# Initial Thoughts BikeHubStore MTB270 & MTB180 hubs



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

First it was XT, then King, the DT 240s. 
And it has stayed DT 240s since 2003. 
My only regrets were selling some 240s on old bikes. Should have transplanted them to new bikes. They are too good to let go.

But- they aint cheap. And they aint getting any cheaper. 
I'm buiding a knock off Asian CX frame (Miracle Bikes) so thought I'd recycle some bits, and find new cheap items for others. An experiment. 
I know what a DT hub does year after year after year. It works all the time. Press a new bearing or 2 in and you're good to go.

But- they aint cheap. 
What hubs are cheap? Crappy hubs are cheap. And heavy. And not versatile. 
What hubs are cheap? Light? And can accomidate any axle I want? 
BikeHubStore.com hubs. Specifically the MTB270 and 180 (front/rear disc thru axle) hubs. 








How cheap? $60 for the front, $100 for the rear. 
A quick Google tells me that 240s are about $230/$330 for their F/R hubs. 
Oh- you work at a shop? Get a deal? That'll help take the edge off.

How light? On my scale- 180g for the front, 285g for the rear. A bit heavier than the DTs. About 25g per pair. That's less than one ounce per a pair heavier. An iPhone 6 weighs about 4.5 ounces. Just a thought.

One ounce is worth it, to me, to save so much $$. That $$ can pay gas to get me to a new area to pedal. It'll use the Amtrak to get me, GF, bikes, and gear to Canada. 
To me, it's worth it.

Durability? 
Don't know yet. I do see that you could pull the cassette w/ free hub (6 paws, high engagement) to replace spokes on the drive side easily (if you were touring in some bizarre place).

But I've taken them apart a bit, and there's really not that much to fail. Of course, flanges and hub shells can split and crack. Time will tell. 















If you see me limping along on the side of the road w/ a non-functioning Asian cheap part project under my arm, please pick me up.

Not USA made, not bling, won't match your anodized nipples and headset. Won't impress your friends. No included sticker to put on your Sprinter van or VW TDI. 
But- seemingly a great cheap hub.

Time will tell.


----------



## SF Trailboy (Jan 24, 2013)

Great review. Make sure you continually update this thread once built and spinning.

Looks like they have pretty high engagement.

Could be a great alternative if reliable.


----------



## shopcat_cycles (Dec 28, 2007)

Very interested to hear how they work out for you. BHS opened their shop location less than 5min from my house not too long ago - I've been meaning to go by there. I'm not giving up my Kings, but it might be a good low cost option to point people towards.


----------



## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

I bought these hubs at the beginning of the year, and I'm getting them put on a set of WTB rims. My LBS guy said "they look like Stan's hubs" and didn't have anything negative to say about them on first inspection. My build isn't done yet so I can't comment yet on how they ride, but they sure do look and feel better than the sram and xt hubs i've had before.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

They will be laced up shortly to a pair of WTB Kom rims. Not sure if I'll lace w/ the tried and true DT Super Comp spoke or use the cheaper (in the spirit of this build) Pillar spokes. 
Then will be run tubless w/ WTB Nano 40s on a SS CX thru axle freak show build. 

Stans eh? Interesting. They seem similar to several makes. I'll need to study some STans hubs for comparison. 
Just had the F hub a bit apart Have no idea how I'd pop the bearings out to replace them. The R is pretty straight forward.
Please keep us posted on your resutls, I'll do the same. 
JCB


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

I like your tone. but a sprinter? Not around these parts. They must have doubled up on TDIs.

Anyway, Ive heard nothing but good things about those hubs. Good luck with them.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

The BHS MTB270 is a sleeper...

Fully convertible (12x142, QR, etc)
SRAM XD compatible
54POE
278-285g
$100

Oh, and replacement freehubs are $45-50... vs $90 for DT

BHS is a great company to work with and I've ended up very happy with every transaction I've had with them.

To date I've bought:

1 MTB180
4 MTB270's

I currently run MTB270's on the rear of both of my bikes (SRAM XD on one, 1x10 with Wolftooth 42T on the other)

I have noticed that the MTB270's freehub is 'harder' than other freehubs I've used in the past. It's still alloy, so a SRAM cassette will dig in, but they survive better than other freehubs I've used.

I'd definitely recommend XT cassettes for the MTB270 (and really any alloy freehub).


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Just did a search for Stans hub info. Definitely similar but not quite the same but I only looked at the 3.3 hub. 
I'd love to know any other brands that these are sold under. Please don't tell me they are the same as American Classic.....
Even if AC have improved, I don't want to relive a complete failure on the Maah Daah Hey in 2004.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

They are Bitex MTR12 and MTF 15/20


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh, and they use Enduro bearings


----------



## billyrayeast (Dec 24, 2013)

I've got a couple of the MTB270 myself and there the best hub out there for a 100 bucks...here's the cassette at 1500ish miles


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Bitex! Definitly. 
From a quick search they are identical. 
Are there any other makes slapping their stickers on the Bitex hubs? 

A sleeper. Well said. That seems very accurate. 

The bearings are TPI, not Enduro, at least that's what's printed on the side of these. 
I've pressed Enduro bearings into BBs and DTs and trust them. TPI? Never heard of them. Will know more in time I suppose but have no reason to doub them. They sure look like Enduro.


----------



## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> They will be laced up shortly to a pair of WTB Kom rims. Not sure if I'll lace w/ the tried and true DT Super Comp spoke or use the cheaper (in the spirit of this build) Pillar spokes.
> Then will be run tubless w/ WTB Nano 40s on a SS CX thru axle freak show build.
> 
> Stans eh? Interesting. They seem similar to several makes. I'll need to study some STans hubs for comparison.
> ...


I went with Super Comps for my front wheel and I was able to reuse the Comps from the sram x7 hub that came on the i23 wheels to the BHS/Bitex rear hub.


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

If their MTB hubs are anything like their road hubs, you will have many years of trouble free enjoyment. I've got several sets with many thousands of miles with zero maintenance.


----------



## GFisher2001 (Mar 16, 2006)

What is the quality of the pawls and springs/leafs under the pawls? Hard to tell from the photos I've seen. 

