Cheap(er) Campy rear hub: opinions sought

[toasttoast]

So -- as the title might lead you to believe, I'm looking around for a reasonably priced Campy rear hub, and I'm not sure what direction I want to go. For what it's worth, "reasonably priced" means somewhere around $100 for the hub (rear only, will be paired with a front dynamo wheel). 36H and silver is what I'm looking for.

Who has good or bad experiences with what?

Some links to what I've found so far...

Velocity: http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/Road+Rear/part_number=h54-XX/7455.0.1.1.58687.21558.0.0.0?

Campy Mirage: http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-MIRAGE-REAR-HUB-36-HOLE-9-speed-NEW-/120651499519?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c1763c7ff

Circus Monkey (32, not 36): http://cgi.ebay.com/Circus-Monkey-Road-Rear-Hub-32-Hole-224g-Campy-Silver-/370502757255?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5643af6b87

Miche: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-racing-box-pair-of-hubs/ or http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-primato-pair-of-road-hubs/

Ambrosio: http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/manufacturer/ambrosio/HB_ZENITH_S_R.html

Am I missing anything else? Anyone got a link to a retailer selling some 2006/07/08 Centaur/Veloce hubs for a decent price?

Thanks in advance!

[thwart]

I've had experience with Mirage hubs. That's too much---another eBay vender was selling 'em much cheaper 2-3 months ago. Good hubs.

[AngryScientist]

centaur hubs, available in 36h. fwiw, the ambrosios you linked to are only avail in 28h campy.

http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/product/parts_accessories/hubs_road/HB_CENTAUR_07.html

[jr59]

I think Peter White had some at one time

[Marcusaurelius]

Mirage hubs are okay just so long as they are not the sealed bearing ones. White industries are the only silver ones of very good quality that I know of.

[ultraman6970]

Have 2 sets of miche wheels, no problems, easy to fix also. For the price it is even more solid than the centaur ones in my opinion. One set has the rc2 hubs and the other is a hub that looks like a mavic one, good wheel and hubs, cant complain.

The problem with the velocity hubs (when i used a velocity spartacus wheel) is that the axle is not too strong and the axle has the tendency to bend, besides are expensive, easy to repair? yes.

Circus monkey, there are some reviews here and there. Have not tried them yet, but why if the miche is available.

[junkfood]

I just built up some Circus Monkey Campy compatible hubs and my first impressions are good. They are light, spin smooth and, in my opinion, look good.

Only time will tell the durability side of it, but they seem well made.

I do not know if they come in 36 hole though, mine are 32

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/bsonpics/DSCN4362.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/bsonpics/DSCN4360.jpg

Jake

[oldpotatoe]

So -- as the title might lead you to believe, I'm looking around for a reasonably priced Campy rear hub, and I'm not sure what direction I want to go. For what it's worth, "reasonably priced" means somewhere around $100 for the hub (rear only, will be paired with a front dynamo wheel). 36H and silver is what I'm looking for.

Who has good or bad experiences with what?

Some links to what I've found so far...

Velocity: http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/Road+Rear/part_number=h54-XX/7455.0.1.1.58687.21558.0.0.0?

Campy Mirage: http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-MIRAGE-REAR-HUB-36-HOLE-9-speed-NEW-/120651499519?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c1763c7ff

Circus Monkey (32, not 36): http://cgi.ebay.com/Circus-Monkey-Road-Rear-Hub-32-Hole-224g-Campy-Silver-/370502757255?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5643af6b87

Miche: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-racing-box-pair-of-hubs/ or http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-primato-pair-of-road-hubs/

Ambrosio: http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/manufacturer/ambrosio/HB_ZENITH_S_R.html

Am I missing anything else? Anyone got a link to a retailer selling some 2006/07/08 Centaur/Veloce hubs for a decent price?

Thanks in advance!


Circus Monkey, great name(roll eyes).....hopefully decent hubs. Not cheap tho. I like Miche hubs...

