Opinion please on new MTB hubs

[sfscott]

Chris King or Industry 9 Torch?

And 6-bolt vs. center lock?


Use is trail riding and some moderate "downhill" off of ski area lifts. Premium on getting the power down quickly for a poor climber and not having to do much maintenance to keep 'em happy.

[p nut]

If I were building new today, I would go DT Swiss, CL. Stupid easy maintenance, light, and bomb-proof.

[d_douglas]

I know you'll get a million opinions on this, as there are so many good choices, but my fave hub is Onyx. They engage instantly and are silent - both great qualities.

They are expensive like I9 and DT a BIT cheaper than Chris King, so either way you are paying serious money for these things.

The next tier down, I would wholeheartedly choose Hope. I love them, but I hate the sound. They are affordable and very well made, like DT350 hubs.

As I said, they're all great choices!

[sfscott]

Wanted opinions on the two I inquired about.

Assume I have reasons for looking at only those two.:)

[JAGI410]

Different leagues here.

I9: beautiful colors, amazing sound (IMHO), US Made, easy to service without special tools. Engagement is among the best.

DT: black, quieter, easy to service without tools at all, 54t ratchet upgrade available for $$, and not as durable as stock.

King: beautiful colors, amazing sound, US made, requires special tools to service.

Oynx: Beautiful colors, heavy, expensive, silent, made in MN!, Hard to kill.

Hope: colors, love it or hate it sound, UK made, easy to service, not as durable.

Project 321: colors, loud or quiet options, US Made.

I went through these options earlier this year. I went Industry Nine, 6 bolt, orange. Don't regret a thing! They are just as amazing as expected.

[vqdriver]

between cl and 6 bolt, i say cl all day. no advantage to 6 bolt that i see.

[Mikej]

We are riding DT 240 cl with the 56t ratchet- both my son and I can agree with the ease of maintaining, but I prefer King ratchet systems. When I have the DT’s in the smallest cassette gear and crank as hard as I can I can break the interface loose and skip it. My son also, and I replaced the ratchets with new 56t and have the same problem. Both bikes are boost spaceing. Otherwise they are nice.

[Tony]

Chris King or Industry 9 Torch?

And 6-bolt vs. center lock?


Use is trail riding and some moderate "downhill" off of ski area lifts. Premium on getting the power down quickly for a poor climber and not having to do much maintenance to keep 'em happy.

I9 and center lock.

[rheosibal]

Unfortunately CK doesn't make Centerlock in 15mm (R45, 12mm only). So for MTB, you're kind stuck with 6 bolt for CK.

That being said, then CK 6-bolt any day compared to I9.

[nmrt]

I9 and CL. For me no question about it. Why?
1) Quality is the same. Both are very reliable.
2) I9 has better engagement. I am not sure if this actually matters for many people but theoretically I9 has more POE
3) I9 is lighter. This is a huge deal. I get satisfaction by saving even 5 g. And at least for I9, the CL version saves even more weight than 6-bolt
4) CL is more user friendly. Also, you get many good rotors (XTR 99) in the CL but not the 6-bolt format.

[jchasse]

Different leagues here.

I9: beautiful colors, amazing sound (IMHO), US Made, easy to service without special tools. Engagement is among the best.

DT: black, quieter, easy to service without tools at all, 54t ratchet upgrade available for $$, and not as durable as stock.

King: beautiful colors, amazing sound, US made, requires special tools to service.

Oynx: Beautiful colors, heavy, expensive, silent, made in MN!, Hard to kill.

Hope: colors, love it or hate it sound, UK made, easy to service, not as durable.

Project 321: colors, loud or quiet options, US Made.

I went through these options earlier this year. I went Industry Nine, 6 bolt, orange. Don't regret a thing! They are just as amazing as expected.

Pretty much sums it up for me. I've had 3 wheel sets with I9 and probably a half dozen with King. They are both great overall. But if I just want something relatively light, super versatile, and not too expensive, it's DT-240 all the way. If i want some more bling, it's I9. King's still my go-to headset, but they're not on the hub list anymore unless I was doing a sort of retro-look MTB build.

[Dirtdiggler]

+1 DT swiss, as mentioned above. I had CK and i could never set the rear hub snug. it was either had a bit or play or snug that the cassette would spin. DT isnt pretty like I9 or CK, but will never fail.

[Mikej]

+1 DT swiss, as mentioned above. I had CK and i could never set the rear hub snug. it was either had a bit or play or snug that the cassette would spin. DT isnt pretty like I9 or CK, but will never fail.

King hubs have a really long break in, then they will spin freely.

[KonaSS]

I9 all day. Engagement, lighter, easier to service.

[JAGI410]

I haven't used CL rotors (yet) but one huge advantage is travel or packing wheels. It's simply so much faster to remove/install rotors, assuming you have the cassette tool handy.

[CunegoFan]

+1 on the DT 240 CL.

Shimano's top level rotors are only available in center lock.

It does not appear that Chris King will be given a license for Shimano's new micro spline driver.

[993rs]

I9 and center lock.

I have bikes with both. I9 for my next build.

[hokoman]

You can't go wrong with either, but I would lean towards King and definitely CL.

[oldpotatoe]

Different leagues here.

I9: beautiful colors, amazing sound (IMHO), US Made, easy to service without special tools. Engagement is among the best.

DT: black, quieter, easy to service without tools at all, 54t ratchet upgrade available for $$, and not as durable as stock.

King: beautiful colors, amazing sound, US made, requires special tools to service.

Oynx: Beautiful colors, heavy, expensive, silent, made in MN!, Hard to kill.

Hope: colors, love it or hate it sound, UK made, easy to service, not as durable.

Project 321: colors, loud or quiet options, US Made.

I went through these options earlier this year. I went Industry Nine, 6 bolt, orange. Don't regret a thing! They are just as amazing as expected.

I think you need to include shimano..they make some really nice MTB hubs.

[Mikej]

I think you need to include shimano..they make some really nice MTB hubs.

Unless you ride SRAM - No cross pimping.

[BikeNY]

I know you said you're only looking at King and I9, but I don't understand spending that kind of money on them. I guess if you want those famcy anodized colors...

I've settled on DT for all of my bike hubs, and switched everything over in the last 5 years or so. 240 on the nice bikes and 350 on the others. Functionally they are the same, but the 240 has nicer bearings and is a bit lighter. I've upgraded some of them with the 36t ratchets and that is plenty. IMHO, the super high engagement is just a gimmick and doesn't make much of a difference. And yes, I ride plenty of techy terrain that requires ratcheting through and up rock gardens. I haven't tried the 54t ratchets and have read mixed reviews on them, but suspect they would fine for most people.

A nice set of DT 240 CL hubs will be lighter and cheaper and last forever with almost no maintenance. But yeah, they're black!;)

[JAGI410]

I think you need to include shimano..they make some really nice MTB hubs.

They do. I've never been let down by Shimano hubs. They aren't in the same league as what's being discussed though when it comes to adaptability or compatibility. Or points of engagement.

Sram 900 hubs are really nice too. Plus the xD driver interface as a whole works really well. Shimano microspline is pointless. Sram figured out how to do 12 cogs on a standard spline and it works great. Not light by any means but it works.

[wkeller79]

I'm using I9 Centerlock on my Moots all-road, and I9 6 bolt on Yeti, with zero issues regarding either!