Upgraded hubs exactly why?
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Shore of Long Island
Posts: 2,819
Bikes: 2010 Carrera Volans, 2015 C-Dale Trail 2sl, 2017 Raleigh Rush Hour, 2017 Blue Proseccio, 1992 Giant Perigee, 80s Gitane Rallye Tandem
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 1,039 Times
in
732 Posts
Could be multiple reasons. I've had plenty of sets of XT and XTR, compared to White Industry there isn't much difference in smoothness and speed that I can detect, but the WI aren't really any more expensive than XTR while coming in some sweet colors, wouldn't upgrade XTR just for the color improvement but would easily swap Deore or lower hubs or WI, XT, or XTR because you can feel the difference when cruising along vs the cheaper ones.
Hubs like CK, DT, and I9 it is all about a mix of weight, smoothness and engagement. Kings make absolutely bombproof cross hubs that are light, roll smooth and have instant engagement for maneuvering the bike through tight twists over roots and around features, same advantages translate to the MTB as well. I've got kings on mine and middle kid's MTB, wife and oldest kid's cross bikes, and on mine and wife's road bikes. The oldest is now 24 years old on original bearings and is as smooth as new with no feeling of wear and trust me, I heavily neglect them. To me, that's the perfect reason to upgrade.
Generally though, with road, cross and track I've built all the bikes from the frame up, in which case I worry first about a top quality wheel build and then the rest of the parts. With MTBs I usually end up spending 1500 or less and the wheels are usually cheap and heavy making them the best initial upgrade. Also just lets me have fun.
Most recent build for the wife, Purple hope pro 5 hubs, purple and blue spokes with alternating purple and blue nipples. The Hopes are supposed to be faster than the previous gen with faster engagement, never had pro4 so IDK, but people love the quality, durability, and they're far better (smoother, faster engaging, and more easily adjusted) than the MT400 hubs that came on the bike, also shaved 3lbs off the bike, so why not like them more?
#28
seńor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,651
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3903 Post(s)
Liked 6,511 Times
in
3,226 Posts
If it's free, wouldn't we all "upgrade"?
If it's not free, wouldn't the rich do it anyway?
So, in conclusion, don't be poor.
If it's not free, wouldn't the rich do it anyway?
So, in conclusion, don't be poor.
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 8,578
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4480 Post(s)
Liked 4,951 Times
in
3,061 Posts
If the noise is that annoying the general solution I recommend is ride fast enough that I can stop coasting
Could be multiple reasons. I've had plenty of sets of XT and XTR, compared to White Industry there isn't much difference in smoothness and speed that I can detect, but the WI aren't really any more expensive than XTR while coming in some sweet colors, wouldn't upgrade XTR just for the color improvement but would easily swap Deore or lower hubs or WI, XT, or XTR because you can feel the difference when cruising along vs the cheaper ones.
Hubs like CK, DT, and I9 it is all about a mix of weight, smoothness and engagement. Kings make absolutely bombproof cross hubs that are light, roll smooth and have instant engagement for maneuvering the bike through tight twists over roots and around features, same advantages translate to the MTB as well. I've got kings on mine and middle kid's MTB, wife and oldest kid's cross bikes, and on mine and wife's road bikes. The oldest is now 24 years old on original bearings and is as smooth as new with no feeling of wear and trust me, I heavily neglect them. To me, that's the perfect reason to upgrade.
Generally though, with road, cross and track I've built all the bikes from the frame up, in which case I worry first about a top quality wheel build and then the rest of the parts. With MTBs I usually end up spending 1500 or less and the wheels are usually cheap and heavy making them the best initial upgrade. Also just lets me have fun.
Most recent build for the wife, Purple hope pro 5 hubs, purple and blue spokes with alternating purple and blue nipples. The Hopes are supposed to be faster than the previous gen with faster engagement, never had pro4 so IDK, but people love the quality, durability, and they're far better (smoother, faster engaging, and more easily adjusted) than the MT400 hubs that came on the bike, also shaved 3lbs off the bike, so why not like them more?
Could be multiple reasons. I've had plenty of sets of XT and XTR, compared to White Industry there isn't much difference in smoothness and speed that I can detect, but the WI aren't really any more expensive than XTR while coming in some sweet colors, wouldn't upgrade XTR just for the color improvement but would easily swap Deore or lower hubs or WI, XT, or XTR because you can feel the difference when cruising along vs the cheaper ones.
Hubs like CK, DT, and I9 it is all about a mix of weight, smoothness and engagement. Kings make absolutely bombproof cross hubs that are light, roll smooth and have instant engagement for maneuvering the bike through tight twists over roots and around features, same advantages translate to the MTB as well. I've got kings on mine and middle kid's MTB, wife and oldest kid's cross bikes, and on mine and wife's road bikes. The oldest is now 24 years old on original bearings and is as smooth as new with no feeling of wear and trust me, I heavily neglect them. To me, that's the perfect reason to upgrade.
Generally though, with road, cross and track I've built all the bikes from the frame up, in which case I worry first about a top quality wheel build and then the rest of the parts. With MTBs I usually end up spending 1500 or less and the wheels are usually cheap and heavy making them the best initial upgrade. Also just lets me have fun.
Most recent build for the wife, Purple hope pro 5 hubs, purple and blue spokes with alternating purple and blue nipples. The Hopes are supposed to be faster than the previous gen with faster engagement, never had pro4 so IDK, but people love the quality, durability, and they're far better (smoother, faster engaging, and more easily adjusted) than the MT400 hubs that came on the bike, also shaved 3lbs off the bike, so why not like them more?
Unless they are completely shot I can’t tell any difference in hub “smoothness” while riding along. Faster engagement yes, which is only important to me on a mountain bike.
My bikes do have high end DT hubs, but the Deore hubs on my daughter’s mtb feel just as smooth. I certainly wouldn’t bother upgrading them to XT/XTR. I did however upgrade the front forks on that bike, which transformed the ride.