

Thanks everyone! I’ve already had some pretty good responses to my classified ad.

So far, I’ve been offered:

– Hope Pro 3s on DT Swiss 4.2
– DT Swiss 240s on DT Swiss 4.2 (or Stan’s Olympic)

Any thoughs? I’m leaning towards the Hopes (though not necessarily pro 3’s – I’d be happy with pro 2s), just because they are more of a known quantity.

The 240s are lighter though – does anyone know what the engagement is like in comparison? Engagement is important to me!

(Also, I know it’s subjective, but any ideas on what’s a reasonable price to pay for either of these?)

Oh and Mboy – by ‘new’ Shimano – do you mean 09?

Cheers!

P.S. Hairy – the Burgtec is VERY speciail – perhaps a little too bling for me though ;0)

I don’t believe I’m hearing this MM, too bling for you, it can’t be so!?!? Which ride are we doing on sunday by the way?

Oh ho ho, you’re so witty! Maybe not too bling… just not my colour would’ve been more accurate!

Re Sun – I guess as it’s my b’day ride I get to choose(!) but it’d be nice to know what people fancy. I was thinking maybe PH as that would be nice and sociable, but I’m open to other ideas.

Btw, what do you reckon wheel wise? Pro 2s, 3s or 240s?!

MM There are other colours too. I only thought you were a man of good taste 😉

Hairy, unfortunately MM’s a lady of good taste, I can vouch for her Hubby!

Sorry, MM. I thought blokes didn’t like pink/purple and birds did.
Tiboy, would it be you by any chance? 😉

Oh and Mboy – by ‘new’ Shimano – do you mean 09?

08/09 Shimano yeah. The part numbers you’d need are M775 for XT, or M975 for XTR. They are centrelock rotor fitting only though.

FWIW, I’d probably go with Hope Hubs out of what you’ve been offered, unless the DT’s are a bargain price. DT hubs are lovely, but Hope are plenty good enough!

Oh, I would steer clear of DT rims though. A NIGHTMARE for tyre fitment, especially if you’re running tubeless. They’re also not as strong as Mavic rims.

Woah there Hairy! Reading the comment, I can see how you thought that, but Tiboy (as lovely as he) is certainly not my hubby – his best friend is though!

Oh and re the pink and purple – I guess I’m not your typical bird (being on here, that’s really no surprise though is it!)

Mboy – thanks for that – I’ve got 08 centrelock XT wheels but they don’t seem to engage that fast at all… I’ll check them – maybe they’re 07s?

Re the Hope vs DT – the prices I’ve been offered are very similar indeed. Are the DT240s better? I’m confused about the whole engagement thing! – Can anyone explain?! Please!

Whats the weight of the Burgtec 135 QR?

Snow Camo is sweet.

agree with comments re DT rims – avoid

DT 240s hubs have a star ratchet system – pick up is very quick – very very nice hubs – shame re expensive tool – simple to service although you need a special pot of lube for ratchets and its 8 quid for a wee wee tub…

paul

Thanks Paul – that’s good to know – you’re the first person to answer my questinos about the pick up on the 240s!

I think I’ll definitely go for them then. I’ve been offered two pairs – one on 4.2s and one on Stans Olympic. Are Stans rims any good if you’re running tubes do you know?

Thanks!