Best front hub for radial lacing?

[Jeff S.]

I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced radially.
What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?

I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
501/571/601? Hugi 240?

Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle) rear hub, if aesthetics ever
enters into the equation.

Thanks for reading and your responses.

 

[Doug Milliken]

I've had great luck with Bullseye hubs, laced radial, can even have your choice of anodized
color(s), although sounds like you want clear (or just polished aluminum)

No website -- call Roger Durham at 800-874-0600 (what a novel concept, someone that usually answers
his phone)

On Wed, 4 Jun 2003, Jeff S. wrote:

> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle) rear hub, if aesthetics
> ever enters into the equation.
>
> Thanks for reading and your responses.
>
>

 

[Dion Dock]

If you really need a radially laced wheel (why?) I would suggest either buying pre-built or looking
at the warranty statement for each hub.

-Dion

"Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
(28
> hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle)
rear
> hub, if aesthetics ever enters into the equation.
>
> Thanks for reading and your responses.

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Jeff S. wrote:

> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback.

Flange weaknes is also an even more major drawback on CNC machined hubs like the Sun/Ringlé
units. I special ordered some of these a while ago for a customer who wanted a trendy color,
laced 'em up 3 cross, both front and rear got busted flanges. These would be even less likely to
survive radial racing.

For radial lacing, you should use a hub with a forged body, such as Shimano or Campagnolo (at least
the Italian Campagnolo ones...not sure about the Taiwanese models.)

Use butted spokes and don't get carried away with spoke tension. Might want to go with a thread
adhesive for this specific application.

Sheldon "I Like The Look" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------+
| Le beau est aussi utile que l'utile --Victor Hugo | (The beautiful is as useful as the useful) |
+-------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
>Jeff S. wrote:
>
>> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
>> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?
>>
>> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
>> drawback.
>
>Flange weaknes is also an even more major drawback on CNC machined hubs like the Sun/Ringlé
>units. I special ordered some of these a while ago for a customer who wanted a trendy color,
>laced 'em up 3 cross, both front and rear got busted flanges. These would be even less likely to
>survive radial racing.
>
>For radial lacing, you should use a hub with a forged body, such as Shimano or Campagnolo (at least
>the Italian Campagnolo ones...not sure about the Taiwanese models.)

Campagnolo will not warrant their hubs for radial lacing, and I have seen the flange come apart on a
Record hub built (once) radially (28h front). I would not try to emulate that myself. When about
1/3 of a hub flange flies off, you have an instant handling safety problem.

The American Classic Micro Hub is warranted for radial lacing. Thick flanges and under 70g.

http://www.amclassic.com/Road_Hubs.html

--Paul

 

[Lewis Campbell]

You might want to look at a Phil Wood. http://www.philwood.com/

They pretty much last for ever.

Lewis.

..............................

"Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle) rear hub, if aesthetics
> ever enters into the equation.
>
> Thanks for reading and your responses.

 

[Psycholist]

I had a set of custom wheels built for me by Mike Garcia at Oddsandendos.com. I wanted sturdy, but
relatively light (who doesn't). He suggested 24 spoke Ringle front hub -- radially laced. He said
Ringle was the only hub he knew of that was warranted for radial lacing.

I got these wheels in late January. Last night I did a roller workout. An hour in, POW. The flange
on the front wheel snapped. I was very lucky not to lose control and I was also very lucky I wasn't
on some fast descent or something. I figured it was just a popped spoke, but the first dangling
spoke I saw wasn't broken anywhere. Then I saw another one that wasn't broken, either. Then I
spotted a piece of hub flange on the floor.

So I called Mike Garcia today and told him about it. Naturally, I'll be sending the wheel back to
him. He said he was really surprised 'cuz these hubs are commonly used on mtb wheels and should hold
up to any road application. He also said that, with only a 24-spoke drilling, there's more material
left in the flange and so the failure is even more surprising.

Surprising or not ... it happened and I'm not too happy about it.

Bob C.

"Sheldon Brown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jeff S. wrote:
>
> > I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
(28
> > hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> > warranty?
> >
> > I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> > drawback.
>
> Flange weaknes is also an even more major drawback on CNC machined hubs like the Sun/Ringlé
> units. I special ordered some of these a while ago for a customer who wanted a trendy color,
> laced 'em up 3 cross, both front and rear got busted flanges. These would be even less likely to
> survive radial racing.
>
> For radial lacing, you should use a hub with a forged body, such as Shimano or Campagnolo (at
> least the Italian Campagnolo ones...not sure about the Taiwanese models.)
>
> Use butted spokes and don't get carried away with spoke tension. Might want to go with a thread
> adhesive for this specific application.
>
> Sheldon "I Like The Look" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------+
> | Le beau est aussi utile que l'utile --Victor Hugo | (The beautiful is as useful as the
> | useful) |
> +-------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
> Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
> shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[A Muzi]

"Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
(28
> hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle)
rear
> hub, if aesthetics ever enters into the equation.

Anything high flange. The holes are pretty darn close for radial low flange.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Paul J Pharr]

"Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
(28
> hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle)
rear
> hub, if aesthetics ever enters into the equation.

I have a set of Campy Protons, raidial on front and non-drive side. Here in Arkansas, it's quite
hilly in places, lots of fast decents and quite a few lousy roads, lots of miles. I recently had a
set built, just to feel safe on the descents and be durable. I took the builders recommendation
considering how much I ride, road conditions and what I'm looking for...it wasn't radial, he won't
even do radial. Record hubs, aerohead rims, 32 hole laced 3x front and rear FWIW.( I like the looks
of conventional wheels).

