rebuilding hubs

I am running the DT Swiss 240s hubs right now and they are so simple to rebuild. All you need to do is remove the cassette then literally pull the dust cap off and along with it comes the freehub body. Takes about 10 min to do an overhaul.

Dont forget that with the Chris King hubs, you need their special tool to do it, which isn't cheap. A lot of shops that i have been to dont even have the tool in their shop.

-Matt

I don't know if the high end hubs you are into are mostly equipped with cartridge bearings but I will pass on what I learned about cup and cone hubs.

I tried pretty hard to buy new cups to replace a defective one which had pitted prematurely but could not locate a source even though I managed to remove the old bearing cup. I did some calling around and some web searching.

My feeling with regard to serviceability is that a wheel is a lightweight, high stress item and by the time the cups are shot (not counting defects or incorrect assembly), the spokes, flanges, and rim will have lived the better part of their fatigue life too. Not sure how much life is in a wheel.

garage sale GT said:

I don't know if the high end hubs you are into are mostly equipped with cartridge bearings but I will pass on what I learned about cup and cone hubs.

I tried pretty hard to buy new cups to replace a defective one which had pitted prematurely but could not locate a source even though I managed to remove the old bearing cup. I did some calling around and some web searching.

My feeling with regard to serviceability is that a wheel is a lightweight, high stress item and by the time the cups are shot (not counting defects or incorrect assembly), the spokes, flanges, and rim will have lived the better part of their fatigue life too. Not sure how much life is in a wheel.

FWIW. It may not be the most satisfactory solution, but I found that the easiest way to get replacement cups and other parts for Shimano hubs is to buy the cheapest front-or-rear hub in the Shimano line that you can find AND cannibalize the parts.

Shimano cups may fit other hub shells.

Campagnolo parts are supposed to be available almost-forever; but, the cost is generally so high that it is also cheaper to cannibalize another, comparable component ... you know, the Record hub of 10 years ago is essentially the current Mirage hub.

BTW. I also recommend DT/Hugi hubs (available with EITHER Campagnolo or Shimano freehubs) ... the DT hubs have very low rolling resistance; but, I'm not sure if they are worth the premium over Campagnolo & Shimano hubs for "regular" riding.

I don't know if the DT 340 is just a 240 with a steel freehub body or if the bearings are the same/different (I should ask the tech guy at DT at some point in the future) -- if the DT 340's bearings are the same as the ones used in the 240/240s hubs, then that would probably make the 340 THE bargain high-ticket hub of the industry.

I loved my DT hubs, so good. Thats in the past now 🙁.

I had a play with an old mtb front hub. the cups were pitted and worn so I measured it, put it in a lathe and cut holes to fit cartridge bearings. It worked though I never ended up using it. I dunno where its gone now. Never had dust caps either.

alfeng said:

I don't know if the DT 340 is just a 240 with a steel freehub body or if the bearings are the same/different (I should ask the tech guy at DT at some point in the future) -- if the DT 340's bearings are the same as the ones used in the 240/240s hubs, then that would probably make the 340 THE bargain high-ticket hub of the industry.

Im pretty sure that the bearings are the same, i think its just the freehub body that is the diffrence between the two. This being the case, i totally agree that for normal riding, the 340 is the bast bang for your buck, the 240's are just a bit lighter. Does anybody know if it is possible to get a Ti body for these hubs??