Mountain Bikes!

I googled rear hubs last night and it looks like things could definitely add up quick, if you can find parts. Any brands you guys like or run away from?

I thought maybe it was wider. The cogs all look evenly spaced but the axle doesn’t come remotely close to bottoming out the threads on the other side. It may have been that way from day one, I’ve never removed the rear wheel before this happened. I do a lot of maintenance on my vehicles myself and honestly enjoy the time in the garage but bikes make want to pull the rest of my hair out.

 

i dunno what these hubs look like inside, but on my Hope hubs there's a 2mm spacer/washer inside. if you rebuild them and don't put it back in the freehub won't engage even tho everything slides together seemingly fine. could be something like that with your conversion for sure.

Hope hubs. about as bulletproof as it gets for not a crazy amount of money. you give up a few degrees of engagement that most people won't even feel compared to some of the other high end brands for never having to fuck with them. gotta pay for the lace-up and shit tho if you're doing that. hubs are the expensive part... might as well just get a new wheelset built if you're buying new hubs. good rims are like $150-200 a pair, pair of Hope hubs for $300 or a little less, brass nipples, DT Comp spokes... that's the setup right there. figure $700 with the labor charge. Hope hubs, I9 hubs, DT 240 hubs, Chris King hubs... a few Rampage dudes use Onyx hubs but they're expensive as fuck and I've never actually seen one, they take abuse though. Spank wheels seem to hold up pretty well.

most hubs won't share the same spoke length so you'd be probably into buying new spokes anyways and a lace job or a tension meter and trying to figure it out yourself, even if you just wanted to swap a hub. try and fix that one first. take it apart, compare it to a service diagram, see if anything missing or misaligned. go from there.

 

I kind of figured that was how this was going to go, “since you’re doing that and going to be in there you might as well”...$1,000 later ​

 

I had another look, unless it's a different generation, on the hi low hubs, the freehub is connected to the hub body via a fairly tricky internal system to tighten it on, and tbh those arrangements and that one look to be a pita. Firstly though I'd prob take it to the shop to diagnose it (or another if you don't trust any longer) and go from there, even over the phone to confirm suspicions. I wouldn' t invest anything apart from elbow grease in trying to bring that hub back to life (e.g. replacement freehub + hour of shop labour).

If it's dead, option A, source a perfect condition second hand rear wheel (or wheelset) in the local area, in the same axle width and type (qr or thru axle) and brake rotor configurations (6bolt or centre lock), option B source a new complete rear wheel e.g. from mail order store in US or OS, and distant option C would be replace only the rear hub, maximum pita factor and will not be much cheaper over the others. You will need a chainwhip and cassette removal tool if you end up doing it yourself, but they are cheap. Hope and DT make reliable gear. GL

 

I would honestly just find a used wheel on Pinkbike/FB or just buy a new Stan's rear wheel. Doesn't sound like you need anything crazy sexy, 300 bucksish and plug and play rather than messing with it.

 

I am partial to Industry 9, but I ride with a few of their employees. They have great engagement, are easily serviceable, and machined in North Carolina for what its worth.

The newer 1/1 hubs from them are more economical but have only a few options when it comes to which hubs they support.

 

With those specs I am guessing a 2012? I wouldn't spend any big money on a new hub, just take the wheel to a Specialized dealer since it could be as easy as pawls out of place or broken, it could be as bad as a busted hub. They should be able to fix what you have or suggest an inexpensive workable replacement.

 

I think I have that exact stock wheel set that was only ridden once before swapping for a carbon set. Probably $100 plus shipping if that sounds fair.

 

The bike should make it to the shop tomorrow. Let me see what they say but that sounds like the best option so far.

I think it’s a ‘14. It’s a decent frame but compared to what’s out there, when bikes appear in shops again, I wouldn’t put a bunch into it. My dad has Broome streak in him though and might put unobtanium errrthang on it just because.

 

Oh it's not even boost spacing then. Absolutely just grab a used one off FB then. 100-150 should do it. Swap the cassette over and get back to riding.

 

Ok.


I have a really cool set of 26 wheels that I’m waiting for 26 to come back in style. Chris King hubs laced to Stans rims.

 

agree with this. buying a non-boost hub or wheelset at this point new is not a wise investment. the bike industry sucks real bad for that dumb shit. i want a new frame and my dope wheels are still dope. considering just doing rotor spacers and boost adapters to them. fuck a boost wheel haha.

 

Okay, I’ll bite...what’s a “boost” wheel?


Got it, google lined me out.

 

But Pivot has Super Boost yo.

 

Took a staycation to try and catch the last week or two of sun out here. Got a little over 20 miles today and almost 4,000 feet of vertical. Loving the Mega now that I loctited the B gap adjuster in place. Damn thing was driving me nuts.

 

I’ve fought my hands going numb on pretty much anything that has handlebars. Any thoughts on carbon bars or tips to keep my hands from going numb? Is “vertical compliance” really a thing or or just a bunch of snake oil? Maybe some different grips?

 

You can overcome most numbness by more actively riding your bike.

Get up out of the saddle and throw your bike around instead of sitting and spinning, it gets blood flowing to your arms.

 

I think so, I refuse to ride alloy bars on my road or MTB for that reason. Life is too short for harsh bars. And stay away from 35mm bar stem combos. But back to the start, make sure your fit is within the realms of normal, and theres no other obvious issues e.g. tyre pressure way too high, compression damping on full etc.

The angle of your wrist as it meets the bar should be close to straight (more angle equals more pressure within wrist and around nerves), and the exertion to grip the bar contribute quite a bit. So loosen up, relax. Larger grips like ESI chunky grips often help, combined with a nice carbon bar with comfortable angles (for you).

The big thing to be mindful of is nerve damage causing this. If it's thumb/back of hand (burning/tingling/numbness) to midfinger, it's radial nerve issue, and if it's midfinger to pinky, it's ulnar nerve that runs under your elbow. Both go up through your shoulder and neck as part of the brachial plexus nerve system. Previous neck/shoulder injuries, weak/loose shoulders, poor position in the office with desk too high, or on on the bike (like a low and racey craned neck reaching forward) etc can all contribute to nerve impingement issues in your neck, and shoulder, can manifest in symptoms such as tingling/numbness etc in your hands. Hope that helps, only took me a few years to figure that out.

 

What lids are you guys wearing?