28 spoke disc hubs 135mm

Mage Banan

Can anyone recommend some decent hubs for a wheel build for my cyclocross frame? These will be for road training.

Looking at 28 spoke Archetype rims with Sapim Race spokes, but having trouble finding decent disc hubs (100mm/135mm). I am not impressed with Novatec quality and have read several worrying reports re. Hope Pro 2 with axle breakages and shells splitting. Then there is Shimano CX75, which looks solid and comes with a decent QR skewer but is heavy and has their proprietary centerlock disc mount.

Maybe I should go go for 32 spoke to get a better range of MTB hub options?

ugo.santalucia

1) What is your issue with Novatec?

2) Never seen a Hope broken axle or split shell... bear in mind these hubs are used by folks that do downhill and land drops of 3-4 feet... however if you require 11 speed, then Hope might not be the smartest choice

3) The CX 75 are not particularly heavy

Man Of Lard

Mage Banan wrote:

their proprietary centerlock disc mount.

For which there are (reusable) adaptors so you can use your favourite 6 hole discs (buy one set, use them 'forever')

tgotb

Man Of Lard wrote:

Mage Banan wrote:

their proprietary centerlock disc mount.

For which there are (reusable) adaptors so you can use your favourite 6 hole discs (buy one set, use them 'forever')

Which don't work with certain brake caliper / rotor diameter combinations

lostboysaint

Don't go on the internet looking for problems and then you won't find any! If I believed every scare story I wouldn't have any components to put on my "disappears in the rain" carbon frame.

I am 98kg and have two mountain bikes - one has Novatech hubs, the other has Hope Pro 2 (which are so old they are even pre-Evo) and they are all in perfect working order and have NEVER stopped me riding despite my best attempts at drowning them all through the winter and never servicing them.

Now stop flapping because someone on the internet has had an issue and gone and had a proper rant and order some nice shiny new hubs and get them built!

bendertherobot

Oh crap, I have 2 sets of wheels with Novatec and one with Hope! Doomed I am!

veronese68

bendertherobot wrote:

Oh crap, I have 2 sets of wheels with Novatec and one with Hope! Doomed I am!

I've got 2 sets of Novatec and was considering ordering another set. I'm going to have to sell my bikes now as I can't get any decent hubs.

tgotb

Veronese68 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Oh crap, I have 2 sets of wheels with Novatec and one with Hope! Doomed I am!

I've got 2 sets of Novatec and was considering ordering another set. I'm going to have to sell my bikes now as I can't get any decent hubs.

Count yourself lucky; at the last count I had 6 sets of wheels with identical Novatec hubs :shock:

ugo.santalucia

... although to be fair, the older Novatec 712 10 speed design was a lot more reliable than the newer 772 11 speed design. Bearings did last a lot longer, and I think that's due to the flanged axle that did load them just the right amount, while now it's down to tolerances between axle and inner race.
There is also a lot more drag at the freehub-shell interface, as if the seal had not been designed properly.

The only good thing of the new design is that it is even easier to service the hub and replace the bearings