I have broken the leaf springs in my hope hub, but have put thousands of miles on them (4-5K miles?). 

I've grown accustomed to a higher engagement hub and I need 11s road cassette compatibility so that I can swap the wheels with my cross bike, this hub seems to fit the bill as long as the pawls and springs seem of high quality.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Hokie-
I was wrong. Well, partially wrong any way. 
I pulled the rear hub apart when showing it to a co-worker. The freehub definitely has Enduro bearings. No idea why they are using TPI in the hub shell, and Enduro in the freehub. 

GFisher-
I don't have much of an idea about the paw springs. They are little compression springs on the 6 paws. 

I know that a compression spring is pretty long lived if it's compressed along it's normal axis. Expansion springs can fail faster. 
I'd be pretty surprised if these springs end up being a problem.


----------



## jgusta (Oct 9, 2004)

Subscribed. Thanks for taking the time post your impression and inside pics of these hubs. I am looking to pick up a set myself when I get back from my mtb trip next week! Was set on getting some DT 350's for new wheel build, but can't bring myself to pay $100 more for the little 36t rachet upgrade on those.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I like to set a pair of these on a scale next to the 350s. 
Sure seems like their weights are very comparable. 

I ran the higher engagement on my 240s for a few months. 
Chipped all the teeth in the higher engagement star rings. Now I'm back to the usual and all is well. Has been since 2010 when I swapped back. 

Been running the same 240s since 2008 on two mountain bikes. Love them. 
If these BHS hubs work even close to as well, for this low low price- well hell. It might be a while until I can justify the $$ for 240s again.


----------



## Doc_d (Feb 11, 2005)

I wish I had seen this a few weeks ago. I've also been running DT Swiss 240s hubs and love them. But I'm building up a set of carbon wheels and could not justify $600+ for the 36 POE 240s hubs when the carbon rims were only costing me $150 each.

I decided to take a chance on a set of Novatec D711SB / D712SB hubs. They're light and cheap and the reviews seemed decent. But you know what they say about light, cheap and durable.... Pick 2.


----------



## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

You can still find 240s on the cheap-ish.

$180 for a DT 240: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=231470026807

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## westin (Nov 9, 2005)

I have about 3 sets of BHS hubs on several mtb and one road bike. All reliable except one rear hub that broke the spring/leaf....but in full honesty it was my fault. I let the rear hub develop some play and during a race, well, lurch lurch skip skip crunch. It's on a 27.5 wheel and since I'm only riding 29er and 26er (gasp) these days it's not a priority to fix, but replacement parts are out there.

If I was to build another wheelset it'd be with these hubs.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> GFisher-
> I don't have much of an idea about the paw springs. They are little compression springs on the 6 paws.
> 
> I know that a compression spring is pretty long lived if it's compressed along it's normal axis. Expansion springs can fail faster.
> I'd be pretty surprised if these springs end up being a problem.


To clarify, they are mini coil springs under compression


----------



## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Getting closer to actually riding on these hubs. Here is the 270 with 40T Wolftooth GC, sram cassette, and WTB i23 wheel.


















My biggest positive impressions so far: low weight and low drag! I don't have a scale so I didn't weigh anything, but the weight I shed by dumping the X7 hubs that were on those wheels is definitely noticeable. it feels like the wheels with the BHS hub and cassette is lighter than the wheel with the X7 hub alone. I only spun the hub while the bike was on the stand and they seem pretty low drag to me.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm in the same boat. 
Wheels are laced, much of the frame is too. 
A few minor but vital parts are missing before I can ride them.

The frame is one of those low cost Chinese carbon frames. It's odd to be sure. I'll build it as a SS cross frame... w/ discs, tapered fork, and thru axles. Total odd duck. 
But keeping w/ the low cost frame, I went w/ these unknown hubs. Truth told- I have more trust in the hubs than the frame! Well, perhaps more than the fork anyway. Frame looks fine. 
I added reflective tape to the hubs. Spruces em up a bit and makes me safer on those long days that end later than I hoped for. 
Also added a sweet rattle can paint job to two spokes. I can't imagine this will ever look this good again. The smallest bit of abus causes the paint to scrape righ off. But for now- They look pretty sharp. 
Tires are WTB Nano 40. I've never tried this tire but they look fantastic. I've yet to know a gravel ride that doesn't include too much pave an a sliver or three of just a hair too rough trail. 








Several packages from now, I should be able to report more.


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

Here is the RED laced to WTB i25, Spaim Force spokes w/ brass nips

Over 300 miles rolling smooth :thumbsup:


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I would like to say that I've recovered from my red accent phase but my counselor probably thinks otherwise. 
I have two bikes (one SS, one w/ gears) that are pretty much identical. And they have all sorts of red ano on them. 
When they were new all parts matched. Now though, sun and time have faded most parts to various shades of red/pink. 
Thanks Chris King for the now pink headset that doesn't match the King headset spacers (that for some reason haven't faded one bit). Nipples get replaced w/ new rims so they look red. Salsa seat collar is red-ish. 
No way I'd want red hubs... 
No way. Nope. I'm cured. 
I'd never....
I couldn't possibly. 
(sound of me hurrying to BHS to order new hubs)
I'll be keenly interested to hear if their color changes over time. Seems American anodising fades while over sea sources might last longer.


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

hahaha Yeah, it all seams to fade. My black RFace handelbars are turning grey, just look under the grip or shifter/brake clamp..
I don't really care how long the "lipstick n rouge" is on before the ride is over hahahahaa

Make it Pertty! 
Ride it DIrty!!

RIDE!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

Summer heat/Sun is damn hot here and this up incoming one will be my hubs first full summer of burn. Guess a photo to photo comparison with the same camera and photos 1yr apart might be a good future post :thumbsup:


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

black hubs... FTW


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

My black King hubs always changed to a nice eggplant over the years. 

Wonder why a Thomson post stays black and the King headset below it morphs into ugly.


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

06HokieMTB said:


> black hubs... FTW


ComON Hokie, you know you want BLING!!


