Ok, so after the King bashing exploits of last week, I'm interested to hear what the oracle that is the STW collective think are the best hubs that money can buy. Cost not important, and neither is value for money (for the purpose of this thread anyway!). I'm talking best functioning, most reliable and maintenance free (and most bling to a degree I suppose 🙂 ). DTSwiss, CK, Hadley?

I fully expect the "hope are great why pay more" arguement but that's not the point.

disclaimer: I do not promise to take any of this advice seriously and will probably buy a red CK rear to go with the front I already have 😈

Personally, I really like CK hubs myself. They are a bit like Fox Forks -take the trouble to maintain them and they perform well. I like the engagement and the quality, the fact that spares are easy to get, and that you can swap out different axles reaadily (traits shared by other hubs of course). The only negative with King for me is that the freehub seems particularly prone to gouging of the splines. Having said that, other hubs suffer this too. I have replaced mine with the steel version and this seems to have helped.

I also have a pair of Industry Nines. They perform as well as the Kings IMO and build up into a nice strong wheelset. However, you are limited to their spokes, they are a bugger to tension and don't readily keep it – in fact, I recall that routine re-tensioning should be expected with these, and it is a bit of a pain in the arse to be honest.

On balance, I would stick with King out of the two. Have not experience of Hadley's myself, and limited with DT, so can't relly comment.

BURGTEC

That's exactly the point.

Hopes are the nuts!!

xtr. NEXT!

dt swiss are nothing special (and you need a special tool to get at the bearings in the rear)
in reality you are going to need to replace the bearings at some point in any hub, so something with easy parts access is the way to go.
So that rules out Hadley

CK it is then (or, in reality, Hope)

self-maintainable is more realistic than maintenance free. Mechanical stuff needs maintenance to keep it running good. fact for the fact fans
I now have all the tools to rebuild Hope Pro2 hubs for instance, so all my hubs are Hope Pro2….

Tune Prince/Princess? Or their new 'Dezibel', they've gotta be up there! 150g for a rear disc hub, yes please!

How long they'd last I don't know, but if money's no object, who cares!?

in reality you are going to need to replace the bearings at some point in any hub, so something with easy parts access is the way to go.
So that rules out Hadley

Not true, Erik @ Balle Racing keeps service parts in stock and shipping is very quick.

I've not used CK but Hadley are the best I have, not the lightest but super smooth and lovely quality.

Rohloff.

Well, you did say Money No Object.

Royce? Shiny, bling and a little niche.

I'm talking best functioning, most reliable and maintenance free

XTR, although not the lightest.

and most bling to a degree I suppose

I think in terms of finish CK edges it, although Hope's isn't far behind.

Hubs are pretty established technology, everything from Deore upwards is going to be fit for purpose to some degree or another, so in reality this argument comes down to exclusivity and bragging rights in the car park. Largely, CK still fills that for most cyclists I reckon

Surely weather or not money is an object, function is the overriding factor?

I consider “Function” a single word term used to encompass the following:
-Robust durable construction
-Easily sourced spare parts and adapters
-Simple enough that the customer can do all/most required servicing, maintenance and repairs…
-Reliable and consistent pick up (on a rear hub)

Given that list I think Hope would be near the top of the list along with Shimano. CK might miss a little in terms of sourcing spares but otherwise take away money and Bling factors and I reckon they’re not that far away from Hope “Functionally” speaking…

Hmm ok – some fair comments. I know Hope are hard to beat in the value for money stakes – I've got 4 Pro II/bulb hubs on various bikes and they're great for the price.

The sealing isn't the best though and the free hub pick up is quite loose compaired to others (plus the noise does get a bit annoying sometimes 🙂 ). It does get a bit pricey replacing bearings, springs & pawls too.

