Hub maintenance

eoolsen
eoolsen Posts: 22
edited February 2013 in Road buying advice
Hi all
I'm in the process of buying a new set of wheels. After quite a thorough search i've decided on either the fulcrum racing zero or the dura ace c24.

Both these wheels meet my needs.

As most know the fulcrum wheels have USB (ceramic) hubs and the dura ace does not.

My question is, how much more maintenance does the fulcrum USB hub require compared to the C24's. I'm not a DYI kind of guy, so i'm looking for wheel set that doesn't require maintenance every other month.

Erik

Comments

  • chrisvanderkaap
    chrisvanderkaap Posts: 323
    i'd go for the fulcrum 0. Shimano uses angular contact bearings while fulcrum has ceramic cartridge bearings. Both are easy enough to service (shimano however is easier and cheaper since it's a loose ball system). But because ceramic cartridge bearings uses virtually no oil and ceramic mud crushing hardness and on top of that sealed they should last quite a bit longer before you have to give them a good inspection (which would mean replacement). All in all Fulcrum 0 are just really fine set wheels you won't regret.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    About hub bearings

    http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... s-bearings
    left the forum March 2023
  • chrisvanderkaap
    chrisvanderkaap Posts: 323
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    About hub bearings

    http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... s-bearings

    nice insight. however a little bit polarizing.

    Shimano's dedication to angular contact bearing is good proof that they live up to what we've come to expect from them. Not to mention the fact that servicing them doesn't mean removing them completely. But in practice the Campagnolo/fulcrum wheels are no throwaways either. The mechanical stress on the bearings is at least partially displaced by a wheel with good hub width, not too thin spokes and some strong yet compliant rims.
  • northpole
    northpole Posts: 1,499
    I have both dura ace wheels (7801 generation) and fulcrum zero wheels.

    Perhaps to my shame and at the risk of a complete slating here (!!), I have not had to have either set serviced and they both run extremely smoothly. The DA are 6 years old and are used for the daily commute in central London which is a pretty harsh treatment to endure. The zeros are 2-3 years old and are only used on the weekend, so have had an easier time of it!

    The fulcrums I have had to adjust the rear hub whose cap came a bit loose - there is a special tool provided with the wheels which tightens this up. Only had to do this once.

    Other than that I suspect the fulcrums are slightly better in terms of roll resistance and slightly stiffer in terms of ride quality. I also suspect that the rims will wear out long before the bearings of either need replacing.

    In short, I would choose whichever takes your fancy on other criteria and not worry for a moment about the bearings of either - they are both fab.

    Peter
  • eoolsen
    eoolsen Posts: 22
    hi
    thanks a lot. That's all quality answers.

    Kind regards
    Erik
  • pkripper
    pkripper Posts: 652
    They're both great wheelsets, get whichever look best on your bike!

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