----------



## mentalite (Nov 1, 2008)

I have a red accent affliction also. I think it's understandable with the long standing trend of black everything. From frames to components to hubs to rims to spokes. I like a little color. Here is my freshly built cross wheelset using BHS hubs and Chinese carbon rims. Note the fancy 3 cross on the rear drive side and radial on non-drive side. I used their 16:8 hole hub.

So no help here as far as durability, but I can tell you that they are light as hell and they want to spin forever.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Nice wheels. 
In person do they have that pink-ish tint to them? 
I really like the super thin non-disc look of the F hub. 

When new, the various red anodized items I have were all a similar color of red. 
Now, they are all various shades of red and pink. For some reason (that I'm sure King would never admit to)- the King headsets are faded all to hell and the same era King headset spacers are a mostly unfaded red. What the heck King? Am I supposed to believe you do the same anodizing on each? Or is someone else doing your spacers?
(But that's just me complaining to the Ethernet)


----------



## mentalite (Nov 1, 2008)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Nice wheels.
> In person do they have that pink-ish tint to them?
> I really like the super thin non-disc look of the F hub.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't say they're pinkish, but they are definitely a shade lighter than my red TRP CX8 mini V brakes. I gave up on trying to get exact matches in anodized colors. I work in an unrelated industry that does plating and anodizing so know that the base metal affects how the final color looks. I would guess that would be the cause of the King inconsistency.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

As someone in that world- can you tell me why one item (oh say.... KING stuff) is supposed to be top shelf (and then fades) and another item (oh say... Bottom of the barrel knock off Asian stems on rental bikes) stay ano black for what seems like forever?


----------



## mentalite (Nov 1, 2008)

Unfortunately, I have no idea.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

has anyone tried the rear hub conversion kit? specifically the 12x135? will this conversion kit fit into a standard 10x135 drop out frame? 

yes i'm aware that a 12mm peg will not fit in a 10mm hole, but description/dimension of certain parts are often not exactly what they are described as being. 

I would love to use these hubs, mostly the rear, but it has to accept a 10mm thru bolt of some kind. 

what axle/frame are you guys using this rear hub on? anyone tried the 10x135 conversion on a standard drop out frame?


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

so i sent bikehubstore an email and this is what i got back.



> BikeHubStore.com
> To me Today at 6:29 AM
> Ben,
> 
> ...


not very helpful, but it seems a few people have at least tried it. anyone here on MTBR? i wonder though if it's the wrong part, and they have no idea if it fits into a standard 135 frame, why are they selling them? hmmm

can't tell from the pic what diameter the end caps are.

View attachment 972130


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

man this guy must be having a bad morning! i sent a follow up e-mail to "Brandon" asking if they had an accurate measurement, or if someone there could try to fit it into a standard drop out. what i got back was a snarky response full of attitude saying he doesn't know and "if i'm uncertain then don't buy them. I don't know what else to tell you." kind of a jerk, not the best way to answer a customers questions who is intending to buy at least 2 sets of hubs. not to mention share the experience with everyone on MTBR. 

he did however include pictures showing a micrometer measuring the end caps, and that answered my question. no. 

the end cap is 19mm wide, with the flat sides measuring 17mm. I'm not sure what frame that fits but it's nothing I own. 

i still wonder if i could drill out the 5mm end caps and use a Hadley thru bolt conversion or something. DT RWS? 

so are most of you just using a standard quick release with your rear hubs?


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

I'm confused on your question. It works just fine in a 135 drop out frame.

I have a MTB270 QR rear axle assembly that I'd be happy to measure, but again, I'm not sure what you're asking.

Brandon is a fair, honest guy and is great to work with.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

my question was about the conversion kit. not the quick release version. read my first post again. i also linked it, if you click the picture in my post above it will take you to the page. 

he may be a fair and honest guy, he must just be having a bad day is all.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Sorry, I can't speak to 12x135. Just 135QR and 12x142.

I have been happy with the 4 MTB270's and 1 MTB180 that I purchased.

I currently am running a 12x142 MTB270 on the rear of both of my bikes.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

yeah, that's kind of what i want to do... 

I am looking for a rear hub that I can use a 10x135 thru bolt, like a Hope pro II, or Hadley hub. I was going to go with the Hope, but if these can do it for half the price and a little higher engagement, that would have been sweet.


----------



## degu22 (Aug 8, 2011)

I use a 12mm to 10mm 135mm bolt on axle with my 12x135mm MTB 270. You can also find step down axles with a with a QR if you don't want to use bolts.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

degu22 said:


> I use a 12mm to 10mm 135mm bolt on axle with my 12x135mm MTB 270. You can also find step down axles with a with a QR if you don't want to use bolts.


YES! thats what i was looking for. where did you get your axle? do you have a link?

I would like to use the strongest/stiffest possible combination. i don't care what brand, although i would like to avoid the DT RWS.

something like this American Classic QR thru axle HERE
View attachment 972180


or a Hadley thru bolt like THIS
View attachment 972181


will either one of these work?


----------



## degu22 (Aug 8, 2011)

I think I got mine off ebay. Get one with the 15mm bolts, that's as stiff as you'll get with 10mm dropouts. I have one similar to the one on the bottom but I don't really trust it, it seems a bit weak. Both of those would work as long as they have the 10mm step-down.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

i don't think either of those have a step down, they are just 10mm.

however i found this a while ago 12 to 10mm adapter
View attachment 972190


it's also available on ebay. I would rather have a QR version like the AC but will still be happy if this works.


----------



## amish_matt (Aug 18, 2006)

BENKD29:

I ran a Hope Pro 2 12x135 in 10mm QR dropouts with a stepdown axle and it was definitely stiffer than a QR. I used an Azonic Momentum axle first: Azonic Momentum Axle 12mm X 135mm | Azonic, then switched to a much lighter (and also much more expensive) Loaded AMX axle: Loaded USA :: Loaded Precision Components :: Products .

Although it's not as clean looking, and requires an additional wrench in you pack, I definitely prefer the 15mm nutted axles over something with a recessed hex head.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Ha! more options. i love it. good info, thanks. 

yeah, i just realized they don't sell the hub as a 12x135, you have to buy the adapter kit, and the thru bolt separately. plus i feel like the weight is creeping up as well as the money. the hub+adapter is $132, plus a thru bolt $12-60. thats getting close to Hope money. 

the loaded precision looks nice. that seems to be the best option so far.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Daaammmnnn! 
This thread has gone places. 
Interesting fits questions for the rear hub. 