Anyway, I know the Protons will hold up quite well, even with the punishment I give. I'm not sure
about other hubs.

Cheers

Paul J Pharr

 

[Tom Ace]

Jeff S. wrote:

> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?

I wrote to the Phil Wood company about 16 months ago asking which front hubs of theirs were suitable
for radial lacing, and they said all of them were. (I'd check with them again about current models
before doing it; they're on the web at www.philwood.com )

Tom Ace

 

[Bill K.]

If you are worried about voiding a warranty, you better forget about Campy or Shimano. Both of them
disapprove a radial lacing.

 

[TNEWSOME1]

If looks is what you're after, an alternative to radial lacing is 1 cross lacing. I have a front
wheel laced like this (32 spoke Mavic Open 4CD rim/ Dura-Ace hub/Wheelsmith 15g bladad spokes) and
from a distance it looks just like a radial laced wheel. It probably doesn't have the "problems" of
a radial spoked wheel, I think. Do you know, Sheldon?

Sheldon Brown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jeff S. wrote:
>
> > I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
(28
> > hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> > warranty?
> >
> > I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> > drawback.
>
> Flange weaknes is also an even more major drawback on CNC machined hubs like the Sun/Ringlé
> units. I special ordered some of these a while ago for a customer who wanted a trendy color,
> laced 'em up 3 cross, both front and rear got busted flanges. These would be even less likely to
> survive radial racing.
>
> For radial lacing, you should use a hub with a forged body, such as Shimano or Campagnolo (at
> least the Italian Campagnolo ones...not sure about the Taiwanese models.)
>
> Use butted spokes and don't get carried away with spoke tension. Might want to go with a thread
> adhesive for this specific application.
>
> Sheldon "I Like The Look" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------+
> | Le beau est aussi utile que l'utile --Victor Hugo | (The beautiful is as useful as the
> | useful) |
> +-------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
> Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
> shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Chris B .]

On Wed, 4 Jun 2003 18:48:08 -0400, "psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote:

<snip>

>He said he was really surprised 'cuz these hubs are commonly used on mtb wheels and should hold up
>to any road application. He also said that, with only a 24-spoke drilling, there's more material
>left in the flange and so the failure is even more surprising.

There is more material between spoke holes but that isn't going to be such a big benefit with
radial lacing. Remember, having fewer spokes means that each spoke must be tensioned higher for a
given wheel strength. I think this would more than offset the benefit of the extra material between
the holes.

Chris Bird

 

[Bob Taylor]

In the late 80's I had a pair of wheels built with 36 hole Wolber 58 rims and Phil Wood hubs. The
front was built radially laced with Performance 15 gauge aero spokes (just means they're oval but
still pass through the holes so the hub need not be slotted). I have toured on that wheel, raced on
it, and I still ride on it when I take my ancient Cannondale. It has been trued a number of times
but I've never broken a spoke. Phil Wood hubs have exceptionally thick flanges and I suppose this is
why I've had no problems. They're not light though. More material means greater durability but also
more weight. Still, you can't win if you don't finish.

Bob Taylor

"Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel (28 hole) is laced
> radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a warranty?
>
> I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
>
> Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle) rear hub, if aesthetics
> ever enters into the equation.
>
> Thanks for reading and your responses.

 

[Jeff S.]

Can you elaborate? Phil Wood and who else (especially, if not CNC)? Thanks.

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Jeff S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I'm interested in building up a new set of wheels where the front wheel
> (28
> > hole) is laced radially. What is the strongest/best hub for this application, w/o voiding a
> > warranty?
> >
> > I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
> > drawback. What about Record or D-A? Mavic
> > 501/571/601? Hugi 240?
> >
> > Also, this hub will be mated with a silver Campy Record (oversize axle)
> rear
> > hub, if aesthetics ever enters into the equation.
>
>
> Anything high flange. The holes are pretty darn close for radial low flange.
>
> --
> Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

jeff-<< I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a major
drawback. What about Record or D-A?

Radiqal will void the warranty.

mavic will not have a warranty on the hubs you mentioned. Hugi or CK, or perhaps American Classic...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Kinkycowboy]

My 2 cents on this thread;

http://www.goldtec-cycles.co.uk/ROADHUBS.htm

I've got their track hubs, but I haven't built them into wheels yet. They sell a lot of track hubs
to bike couriers in London, so I'm guessing their durability is OK.

Kinky Cowboy

*Your milage may vary Batteries not included May contain traces of nuts.

On 05 Jun 2003 12:44:26 GMT, [email protected] (Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote:

>jeff-<< I'm thinking of a Sun 'Sun of Bubba' hub but availability/distribution appears to be a
>major drawback. What about Record or D-A?
>
>Radiqal will void the warranty.
>
>mavic will not have a warranty on the hubs you mentioned. Hugi or CK, or perhaps American
>Classic...
>
>
>Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
>(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, Bob Taylor
<[email protected]> wrote:
>In the late 80's I had a pair of wheels built with 36 hole Wolber 58 rims and Phil Wood hubs. The
>front was built radially laced with Performance 15 gauge aero spokes (just means they're oval but
>still pass through the holes so the hub need not be slotted). I have toured on that wheel, raced on
>it, and I still ride on it when I take my ancient Cannondale. It has been trued a number of times
>but I've never broken a spoke. Phil Wood hubs have exceptionally thick flanges and I suppose this
>is why I've had no problems.

That and you have a lot of spokes. Most radial wheels on new bikes these days have about half as
many as yours.

--Paul