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new hub - DT, King, Hadley, Hope, WI?

4K views 31 replies 22 participants last post by  dubthang 
#1 ·
After 10 years on a Bianchi Bass 26er, I'm building up a new SS and having a tough time deciding on a rear hub. The new one is a 29er (and I'm clydesdalish). I'm considering the DT 240, King, Hadley, and Hope singlespeed cassette hubs, or White Industries, Paul, or Phil Wood hubs (most likely with a WI freewheel). Any recommendations as to which is most durable? Quick engagement and a solid feel are also important. I'm generally too cheap for much bling, but have been burned too many times with inexpensive parts breaking, so willing to bite the bullet for quality that will last. I'm in the wet and muddy NW, so good seals are also a must.
 
#2 ·
Hadley then King

Same engagement, $100 less, DH strong... buy the Hadleys. My Hadleys roll faster than 3 sets of Kings I've coasted down the hills side by side against. I'm thinking about selling my Red King wheels to build a blue Hadley set; The Hadley Blue and red are very different from the King or Hope colors.
 
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#4 ·
Phil with WI freewheel. Especially if you're "clydesdalish". Since I've moved to Montana I've found that my King rear hub isn't really sealed; just a gasket and snapring. The driveside bearings accumulate more gunk than I would like. I never touch my Phil hub, the bearings are actually sealed.
 
#5 ·
I have a set of Kings and a White trials freewheel. Once you get a taste of instant engagement, it's over! Everything else feels weak. Stay away from the Hope hubs if you want instant. I'm have no experience on their single speed hubs but there Pro 2's were worthless to me. Had some wheels built and they were problematic from the get go and now they're finally toast and at the shop for repairs. The raves and rants from everyone else on the Hopes are great but from my experience, coming off of a set of DT 340s to Kings, WI freewheel, the Hopes feels cheap. I never felt that I could hammer out on them without fear that something would strip and my nuts flying up my throat. They sound and look cool but that was it. No more Hope hubs for me. Sorry but my Shimano XTs felt better than the Hope. As for Hope brakes! Those are worth every penny, but that's another topic.
 
#9 ·
The SS Hope Pro 2's have much better engagement compared to the standard Hope Pro 2, it is quite good (although noticeably less than a WI Trials freewheel, King, I9 or Hadley).

I have been considering King's for a build, but they just seem like a high maintenance hub. I've read so many reports, and witnessed friends experience it first hand, of the hubs constantly loosening up.

I'm in the planning stages of a new build and also looking to try something else other than the Hope's. I like them, but I already have 2 wheelsets using them and I want to try something else. The first decision I had to make was what style of hub I wanted. Splined cogs, or a freehweel. In the case of a freewheel, WI is a no brainer, connected to most likely a Phil or WI hub. Seeing though as it is going to be racey, the freewheel system does not exactly make for quick gear changes from race to race, so I decided that a cog system would be best.

I narrowed down my options to these (but secretly also wanted a set of nice looking silver hubs): Hadley, DT Swiss 240, Hope, King, I9. Also a pre-built wheel system was out of the question for me. This was my thought process:

Hadley - great engagement, a little heavier, black only, bolt-on (although I imagine maybe a conversion to QR is available), people with them seem to be really happy with them though.

Hope Pro 2 - Extensive use with these hubs, I like them, engagement could be quicker, weight is not bad, convertible to QR although requires an additional purchase (not QR out of the box), pawl springs are notorious for breaking (I've lost 4 or 5 myself, and many others on forums have reported similar experiences), decent colour options. Super easy to service.

DT Swiss 240 - Light, heard great things about the reliability of the Hugi star ratchet system, big downside for me was the SS version only comes as centrelock, and that requires an additional adapter for the 6-bolt brakes I plan to use (you start deviating away from the "240ness" of the hub with these addons). Black only, but still nice looking IMO.

King - Look great, great engagement, lots of colours...but I've seen/read about these hubs constantly loosening up, would be open to hearing more experiences however. Low maintenance hub would be ideal for an SS, and the idea of constantly having to check on the preload I think would be super annoying. Perhaps too many expensive and unobtainable (for me) tools to do my own service on them.

I9 - I'm referring to their classic j-bend spoke hubs, not for use with their proprietary spoke system. Great engagement, colours to choose from, also look great. I've read that much like the Hope's they are easily serviceable without crazy tools. Lighter than kings, and with more engagement. I know quite a few people with their complete wheelsets who have had great luck with their hubs. The idea of using classic readily spokes appeals to me.

As of now I am leaning to I9, looking forward to what others have to say. Hope this helps!
 
#11 ·
Since you're in the NW I'd go with something that has good seals... king. I haven't heard of or seen a hub with better seals than the king, although there may be some out there. I own two sets of kings and the preload adjustment is simple and only requires a hex... it's not the big deal people make of it. I've raced and trained on a set this year and have hardly adjusted them once the initial break-in period was complete. Haven't seen the hadleys, so I can't comment on them. Don't think I'd go with the I9s, not sure on their seals when it gets mucky. I'd also stay away from the hopes if you're in wet conditions all the time.
 
