are chris king and hope hubs worth it?

[dirtdiva]

Hi! I ride a gary fisher genesister hi fi series full suspension and friends swear by switching out my hubs for either chris king or hope. Do they really make a difference in speed and/or transitioning? If so, which are better??

[cjm]

Hubs in general are a good upgrade if you are sure your getting a better hub and not just a more expensive one. Better hubs can improve the quality your pedaling, improve shifting and allow your wheels to spin more smoothly.

Quite often, making sure your hubs are properly lubed will do as much to improve your speed as a new set of hubs and for much less dough. If you ride quite often (three of four times a week) most hubs need to be repacked every three months, although most of us run them till they stop spinning.

What exactly do you mean by transitioning? Transitioning to me is like, "I didn’t transition cleanly from that four foot drop to that rock garden and ending up picking bits of tree out of my teeth." If that’s the case, then no, hubs won’t help.

Kings are really worth the money if you are planning on keeping them for several years. That’s the most special part about king hubs, you can run them for years. I know two guys that have had King hubs outlast rims, spokes and even frames. King hubs have a crap load of engagement points. Those engagement points should help smooth shifting. They will also keep pushing power to your rear wheel during your pedal stroke.

I can’t speak for the Hopes. I don’t know anyone personally who’s bragged about them and I haven’t touched them myself.

[dirtdiva]

Yeah, I realize now I used the term ‘transitioning’ wrong because I really just meant smooth/faster riding. When I get the new hubs I need to get new wheels as well, right? If so, any suggestions you have are appreciated! Guy at the shop gave me a quote of around $900 for everything.

[steve32300]

I have been told that I need to change over to the chris king hub’s as well,although for a different reason than what dirtdiva’s freinds are telling her to switch to them for.And like cjm say’s,I’m not really familiar with the hope product either but I do know that they are a high end product like the chris king product.I have/had major problems with stock pawl body’s breaking on me because I am a clydesdale rider at 290 plbs.,and the DT Swiss 340 hub wheel set up I have upgraded to seems to be alright so far but the time I have spent on it has been a little sporadic because I have had to deal with a couple of little issues with that wheel since I have bought it and have been using my old stock pawl body set up for the last month now which has resulted in another breakage just this weekend.So to say that the stock pawl body and hub set up can have it’s short comings,at least from my standpoint is an understatment and that upgrading hub assembly’s is and can be a real treat.As far as upgrading hubs to the high end as in chris king and hope products for the reason of speed and transitioning,I would have to say that that would be true just based on the fact that these brands,especially the chris king are built for high end performance and the price tag’s are proof of that,I have priced out the chris king rear wheel build 2 or 3 time’s and each of those estimate’s totaled right around $700 just for the rear wheel.Also,even though I have chosen to upgrade to the DT Swiss wheel build which was about $350 less than the chris king wheel build,I am still being told by mechanics and shop personal that at my weight,the chris king hub set up would still be the wise choice because they are just built that much stronger,better,reliable,and that the all around performance and life span is that much better than anything else.So,time will tell wether or not the DT Swiss wheel will hold up for me because I have not quite been using it long enough to know whether it will hold up,but to answer the question of wether or not upgrading to chris king or hope highend products are worth it,I think it all boils down to wether or not your willing to spend the cash for the better perfomance and reliability.I’m kinda stuck with experimenting,although I think your freinds are correct in there findings that the chris king and hope products really are that much better if you have the cash to lay down on them.Please keep us updated on your hub upgrading because I am still seeking the answer to this question as well.

[steve32300]

When I get the new hubs I need to get new wheels as well, right?

Yes,you will need new wheel hoops,spoke’s,nipples,rim tape,etc…Make sure you get brass nipples because the aluminum one’s can get corroded and break alot more frequently.Do you know your exact wheel build your shop is going build your wheels up with??Just curious because my shop was going to build my wheel with a DT Swiss hoop that would accept rim brakes as well as disc brakes for my ridged bike that runs rim brakes.

