Fulcrum Zero Hubs- not impressed!

cyclingvet

Only 1150 miles and only 100 of those in the wet. Not what you would expect to see on such an expensive wheelset. I-Ride told me that these are racing wheels and hubs should be re-greased regularly!! Funny-- I've got a 7 year old pair of Mavic Ksyriums that must have done at least 10k in all weathers and they are still going strong with no more that the nylon bushing on the freehub replaced. There was no grease inside the hubs ( don't the ceramic bearings just have a bit of oil?) The seals on these zero hubs are useless!

cycleclinic

Well they are racing wheels bjt this is low milegae for on these hubs. But all is not lost. The hubs use the same internals as the campagnolo record hubs so buy the service kit for those which do have seals and replace everything. This will ensure they last well.

Mavic krysiums are not top end racing wheels but mavic hubs have always had good hub design. I agree though your experience is not good. I susepct there may not have been sufficent grease from the factory or the grease used is thin and got washed out easily Or perhaps the bearkng preload adjuster has not been properly set by yourself. It is somthing that is meant to be dine kn fitting the wheels and checked periodically. Use a more persistant grease like rock n roll super web. I run campagnolo hubs in all weather (same hub internals) and i have never had this problem, in fact campagnolo hub are technically The besg desugn on the market in mh view. So get it fixed properly and you should fine for a while Although you should not have to have doing this yet

cyclingvet

The Record kit looks like its the same as the RS100 kit that my LBS used. ( steel bearings rather than ceramic) These only have seals on one side which they say is not good. They packed with some marine grease, so hoefully will last longer. Not very impressed with Fulcrum. I put some Racing 7s on my winter bike half way through last season (2013-14) and by January this year the front bearings where getting crunchy.

ugo.santalucia

The USP of ceramic bearings is that they require less lubrication. so go figure... :roll:

I don't want to sound nasty, but I find your case hard to believe. Is it possible that, having been through a big downpour, you then left the bike in a cold and damp shed for the winter?

Wet bearings and a damp shed are not the best of mates and it that's your only storage solution, then don't buy fancy stuff or make sure the bike is clean and dry before storing it

thegreatdivide

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The USP of ceramic bearings is that they require less lubrication. so go figure... :roll:

I don't want to sound nasty, but I find your case hard to believe. Is it possible that, having been through a big downpour, you then left the bike in a cold and damp shed for the winter?

Wet bearings and a damp shed are not the best of mates and it that's your only storage solution, then don't buy fancy stuff or make sure the bike is clean and dry before storing it

Yeah I'm with ugo on this. I’m not sure what you’ve done to get them into that state! I bought a pair of red spoked Zeros in 2011 and then sold them onto a friend last spring (replacing them with a dark label set because I’m a tart). They have collectively done thousands and thousands of miles with zero (excuse the pun) maintenance and still ride smoothly. Always kept in the house and dried down after a wet ride.

cyclingvet

Believe it! New in August 2014. Last ride early November in the dry. Had a 2 or 3 wet rides in Sept and October and one dry ride in January ( had to as winter bike campag gear paddle broke) Went out next in early March ( dry, but roads wet in some places). Kept in garage as are all my and my son's bikes, and have kept all my bikes in garage for last 20 years. In past always used Mavics. Water has obviously got in past the crappy "seals". Once past the seal it isn't going to evaporate easily so I question your logic that being kept indoors would make a huge difference. I suspect that once the water gets in its going to stay there and that's why they ended up like they were. On these Zeros it was only one side of the rear hub ( would get a lot more water directed at than a front hub) that was affected and front wheel still smooth.

Winter bike...uses Aksiums for years with no problems with bearings until very old. Decided to go with a new pair of Fulcrum 7s and bearings crappy within a few months. (similar story with the 7s I bought for my son's winter bike)

My LBS is of the opinion that the seals in these Zeros are naff..only on one side of the bearing? Also I found the advice from I-Ride a shock... take the hubs apart and re-grease regularly?!

cycleclinic

Well my record hubs with steel bearing never get thus problem they get ridden in wet too. Rebuild the hub and put a decent ammojnt of grease in. The issue will be with the minkmal ammount of thin grease out in the hubs to reduce rolling frictIkn. Steel bearjng plus lots of grease never fails to work which is why i don't use ceramkc bearings

cyclingvet

thecycleclinic wrote:

Well my record hubs with steel bearing never get thus problem they get ridden in wet too. Rebuild the hub and put a decent ammojnt of grease in. The issue will be with the minkmal ammount of thin grease out in the hubs to reduce rolling frictIkn. Steel bearjng plus lots of grease never fails to work which is why i don't use ceramkc bearings

This is exactly what I have had done.

jgsi

cyclingvet wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

Well my record hubs with steel bearing never get thus problem they get ridden in wet too. Rebuild the hub and put a decent ammojnt of grease in. The issue will be with the minkmal ammount of thin grease out in the hubs to reduce rolling frictIkn. Steel bearjng plus lots of grease never fails to work which is why i don't use ceramkc bearings

This is exactly what I have had done.

a bit confused now... are you saying you actually dismantled the hub and re greased after that wet ride but the hubs still rusted up or deteriorated as per the pics when you next wanted to ride the bike again?

Interested as I have a set of Racing Zeros, try to avoid riding in downpours, but if get caught out what the best maintenance routine should be..... be that spend an evening stripping down wheels...

Bar Shaker

The extra resistance from a dollop of grease is very small decimals of a watt.

cyclingvet

a bit confused now... are you saying you actually dismantled the hub and re greased after that wet ride but the hubs still rusted up or deteriorated as per the pics when you next wanted to ride the bike again?

Interested as I have a set of Racing Zeros, try to avoid riding in downpours, but if get caught out what the best maintenance routine should be..... be that spend an evening stripping down wheels...[/quote]

No. I've had the hub repaired using steel bearings and loads of grease. Ive no intention of taking them appart after a wet ride!