#12 ·
I have DT 240s hubs on my ss. The rear is a geared hub I took of my other bike. So far they have lasted almost 2 years of hard use with only one clean and regrease in that time which is impressive considering how much they have been ridden in the wet and up seemingly endless long hill grinds. I wouldnt worry about the adapter for 6 bolt rotors I have run mine with both 6 bolt and centrelock discs and it is no big deal either way. They are light and durable which suits me. The only negative is they dont have as immediate an engagement as some other hubs such as I9s but hey I dont find it a big deal - just get out and ride!
 
#13 ·
noise ratings?

I too am very interested in this thread....

But for me one of my main requirements is *silence*

Of these hubs mentioned here could someone please rate the noise levels?

I have Hope II's and never again - need earplugs
 
#14 ·
jsord said:
I too am very interested in this thread....

But for me one of my main requirements is *silence*

Of these hubs mentioned here could someone please rate the noise levels?

I have Hope II's and never again - need earplugs
I've seen/heard the hopes and I9s, own kings and 240s. In terms of noise from loudest to quietest:

Hope > I9 > King > 240

The 240s are very quiet, although they might be slightly louder with the engagement upgrade. I run them with 18pt engagement on my road bike where I find higher engagement isn't as necessary.
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
chuk2rs said:
No first hand experience riding these hubs but had a chance to play with them in my hand. They are noticeably heavier than most of the other high end SS hubs. The engagement is awesome though. Probably the biggest downside for me was the fact that the SS hub uses its own proprietary cog that bolts onto the hub.
 
#17 ·
On the 240s....the SS version of the hub is much louder than the geared-cassette version, I don't know why. I like the sound. I also like the sound of WI freewheels....sounds like...freedom. :)

I have a 240 iso-disc "geared" hub that has never seen more than one cog, and a new SS hub, both with the 36 point upgrade to the star ratchet engagement. Love them. To me it is either 240s for cassette style, or the Surly/WI combo setups as my top choices.

The 240s SS hub "adapter" to run 6-bolt rotors on Centerlock is a beautiful thing. I wish all my iso 6-bolt hubs had it instead. It is a vast improvement over the silly little torx bolts.
 
#21 ·
I just ordered a set of WI hubs and ENO f-wheel for the new SS wheelset. It was a tough choice but it came down to this for me: I do not change gear ratios very often (well, never, so far) and if I do, I can swap front chainrings cheaper than rear freewheels, I can live with the 47.5mm chainline of the WI hubs, the ENO freewheel is bomber, and I like the wide flange spacing.

That is all the practical reasons. However, the final choice was very emotional. I think the classic look of a dedicated hub like the WI and a freewheel belongs on the SS. I loved the polished look, something that you so seldom see these days. It just looked the way I wanted it to look.

However, if I was to build a set of freehub wheels, I would sure be tempted to go 240S with the faster engagement set-up. Costly though, but quiet, strong, versatile and understated.
 
#23 ·
canyonrat said:
On the 240s....the SS version of the hub is much louder than the geared-cassette version, I don't know why. I like the sound. I also like the sound of WI freewheels....sounds like...freedom. :)

I have a 240 iso-disc "geared" hub that has never seen more than one cog, and a new SS hub, both with the 36 point upgrade to the star ratchet engagement. Love them. To me it is either 240s for cassette style, or the Surly/WI combo setups as my top choices.

The 240s SS hub "adapter" to run 6-bolt rotors on Centerlock is a beautiful thing. I wish all my iso 6-bolt hubs had it instead. It is a vast improvement over the silly little torx bolts.
I have a set of dt swiss xr1540 wheels which uses a 240s based hub, and it has been awesome. I never have to think about my wheels, which to me is major. I dont care about fancy gimmicks, i just want to ride my bike with as little work to keep it running as possible. The 6 bolt disk adapters, like you said, are probably the best ones out there. Trouble free, and much easier to mount a rotor than without them. They run real true, and i havent had one come loose in the 3-4 years that i've had them.
 
#25 ·
tw3nty9er said:
I'm having trouble deciding between the trials and the dos freewheels. In other words, would I rather have 72 pts of engagement with 1 cog or 36 pts. of engagement with two cogs? Can anybody shed some light on my dilemma?

http://www.whiteind.com/singlespeedgearing/freewheels.html
Two cogs will be a pain unless you also get the matching crankset. If you don't get the crankset, you'll have to adjust your brakes (sliding dropouts) or your ebb (vert drops) everytime you change cogs.
 
#26 ·
flafonta said:
??? I thought Hadleys were silent? Ooops, I just recommended them to a friend that was looking for quality but silent hubs... :(
They can be made silent. Get the Hadley pin wrench tools to open the hub up, and put some Sta Lube MoS2 hi temp disc brake bearing grease in the pawls and hardened ring inside the hub shell. Use a generous amount of grease, and it will be almost silent. Many DH racers use this setup in warm climates, like in So Cal, it's not so much recommended in freezing climates.
 
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