Although I have less time on them than the other folks here that are posting, I'll keep w/ the original spirit when I started this thread. 
Perhaps 200 miles. ZERO issues.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I started talking with Brandon about 135 x 10mm thru axles for his hubs. He was busy dealing with weather and school closures and then I broke my ankle. As soon as I'm completely mobile again, I'm going to pick up on this conversation again. 
I have that setup on a rear Hope on one of my bikes and in my opinion, it's the only way to set up a bike with standard dropouts.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> I have that setup on a rear Hope on one of my bikes and in my opinion, it's the only way to set up a bike with standard dropouts.


I agree. I'm converting all my bikes now. I will never use a standard quick release again. i wish the industry would make a drastic change so that all hubs were 9mm/10mm quick release thru axles as standard. good luck with that.

truth is they are hard to come by, with the exception of high end hubs. the Sram X9 comes to mind, and the Specialized Stout front (which i don't think is made anymore and not convertible). and now of course the BHS hubs.

I'm relatively new to the sport, and 210 lbs, but i'm still shocked that there isn't a higher demand for this. I realize that most new frames/forks are 15mm front/142x12 rear but still...


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

So wait- 
What are you guys talking about? 
You take a 12/142 hub. Stuff some converter in it? And use it as a bolt on? Or a QR? 

Please clarify if you can.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> You take a 12/142 hub. Stuff some converter in it? And use it as a bolt on? Or a QR?
> 
> Please clarify if you can.


no, it's a 135 hub. go back a page and read from Post #37 

or skip my initial question and read from Post #43 where the question gets answered.

let me know if that helps


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

BENKD-
I read it again but guess previous head injuries or lack of coffee are precluding my ability to gain clarity. 

You take a BHS hub.
It starts life as at 135mm wide. 
But it's not the thin diameter associated w/ a standard QR- it's 10mm? 
I don't see any options on BHS that make a 10x135. 

The only parts I understand are that it's 135mm wide and it's for a frame w/ vertical dropouts. The rest is voodoo.


----------



## cerebroside (Jun 25, 2011)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> BENKD-
> I read it again but guess previous head injuries or lack of coffee are precluding my ability to gain clarity.
> 
> You take a BHS hub.
> ...


Grab a coffee and have a read of this.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

you got a problem with voodoo??? jk

the end caps dictate what axle can be used. using the same 135 hub, 12x142 end caps are for a 142 TA frame only. but on some hubs you can switch the end caps to take a standard quick release, or vice versa. you are correct, BHS does not make a 10x135 hub.

standard dropouts are 100x9mm front, 135x10mm rear. the BHS rear hub has an optional conversion kit to go from a 5mm QR to a 12mm bolt on axle. in this case you remove the end caps with hollow tube, and insert a hollow tube that has an inner diameter of 12mm.

now you buy a bolt on axle that is 12mm in diameter except at the ends where it needs to fit in the drop outs. the diameter is decreased to 10mm. it "steps down." you then thread on the bolts from the outside using a 15mm threaded nut and a standard 15mm wrench in place of a quick release.

View attachment 975225

here is a standard quick release end cap compared to the 12x135 conversion.

View attachment 975227

here is the inner diameter of the 12x135 conversion kit. and to make it work, you need a bolt.

View attachment 975228

you can see the 10mm step down at the ends

the goal is to get the most robust setup achievable in a drop out frame.

did that clear it up? I'm sure i left something out, or could have clarified better, if so i'll go back and edit if necessary.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

BroSide-
Yep. 
That helps. Thanks. 

The funny thing is that I'm running the DT RWS set up on the back of two bikes and didn't do the math on this! Not only do I know it, I have it. Sheesh. 

Sorry to sidetrack it all. 
10x135 now makes sense.

BENDK-
Another huge help. 
Great explanation. Thank you.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

no prob, I just figured it out myself. happy to share. 

9mm/10mm hubs being standard on everything would make life a lot easier, and better. but that would be too easy.


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

Can anyone chime in on the difference in the sound between the DT Swiss 240/350 and the BHS MTB270. 

I'm weighing these hubs for a new wheel build and like to stay somewhat stealth in the woods. Seeing wildlife is a pleasant plus on the trail.


----------



## WoodstockMTB (Oct 5, 2010)

Just throw some Phil's oil on the pawls. My I9 hubs are not quite quiet and my guess is they were louder than the BHS hubs


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

The BHS hubs have a quieter, slightly higher pitch "buzz" than most of the other hubs.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm using 240s on two bikes. Have been running them for years and my ear is very used to a quiet hub.

The BHS hubs are definitly louder than my 240s, but even as someone who isn't a fan of loud hubs- they aren't bad at all to me.

As someone said, a bit of wear and oil will go a long way to making them a bit quieter, and hopefully still functional in 0 degree weather. 

I will say- they are nowhere near as annoying as a damned King or Hope. 
Not even close. 
My best pal rides his SS w/ a Hope and oh my.... It's really something to be near. Some like that stuff, but it's not my cup of bees.


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks for the feed back on sound...


----------



## Chris_F97 (Sep 2, 2013)

The cheap OEM hub on my Giant Trance started skipping late last season and I was going to eek a final season out of it until I saw this post. Another plus is that the hub has the same spoke diameter as my old hub so I can hopefully use the same spokes. I've never laced a wheel so this will be a learning experiences for me. I've always wanted to try it (have a truing stand already).

I ordered a MTB270 in Shimano 10mm this morning. Can't wait...


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I like reusing spikes when it seems prudent- they can be surprisingly long lived if you let them be. 
Many builders get all touchy about it- but if they are not too dinged up- use them. 
But- perhaps new nips. Unless they are brass... Then maybe.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

I hate loud hubs. I find the sound of the BHS MTB270 to be actually pretty pleasant. A little Phil's does make it a touch quieter. Once you ride with a hub that has a bit of a metallic/ pissed off hornet buzz, you actually start to like it


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> I like reusing spikes when it seems prudent- they can be surprisingly long lived if you let them be.
> Many builders get all touchy about it- but if they are not too dinged up- use them.
> But- perhaps new nips. Unless they are brass... Then maybe.


