Rear hub recommendations?

[Tom Wyland]

Hi, does anyone have hub recommendations?  I currently have a Deore rear hub that is nice and quiet, but the cup was scored because the hub was delivered without grease, apparently. I'm leaning towards a Velo Orange touring hub. Does anyone have hubs that are not too crazy expensive with sealed bearings that they recommend? 

I commute with my Platypus and run 36 spoke wheels, so nothing too dainty.

Tom

Reston, VA

[Peter Bridge]

I'm not sure about "sealed" per se, but I would immediately suggest Tiagra. Huge value, nicely made. I might snag myself another pair before they vanish. I deduce from your comments that the wheel has low mileage? If you wish, and if the hub flanges are the same diameter, you might be able to salvage the spokes. I didn't use to do that, but good spokes used to be 25 cents. 

`~pb

[Steven Sweedler]

Tom, I’ve been using a Bitex touring hub on my tour bike and think its fair value. Costs $160 direct from Bitex.

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

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[Patrick Moore]

I read long ago that Shimano hubs arrive in stores with less than necessary grease in the bearings, so when I buy a Shimano hub I always have the shop pack in more grease. That said, the XT rear hub I bought circa 2020 has performed unexceptionally on my dirt road bike ever since, and when I had a second wheelset with XT rear built in 2023 (??24?) I had both the earlier and later XTs repacked, the shop said that the earlier one had looked fine. 

I’ve used many Ultegra - DA - XT - Deore hubs over the years and they all worked fine with the addition of a bit more grease.

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[Garth]

I'd consider this one myself, for a 135mm cassette hub. Silver or black. https://www.velocityusa.com/product/hubs/atb-rear-hub

I'm pretty sure their lower end cassette hubs that use 2 cartridge bearings use a threaded-in freehub body, like lower end Shimano does. This mean they're more quiet bu nature of the pawls contained within the FH body. They don't seem to have an online store anymore so you'd either have to call them to confirm the construction and to order one.

The Deore hubs I have I added grease and the bearings were too tight to begin with anyways. Gee, it was that way in the 80's too. When the bearings are adjusted and the nuts tightened, there should be a touch of play in the bearings , laterally. When sandwiched in the QR, there's no play and you have easy rotation bliss :)

You could get a silver Tiagra hub but they're 130mm so you'd swap out a threaded 146mm axle for that 141mm one, plus some spacers. Shimano sells them , and Wheels MFG has super duper heat treated axles for more $$, but they're the best.

[Hoch in UT]

I’m not sure what color you’re looking for. But DT350 hubs are my go-to. They are black. They roll exceptionally well. You can convert from 130 to 135 (and 142, if necessary) with a simple swap of end caps. Maintenance is simply pull off the freehub, wipe down and lightly oil. All tool-less. 

[Ryan]

What about Rivendell's Silver offerings which come in 36-hole  and come stock for 135mm spacing but can be adapted for 130mm? Not as quiet as Deores but grease helps. 212.00 CAD basis my settings

https://www.rivbike.com/products/hub-new-silver-rear-hub?srsltid=AfmBOoqIcyWXXdn6UiBrvpCzQki8avw-wzJUNkIZQaHxUldyvdUQqLEM 

[Will Boericke]

36h is your limitation.  I think Bitex's touring model is the best bet.

[Tom Wyland]

Thanks for your responses. I've found plenty of 135 width hubs that accommodate 36 holes. I appreciate the feedback from people who have experience with the hubs.

The Rivendell silver hubs look like they are built like the Velo Orange and the freehub is just pressed on there, not threaded.  Does anyone know? I saw some mixed reviews on the hubs on the Rivendell website, which usually isn't a good sign. 

But at $150 -$200 USD, Bitex, Rivendell and VO seem to be the top picks. Bitex is black only, though. Velocity also seems similar to Riv's, but in black only.  My wheelbuilder recommends VO, but no one here seems to have them. Velo Orange is a local company for me, so that's the appeal.

Tom

[ascpgh]

I'll plug this one: RBW Silver Cassette hub.

I got it for the steel cassette body. My previous rear hub was only available with an aluminum body, and the cassettes chewed into it, producing odd sounds. It has been an outstanding hub. Does all that it's supposed to and nothing it isn't. Rich built it with a shiny Pacenti Brevet rim (which may have been the end of that item). 

