White Industries H2/H3 Hubs

[Dromen]

Can i get you opinions on these front and rear hubs for a roadbike build i am working on. Typical use will be for long distance non-agressive charity type rides. Any alternative ideas would be a appreciated also.

Thanks,
Steve

[oldpotatoe]

Can i get you opinions on these front and rear hubs for a roadbike build i am working on. Typical use will be for long distance non-agressive charity type rides. Any alternative ideas would be a appreciated also.

Thanks,
Steve

Campagnolo or shimano/sram?

Your riding 'style'? Big rider either in size or technique?

[Liv2RideHard]

For me it was either the WI's, King R45's or CAmpy Record hubs. My build is modern classic...2008 Tommasini Tecno. Bike will be ridden on sunny days only, some club rides annd Gran Fondos. I went polished Campy Record to keep build timeless yet modern and stout enough to handle lots of miles. Heard lots of good things from reputable wheelsmiths about all three. All depends on your application mate.

[tuscanyswe]

If you are running campy you should know the h2 (the h3 do) do not support campy 11s out of the box. Need to be fiddled with.

[ergott]

If you are running campy you should know the h2 (the h3 do) do not support campy 11s out of the box. Need to be fiddled with.

They still call the front H2. I wish they just made both H3.

[tuscanyswe]

They still call the front H2. I wish they just made both H3.


Aha okay thought the op was thinking of purchasing nos hubs.
Agreed they should both be h3 for less confusion :)

[tetsuo]

i've been considering these hubs as well, laced to open pro cd's for a sram force build on my slx de rosa.

here's a good link to some basic info compared to other similar hubs, chris king, etc. made in the US also!
http://www.spinlitecycling.com/road_hubs.htm

[Gat64]

These guys do a pretty good review of some upper shelf hubs and seem to like the White Industries for their conservative and serviceable build quality. They state that they use an aluminum alloy (6061) that has better corrosion resistance than what most hub manufacturers use (7071).

http://fairwheelbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=6940

[mvrider]

The mechanic at my great LBS didn't like the bearing choice and arrangement in WI rear hubs. He thought they were small and not durable, esp. when compared to Dura-Ace or Campy. Of course, this is also the guy who doesn't trust anything other than Shimano or Campy skewers.

I don't have any other experience, besides owning a second-hand set, having put just a few dozen miles on them.

They look nice, though, esp. on a classic build.

[jds108]

I have three sets of WI hubs. All are great. Earliest models were pretty noisy. I have replaced bearings over time, but I think that's expected.

I'm 215lb, like the high polish finish, use Shimano, and was concerned about using anything lighter.

My only complaint is that the drive side axle doesn't have a serrated steel washer to press against the frame dropout. My Ti frame must have fairly hard dropouts as I have to really crank down a Dura Ace QR to keep the wheel from shifting. I would figure a serrated washer would help prevent this.

[dekindy]

Why such expensive hubs? Shimano 105 would be fine and quieter?

[Ahneida Ride]

Replace the bearings in the White Hubs .

Semi Ceramic are cheap enough

Else no problems. !

[ergott]

Why such expensive hubs? Shimano 105 would be fine and quieter?

Nice hubs if your rims are 32/32.

White Ind. hubs give you options.

[professerr]

I have H3 hubs, 32, with DT Swiss RR465 rims. I like the steel axle, titanium freehub and cartridge bearings. I also like the curvy, shiny look on my skinny steel frame.

I don't like the freewheeling noise. Not as loud as some, but definitely louder than others. Sounds a little cheap to my ear. I'm used to it now, though, and hardly notice it except coasting into my driveway at the end of a ride.

[shortribs]

Any alternative ideas would be a appreciated also.

Nice hubs, in my experience: I have an H3 rear (laced to 36H Velocity Synergy) coping well under my 225lb weight, while looking very much at home on a lugged steel build.

Was tempted by hubs from ROYCE (http://www.royceuk.co.uk/Rear-Hub-Venus-Cassette-Campag.html), though sourcing from the UK seemed a bit of a handful. Bit pricey, but I'm still keen on giving them a go sometime.

Anyone here who can share their experience with Royce hubs? :confused:

[ergott]

Nice hubs, in my experience: I have an H3 rear (laced to 36H Velocity Synergy) coping well under my 225lb weight, while looking very much at home on a lugged steel build.