When you disassemble the wheel, lay out a paper towel and with a pen, make lines to separate the towel into 4 sections. Label each section NDS outer, NDS inner, DS inner and DS outer. This will help in assembly with used spokes immensely.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Just ordered my 5th BHS MTB270... apparently they have them in black, red and silver now. Went with silver. It'll clash horribly with the lime green frame I've got coming. Fawk it. I like loud colors. Why the hell not?


----------



## Chris_F97 (Sep 2, 2013)

Just got the hub in the mail yesterday. It seems really stiff, wonder if it needs to break in or if I need to adjust something. It's a very quiet hub, which I like.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

There's no adjustment.
Just go ride, and I bet you'll be fine.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

As they wear, their sound gets louder. 
Still isn't as bad as a Hope, but I dropped some grease in this eve to hopefully quiet it down a bit. 

Just an FYI for the new buyers.


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks for the feedback Johnny - I'm still on the fence but probably buying hubs within the next couple of days.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Even as a loud hub hater, I'd happily do these again. 
So far anyway!


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

Did the oil/grease quiet them back down?


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I'll know more this eve. 
Gave it a good couple of cranks on the stand and is sounded about the same. 
I was amazed at how long the wheel will continue to spin when I do that not so scientific test.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> I was amazed at how long the wheel will continue to spin when I do that not so scientific test.


^^ ditto


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

Johnny - have you been out for a ride after the oil/grease service? 
Did it help bring the sound back down?


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Yep. 
It's quieter but it's been light riding. 
I didn't want to post until it had some thing more substantial on it. 
Too many trails drying out!
I'd rather be on more single track oriented bikes than the CX bike these days!


----------



## shirk (Mar 24, 2004)

I had one of the first ones available and grenaded it. Literally managed to blow it into two halves.

BSH was great and replaced it. Have one ride on the replacement and it's good so far.

I have a question on spoke lengths. Has anyone found their spoke calcs to be long when using the provided dimensions? 

I built it up into a Pacenti TL28 28h 3x with Cx-Rays. After building I was pretty much bottoming out the nipples on the threads and it wasn't as high a tension as the wheel should have. 

Planning to scrap the rim and spokes due to another issue and rebuild the hub into another rim, but want to see if others have had issues with long spokes before I round further down on the spoke calc.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

shirk said:


> want to see if others have had issues with long spokes before I round further down on the spoke calc.


All 5 of mine have built up just fine with the stated dimensions. Haven't taken the time to measure myself as I seem to remember that others have confirmed the measurements.

Are you using the mfg's stated ERD? Or are you verifying your rim's ERD's yourself and then ordering the appropriate spoke length?

The reason I ask is I've seen plenty of rims come in with an ERD higher than stated. Many mfg's report nipple seat diameter, but do not account for the thickness/height of the spoke head itself. If the ERD is off, I find that it tends to be off by 3-4mm, which is the thickness/height of a spoke nipple head.

EDIT: error in ERD will more significantly impact the spoke length measurement than an error in hub dimension. I've swapped hubs that have different flange diameters and different spacing and everything has worked out OK.

Same cannot be said for a 2-4mm error in ERD.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh, another thing, are you accounting for spoke stretch?

In DT Swiss' spoke calculator, it'll often have you round down if you select DT Revolution spokes (which are like your CX-Rays, except not bladed) vs. DT Competition spokes. IE: thinner spokes stretch a bit more. Especially so on the drive side/disc side.


----------



## shirk (Mar 24, 2004)

I initially used the stated ERD I found online for the rims.

Will be waiting till I have rims in hand and confirm myself on the ERD for the next set.


----------



## Chris_F97 (Sep 2, 2013)

I've been running the MBT270 for about a month. Initially I was disappointed because the freehub had a lot of friction and skipped a lot under load. I decide to allow it a break in period before returning it and I'm glad I did. After about five hours of riding it stopped skipping and has lostened up substantially. Now I love the hub.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Weird!
Friction eh?
Mine has seemed buttery since the start.
Wonder what that is about.


----------



## Chris_F97 (Sep 2, 2013)

I initially thought it was because of the extra pals. More pals, more contact points... It was enough that I could feel it pushing my pedals while coasting. I pulled off the freehub and everything looked fine. Plenty of grease, etc. 

Now that it's broken in both problems are gone. Weird that it needed a break in period.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

Just got an m270 delivered. Seems like a well built hub and the engagement is excellent. Will be building with Derby rims. Wanted to give props to Brandon for terrific customer service. Ordered the wrong axle converter, asked to exchange and he shipped it off to me immediately without waiting for me to mail back the one I had and didn't ask me to pay shipping even though it was my mistake. :thumbsup::thumbsup: Will report back once wheel is built.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Nice Myers. 
Always good to hear of another happy (so far!) buyer. 

Mine have a reasonable chunk of miles now. Plenty of abuse and torque (well as much as I can muster) on a SS cross bike. 
Not a single glitch or skip of the paws. 
So far, so good. Sound seems broken in and makes no racket. 

THESE HUBS ARE A GREAT ALTERNATIVE (so far anyway)


----------



## Tommybees (Dec 25, 2014)

There is no jamb nut or other way to set preload on bearings. You sort of need to get lucky between too loose or too tight. Your axle attachment to the bike then adds a little more preload and tightens things up.
This issue also shows up if your wheel spins forever or not. If it really spins well when not mounted, it will likely be too loose when mounted on a bike, resulting in the position of the brake disc moving around (drag). If the disc moves side to side when you grab your wheel, the preload needs to be tighter.
Not much of a problem if your are looking for it.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

On this type of cartridge bearing hub, theres no preload. There shouldnt be any slop either. 

Its setup like a hope or DT swiss hub. They just work, no adjustments necessary or possible.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

Taking the thread back a bit to hub conversions. Got my M270 with the 142 x 12, and also ordered the 135 x 12 converter to run it on a 135 rear frame. The option to run a through bolt on 135mm rear frames is definitely a plus, way better than QR!