I just fancy something a bit different and am looking for opinions on what's about. I also like my CK front hub – it's a bit more "well made" with better bearings (replaceable in both I know) and a proper through axle that just unscrews rather than halves bodged together.

dasnut – I thought Hadley hubs were dead easy to take apart?

nickc –

in reality this argument comes down to exclusivity and bragging rights in the car park

I think that's been the case for years really – I remember the old XC races and being soo jealous of guys riding past with that metallic Hope XC freewheel click 🙂

I do think the more expensive hubs tend to need less servicing/bearing changes though and take seroius abuse better (imho)

cookeaa – I entirely agree. That's why weight isn't really that much of a factor in my choice – it's longevity, reliability, sourcing of spares if necessary (and looks) that are the most important. Not sure Hope are top in that respect though – bearing replacement are an all too regular necessity with mine

I think in terms of finish CK edges it, although Hope's isn't far behind.

Carbon hub flanges? Full range of colours including white, reckon the Tunes have the CKs beat on bling-ness

Tune, or my personal favourite was & still is my 13 year old Middleburns

Shimano Deore and a holiday.

if i could afford tunes they'd be on the bike already. instead of hope (vfm, tick)

Broke the body of my DT 440 rear hub XC riding which was shocking. I've got Hadley and CK. I met Chris King in Oregon last year, he's an all round good guy that keeps chickens. For that reason alone I'd say CK.

Acros .54 Ceramic ultimate.
250 g for the rear , 138g for the front. You're limited to black, red or white though.

I've been really impressed with my (non ceramic) .74/.75 setup. Excellent bearing seals and life. Nice, quiet freehub that engages really quickly – and lightweight to boot.

Hard to beat XTR in the VFM stakes though. The Hope Freehub just irritates the hell out of me. Although I have a set of Pro2 and Pro3 SPs, I doubt I'll buy another.

more bling:

Pah, Acros ones are heavy!

Should have added that any hubs would have to have full ceramic bearings, of course!

Excellent – thanks for the suggestions. The Tune hubs sounds/looks promising but I still need some convincing not to buy CK (must check if the red tunes are the same shade as CKs!)

I met Chris King in Oregon last year, he's an all round good guy that keeps chickens. For that reason alone I'd say CK.

Fantastic quote 😆

Phil Wood hubs are utterly excellent. I've abused one horribly on the commuter for the last few years and it's still buttery smooth without any play after 20,000 miles. And, when I occasionally clean it, it comes up shiny and gorgeous as new.

The one on the back of my singlespeed is still lovely as ever too. Can't rate them highly enough. Not the lightest out there, but really indestructibly good value for money.

: P

Broke the body of my DT 440 rear hub XC riding which was shocking

How the hell did you manage that?

Was just about to suggest DT, my DT FR440 hubs are incredible! OK, so they've only got 18 engagement points (which is upgradable to 36 with the new star ratchet drive system), but everything on them screams quality and function first. They're not showy or loud, they just get on with doing what hubs should do, quietly, without fuss, and most importantly, very reliably!

I used to like Shimano XTR hubs too, but worry about them now with the ally axle, have heard of lots snapping.

OH, and what is it with Hope Pro 2's? Why so bloody loud? For that reason alone, I don't think I could ever run one… But why did they go down to 24 point engagement when the BULB was 36? And the BULB was arguably better built and more reliable, though heavier granted.

Personally not a CK fan here either, they're a bit too showy, and I'm not a fan of the buzzing noise either. Have heard of many lightweight XC riders killing the ally freehub bodies too, so to be honest, unless you're well under 10 stone and never ride anything except canal towpaths, you're going to need the steel freehub upgrade, which adds a fair bit of weight and cost to it. Making them quite a bit heavier than their competition!

the hubs on mavic XS wheelsets

lovely

I've been running king hubs since they first came out. Previously I would have always said King hubs over anything else. Shimano still produce the lowest drag hubs available, assuming you perform regular maintenance.
With the current cold weather we've been having I've had a king rear freehub slip a few times. King suggest different lube for lower temperature riding… sure I'll just check the weather forecast, then change the hub grease….
now? I'll stick with Hope, no probs in minus temperatures, pretty much the same weight as king.