Velocity has a problem with 11s..lockring hits the frame, BTW-

[Ralph]

I use the Asian (I think) centaur hubs on my daily rider. These are wheels for my daily miles, wheels I don't want to worry about. They have the easily replaceable cartridge bearings. They are as smooth as my 08 Record hubs. Not sure why they get a bad rap. They are what they are, cheap to buy, and they work. And they have the easily replaceable Campy aluminum cassette body.

[bfd]

From a previous post on the GB rear hub:

"Another 32h or 36h option you may want to consider is the Grand Bois hubset. Jan Heine, the owner of Bicycle Quarterly and distributor of these hubs likes them and here is his review:

- The hubs are about as loud as a Shimano cassette hub, but much less noisy than some other aftermarket hubs.

- The cassette bodies are made from aluminum to save weight. This means that you should use a high-end cassette where the large cogs mount onto a carrier. When I tested the hub with an inexpensive cassette with mostly individual cogs, I got some indentation in the cassette body where the cogs had dug into the aluminum. It didn't
ruin the cassette body during my short test, but it might make the cogs hard to remove after prolonged use. I then I switched to a cassette with 7 cogs on a carrier, and only the three smallest as individual cogs, and no more indenting occurred.

- The rear hub's bearings are sealed with aluminum shields and rubber O-rings. I prefer this over many high-end hubs that have the bearings running exposed, with only the bearing's dust shield trying to keep the grit out. I cannot comment on how long the bearings will last
until I have worn out the first set...

- The cassette bodies are easy to remove, if you ever want to go from a Shimano to a Campagnolo cassette or vice versa. The Campagnolo-compatible cassette body is a few grams lighter, because it has deeper grooves.

Here's a pic:
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/GBHubMR.JPG

Apparently, this hub is made in Taiwan by Formosa (sp?) and Jan wants $210/hubset; or $68 front, $150 rear."

Of course, I've also heard that the GB rear hub is not as quiet as Jan H stated and definitely alot louder than a Shimano. Needless to say, the buyer was disappointed. Good Luck!

[thegunner]

wow no votes for novatec? i built a set of hed's on those and for the balance of the season they were great do-everythings. i'd be holding onto 'em if i didn't want to add power to my training...

edit: missed the silver part :crap:

[rice rocket]

There's a man named Brandon out of Chapel Hill, NC importing "SuperLight" branded hubs. They're CNC'd iirc, and they look great. Lots of guys on WeightWeenies forums using his hubs with good success. Bonus is, they're also very light (210g).

http://www.bikehubstore.com/v/vspfiles/photos/R32Silver211-2.jpg

Maybe ask if he has access to 36H?

Here's his site:

http://www.bikehubstore.com

[buldogge]

Weren't these established to be the same as the Ambrosios, at more than twice the price???

-Mark in St. Louis

From a previous post on the GB rear hub:

"Another 32h or 36h option you may want to consider is the Grand Bois hubset. Jan Heine, the owner of Bicycle Quarterly and distributor of these hubs likes them and here is his review:

- The hubs are about as loud as a Shimano cassette hub, but much less noisy than some other aftermarket hubs.

- The cassette bodies are made from aluminum to save weight. This means that you should use a high-end cassette where the large cogs mount onto a carrier. When I tested the hub with an inexpensive cassette with mostly individual cogs, I got some indentation in the cassette body where the cogs had dug into the aluminum. It didn't
ruin the cassette body during my short test, but it might make the cogs hard to remove after prolonged use. I then I switched to a cassette with 7 cogs on a carrier, and only the three smallest as individual cogs, and no more indenting occurred.

- The rear hub's bearings are sealed with aluminum shields and rubber O-rings. I prefer this over many high-end hubs that have the bearings running exposed, with only the bearing's dust shield trying to keep the grit out. I cannot comment on how long the bearings will last
until I have worn out the first set...

- The cassette bodies are easy to remove, if you ever want to go from a Shimano to a Campagnolo cassette or vice versa. The Campagnolo-compatible cassette body is a few grams lighter, because it has deeper grooves.