Did some searching for a 12 to 10mm step down thru-bolt based on suggestions in post #48; Azonic Momentum, cheap (~$12- 15) but heavy (84gm) and the Loaded Precision AMX axle, light (60gm) but pricey ($60). I ran across this Stan's converter, $25 and light. Looks to be the same as this Sun-Ringle axle.

Ordered the Stan's version from Jenson. Weighed in at 60g, so same weight as the AMX for a fraction of the cost. Fit was a bit tight, but it does go thru. Total weight of hub/converter/step down axle=337g on my scale.

My Derby rims arrived today, now to measure and order spokes. Getting stoked to try my first wheel build:thumbsup:


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Myers005 said:


> My Derby rims arrived today, now to measure and order spokes. Getting stoked to try my first wheel build:thumbsup:


Be warned... you are walking on thin ice. March 2014 I was exactly where you are. A couple weeks ago I just built my 23rd wheel. It becomes an addiction!


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Mine have a reasonable chunk of miles now. Plenty of abuse and torque (well as much as I can muster) on a SS cross bike.
> Not a single glitch or skip of the paws.
> So far, so good. Sound seems broken in and makes no racket.


No problems with the alloy freehub and SS use? I would think that a single gear would dig horribly into the freehub.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

06HokieMTB said:


> Be warned... you are walking on thin ice. March 2014 I was exactly where you are. A couple weeks ago I just built my 23rd wheel. It becomes an addiction!


But is there beer involved?


----------



## Tommybees (Dec 25, 2014)

Not having a jamb nut is a bad design. The bearing preload is then dependent on how tight the frame/axle (QR or maxle) is torqued. The brake disc centerline then moves around as well. If the bearing preload is set way too loose, the maxle can also comes loose in use. This exact thing happened to me on a few rides in a row and it was not until I realized that the bearing preload was the problem that it got permanently fixed.

Can the design work and do other manf use it - sure, but it does not mean it is right. Anyway, this is just information that might help others.

The good news is that even with cheap ABEC1 grade bearings, my buddies can't keep up with me just coasting without having to peddle on long gradual downhill. All and all pretty damn good hubs.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Please disregard.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Tommybees said:


> Not having a jamb nut is a bad design. The bearing preload is then dependent on how tight the frame/axle (QR or maxle) is torqued. The brake disc centerline then moves around as well. If the bearing preload is set way too loose, the maxle can also comes loose in use. This exact thing happened to me on a few rides in a row and it was not until I realized that the bearing preload was the problem that it got permanently fixed.
> 
> Can the design work and do other manf use it - sure, but it does not mean it is right. Anyway, this is just information that might help others.
> 
> The good news is that even with cheap ABEC1 grade bearings, my buddies can't keep up with me just coasting without having to peddle on long gradual downhill. All and all pretty damn good hubs.


The axle has a jamb nut. It's the end cap. You can tighten the axle to remove slop. Loctite helps keep it in place. Once you get it tight, the frame skewer/axle has no impact on the bearing preload.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

06HokieMTB said:


> Be warned... you are walking on thin ice. March 2014 I was exactly where you are. A couple weeks ago I just built my 23rd wheel. It becomes an addiction!


Absolutely true. I was building wheels for a shop. Kept me plenty busy. He just closed up and moved to Idaho. I'm having withdrawals already.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Myers005 said:


> But is there beer involved?


Plenty. Whiskey as well.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Found this hub on eBay and it looks identical to the BHS MTB270, even down to a 1 gram diff in claimed weight. Perhaps just another no-label Bitex. Oh, and $30 cheaper which pays for the 12/135mm conversion kit. Mr Ride 2015 54T 6pawl MTB Rear Hub 32h Mountain Bike SRAM 10 11 Speed Black | eBay


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

I might have missed this somewhere in the thread but can someone post what a 29" wheelset weight, using these hubs, came to?


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Spank Oozy 295 29er rim: 495g
BHS MTB 270 12x142 hub: 279g
32 Sapim Laser spokes & brass Polyax nipples: 190g

964g

LB Hookess XC 27mm (22mm internal) carbon 29er rim: 365g
BHS MTB 270 12x142 hub: 279g
32 Sapim Laser spokes & brass Polyax nipples: 190g

834g

Frequency i23 rim: 532g
BHS MTB 270 12x142 hub: 279g
32 Sapim Laser spokes & brass Polyax nipples: 190g

1001g

EDIT: FWIW Sapim Laser spokes are comparable to DT Revolution


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Using Sapim Race (DT Competition) spokes will add around 75-100g to the wheel weight.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Still going. 
Plenty of wet here in Colorado and these hubs are not having any issues. 
In fact, they are now a non-event. Just another part of a bike that works w/o me thinking or worrying about them.


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

WTB KOM i23/BHS 15mm TA hub front - 885g
WTB KOM i23/BHS 142x12 TA hub rear - 950g


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

06HokieMTB said:


> Spank Oozy 295 29er rim: 495g
> BHS MTB 270 12x142 hub: 279g
> 32 Sapim Laser spokes & brass Polyax nipples: 190g
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch. I'm currently running F i23s on another bike and really like that rim and wondered what a weight would be with DT Rev spokes and the MTB270 hub. I guessed at about an 1800g wheelset weight and it looks to be pretty close to that.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

MTBeing said:


> Thanks a bunch. I'm currently running F i23s on another bike and really like that rim and wondered what a weight would be with DT Rev spokes and the MTB270 hub. I guessed at about an 1800g wheelset weight and it looks to be pretty close to that.


DT 350 15mm front hub is ~ 171g

32 Sapim Laser spokes & brass Polyax nipples: 190g
Frequency i23 rim: 532g

Front i23 29 wheel: 893g + 1001g = 1893g

You could save some weight with a lighter front hub. You could also save a few more grams will alloy nipples, but brass nipples are worth their weight for a custom wheel build and (IMO) it's not worth the hassle of going to alloy :thumbsup:


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

I used a Novatec 771 front hub, weighed in at 139gm for a15mm TA. My rear has the MTB270, Sapim Race, Derby 35mm XC and weighs 960 with tape and valve stem


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

All good suggestions. Yea, I could go lighter on the front hub but I'd stick with brass nipples. Even considering the KOM 23mm rims. About a $20 upcharge/wheel and 100g in weight savings.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

KOM front, Freq rear is good combo.

