Hubs: Dura Ace 10 vs Hugi 240

[BdaGhisallo]

I am thinking of getting a new set of training/zippy wheels contructed conventionally. I will likely get reflex tub rims with 32 dt supercomp spokes with brass nipples. ( the supercomp are triple butted 2.0/1.7/1.8 with the 2.0 at the hub end.

What I am debating is whether to go for Hugi 240 hubs or simply get the new dura ace hubs ( I will only ever use 10sp cassettes so no need to worry about 9sp cassettes).

Anyone have experience with these two hubs that can offer some comparison. Dt have just modified the 240 into the 240s with stainless steel bearings and a few other little changes. I know that shimano have made a few changes to the 10sp hub, making them lighter and a little different in the bearing structure.


Am I wasting my time going with hugi? I am sure that the shimano will do me fine but is it at all worth going with the hugis?


thanks

[Too Tall]

I have 100% faith in the 240's and use them extensively. Aside from the fact that they are featherlight, bulletproof, reasonably priced and have excellent flange placement...well, that's enough. No? How about they come apart in seconds and have a soothing buzz sound? Great product.

The seals are excellent and I have not had to perform anything more than once a season maintence.

Thumbs up!

Question. With all the nice light wheel bits why brass nipples? Crappy soft alloy nipples of old are history. Now they are much better quality and will hold up for the life of your wheel....use spoke prep.

[Ozz]

Too Tall,

Do you know what the primary differences are between the 240, 240s, and the Onyx hubs?

Thanks.

[Too Tall]

"Do you know what the primary differences are between the 240, 240s, and the Onyx hubs?"

Ozzzzz, I don't have schematics for these hubs and have NOT taken an Onyx apart however my wheelbuilder tries to get me to use the onyx all the time and save bucks on training wheels....so he believes in them. I'm told the Onyx is a traditional pawl / ratchet mechanism. If you are building a light wheel the onyx is not a good choice. If you need reliability info. on Onyx you'll have to talk to someone who has used it alot. Not I!

You probably know what the DT Swiss star ratchet looks like? This is what the 240 uses and it is fantastic.

[BdaGhisallo]

The reason that I go for brass nipples is that I live in Bermuda. It is always very humid here and we have extremely salty air. Alloy nipples corrode here like you wouldn't believe. The mechanic in the local shop here, who has been in the biz for nigh on thirty years, hates to touch wheels with them and preaches against them for this climate.

I guess that if the wheel is really well built then you shouldn't really have to touch them much but I would rather be safe than sorry and am willing to take the slight increase in weight for the brass.

I am planning on having Joe Young build them. I hear great things about his wheels.





Too tall one more thing:

what do you think of the dt pro-lock nipples versus regular nips with spoke freeze. Any particular benefit to using either way?


thanks

[Ozz]

Too Tall,

No problems..just thought you might know if they used different ratchets, seals, bearings, shell.

I am sure they are all good.

[Too Tall]

BdaGhisallo, never used them. I took a quick look at DT's site and it is remarkably barren. Guessing the nipples come with a thread locking compound already??? Got me!?

Joe is my wheel builder, the man is a god. You should alot extra time when talking to him, that texas twang is worth savouring. Bottom line, do whatever Joe recommends. Ask him about the alloy nipples. I think if you give the rim/nipple interface a tiny drop of oil once a year you should be OK even in your corrosive paradise.

[BigMac]

DA10 everyday of week, twice on Sundays. The only 3rd party hubs to consider are Phil's and White Ind. These 2 hubs have rear flanges that can greatly assist with rear dish issues, a common malady of modern drivetrains. The Phil's and White's have exceptional track record of reliability, particularly their freehubs which is common failing of most 3rd party lightweight designs. For most riders however, stock DA hubs are plenty strong, very reliable and more economically priced. BTW: many boutique wheel builders(SpeedDream for example) acheive their low wheel masses employing very lightweight hubs -- hub mass means diddly squat for wheel performance. Reliability and torsional stiffness of rear wheel is all that matters in wheels handbuilt using most common alloy rims.

If you must use the supper butted spokes, limit their usage to front wheel. If you are particularly lightweight, not much of a sprinter/climber, consider left side rear laced 2x using same spokes. Alternatively, consider a butted 14/15g spoke laced 2x on left side. Driveside spokes should be straight 14g 3x lacing, regardless.

Ride on!

[Germanboxers]

Wow... Joe Young is a favorite on this site!! He built up a great set of wheels for me last year using the Hugi 240's. The wheels are solid and feel like they accelerate quickly... just what I wanted. The Hugi hubs are very sweet, though they don't spin as smoothly as my old Suntour Superbe Pro hubs (those were amazing).

Big Mac, Joe mentioned that the Hugi has a flange design that limits rear wheel dish more than most. I can't say that I can tell, but that was one of the reasons he liked the hub.

[BigMac]

The Phil and White share a nearly identical flange design that results in significantly lower dish than Hugi. The Hugi is certainly better than King but if you're spending that kind of $$ I'd get the Phil's. The current pricing on the new DA gear is beyond ridiculous imo, I would actually not get any new wheels if I were in the original posters' shoes at present unless he/she really needed the wheels in which case I use Phil hubs or some Bontrager Race X-lite prebuilt sewups -- they use a Hugi sourced hub btw. If you could wait 6 months or so, the Ultegra10 hubs will be available at a price far more reasonable than any current alternative choice.

Hang on to those Superbe Pro hubs, those were sweet little jewels. They were OEM stock on the lugged steel $650 Specialized Allez complete bikes of the day, Suntour rebadged them with Specialized logos but they were otherwise identical. I still use the Suntour Superbe track hubs on my fixed gear, much less $$ and just as smooth and durable as the Campy and HiE alternative from the day.

Ride on!