Here's a pic:
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/GBHubMR.JPG

Apparently, this hub is made in Taiwan by Formosa (sp?) and Jan wants $210/hubset; or $68 front, $150 rear."

Of course, I've also heard that the GB rear hub is not as quiet as Jan H stated and definitely alot louder than a Shimano. Needless to say, the buyer was disappointed. Good Luck!

[JeremyS]

I like the NovaTec, Velocity, and SuperLight/UltraLight hubs.
All seem to be pretty high quality, fairly light, and I haven't heard about any failures.

[oldpotatoe]

I use the Asian (I think) centaur hubs on my daily rider. These are wheels for my daily miles, wheels I don't want to worry about. They have the easily replaceable cartridge bearings. They are as smooth as my 08 Record hubs. Not sure why they get a bad rap. They are what they are, cheap to buy, and they work. And they have the easily replaceable Campy aluminum cassette body.

Not made in Asia..they get a bad rap because of their weight but they are really nice hubs. Too bad Campagnolo stopped making them.

[FGC]

I have a Velocity hub with a Campy body. The body isn't sealed so well and gunks up pretty quickly. It needs lubing far more frequently than a freehub should.

[bfd]

Mark wrote:

<Weren't these established to be the same as the Ambrosios, at more than twice the price???>

You tell me:

Ambrosio Zenith rear hub:

http://www.totalcycling.com/imagepopup.php?title=Ambrosio%3A+Zenith+Rear+Casse tte+Hub+-+Silver&width=500&height=500&im0=20389_190857.jpg&ct=1



Grand Bois rear hub:

http://www.compasscycle.com/images/GBHubMR.JPG

Good Luck!

[Ralph]

Not made in Asia..they get a bad rap because of their weight but they are really nice hubs. Too bad Campagnolo stopped making them.

Thanks for clearing that up. I use the silver Centaur hubs with some old Campy rims. They make terrific everyday wheels. Hubs smooth as glass. Very inexpensive to buy. I guess the "weight" factor is because of their steel axles.

The original question was for a "cheaper" Campy rear hub.

[keevon]

<Weren't these established to be the same as the Ambrosios, at more than twice the price???>

You tell me...

Nah... logos are different. So are the splines. And I distinctly see *two* Grand Bois hubs (with skewers!) and only *one* Ambrosio hub.

No wonder the GB cost twice as much! ;)

[nova]

I have a silver rear centaur hub, circa December 2010. Bought it thinking I was going to build up a wheel, ended up buying a powertap wheel instead.
32h 9s/10s
$100CND+ shipping.

[bfd]

Nah... logos are different. So are the splines. And I distinctly see *two* Grand Bois hubs (with skewers!) and only *one* Ambrosio hub.

No wonder the GB cost twice as much! ;)

I disagree. First, different logos. Yes, both companies have the same Taiwan mfr put their individual logo on the same hub. Second, different splines. Both companies offer Shimano and Campy splined rear hub. Grand Bois only showed the Shimano splined rear hub. Totalcycling showed both. However, I showed the Campy splined. Here's the Ambrosio rear hub with the Shimano splined that looks exactly like the GB:

http://www.totalcycling.com/images/large/20389_190913.jpg

Similarly, the GB hubs shown are a hubset (front and rear); Totalcycling appears to only sell the front in black. However, here is a silver ambrosio front hub, which happens to look alot like the GB front hub:

http://static.jejamescycles.co.uk/product-images-large/ambrosio-zenith-front-hub-36h-silver-56401.jpg

Finally, Totalcycling doesn't include the ambrosio skewers, which GB does. However, for more than twice the price, it should have skewers.

Bottom line - I think these are the same rear hub, made by the same Taiwanese mfr (Formula?) Good Luck!

[dimsy]

Bottom line - I think these are the same rear hub, made by the same Taiwanese mfr (Formula?) Good Luck!
i think he was just teasing you... but i agree, they do look identical.