Or Spank Oozy 295 front/rear. (25mm internal)

Or KOM i25 front, Oozy 295 rear (for lightest and widest).


----------



## David Mackintosh (Mar 21, 2015)

I'm a fan of brass nipples with lighter aluminum rims, which are likely to need some tweaking after a few good bashes. With the stiffer carbon rims, which by nature can't take a permanent bend, I don't see alloy nipples as having any significant downsides. I'm also comfortable running fewer spokes with the stiff rims. I weigh 185+ and went 28h front and rear with my LB 38mm hoops.

Back OT: I've just got about 200 miles of trail on my MTB270/180 set, but I love them so far. No question I'd buy them again. BHS has been great too.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Carbon & alloy nipples = no no (galvanic corrosion)


----------



## Andy13 (Nov 21, 2006)

carbon and alloy nipples = no problem if using quality anodized alloy nipples.


----------



## sfo423 (Oct 12, 2010)

Just got mine. 142x12 and 15mm front. Look nice; just need rims to arrive.

Agree they feel stiff (and likely a tad loud). I'll put a few drops of oil in and hope they loosen up / quiet down w/use.



Chris_F97 said:


> Just got the hub in the mail yesterday. It seems really stiff, wonder if it needs to break in or if I need to adjust something. It's a very quiet hub, which I like.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

sfo423 said:


> Just got mine. 142x12 and 15mm front. Look nice; just need rims to arrive.
> 
> Agree they feel stiff (and likely a tad loud). I'll put a few drops of oil in and hope they loosen up / quiet down w/use.


Can you post up a pic of them?


----------



## sfo423 (Oct 12, 2010)

MTBeing said:


> Can you post up a pic of them?


Below.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Thanks


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

What freehubs you guys using? there is the Sram XX1 and the Shimano 10/11? Whats the difference? Does it matter?


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

nm xx1 is a single speed


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Huh?

XX1 is an XD driver for SRAM 1x drivetrain a
Shimano 9/10 is a standard MTB cassette free hub (also compatible with SRAM 9/10)

Shimano 10/11 is road cassette freehub


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

06HokieMTB said:


> Huh?
> 
> XX1 is an XD driver for SRAM 1x drivetrain a
> Shimano 9/10 is a standard MTB cassette free hub (also compatible with SRAM 9/10)
> ...


Just ordered a MTB270 hub with the Shimano 10/11.

When you checkout the only two options are the Sram XX1 and Shimano 10/11.

I dont have a single speed, so I got the 10/11.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

XX1 isn't single speed. It's 11 

(Or possibly 7 if you're DH)


----------



## Andy13 (Nov 21, 2006)

Shimano 10/11 is actually shimano 8/9/10/11. It will come with a spacer to use with anything less than 11 speed road. It will fit any cassette from shimano or sram other than 11s mountain (sram). The reason for 11s road compatibility is for road/cx disc bikes. Most new shimano compatible hubs for mountain or road will be 11s compatible due to being backwards compatible for 8/9/10s by using the spacer. SRAM XD driver is a horse of a different color.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Andy13 said:


> Shimano 10/11 is actually shimano 8/9/10/11. It will come with a spacer to use with anything less than 11 speed road. It will fit any cassette from shimano or sram other than 11s mountain (sram). The reason for 11s road compatibility is for road/cx disc bikes. Most new shimano compatible hubs for mountain or road will be 11s compatible due to being backwards compatible for 8/9/10s by using the spacer. SRAM XD driver is a horse of a different color.


So if I'm going to use a run-of-the-mill Shimano XT 11/36 MTB cassette I would leave that spacer on the freehub?


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Weird. They used to offer 3 options, the 3rd being road

Here's the description of the last "regular" hub that I bought

"MTB270 - QR Axle - 32 Holes - Black - Shimano 8/9/10"


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

MTBeing said:


> So if I'm going to use a run-of-the-mill Shimano XT 11/36 MTB cassette I would leave that spacer on the freehub?


Yes.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Looks like you can save some cash on some 180/270 hubs now if you're willing to put up with the Bitex logo and you like red or black. Also looks like to can get the F and R configured any way you please.

MTB180 / MTB270 Hubset with Bitex Logo - 20% off!


----------



## minimusprime (May 26, 2009)

I just did my first ride yesterday on a wheelset based on a set of BHS hubs. The specs are stans flow ex, DT Swiss comps, AL nipples and BHS hubs setup with 15mm front and 142x12 rear. Overall I'm really pleased with them. The engagement is great and they aren't at all loud. It feels like there is a little bit of resistance to them but I'm willing to bet it goes away as they break in. Overall very happy with this wheelset considering I've got 450 total into it.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

06HokieMTB said:


> XX1 isn't single speed. It's 11
> 
> (Or possibly 7 if you're DH)





Andy13 said:


> Shimano 10/11 is actually shimano 8/9/10/11. It will come with a spacer to use with anything less than 11 speed road. It will fit any cassette from shimano or sram other than 11s mountain (sram). The reason for 11s road compatibility is for road/cx disc bikes. Most new shimano compatible hubs for mountain or road will be 11s compatible due to being backwards compatible for 8/9/10s by using the spacer. SRAM XD driver is a horse of a different color.


Well interesting, I could have sworn I saw the XX1 was single speed. So I am running a 10spd cassette, with the Shimano work then, or should have gotten the XX1? It only gave me those two options.

The shimano one will be here tomorrow...


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

gregers05 said:


> Well interesting, I could have sworn I saw the XX1 was single speed...


Youre probably confusing it with "one by" with a single chainring. But the xd driver can be used with double or triple chainring just as easily.


----------



## David Mackintosh (Mar 21, 2015)

06HokieMTB said:


> Weird. They used to offer 3 options, the 3rd being road.


"Road" would generally refer to 130mm OLD and QR axle. All bets are off these days, though.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

gregers05 said:


> Well interesting, I could have sworn I saw the XX1 was single speed. So I am running a 10spd cassette, with the Shimano work then, or should have gotten the XX1? It only gave me those two options.
> 
> The shimano one will be here tomorrow...


