island rider

I'm looking at Enves, but having trouble deciding on the hubs. How do you pick them? Where can I read up on them (google is my friend, but has been tough in this regard)? What do you look for in a hub? How do you know if better hubs are worth the extra money?

The ones I am comparing are:

DT 240 $0
Chris King R45 +$158
DT 180 +$600

blacksquid

https://fairwheelbikes.com/c/updates-...-overload.html

digibud

there isn't much to go on beyond Google, recommendations from friends and personal experience. For instance, I've built exactly one set of wheels, but I have years of experience adjusting standard cup and bearing hubs so in my case I was very open to buying a quality hub with replaceable bearings that I knew I could easily maintain. With that in mind, with recommendations from friends and the net I simply bought some Ultregra hubs and built my wheels around them. Easy. If I were building wheels for cyclocross and wanted cartridge bearing wheels that would better withstand mud and such, I would have had to rely more heavily on the net and I would simply have limited myself to hubs that were well known enough to have reviews and were, in fact, known to be excellent. If a brand like Enves had insufficient reviews in order for me to feel rock solid about their reliability, they would not make it to my final list. There are plenty of well known hubs out there that are popular and well established as reliable. I see no reason to look for an unusual, uncommon, specialty hub that has no solid, well tested track record.
Obviously the critical place to start is what your needs are and what kind of hub might meet those needs, ie some hubs are best for "never have to touch it" like Phil Wood, or "easy to repair by popping in a new cartridge" or simple and easily adjustable (like a Shimano cup-and-cone hub).

Ryan.Han

Based on blacksquid's reply and everything I've heard, between the three choices above you're best off with the Chris Kings. The DT240s are well regarded hubs, the DT180s seem to be considered over-priced (I've neither ridden nor seen them), and the Chris Kings are generally regarded as excellent in quality and performance. Were I building an enve wheelset for myself, they would almost certainly be number one on my short list.

island rider

DT 180
FWB Opinion: This is one of the hubs in this review that I just don’t quite get. The 180 has a carbon barrel in place of the alloy. That and the bearings are the only weight savings for this hub vs the 240 front hub. So for more than double the price of the 240 hub you get a 8 gram weight savings and ceramic bearings. But you also can’t get it in black.
Ron’s perspective: I guess this is a good hub for those who want the best and most expensive DT hub. If you like the DT180 rear, then this is the front hub that matches it.

Blacksquid - did you read the reviews? The one above is priceless!! Thanks.

Campag4life

Hubs are basically jewelry. What kind of jewelry do you prefer? Do you wear a Tag or a Casio? Honestly, it doesn't matter. You may be budget oriented..or may like to have your color's match and a certain look. Performance won't be much different...or even durability. Weight doesn't matter so much close to the axle...even though it may contribute a few meaningless grams in static weight to your bike. White makes a good value hub and you didn't have them on the list.

halfspeed

I disagree. Hub geometry can affect the durability of a wheel. Bearing quality and type (cartridge or cup and cone, ball size) can impact durability as well. The worst hub I've ever had a was a Soul rear hub. It had a very thin spacer between the freehub body bearing and the one inside the shell. Eventually that bent and got jammed in the freehub body bearing. That's not to say that an inexpensive hub can't be good. I really like the Novatecs I've built up.

bikemig 

One thing you have to give Shimano credit for is retaining a good design for a long time. I have a Shimano 105 hub that was original equipment on a 1993 bike and I was able to replace the cones last year without any trouble.

garciawork

I would go Chris King, but I have always wanted a set of blue R45's to match my headset...

canam73

My personal choices from cheapest to most expensive would be:

Novatec 482/291
Shimano Ultegra (if you just want durability over weight savings)
White Industries T11 (or H2/H3 if you can find a set and you aren't going with 11s)
Shimano DA
Chris King R45

Now, since you are looking at Enve rims I would think the King would be in order, but the DA or White would not be out of place, either.

DT hubs never impress me. Between their price and geometry I think there are always better alternatives. Although I only look at weight after checking every other spec. To me a ~300-250g rear and ~130-100g front are more than acceptable.

JoelS

Of the 3 listed, go with CK. Their stuff is always very well built. I've never had happy results with DTSwiss hubs.

bianchi10

I got Enve 45's with CKR45 hubs. Love everything about the combo!

island rider

Thanks for the info. Just FYI the listed hubs are the manufacturer options on the Enve 6.7s. Just those 3. Looks like CK is the best bang for the buck.

canam73

Ah, I see. You may know this, but Enve also sells their rims alone. It may not be a bad idea to send an inquiry to Psimet or wheelbuilder.com to see some options and get hub recommendations based on your preferences.

island rider

I do know, but I don't have enough of a preference to get into it. I like the idea of a factory built wheel from them. Thanks for the heads up though.

gc3

If I was springing for new Enves, I'd go with the newest Alchemy hubs to maximize my bling quotient. Otherwise, Novatec (in the SL version) or BHS hubs are great value for the money. If you want the Enve-built wheels, then CK R45 is the sweet spot from those three options. My opinion only, so it is pretty much without merit.

JakiChan

I just got a set. They do look nice. And with the sound you don't really have to say "on your left" that much.

blacksquid

Yeah, I read the entire review. I love the look of the 1999-2006 Campy Record hubs and have built a couple of wheel sets using these. They're beautiful, roll forever, and are easily maintained. I have run across one hub that is very nice: Royce hubs. They're a little spendy but they'll make them in whatever drillings you need. Chris Boardman used Royce hubs and botom brackets on his bikes. Plus they're gorgeous!

island rider

I've tried the 3.4s and the 6.7s and like them both. I'm just not sure what purpose the 3.4s serve beyond a good all-around wheel. For climbing I'd pick something lighter. For flat races, crits etc I'd go with the 6.7s. For a middle of the road road race I think I'd prefer something like 50s front and back.

But if you want a good noise, try mad fibers. I've ridden them and I can make them bark in a sprint. Literally, the sound is like a barking dog.

rekmeyata

Also look into White Industries, they make fantastic hubs that are less expensive then CK and at least as good.

island rider

I've heard good things, but the Enve factory builds are CK and DT. I'll bear it in mind for when I go hand built.