Technical question about Ultegra 6800 front hubs

[11.4]

I just got a pair of Ultegra 6800 hubs built up with Belgium rims. The front hub seems to be a bit wonky, and I wanted to check with those who are using them. The black plastic dust shield is firmly on the drive side of the hub, but the one on the non-drive side pretty much falls off. I can stick it on with grease, but should it be this loose? Am I missing something?

[weisan]

11.4 pal turning around and ask us for answer, what has the world come to???

This is just wrong!

[AngryScientist]

i'm sure there is some convention i'm unaware of, but how do you tell the drive side from the nds of a front hub?

i'll check mine tonight, i've got a 6800 front hub on my fixie that's been solid for a few thousand miles.

[11.4]

i'm sure there is some convention i'm unaware of, but how do you tell the drive side from the nds of a front hub?

i'll check mine tonight, i've got a 6800 front hub on my fixie that's been solid for a few thousand miles.

It's the side that's away from the drive train. Or the side that's got the quick release lever on it. Or the side that would have disc mounts if they were disc hubs. Or, if you prefer, it's the left side when the printing on the hub is facing you and is right-side up.

Thanks all!

[Louis]

Last I heard there's no such thing as a "drive side" for a regular ol' road front hub. Printing or what-not (embossed stuff) is completely arbitrary.

[eddief]

just kidding.

But seriously...

I use that set of wheels on my travel bike. And the dust caps were easily falling off as the wheels were bouncing in the travel case. Next time I packed, I used masking tape to keep the caps with the hubs.

Do we need the caps at all? Why the half assed design?

[11.4]

Thank you, sir. That's what I needed to know.

The two caps are different -- I'm assuming because the axle is designed to be removed only from one side. That's why I'm trying to distinguish one side from the other. I don't have any problem at all on one side, but the other is as described above. The rear hub gives no problem on the non-drive side (that, by the way, for those who are interested, is the side without the cassette -- lol).

[11.4]

I think the caps are needed. I've taken various Dura Ace hubs apart and they work just like old Nuovo Record hubs except that the dust cap is black plastic instead of the chromed metal on the NR hubs. There's a pretty big hole there that they need to install the cups and no axle nut is going to cover it up without help.

[oldpotatoe]

I just got a pair of Ultegra 6800 hubs built up with Belgium rims. The front hub seems to be a bit wonky, and I wanted to check with those who are using them. The black plastic dust shield is firmly on the drive side of the hub, but the one on the non-drive side pretty much falls off. I can stick it on with grease, but should it be this loose? Am I missing something?

The right side cap is attached to the axle, the 'kick stand side' cap just goes into the hub shell. Are the little tabs on the cap all there? They aren't very tight, poor design. If it falls off, ask for a warranty replacement of the cap.

part number

Y28M13000

[11.4]

The right side cap is attached to the axle, the 'kick stand side' cap just goes into the hub shell. Are the little tabs on the cap all there? They aren't very tight, poor design. If it falls off, ask for a warranty replacement of the cap.

part number

Y28M13000

It seems everyone is enjoying my efforts to describe the left side of a front hub. Thank you all!

Tater, thanks for the info. This is precisely what I needed. You, as always, are the best.

[Louis]

It seems everyone is enjoying my efforts to describe the left side of a front hub. Thank you all!

Others may not realize this, but it's an important topic.

You know, of course, that you'll get more symmetric bearing wear and therefore longer lasting front hubs if you flip your front wheel every now and then?

That's why there is no L/R or DS/NDS for front hubs.

[11.4]

Others may not realize this, but it's an important topic.

You know, of course, that you'll get more symmetric bearing wear and therefore longer lasting front hubs if you flip your front wheel every now and then?

That's why there is no L/R or DS/NDS for front hubs.

Louis is absolutely right. And you really better do this if you're planning on traveling with your bike to Australia. Otherwise, being on the opposite side of the world where toilets flush the opposite direction, if you don't flip your front wheel regularly your bike down there will veer to one side irrecoverably. Mavic Io 5-spoke front wheels have a leading edge and a trailing edge so you can't turn them around, so Mavic is trying to have the UCI implement a clockwise hour record for road riders (who don't know enough to ride the right direction anyway).

[Ralph]

It's a very serious topic especially if you are going to travel to a mountainous country where the cows have legs on one side shorter than another to better graze on the mountain side. Knowing your front dust cap orientation is important.

[Look585]

(snip) Mavic Io 5-spoke front wheels have a leading edge and a trailing edge so you can't turn them around (snip)

Chris Hoy famously struggled with this quandary during his Kilo world record attempt in La Paz Bolivia. Allegedly his N.Hemisphere iO was handling terribly in the S.Hemisphere so he mounted it backwards. Missed the kilo record by 0.005s. :eek:

[11.4]

Which all makes me think about the product lawsuits we can level at rear hub manufacturers for not enabling us to flip them them around as well. Cinelli showed it could be done, and every manufacturer since has ignored that capability, leading to how many millions of short-lived rear wheels?