Replacing busted Dura Ace 9000 16h hub.

turnstyle

The front hub on my Dura Ace 9000 C35s has died! The shop reckons the bearings are completely knackered and entire hub needs replacing.

The rear hub and both rims still have quite a bit of life in it so I've been trying to think of alternatives to replacing the front wheel completely as it looks like spare 16h DA front hubs don't exist. Or is there a 16h hub that's just as good that I could use and have the rim rebuilt that's a lot cheaper than spending £500 on a replacement wheel?


Thanks!

ugo.santalucia

As you have straight pull spokes, you do need the original hub or something equivalent (suppose the RS 80-81 will do the job). If you have time and patience, eventually you should find someone with the opposite problem (knackered rims and good hubs to sell)... alternatively, you can buy a 16 H conventional hub, like a Hope Mono RS (or a cheaper Planet X one if they still sell them) and have it respoked... you need however to keep the nipples, which are Shimano proprietary and fit the Dura Ace rim holes.

The latter route is of course more expensive, but less time consuming. It depends where your priorities are

turnstyle

Thanks for the reply ugo. Something like this?

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/hope-m ... wwod5kQAwQ

Coincidentally, I've got a mate who's got the complete opposite problem with some old c24s but if I'm going to have to get it rebuilt, I guess a new hub is better than something that's 3+ years old?

ugo.santalucia

turnstyle wrote:

Thanks for the reply ugo. Something like this?

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/hope-m ... wwod5kQAwQ

Coincidentally, I've got a mate who's got the complete opposite problem with some old c24s but if I'm going to have to get it rebuilt, I guess a new hub is better than something that's 3+ years old?

If you can source the original hub, you can reuse the spokes and everything makes a lot more sense. In theory these hubs should last for many years, so 3 years is nothing, if it still runs smooth

turnstyle

Ah, so I'd need to replace the spokes with straight pull spokes to fit the hope hub but I can still reuse the nipples? Sorry, I've never had wheel problems before so this is all new to me.

ugo.santalucia

turnstyle wrote:

Ah, so I'd need to replace the spokes with straight pull spokes to fit the hope hub but I can still reuse the nipples? Sorry, I've never had wheel problems before so this is all new to me.

The Hope one takes a different type (called J bend) and a different length of spoke, so yes... while if you use the original hub or a lookalike, then you can reuse them. Either way, you will have to reuse the proprietary Shimano nipples