WTB: non-disc Phil rear cassette hub 135mm for Bombadil

[WilletM]

I'm looking for, as the title says, a Phil Wood non-disc 8/9/10 FSA QR cassette rear hub new or in excellent condition.  I need 135mm spacing, 36 spoke, and polished silver in order to match up fairly well with a polished Schmidt Son dynamo hub up front.

Different brands/colors, etc, won't work for me, unfortunately.

[Nick Payne]

You'd be buying obsolescence. I have one of these hubs, with about a dozen years of use on it, and when I tried to get some replacement pawls for it from Phil recently, as the pawls are starting to lose engagement every so often and jump, the response was that they don't have the pawls for those old hubs any longer (they changed the pawl design a few years ago), and the only option was to send it back to them for an upgrade to 11-speed freehub, at a cost, not including shipping, of $US250. As I can buy

I'd be looking for something like a White Industries MI5 instead.

Nick Payne

[Julian Westerhout]

FWIW, I'm not sure of too many bike part makers who service/supply parts for things that they sold 12+ years ago. 

A number of years ago I had a tandem wheel with one of White's early Daisy hubs that had an issue -- no dice in getting parts.  Small makers, evolving designs, and time all make that a bit tough. 

This issue is not just limited to small makers, though -- the big ones are worse in my experience. 

Just try getting parts for Shimano gear made just 3 or 4 years ago.   ;) 

Campy historically has been pretty good about supporting older designs, but  just went through an interesting experience trying to get some parts to refurbish a set of Campy Record brifters of similar age -- no parts available from Campy, but did find a small shop that had the parts. 

The good news is that a moderately cared for Phil hub is likely to last for many miles and many years, so not too much of a worry. 

Julian Westerhout

Bloomington, IL 

[Willet Mather]

I did find what I needed.  Many thanks to Julian W. for a hot tip on someone who was selling exactly what I was looking for on a distant FB marketplace.  

Willet M.

[Willet Mather]

Thanks, Nick, for the reminder and suggestions.  I have read up some previously about the pawl issue.  As I have a handful of bikes and wheelsets with the Phil cassette hubs, it's likely that I'll have the problem flare up sooner or later.  But fortunately, knock on (Phil) Wood, I haven't had to deal with it yet.  Luckily, all are "sunny Sunday afternoon on the bikepath" bikes that get ridden 200 miles or less most seasons, so I'm hoping the hubs will eventually outlive me.

I will admit to having an expensive and maybe impractical Ph-etish, but I do thoroughly enjoy the aesthetics of how those Phil wheelsets look on bikes that I expect to keep for ten or twenty years or more.

Willet M.

[lconley]

I have several old Phil hubs with freewheels, but I did buy a couple of Phil cassette hubs, and they came with a spare set of pawls.

Laing

Delray Beach FL