Mountain Biking

Ordered the Hope Pro 4 hub. Got fed up now with the noisy bearings on the stock Marin hub are (rebranded Joytech as I found out). Did some research on rear hubs, what makes a good hub vs a cheap one. The engineering that goes into making a decent hub is quite a task after watching some of Hope's videos like this:


I was dead set on getting a Koozer XM490 as it was half the price of the Hope with what appeared to be excellent quality and a bunch of people on social media and other forums etc rated them but I spotted one post on FB that showed the state of the seals of one after 2 months of riding which put me off. So today placed at order for the Hope at £161.

A wheel builder not far from me will swap over my current rim with existing spokes if they fit and re-tape the rim for my tubeless etc. £56 I've been quoted for the job inc tubeless parts. If my existing spokes don't fit then I'll just pay the small bit extra for new spokes.
 
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I hope by noise you mean you're tired of a specific bearing noise and not noise in general, the Hope hubs make some racket when freewheeling :p

I was close to getting one myself for the rear, but considering a whole rear wheel build wasn't much more using Superstar UK made hubs, the value proposition took a bit of a wobble.
 
Oh lol yes I mean bearing rattle which I can hear when pedalling as my bike is near totally silent when pedalling! I love a noisy hub pawl though and the noise hope hubs make will get those dog walkers out the way far before I see them :D
 
i do like the hope hubs on my spare bike, i do think the seal could be better though, its not bad but compared to the sealing on my I9's on the good bike its not as good. having said that the wheelset i got was an extra £400 built on I9's over hopes, not sure it was worth it but the noise is nicer(and a touch louder) and the near instant engagement is much better. if i had never ridden the I9's i would still be more than happy with hope's though.
 
In what way could it be better? It seems to be fairly sturdy in there when the freehub body is on? Not read any issues with it to date given it's been around what 5 years or so? :p

Can't wait o get it installed. Perfect time of year now too :D
 
mrk said:
Oh lol yes I mean bearing rattle which I can hear when pedalling as my bike is near totally silent when pedalling! I love a noisy hub pawl though and the noise hope hubs make will get those dog walkers out the way far before I see them :D
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Just buy a discreet bell. They're not cool, but so useful as a lot of the trails I ride do have walkers. I bought a cheap one and it works a treat, search for Sportout Mini Aluminum Alloy Innovative Bike Bell
 
That discreet one looks cool ta. I never got a free bell with the lights but the bike did come with a dorky looking one lol. I'm certain walkers will hear me miles away on the Hope hub as they hear me a little closer right now as it is which is alright so the Hope being louder is a bonus.

I've bookmarked the discreet one however just in-case.

Bike looks decent now have to say. It is complete and error/noise free (aside from the Joytech hub...)

qzJRuXm.jpg

Also a Syd video popped up on YT few days ago about bedding in brakes after sanding down the pads and discs. I never did the latter and I iimply rode the bike and did some hard pulls without coming to a full stop as this is what many comments online recommended. This has worked fine up until I changed pads and put a 180 on the front so figured I'd do the sanding parts and follow these instructions:


Now these brakes have never felt stronger, instantaneous stopping on tarmac and can lock both wheels consistently. Seem to read nothing but flack for the Tektro M275s but maybe I'm one of the lucky few who have zero issues? :p
 
mrk said:
In what way could it be better? It seems to be fairly sturdy in there when the freehub body is on?
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i just found it needed a lot more cleaning and regreasing inside than i have had to do with the I9's or the DT hubs i've had and the pawls/springs needed changing more often(although the good thing there is you can pretty much walk into any bike shop and they'll have them). they are still very good hubs though, i've never touched the bearings and they must be at least 5 years old.
 
Ahh I see! At least that's good to know :D I read a comment on Youtube about someone replacing their pawls for another material or something but I doubt with my riding I'll be needing to go that route at any point. I tend to not ride in the wet either so should be an even longer maintenance life.
 
Pawls and springs are more than strong enough, I also ever so slightly over stretch the springs, (probably just a bad habit from way back in the 90's). Never had to replace any on all the hope hubs I've had over the years and I've had everything from Bulbs, Big'uns, pro2's up to current. I also never use grease on hub pawls, first thing I do before fitting is clear out that nasty gunk, chain oil every time! granted it does mean slightly more maintenance. Every few months when I give the full bike a service I clean it up and add new oil.
 
mrk said:
I tend to not ride in the wet either so should be an even longer maintenance life.
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yeah that'll help, I've got a bit softer now but when the bike with the hope's on was my main bike we rode in anything from torrential rain to snow and freezing conditions. can remember one ride we all had problems with dropper posts not working, mechs freezing up anmd freehubs not working it was that cold, also nothing to drink as it was frozen in the hose.
 
Why torture yourself in such ways I have to ask :D

Give me 20 degrees temps and golden hour and I'm chilled as can be!

I have heard people use wet lube instead of thick grease but you can also get grease that's extremely low friction and perfect for all sorts of bearings. Park Tool have one. I just use wet lube where needed though which seems to do the job nicely. Will have to get some proper performance grease for future maintenance though.
 
mrk said:
Why torture yourself in such ways I have to ask :D

Give me 20 degrees temps and golden hour and I'm chilled as can be!

I have heard people use wet lube instead of thick grease but you can also get grease that's extremely low friction and perfect for all sorts of bearings. Park Tool have one. I just use wet lube where needed though which seems to do the job nicely. Will have to get some proper performance grease for future maintenance though.
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British Mountain biking is made in the rain and the slop. They're is little more fun than smashing down a sloppy soaked trail with the back wheel at the side of the front wheel :D

It's why my bearings last 4 months! Ha.
 
mrk said:
Ordered the Hope Pro 4 hub. Got fed up now with the noisy bearings on the stock Marin hub are (rebranded Joytech as I found out). Did some research on rear hubs, what makes a good hub vs a cheap one. The engineering that goes into making a decent hub is quite a task after watching some of Hope's videos like this:


I was dead set on getting a Koozer XM490 as it was half the price of the Hope with what appeared to be excellent quality and a bunch of people on social media and other forums etc rated them but I spotted one post on FB that showed the state of the seals of one after 2 months of riding which put me off. So today placed at order for the Hope at £161.

A wheel builder not far from me will swap over my current rim with existing spokes if they fit and re-tape the rim for my tubeless etc. £56 I've been quoted for the job inc tubeless parts. If my existing spokes don't fit then I'll just pay the small bit extra for new spokes.
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Acera X hub/Sun rims on mine are 26 years old and never touched, same with headset and BB. Bonkers ;)
 
Old skool :p

Also correct me if I'm wrong but my stock hub secures the bearings via the cap and cone nut adjustment. Too tight and the bearings will grind and fail fairly quickly, too loose and dust and water will get in and damage them quickly... The Hope hubs do not have this old skool methods so no need to faff around with cone nut bolts etc. This alone for me is worth the upgrade alone as I don't need to be thinking about that at all any more.
 
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