Wern't there some hubs for some show or other that were gold plated? Not anodised, but actually electroplated with gold … they were pretty pricey.

I didn't realise you were actually thinking of buying one, just assumed this was theoretical!

The Tune Prince rear hub is €430, so you've gotta be reasonably confident on the 'money not mattering' thing! They also have carbon axles, which makes servicing difficult. Allegedly it can be done without issue, requires a hammer and some pipe to remove the axle!

If we're talking about actually living with the hubs and using them a lot I reckon DT 240s would get my vote. But then I do have access to the tool kit (only used it twice in 8 years of having multiple sets of the hubs mind).

Have heard of many lightweight XC riders killing the ally freehub bodies too, so to be honest, unless you're well under 10 stone and never ride anything except canal towpaths,

Virtually all the hubs mentioned have alu freehub bodies. Having used King, Tune and DT I wouldn't have said any were any worse, or any better than each other. Yes steel (or ti with the Tune) is more durable, but it's far heavier. I used one set of 240s on my road bike for about 5 years, it took a bit of effort to remove the cassette, but so what!?

Blimey – just checked a vid of the Tune hubs – they sounds almost as loud as the Pro IIs!!

Maverickboy – I agree that the build quality of the old Bulb/XC hubs was significantly better than the current Pro IIs. And a more subtle freewheel noise

Scant – I've had problems with Pro IIs skipping in the snow. Not sure if the CK makes them any more prone to it??

I've had problems with Pro IIs skipping in the snow.

I've seen various Hope freehubs skip or seize in cold conditions over the years… Mind you, I've seen various Shimano, and plenty of other makes skip or freeze their freehubs in sub zero conditions in the past too!

Not a problem for my winter bike though… I bought an Alfine, which according to some nutters on MTBR, is pretty reliable down to -30c with the standard grease inside, and even lower if you change it for something more suitable!

If you want tune hubs speak to poshbikes, the guy on the end of the phone could not of been more helpfull. He was honest and frank, told me not to bother with the carbon one, it weighs about 15grams less than the standard but cost 50% as much. You can get tune king kong hubs, cx ray spoke flow wheels for 1450g which is dead light for such a strong wheel. I was going to buy them, untill i realised that they are louder then pro2 hubs.

By the way, i9 hubs come with normal spoke holes to. these are the ones I will be buying.

Ah didn't see your last post, by the way, the tune cxray flows are £840

Nobodies mentioned White Industries, any reason why? I love the styling.

paul components

Is it just me being stupid, or do Pauls components only have front or SS rear hubs on their website?

told me not to bother with the carbon one, it weighs about 15grams less than the standard but cost 50% as much.

But this thread was about money no object! I did change my recommendation when I realised they were actually being used!

I wish he'd been that honest when he sold me the Kong Superscharf which wasn't user serviceable and fell apart with irritating regularity! Normal King/Kong hubs are good mind!

fbk – Member
Is it just me being stupid, or do Pauls components only have front or SS rear hubs on their website?

I dont need anything else

+1 for DT440's, CK's 2 x failures & Hope Pro II 2 x Failures.

Royce? Shiny, bling and a little niche.

Good taste again, Cap'n.

As and when I decide to upgrade my track bike (no need, but you know, *in theory*), then Royce hubs with ceramic bearings all the way.

I didn’t intend specifically to sing the praises of Hope over all others earlier, they do have their drawbacks, we’ve all heard about the odd cracked front flange on early pro2’s no doubt, but given the typical functional requirements for a set of MTB hubs they don’t perform badly at all. I did mention Shimano, and I do think they are pretty good from a “functional” stand point, the obvious issue being the slightly more “fiddly” nature of servicing them, but even this is a marginal issue SLX, XT and XTR hubs are now drifting back onto my list of maybes for the next set of wheels, having previously given up on shimano due to sheer laziness I can once again see the benefits…

If you are dripping with money though, love a bit of Bling and “maintenance” consists of throwing your bike at the LBS spanner man and saying “Make it all worky again!” then CK are probably a clear winner…