Recommendation - Well Sealed Road Hubs

Steve Sr. said:

I am probably going to have built up a new set of road wheels and am
looking for suggestions for well sealed hubs including the freehub.
This would be for a Shimano drive train. I would probably be going
with standard 32/36 spoke rims. BTW, which is the current standard
number of spokes - 32 or 36? or is one front and the other rear?

While I don't go looking for rain to ride in it sometimes finds me! I
am looking for something that is sealed well enough to keep water and
road grit out of the working bits. I have been lusting after a set of
Phil Wood hubs but am wondering if there are other options that are
almost as good for considerably less money.

Does anyone know if there is a way to get a good deal on a set of
custom wheels with Phil hubs or better than list pricing on the hubs
alone?

Thanks,

Steve

while i've had ok luck with shimano mtb hubs, i've had nothing but bad
luck with both campy and shimano road hubs in bad conditions - grit
intrusion is terrible. the best hubs i've ever had for wet weather are
those in my mavic cosmos wheels. sealed bearings, two winters and still
smooth as butter. can't even do a couple of months in the rain on the
above road hubs without having to strip and clean the crud out.

daveornee said:

Steve Sr. said:

I am probably going to have built up a new set of road wheels and am
looking for suggestions for well sealed hubs including the freehub.
This would be for a Shimano drive train. I would probably be going
with standard 32/36 spoke rims. BTW, which is the current standard
number of spokes - 32 or 36? or is one front and the other rear?

While I don't go looking for rain to ride in it sometimes finds me! I
am looking for something that is sealed well enough to keep water and
road grit out of the working bits. I have been lusting after a set of
Phil Wood hubs but am wondering if there are other options that are
almost as good for considerably less money.

Does anyone know if there is a way to get a good deal on a set of
custom wheels with Phil hubs or better than list pricing on the hubs
alone?

Thanks,

Steve

Best sealed hubs for Shimano are Shimano XT, LX, and Deore. Rear
spacing is 135 mm, but can be lowered to 130 mm.
Dura Ace, Ultegra and 105 hubs are labyrith and contact sealed.

So it sounds like the MTB hubs are the best. I thought I recalled
someone saying a while back that Shimano 7700 were pretty well sealed.
What is a 7700? Is this the 9-speed Ultegra?

The application I have is for a 10-speed Shimano. What is the rear
spacing (130 or 135)? Will the rear MTB freehubs take a 10 speed road
cassette?

Thanks,

Steve

Steve Sr. said:

So it sounds like the MTB hubs are the best. I thought I recalled
someone saying a while back that Shimano 7700 were pretty well sealed.
What is a 7700? Is this the 9-speed Ultegra?

9spd Dura Ace. 6500 is 9spd Ultegra.

Quoted message said:

The application I have is for a 10-speed Shimano. What is the rear
spacing (130 or 135)? Will the rear MTB freehubs take a 10 speed road
cassette?

Rear spacing is 130mm. AFAIK all Shimano 8 or 9spd hubs will take 10spd
cassettes. DA 10spd hubs will only take 10spd cassettes, though.

I'd also like to know if it is easy to convert an MTB hub to 130mm.
Seems like you'd probably need a shorter axle unless you have fat
dropouts... and then there is the issue of the rubber seal on the left
side not fitting when you remove 5mm of spacers from that side. Dave?

Steve Sr.... I suggest that you allow your posts to be archived... no
reason why this should disappear.

Ron Ruff said:

I'd also like to know if it is easy to convert an MTB hub to 130mm.
Seems like you'd probably need a shorter axle unless you have fat
dropouts... and then there is the issue of the rubber seal on the left
side not fitting when you remove 5mm of spacers from that side. Dave?

The rubber "seal" is primarily a cosmetic cover over a couple spacers
and the left side of the hub. If you dispense with the cover, replace
the spacer with a 5mm thinner one, and replace the axle with a 5mm
shorter (probably 141mm length) axle, you can get a MTB hub to work in
130mm length.

Back when I was working in a bike parts warehouse, some rear hubs might
come in 8 variations: black or silver, 32 or 36 hole, 130mm or 135mm
width. We had a heck of a time keeping things organized.

FWIW: I prefer to go the other way- I have a Shimano 105 hub that's
135mm width right now. But that's another kettle of fish...

Jeff

On 20 Aug 2006 16:40:44 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Steve Sr.... I suggest that you allow your posts to be archived... no
reason why this should disappear.

Done! I forgot that I had this set from another instance of Agent.

Steve

JeffWills said:

Ron Ruff said:

I'd also like to know if it is easy to convert an MTB hub to 130mm.
Seems like you'd probably need a shorter axle unless you have fat
dropouts... and then there is the issue of the rubber seal on the left
side not fitting when you remove 5mm of spacers from that side. Dave?

Quoted message said:

The rubber "seal" is primarily a cosmetic cover over a couple spacers
and the left side of the hub. If you dispense with the cover, replace
the spacer with a 5mm thinner one, and replace the axle with a 5mm
shorter (probably 141mm length) axle, you can get a MTB hub to work in
130mm length.

I've cut axles to get the proper length. It's a pretty simple operation
with a hacksaw and a file to trim up the result. No need to replace the
axle, IMO.

Removing spacers on the left side will move the hub to the left, leading
to greater dish and greater spoke tension imbalance. This will make a
rear wheel harder to build and slightly less strong (but stiffer
laterally).

If I had to do it by removing left side spacers only, I'd want an offset
rim, overkill in the spoke count, or some other way to strengthen the
wheel. But I've always been able to squeeze a few mm out of the right
side (older 7 or 8-speed hubs in 5, 6 or 7-speed spacing), leaving the
dish nearly the same.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body
and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to
get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than
circumstances drive them to do. -Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and
novelist (1811-1896)