Frequently Asked Questions
Ceramic bearings certainly have their place, especially in road and triathlon racing bikes. As soon as water, dirt and dust come into play, ceramic bearings not only quickly lose their advantages, but also develop tangible disadvantages - and are therefore not a good choice for small and big adventures on and off the road. We want to offer our customers high-quality, durable products that are worth their price. The additional costs for questionable advantages of ceramic bearings should rather be invested in noticeable or simply beautiful upgrades.
Classic hub flanges for J-bend spokes work very well with a variety of rims and spokes, and are therefore the better choice for custom hubs like ours.
We will be launching hubs for Pi Rope spokes in near future. Due to the special design of the textile spokes, they are only compatible with specific straight-pull hubs. If there is great interest in straight-pull hubs, we will consider offering them - sharing the same design platform as our Pi Rope hubs.
Although Centerlock brake disc mounts are standard with a lot of hub manufacturers, we are convinced that the 6-bolt mount is the better choice for MTBs. 6-bolt mounts can easily handle braking forces in both forward and reverse directions. In addition, the 6-bolt standard allows the use of larger bearings, making the hub more robust and durable overall. Contrary to popular belief that 6-bolt hubs lead to heavier wheels, the lower weight of Centerlock hubs is usually offset by the heavier brake discs. Last but not least, the 6-bolt mount has the advantage that brake discs can be changed with a simple multi-tool.
If you still want MTB hubs with Centerlock mounts, please send us a message. If there is enough interest, we will add the option to our product catalogue.
The technical data required for wheel building can be found on the respective product pages. If you have never built wheels yourself before, we advise against using our hubs for your first attempt. Wheel building requires a considerable amount of experience and technical understanding. We have pre-configured wheels in our webshop. If you want something different, we recommend that you contact a wheel builder.
We use high-quality industrial ball bearings with special seals and specific grease. These ball bearings should not be relubricated, as the seals can be damaged when they are removed and correct sealing of the bearings is then no longer guaranteed. Defective bearings should be replaced. Suitable replacement bearings are available in our webshop.
All our aluminium parts such as hub bodies, end caps, axles and freehub bodies are made from the high-strength aluminium alloy 7075. The bicycle industry likes to refer to this aluminium alloy as "aerospace grade". Although 7075 was developed in 1935 for the aerospace industry, it has become established in many industries due to its excellent material properties. However, many hub manufacturers (especially from the USA) who offer different hub colours use less strong aluminium alloys such as 6061 because they are easier to anodise in colour. If no aluminium alloy is specified, it is usually 6061. Our ratchet rings are made of hardened high-strength steel. In our opinion, aluminium and titanium are not suitable for ratchet rings, as these materials wear out much more quickly.
It is best to clean the hubs by hand with water and a sponge or cloth. The use of aggressive cleaning agents should be avoided. When using high-pressure cleaners, make sure that you leave out the seals and bearings, as otherwise the service life of these parts will be considerably reduced. After washing, dry the hub with a soft cotton cloth.
The anodised layer on the aluminium parts protects against corrosion and gives the hubs their characteristic look. To preserve the anodised layer, avoid prolonged exposure to direct UV radiation (e.g. hub in shop window) and high temperatures above 60°C (140°F). Strongly adhesive stickers can damage the anodised layer when the sticker is removed.