Phil Wood hub opinions
Jqb82
experiences with Phil hubs.
Doug Milliken
In a previous article, jq...@aol.com (Jqb82) says:
>I am shopping for a new wheelset and would appreciate any opinions on or
>experiences with Phil hubs.
>
Visited the factory a couple of years ago. New owners seem really
committed to high quality and complete stock of spares. Was very impressed
with the machining sequence -- after roughing the hub out to nearly final
dimension, each hub is removed from the CNC lathe, the spoke holes are
punched and then it is rechuched (on an internal collet) and a final skim
cut is made to ensure very round bearing-mount lands.
Top quality stuff.
-- Doug
--
Melissa G. Kepner
>I am shopping for a new wheelset and would appreciate any opinions on or
>experiences with Phil hubs.
I love 'em.
Jim
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Melissa Kepner Jim Adney
mgke...@facstaff.wisc.edu jra...@njackn.com
Laura Kepner-Adney
Madison, Wisconsin
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wheelys
(Melissa G. Kepner) wrote:
I have built several track and road wheels w/Phil wood hubs..one pair of
the hubs are on there 3rd set of rims,still silky....'nough said
J.R.R. Blinky
>I am shopping for a new wheelset and would appreciate any opinions on or
>experiences with Phil hubs.
I saw a set of Phil's hubs built up on some Mavic 121 (the ceramic ones) and
they were absolutely the beefiest, most beautiful things I've seen. I don't
know how they function but the workmanship appeared excellent. After I wiped
the drool from my chin I asked the price ($800ish) for the wheelset and came
back down to earth. I have TNT hubs front and rear and these made mine look
puny.
Eric Amundson
rear hub. They are shipping now. The hub is basically similar
to a Campagnolo custom tandem hub, (discontinued 1995).
Instead of Campagnolo's three paws it has four twin pawls,
(similar to a Shimano's three speed drive pawls). Eight pawls
and a rubber O ring. It contains four cassette bearings, (two
in freehub body, two in hub shell). Retail price $235. This
hub has taken them over two years to release, partly due to the
lack of any other manufacturers producing threaded hubs for
freewheels. All Phil hubs feature a hub flange that is half
again as thick as any other hub made. This allows them to
radius the spoke hole to match the bend of the spoke,
eliminating spoke failure in this area. Phil hubs are not for
gram counters though. Also Phil has never failed to stand
behind their products. Any warranty claims are handled fairly,
usually at no charge.
Greg Dykema
[...]
>... Also Phil has never failed to stand
>behind their products. Any warranty claims are handled fairly,
>usually at no charge.
But you should be aware that the bearings are warranteed for only
six months, after which Phil will refuse to look at them. They
charged me $25 for a new pair of bearings (one wheel) when mine
failed after only a year of use (5000 miles) in sunny CA.
They seem to give better support to their non-serviceable parts, like
the bottom brackets and the old hubs, but all of the new hubs are
field-serviceable and they don't stand behind the bearings.
greg
May-britt Kotzmann
summer and winter in various types of weather, ever since. The hubs have
endured about 35,000 miles of hard touring and 25,000 miles of commuting
and Randonneuring. They have survived a major crash which destroyed both
wheels and they have outlived three sets of spokes and rims. The hubs
have never recieved any maintenance. These same Phil Wood Hubs are still
in use on my second commuter bike - they will not go away. I weigh 180
pounds and I've broken every available bike part (including other brands
of hubs and axles) just by riding them. I would recommend the Phil Wood
hubs for maintenance free riding, especially touring in third world
countries.
Dave Cambon
Edmonton, site of -40c bike commuting.
David Suryan
>jq...@aol.com (Jqb82) wrote:
>
>>I am shopping for a new wheelset and would appreciate any opinions on or
>>experiences with Phil hubs.
>
>
>Jim
I'd like to point out some of the strengths and weaknesses of Phil Wood hubs
based on my own experience and experience of cycling friends that have used
them.
Phil Wood hubs are not bomb proof. Except for the bearings, however, they
rarely fail. The hub body and axle rarely fail because of the sturdy
design. I do know of one instance where a flange separated from the shell.
This hub was used on a tandem. Phil's guarantee is good and the hub was
replaced.
The bearings are another matter. Phil uses the standard contact seal
cartridge bearing. These are the same bearings used from electric motors
to other bicyling equipment. As has been mentioned before in this forum,
these bearings are designed to keep out air bourne contaminants, not water.
Lacking any other water barrier these bearings become contaminated with
water and die if they're used in wet conditions. Here in the Pacific
northwest we have plenty of wet weather and the only folks I know of that
haven't replaced their Phil bearings don't ride in the rain. Several
testimonials have appeared in this forum on Phil hubs durability and
resistance to weather induced fails. This is counter to my experience
and counter to Phil's design which does not include sufficient water
barriers.
It's interesting to note that Phil made a significant design change in
their hubs around 1992. This made it possible to replace the bearings
at home. Before that they had to be sent to the factory for bearing
replacement. I've not seen any wear out but I've seen many die from
rust. I think Phil was losing money replacing rusty bearings.
If the bearing weren't so easy to replace I probably would have replaced
my Phil Wood hubs.
David
Raymond G. Mendoza
have been on four rim sets and three mtb bikes all dead and gone. The
bearings were replaced once by the factory at a nominal charge. One
of the best bike parts I ever paid for. Aside--Mike Ferrentino said I
was wasting my money when I bought them six years ago.
TIM...@news.delphi.com
non-FSA (it's a 135 mm rear hub so it must be fairly recent) and a newer
FSA front hub. It'd be nice to be able to replace bearings myself if it's
ever necessary.
TIA-
Tim
Melissa G. Kepner
>The bearings are another matter. Phil uses the standard contact seal
>cartridge bearing. These are the same bearings used from electric motors
>to other bicyling equipment. As has been mentioned before in this forum,
>these bearings are designed to keep out air bourne contaminants, not water.
>Lacking any other water barrier these bearings become contaminated with
>water and die if they're used in wet conditions. Here in the Pacific
>northwest we have plenty of wet weather and the only folks I know of that
>haven't replaced their Phil bearings don't ride in the rain. Several
>testimonials have appeared in this forum on Phil hubs durability and
>resistance to weather induced fails. This is counter to my experience
>and counter to Phil's design which does not include sufficient water
>barriers.
When Phil introduced his hubs and bottom brackets in the early 70's,
he explained that he realized that dirt and water were the biggest
enemies of the bearings. For this reason, he spent a lot of time
finding a grease that had sufficient oxidation inhibitors to prevent
corrosion. In my experience, he seems to have succeeded, but I agree
that your conditions may well be more adverse. It is clear that at
some point anything can be made to corrode and fail.
>It's interesting to note that Phil made a significant design change in
>their hubs around 1992. This made it possible to replace the bearings
>at home. Before that they had to be sent to the factory for bearing
>replacement. I've not seen any wear out but I've seen many die from
>rust. I think Phil was losing money replacing rusty bearings.
My Phil hubs date from about 1973. I have not been actively involved
with bicycle mechanics since about 1977, so I am not current on any
design changes that might have taken place in recent history. My
hubs, however, have bearings that can be replaced (along with the
axle) by any shop that has the rather straightforward Phil tools. I
have replaced a few of these myself as a mechanic, but it has been
more than a few years ago. The hub design I am familiar with uses
Locktite to hold the bearings in position in the hubshell. The most
common problem was with riders who broke this bond when they used the
QR without the special Phil thrust cup when removing their freewheel.
The repair, however, was simple, quick, and cheap.
My hubs still have their 22+ year old original bearings and have never
required service of any kind.