Without jumping into the flamewar elsewhwere. If you are the sort of rider who opens a hub a couple
of times a year (or more), then shimano will do you very well. It's the vanilla choice for hubs, but
it has the advantage of being compatible with almost everything nonItalian, and parts are widely
available. The nonreplaceable LH cup can be killed with abuse and neglect, and once dead, cannot be
replaced. If you live where it rains (as I do) then this is a consideration. I have, with all due
apologies to captain Brown, replaced quite a few cups in a number of different kinds of hubs.
Shimano does not make it easy for the maintainence-challenged. If you are also considering loaded
touring with this wheel, then availability of parts is also a serious consideration for you. You
will find that parts for most of the aftermarket options are quite difficult to find outside of
major urban areas. Cartridge bearings can be had most anywhere, since manufacturers tend to use
preexisting bearing right out of the IBN catalog. Dedicated parts for the hub are another question
entirely. Most bike shops, including some very good ones, don't stock a wide variety of aftermarket
hub bits. Part blown, must be ordered. If you can swing the cost, then Phil Wood is a marvellous
thing. Nothing to that hub except machined aluminum, Stainless, and bearings. I sell quite a few of
them to high-mileage commuters, tourists, and people who are tired of playing with disposable hubs.
Buy it, buy it once, and forget about it for a long time. Bearings can be replaced in a couple of
minutes, and are available most places in the industrialized world. Yes I'm a fan. Eamon
[email protected] (David Johnston) wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> I've got a 1999 Cannondale T800 touring bike and I need to build a new wheel for it. I use it
> mainly for commuting and getting around town, almost never for more than 25 miles in a day and
> usually for much less. I want to keep the possibility of loaded touring open in the future. I
> think I want to use the Mavic T520 rim, but I'm not sure about hubs. I can't even figure out what
> the width is of the rear dropout (why didn't they include that information in the owner's
> manual?).
>
> So can anyone recommend a hub? The requirements are: 36 holes, 8/9 speed, under $100.
>
> -David