[cjm]

If you’re replacing hubs because the old ones are unserviceable, then rims probably need to go. But, if you are upgrading for performance and your rims are still round and can remain true they don’t need to be replaced. Straight spokes don’t need to be replaced unless the new hubs are a different diameter. They are often bent during removal. So, it’s easier to plan to replace them upfront. It’s probably worth the price of the new rims to have a complete wheelset hanging out at your house in case of emergency. Complete wheelsets sell better than used hubs, too.

As far as the word "transition," it’s always uses Mr Webster’s definition. But it’s meaning differs a lot based on context within the sport. Probably if I was an XC rider, it would have been obvious to me. I’ve collect a few head injuries over the years, so simple, unambiguous terms are often necessary.

[dirtdiva]

Thanks cjm and Steve for the info. And yes, I want smoother shifting as well. Is it cheaper to buy the hubs online rather then take it to my bike store for them to do it all? My rims are good but I do ride at least 3 times a week. My bike is a little over a year old. I don’t have a pic to post yet but here’s my bike: ‘Gary Fisher Hi Fi Deluxe Gs 14 Matte Pink 2008’. If you get a chance to look it up to see the specs, can you tell me what size hubs I would need if you think best to go the online shopping route rather than shop doing everything. Thanks! PS I want the hubs in pink 😀

[cjm]

The best stop for online wheel shopping is probably Dave Thomas’ Dream Wheels (http://www.speeddream.com/) . There is at least a lot good reading before you dump $500~1000 on a wheelset. Be ready to answer questions about your riding style, demands and goals before you order. Personally, I wouldn’t dump more than $300 into a wheelset. However, I probably have completely different requirements for a wheelset than you. If I was spending that much money on wheels, Dave’s would be my only stop.

I am not sure I have been to bike shop that I would trust to build a wheel. Most of them can’t even tune a set of disk brakes. Still, if you buy all the parts through your LBS labor will usually be free. If you just get the hubs, they might only charge you for spokes and nipples that need to be replaced. If you add labor and shipping to the cost of the parts, the nominal money saved online would be better invested in the local riding community than a latte at 5bucks.

If I am buying a full custom wheelset, I am still going with Dave’s. If I am just buying a hub and labor, I am going to a trusted LBS.

[kneescar]

"steve32300" wrote

When I get the new hubs I need to get new wheels as well, right?

Yes,you will need new wheel hoops,spoke’s,nipples,rim tape,etc…Make sure you get brass nipples because the aluminum one’s can get corroded and break alot more frequently.Do you know your exact wheel build your shop is going build your wheels up with??Just curious because my shop was going to build my wheel with a DT Swiss hoop that would accept rim brakes as well as disc brakes for my ridged bike that runs rim brakes.

I love that 290# is right in your tagline. I’m hoping to be DOWN to 290 in a few weeks. I’m 299 right now. We’ve got so much snow now that the only riding I’m going to be doing for a while is at the gym or on rollers in my basement. I may go XC skiing this weekend though.
It’s nice to see that there are other big guys riding. It’s not so nice to see that you’re tearing up gear and forced to spend lots of money on parts that will support us. I broke a spoke on my Brother in law’s GT LTS when I was riding in Arizona. Also, the last time I tried to ride my road there were 60 or 70 pounds less of me, and I was breaking spokes.. Even front spokes once or twice.

[steve32300]

I love that 290# is right in your tagline.

Hahahahah,yeah,I’m a clydesdale and proud of it.Kinda like those 29er guys,hahahaha.Although I did not do anything this summer besides ride trails to stay in shape so I got a little out of shape this summer.

It’s nice to see that there are other big guys riding. It’s not so nice to see that you’re tearing up gear and forced to spend lots of money on parts that will support us.

I bought my 2007 stumpjumper about midway through last summer and have been through 6 pawl body’s and 3 or4 chains,but I think once I get the pawl body hub issues taken care of I wont break chians because when the pawl body’s were giving out,it was really hard on the chains.the last pawl body that broke didnt break internally,the drive shell litterly boke and just fell apart when I took the cassett off and all the bearings came pooring out.I do have my DT Swiss wheel ready to go now though,so I’ll be seeing how it handles us clydesdales on it,if it dont hold up it’s on to the chris king wheel build.
It’s hard being a clydesdale somtimes because like me,I could have bought a gps by now rather than upgrading wheels.

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