Its clicks are louder than my Suzue Classica, but I don't notice it much.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[David Ross]

If you can get past the looks, the DT Swiss 350 is aces. Cup and cone is ok and has worked for years, but there are easier was to do it. 

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[Will Boericke]

I’ll be shocked if you can get DT Swiss in 36h.

I love Velo Orange and own many of their products.  However, what I love about the DT Swiss and Bitex hubs in my stable is I can get parts from many places.  If you need a new VO free hub, can you get it anywhere else?

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[Ryan]

I don't see any reviews negative or otherwise on the Rivendell site itself. But  IME as a customer with a long history since 1997, I suspect that if there were issues with the hubs, the Riv folks would address the problem in a mutually satisfactory way. As someone on Redditt piosted: https://www.reddit.com/r/Rivendell_Bicycles/comments/1fqg54j/thoughts_on_the_new_silver_hubs/ 

...where Rich Lesnick addressed the customer's problem and a refund covering shipping and cost of the hub was offered. 

Shit happens, but when a company stands behind its product to the extent of making thing right, that is more than good enough for me. But,  the newsletters themselves have often noted that Deore hubs are perfectly adequate; they are not trying to push their products over less expensive and perfectly functional substitutes. Another thing I respect about RBW. 

The VO hubs look very nice as well...as do the Bitex which I've heard here and elsewhere are excellent. 

[Steven Sweedler]

Tom, I have a new unbuilt Silver  Bitex touring hub w/36 holes, contact me off list if interested

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

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[Julian Westerhout]

Tom, 

I have this V-O Grand Cru 36 hole silver hub, new, never used. I'd sell it for $110 shipped if you're interested. 

Julian Westerhout

Bloomington, Illinois 

[Nick Shoemaker]

Not sure if you've already made a decision, but every time I go through this exercise I end up with a lightly used or NOS Shimano hub. Nothing else other than Onyx seems to be as quiet. Here's a NOS XT for <$100 on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116743626280?_skw=xt+36h+rear+hub&itmmeta=01K398VC0GCA89T942AJGQHK96&hash=item1b2e765e28:g:P2MAAeSw56lopmnU&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dHW7ChmN4ieODli%2BVGjcOrt0W%2FnCnmbEtp3B1%2FsbNmMSyNJWIBXa4qDgvszlbsD5yzoRRo3AH3HwcyjdhPP9k59C1gB961a881sKMBzXBVinkFnTv58w0ArUKlazH8ljUovVzuX%2B35cxfSFe9GlhlAbvw9CXnPA65ypcVtYbQrnwnx5%2B%2FbzZrovPrnN8yxRlNu13zwKJd1KEkubWVG2FKCrOyFraO9UbUUxn9FuMnWS%2FOaHTReZL0dIMgxNFJa5QY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7LA7aiaZg

[Ryan]

Even though I personally preferred the 90s polished XT hub finish (7-8 speed), it's hard to go wrong with that ~82.00 price for a NOS XT hub! 

[Piaw Na]

On Friday, August 22, 2025 at 9:14:38 AM UTC-7 Nick Shoemaker wrote:

Not sure if you've already made a decision, but every time I go through this exercise I end up with a lightly used or NOS Shimano hub. Nothing else other than Onyx seems to be as quiet.

 I agree that Shimano hubs are quiet and pretty much the only reasonably priced hubs that are. My issue with Shimano hubs is that they use loose bearings that require an annual overhaul. That's not a big deal. The problem is that in the past, their preload adjustment was finicky and required special cone wrenches, and it would take me multiple tries to get them just right.  I eventually gave up and had them serviced by a shop annually. The problem with that is that at $30/overhaul, it didn't take many years before it would have been cheaper to get the expensive White Industries, Phil Wood, or other hubs that use cartridge bearings instead. The total cost of ownership for someone who keeps a set of wheels for a long time is just that much higher for a Shimano hub than for anything else.

Shimano hubs come with very little grease (hey, that makes them lighter!) so the thing to do with Shimano hubs when you get them is to immediately overhaul them right away.

