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Let's talk hubs/freewheels
http://dirttreaders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16704		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Kimba [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Let's talk hubs/freewheels
I experienced a shot rear hub/freewheel on Sunday at Cvera. If you have not experienced this, imagine riding uphill and your crank suddenly spinning independent of the rear wheel. The consensus is get a new rear wheel, which is on the way. I was running an Easton EA70 29er wheelset with X4 hubs, the stock wheels the bike came with. The rear hub lasted 25 months on average but steady riding, and zero maintenance.

Anybody have input on good hubs/freewheels, maintenance thereof, or general comments? I had not ever really thought much about that area of the bike until Sunday since luckily I had not had problems there in the past 20 years. Was thinking we could benefit from a thread on a part of the bike that gets ignored at times. :cheers:
Author:  OldDogDan [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
Bummer. It failed without any warning signs or sounds? I usually give it a thoughtful spin after lubing the chain to hopefully detect early signs of failure, like oil & dirt buildup, a change in the sound, excess play, or not disengaging cleanly (put it in a high gear with the wheel off the ground, grab a pedal to spin the cranks hard and let go of it - the wheel should keep spinning but not the cranks). There are lots of threads, ratings, and articles to be googled. My impression is that Hope and Stan's hubs seem to be widely used and highly regarded. Not that there aren't others, but those stand out.
Author:  Kimba [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
The only warning was about 20 minutes before when I thought the rear tire slipped on a climb but there was no dirt sound. Going for the Stan's.
Author:  Kimba [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
My maintenance skills are poor, so the tips you mentioned are well-taken. Thanks!
Author:  OldDogDan [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
You should be happy with the Stans. And here's two pretty good explanatory links:

http://mpora.com/videos/r6SP2DtVL#y1ypBheushePC10F.97

http://dirtmountainbike.com/features/work-freehub-body.html
Author:  Dirtrider [ Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
I had a noise while pedaling uphill on my bike and narrowed it down to the rear wheel. Tore it down to grease it and found a crack from the inside, around the end, and over the top. Seems my fat ass was too much for it :lol:

Had to get new wheels and have already serviced the new ones after that issue. Probably one of those areas people don't check that often until it's too late.
Author:  avidtest [ Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
Sounds like you're set w/ the Stan's, but if not, have a look at Hadley Racing hubs (best web deal is here: www.balleracing.com). I'm on my 2nd set (1st set is still going strong on the old bike). They are bomb proof imo. Besides outright strength and reliability, I like the fact that they spin forever with barely any resistance. It's been a noticeable difference when comparing to some other high-end brands.

Last summer, after about 4 years of regular riding, I rebuilt the rear on my old set. (and they were already used when I acquired them with the bike). Turned out to be an unnecessary exercise though. What I thought was a problem in the hub was actually a new chain slipping on an old cassette.

Here's an older comparison between some of the high quality makers: http://www.ridingfeelsgood.com/hub-show ... -and-hope/

It's a bit dated now, but how much is hub tech changed in 5 years? (Onyx silent hubs being an exception).
Author:  The Cala Reaper [ Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
^^^^^ great recommendation on the Hadley's!

I didn't catch this part, are you running a 1x set up? Also how much do you weigh?

These are both really important to think about when building a rear wheel. Example: I am 6'1" 220 lbs, I run a 1x11 with a 36t front ring. Being my size and the gears that I push, destroy freehubs. What does it seems to be the lack of engagement. Putting power down on a low engaegement hub is like dropping the clutch in your car at 4000 rpm.

With all that said, it took me a long time to find hubs that really are bullet proof.

Handley, profile, king, hope evo are all awesome. Personally I run the profile, just so I can sound like a rattlesnake to hikers! :cheers:

Hope that helps! Good luck
Author:  Kimba [ Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
I am running a 1x10 set up with a 28 tooth ring and weigh about 170. I never thought about how the change to 1x would affect the hub, so thanks for the info Cala. Based on what I have seen on the web, the Easton x4 hubs are pretty weak, so I could see them blowing up even at my weight since I do burst accelerate to get over features/steeps. I am hoping the Stan's works well for at least a few years. When they eventually crap out I will look into the Hadleys. The Kings also. That is a good article Shannon, thanks.

One benefit of this fiasco is I am finally getting wider rims, something I have wanted for a while.
Author:  OhNooo [ Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
I'm riding Chris Kings, and they have lasted a long time. They require lots of custom tools to work on them though, so it's an investment to keep them running. Luckily my friend George has all the King tools and actually enjoys working on them. So when my wheel starts acting up a little, I give it to him along with a bottle of hootch and he fixes the hubs back up for me.
Author:  gabriel keating [ Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/432977/
Author:  Belizean [ Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
When the pawls on the freehub body malfunctions, it's a noisy slippage, but when the pawls are engaged and you have slippage, it is usually quiet as the inner hub rotates within the wheel hub itself. The wheel hub and the freehub body receptor is not a single piece of metal, it's actually two pieces and they may have separated.
Author:  racerbill [ Wed Jan 06, 2016 2:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Let's talk hubs/freewheels
I've been running DT Swiss for four years without a problem. I like that there were only five parts inside and I can service them without tools. I've had the 240s the 350s and the giant version, all very good.
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