Was tempted by hubs from ROYCE (http://www.royceuk.co.uk/Rear-Hub-Venus-Cassette-Campag.html), though sourcing from the UK seemed a bit of a handful. Bit pricey, but I'm still keen on giving them a go sometime.

Anyone here who can share their experience with Royce hubs? :confused:

I can get them. I set up an account, but haven't had the opportunity to build a set up yet.

[Dromen]

Campagnolo or shimano/sram?

Your riding 'style'? Big rider either in size or technique?

Campy. Buck85 and id say 6/7 on agressive scale. No racing. 50-150mi club rides.

Building a modern class steelie and liked the looks for starts. Looking to pair with 23mm wide rims. Currently ride HEDs. Anyone have an opinion or witnessed H+son TB14 rims. Bluish/Gray anodized have interesting look.

Thanks to all for info. More is better.

[shortribs]

I can get them. I set up an account, but haven't had the opportunity to build a set up yet.

Brilliant; would sure be nice to hear what you think of them....!

[DG24]

Royce hubs look real nice, especially for a classic build. I like the finish, but they seem a bit on the heavy side (340g rear hub). I assume they build a strong wheel. Would like to hear more about them as well.

[oldpotatoe]

Campy. Buck85 and id say 6/7 on agressive scale. No racing. 50-150mi club rides.

Building a modern class steelie and liked the looks for starts. Looking to pair with 23mm wide rims. Currently ride HEDs. Anyone have an opinion or witnessed H+son TB14 rims. Bluish/Gray anodized have interesting look.

Thanks to all for info. More is better.

Campagnolo hubs are a nice choice as long as black is OK. Velocity and Miche as well. 'Heard' the H+son rims are a little rough looking/building..not built with them tho. A23 a very nice rim...see my post on these and HED rims.

[teleguy57]

since the WIs are 6061 does that mean anything for reusing hubs? My 28 front is laced radially, and I would like to go to 2x when I rebuild them but the conventional wisdom is once hubs are laced and the spoke holes are grooved that they should be laced as originally done.

Also,Tuscanywe, what is the "fiddling" that can make an H2 Campy rear work with an 11-speed cassette? I have a set for Shimano but would buy a Campy freehub if I knew that I could make the conversion work for 11.


Thanks!

[Joachim]

I can get them. I set up an account, but haven't had the opportunity to build a set up yet.

ROYCE is definitely on my next wheel list. The rear hub is quite beefy.

[DY123]

So far I really like mine. I just had the same combination built up. H2/H3.

I based my choice on 3 issues.

1-My communication and experiences with White Ind. on other products has always been fantastic.
2-I also read that review on fairwheel bikes site.
3-I needed a silver set of hubs that were Campy compatible.

[scho74]

i have the h2/h3 hubs laced to hed c2 rims and they spin super smooth, i'm very impressed. the titanium freehub body is also a very nice touch...no nicks/gouges at all.

[spacemen3]

All of the wheelsets I have with the White Industries H2/H3 hubs have been terrific. No complaints. I don't rough them about, though, since I save the gravel riding and cyclocross for my Phil Wood wheelsets.

[RudAwkning]

We've had a lot of "strong" riders chew through the cassette hub bodies on aluminum Chris King and DT Swiss hub bodies with Shimano spline (as well as generic taiwanese wheels like Torelli Bormio). Going to a steel hub body was not an option for them (weight weenies). White Industries with titanium freehub bodies solved the problem.

I've got 3 sets of Whites and they've been hassle free.

[yakstone]

I too have 3 sets of WI wheelsets for campy; 2 are on Ambrosio Nemesis and one on HED C2. All sets have been trouble free.
IMHO White Industries hubs are beautiful to look at and do what they are meant to do - perform flawlessly. I feel, for the money, they are a very good value.

I used to live pretty close to the plant in Novato and got to take the tour. First class operation with excellent customer / warranty service.

[cuda2k]

Just received my White Industries H2/H3's laced to HED Belgium C2 rims, 24/28h, 2x front and rear with CX-Ray spokes. From what I can tell the hubs are a bit quieter than my Campy hubs, but not by much, very nice high polish that I've always swooned over at NAHBS and other shows, and I've heard nothing but good things about their durability over the long term. I opted for the WI hubs because I wanted something that could serve my new Kirk for many miles down the road, even if it came at a slight weight penalty to the "ultra-light" hubs out there.