[Tom Wyland]

If I could find a NOS hub that was the same specs as my existing Deore hub, I would have the wheelbuilder swap it. I couldn't find one. But that only saves me $45 on spokes, not on the rebuild fee. I don't mind the loose ball, I was just burned by the fact that they were not greased properly from the factory last time, scoring the cup.  I'm going to upgrade to a $100-150 hub and have a new wheel built.  I can't stomach  a 200-plus hub on a commuter bike that regularly gets ridden in the rain and locked up all day.

My current plan is to buy the NOS VO hub from the list member here (if it's the right spacing). Otherwise I'll get a new VO or Rivendell Silver hub.  Bitex are nice, too, but the same price as VO and Silver and I have a "relationship" with those shops/brands (but not Bitex). 

Thanks for contributing to the conversation!

Tom

Reston, VA

[Patrick Moore]

+1 for XT. I use them on both my “dirt road road bike” wheelsets.

Curious: How much better, and in what way, is XTR compared to XT?

Patrick “my XT rear hubs are black, as are my front SP hubs” Moore

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Patrick Moore]

I’ve never had problems getting bearing play adjusted nicely with Shimano hubs, though I confess that I’m more familiar with older ones — 8 speed and before (600, Ultegra, 105, XT) — though I’m not afraid to adjust my recent XT hubs. I do have a full set of cone wrenches (including 13s and 19s).

Agree that Shimano hubs out of the box can stand to have more grease added.

All that said, they seem to last very well.

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[Piaw Na(藍俊彪)]

On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

All that said, they seem to last very well.

It took me about 10 years to wear out the cones on my DuraAce 7700 hubs.  The Campy Chorus front hub that was matched with that wheel also wore out around the same time. The thing is that these were dry weather wheels, not subject to frequent rain or touring. By contrast I've never worn out the bearings on a Phil Wood, White Industries, or the Michi Primato Syntesi hubs even though I treat them much worse (rain, mud, riding through rivers, etc). The field serviceable axle Phil Woods bearings forever seem bulletproof, and of course the standard cartridge bearings they use are easily field replaceable with a pair of allen wrenches. I actually think the total cost of ownership for the Phils and Whites are superior to that of the Shimanos even though the upfront cost of the Shimanos are much lower.

[Patrick Moore]

That’s very interesting. In my own experience, my older (7 and 8 speed in particular) XT hubs ridden off road lasted as long as my Phils ridden on pavement. Yes, perhaps 2 overhauls with the XTs compared to 1 bearing replacement with the Phils. Very little (but, not none) rain but a whole lot of very fine dust. It’s good to know that someone who rides far more than I do and in wetter conditions has had good luck with Phils.

Aside: A few months ago I complained about fugitive squeaking (like distant sparrows) from (apparently) the Phil bearings — bb, wheels — on my fixed gofast road bike. I pried up the seals and squirted in grease (cheap sticky blue stuff from Pep Boys) and that does seem to have quieted them down. I don’t know which of the 6 individual bearings was squeaking.

[Piaw Na(藍俊彪)]

On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 12:59 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

 Very little (but, not none) rain but a whole lot of very fine dust. It’s good to know that someone who rides far more than I do and in wetter conditions has had good luck with Phils.

I doubt I ride more than you. It's just that for several years (from 2008 to 2015 or so) I pretty much only had one bike to ride so I put all my miles on that one bike. 

[Patrick Moore]

Then I am very greatly disappointed in you.

On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM Piaw Na(藍俊彪) <pi...@gmail.com> wrote:

… I doubt I ride more than you. It’s just that for several years (from 2008 to 2015 or so) I pretty much only had one bike to ride so I put all my miles on that one bike.

[Manoucher Brahman]

Hi Tom

I had the same issue. The scored side is made of aluminum. I had a Dremel type tool from Harbor Freight and used it to smooth and polish out the scored area. It took me 50 minutes to get it prefect.  My wheel got a 2nd life! 

Best

Mannie 

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 19, 2025, at 12:14 PM, 'Peter Bridge' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I'm not sure about "sealed" per se, but I would immediately suggest Tiagra. Huge value, nicely made. I might snag myself another pair before they vanish. I deduce from your comments that the wheel has low mileage? If you wish, and if the hub flanges are the same diameter, you might be able to salvage the spokes. I didn't use to do that, but good spokes used to be 25 cents. 

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