mrmb

So I have this really nice Campy hub that is laced to a junk rim. I am very tempted to pull the hub and lace it to a new rim.

Then I got to wondering if this is a bad idea. Each spoke hole in the hub will already be disfigured to some extent, and perhaps this could pose a problem with the new spokes seating into the hub as I tension the wheel. Or maybe this is a non-issue?

Thoughts?

Geepig

I suppose it depends a lot on what you intend to use the hub for.

If you are thinking of popping it in a wheel to compete in a Tour de France then probably a bad idea. If you are like me and are maintaining old bikes in some state of originality then it might be a good idea. Where do you position yourself between these two points is my question.

I have numerous used rims, hubs and sets of spokes stashed away for different purposes, but I am much more likely to scrap a hub due to irretrievable cone issues or accident impacts than bedding in marks from the spokes.

homelessjoe

just examine the hub really good ....you can just look at it and tell if its worth rebuilding......if the holes are keyholed it might be to far gone....look at. the bering races to see if they are scored or scratched....if you dont trust your own judgment let someone else look at it but pay attention so you know what to look for next time.............some hubs can last for a hundred years some will be done in a couple of seasons and its the expensive high end stuff that wears out the soonest because its made so lightweight and thin and delicate......spokes will wear out before the hub.......alot of people change their spokes often when they are training every day.......rims and hub last way longer than spokes........rims crack around the spoke holes or you can see the spokes trying to pull out of the rims......it takes. many thousands of miles of hard riding to wear out a good hub

guy153

It's a fine idea, especially as you can't get Campy hubs any more (sob). Surely people who buy super-spendy hubs like Chris King must do this all the time? The lifetime of a quality hub should greatly exceed that of a rim unless perhaps it's a front rim on which you're using a disk brake.

You do want to match up the spoke pattern so that you're reusing the footprints of the old spokes not carving a whole new set.

Trevtassie

Check the spoke holes in the hub for cracking, all good? Re-lace with new spokes with same bend butt diameter following the old lacing pattern.

Trakhak

As suggested above, reuse but replicate the original spoking pattern. Back when Campy offered a lifetime warranty for their components, rebuilding a hub with a different spoking pattern voided the warranty.

pdlamb

SOP for worn down brake tracks or a cracked rim. Get another rim with the same ERD, tape it to the wheel, and transfer the spokes over one at a time.

Just make sure the spokes aren't scored (chain came off?) or cracked.

Trakhak

Agreed, except that it isn't even necessary to tape the rims together first. I used tape for the first few rim transfers I did decades ago and then never bothered with tape again. Just transfer the spokes in the hub flange closest to the new rim, and then transfer the rest.

squirtdad

just make sure you take the freewheel off before cutting rear spokes don't ask how I know

oldbobcat

I've lost count of the times I've rebuilt wheels around old Campagnolo hubs. Also Zeus, Sanshin, and Normandy hubs that I overhauled with Campagnolo axles.

tcarl

I've been using and re-using my Campagnolo hubs since the 1980's.

HillRider

I have a Dura Ace rear hub with 74,000 miles and is on its third rim. The cones, races and freehub body are all original and still in excellent condition. It would have been foolish not to reuse this excellent hub.

There is absolutely no reason not to rebuild a good quality hub with a new rim and spokes. As noted, follow the original lacing pattern.

The only real excuse for not rebuilding is cost. If you can't do the build yourself, it is often less expensive to buy a complete new wheel than to pay retail for a new rim and spokes and the labor to build the wheel.

Russ Roth

22 years old and on its fourth set of rims, not too expensive annualized when it still spins on the same bearings. With any hub, as you said, duplicate the pattern.

Reynolds 

If I reuse a hub I put the new spokes in the same position as the old ones like said above, but I've seen many hubs where the builder didn't care about it and never had a problem.

Trakhak

If you buy replacement rims that are identical to the original in effective rim diameter, you can reuse the spokes as well as the hub. If the wheels were originally built to the correct spoke nipple torque specification and have been maintained accordingly, the spokes should be capable of outlasting both the rim and the hub.

Andrew R Stewart 

Back before suppliers had wheel lacing machines (and long before wheels became their own component) we would spend all winter building up wheels for the up coming season's sales. We reused hubs all the time, al be it cleaned, greased and having passed our reuse standards. In fact when we would sell a wheel for a repair we offered a $5 savings if the customer left the old wheel with up. Think of it as a core charge for that good auto radiator you got from the service garage.
Building 20+ wheels a week for a few months got you pretty comfy with wheel work Andy

veganbikes

If the hub looks good, go through it clean it polish as needed, regrease, adjust cones...all that fun stuff and go ahead and re-use it. If it doesn't look so good maybe parts bin it and you might take parts as needed.

If the hub is gone and you need new freewheel hubs of quality, Phil Wood is my purveyor but if price is a concern Velo Orange does some decent stuff. If the same but you have a cassette, Crampandgoslo still makes the Record hubs in 32 hole black for rim brakes (and is generally available for sale through your LBS from QBP though out of stock at the moment) or you can go with my other favorite hubalier, White Industries who still do a Campy freehub. (CK does not do Campy anymore). If you are looking for a budget campy cassette hub probably Miche would be the go to? Maybe Formula or Novatec makes something as well but not sure.

Geepig

I still do!

2old

As many above have said, I reuse and have a pair of DT 240 hubs that are about 20 years old and have been rebuilt al least twice each.

guy153

Do they have cartridge bearings and can these be replaced? It might last 20y anyway of course but if you can replace the complete bearing no reason why it shouldn't last forever.

2old

I obfuscated (not purposely); the hubs, which have cartridge bearings AFAIK, have never been touched. What I meant to say was they were rebuilt with new spokes, rims and nipples at least a couple of times (maybe more, can't remember) in the past 20 years using the same spoke pattern. This was needed because the rims were trashed by brake wear.

klasse

haha, made me laugh at a time I really needed a laugh. good question, OP, I would say it would be a shame to scrap a Campy hub! cheers

Retro Grouch 

The real trick has more to do with the rim. The rim accounts for most of the difference in spoke length requirements. Most of the problems that inexperienced wheelbuilders experience have to with trying to lace a wheel using spokes that are eigher too long or too short..