You selected the correct freehub. An XX1 freehub (or 'XD Driver' as it's also called) supports 11 speed cassettes for those who are running 1x11 setups. 8, 9, and 10 speed cassettes fit on a standard Shimano 9/10 speed freehub.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

MTBeing said:


> You selected the correct freehub. An XX1 freehub (or 'XD Driver' as it's also called) supports 11 speed cassettes for those who are running 1x11 setups. 8, 9, and 10 speed cassettes fit on a standard Shimano 9/10 speed freehub.


Cool. Thanks.

Actually got the hub in yesterday. Ordered Friday around lunch time and was waiting for me on Monday when I got home from work. Super quick shipping!


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

MTBeing said:


> Looks like you can save some cash on some 180/270 hubs now if you're willing to put up with the Bitex logo and you like red or black. Also looks like to can get the F and R configured any way you please.
> 
> MTB180 / MTB270 Hubset with Bitex Logo - 20% off!


x2.
Picked up a set a couple of days ago and they already arrived, look and feel great.
Do they come apart fairly easy? I'd like to see how well the hubs are lubed?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

upstateSC-rider said:


> x2.
> Picked up a set a couple of days ago and they already arrived, look and feel great.
> Do they come apart fairly easy? I'd like to see how well the hubs are lubed?


They do come apart easily.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Months and plenty of miles later...
And things are great. 
No play in either hubs, no real increase or decrease in noise. The noise is just fine, not too loud. Maybe a shade quieter than the 240s I'm using elsewhere. Maybe. 

Not sure what my next build will be but it'll have BHS hubs. 
There is NO reason not to use them. Unless you need to noise of a Hope, or the Bling of a King, or the admiration of riders you don't chose to ride w/. 

-JCB


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

The only 'negative (?)' thing I've noticed with high engagement hubs, is when you land, the rear wheel makes a 'clunk' noise as the pawls engage (presumably from movement at the pedals as your landing).

I think I remember hearing that DH guys run really low POE hubs? Maybe that was to reduce drag? Or maybe to allow for more slop in the pedals when landing?

Dunno.

Still happy with my hubs. I have two rear wheels built up and have recently swapped the freehubs/cassettes back and forth between the two. (one is 11 spd, XD other is 10spd Shimano). It's about a 3 minute job.


----------



## Jerz_subbie (Sep 1, 2012)

Does anyone know what length spokes I would need with these Bitex hubs and Frequency i23 29" rims?

Trying to put together a killer value wheelset but don't know what spokes to use (DT comp?) or what length I need. 173lb rider, XC/trail singletrack.


OP thanks for starting this thread and reporting back on how they've held up!


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Jerz_subbie said:


> Does anyone know what length spokes I would need with these Bitex hubs and Frequency i23 29" rims?
> 
> Trying to put together a killer value wheelset but don't know what spokes to use (DT comp?) or what length I need. 173lb rider, XC/trail singletrack.
> 
> OP thanks for starting this thread and reporting back on how they've held up!


EDIT: Check your PM's


----------



## Jerz_subbie (Sep 1, 2012)

Thanks for the info! I think I figured out the DT swiss calculator. It's telling me rounded F l/r 290/293, R l/r 291/290. I'll confirm with the guy I'm going to have build them.

Edit-
I'm looking at:
BHS hubs F/R
Frequency i23 29er rims
Sapim Race spokes & brass nipples
I wish Dan's had D-lights to shave another ~60g, but I'll suck up the 2oz for 50% savings

Edit2: Thinking wheelsmith DB14 for the slight weight savings over Sapim Race/DT comp, now to find the best place to buy. Ordered my rims and hubs yesterday.

Edit3: Received my hubs today. The 9mm QR seem to be ever so slightly heavier at 188g/294g F/R. These are FAR lighter than my current XT hubs, can't wait to get them built up!


----------



## Slounsberry (May 22, 2013)

Does anyone have pictures of the silver version of these hubs? Didn't see any in the thread and I haven't been able to figure it out on Google. There was an image that may have been them but it's more of a gun metal color than what I was thinking so I just wanted to see what they look like for a future wheel/bike build. 

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

It's a shiny silver. Not quite chrome, but definitely not gun metal


----------



## Slounsberry (May 22, 2013)

06HokieMTB said:


> It's a shiny silver. Not quite chrome, but definitely not gun metal


Awesome thanks, I thought the one I saw seemed a little odd to just be called silver.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

MTBeing said:


> Looks like you can save some cash on some 180/270 hubs now if you're willing to put up with the Bitex logo and you like red or black. Also looks like to can get the F and R configured any way you please.
> 
> MTB180 / MTB270 Hubset with Bitex Logo - 20% off!


I'm trying to figure out a need for another set of wheels...


----------



## Jerz_subbie (Sep 1, 2012)

Got my wheels from the builder yesterday...

BHS hubs F/R
Frequency Race i23 29er rims
Sapim Race spokes & brass nipples
Weight 2052g

I was hoping to be under 2kg but the rims weighed in 100g over the specs on WTB's site. Maybe that's the difference between Race and Team. Still saving 320g over my XT/ST i23 set.

Update:
These hubs are definitely louder than my old Mavic wheelset and recent new XT hubs but not annoyingly so. I've heard some other hubs on the trail that sounded amplified, not sure what they were, but these aren't bad at all from a noise perspective. They also seem to roll very smoothly, better than the XT hubs. With 3 rides on them, I'm very happy so far!


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

So my fears of Boost148 have been resolved.

Brandon just emailed me and said that Boost hubs will be on his website around the October time frame.

Time to build a proper B+ hardtail!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

06HokieMTB said:


> So my fears of Boost148 have been resolved.
> 
> Brandon just emailed me and said that Boost hubs will be on his website around the October time frame.
> 
> Time to build a proper B+ hardtail!


:thumbsup:


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Can anyone suggest an affordable front hub that can run a 9x100 thru axle? need something to pair with the 270. Would be awesome if I could convert the 15x100 on the bhs hub to a 9x100.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

Novatec convertible hubs have adapters to run a 9mm thru front hub. I paired my BHS MTB270 with a Novatec D7, which is really light (139g for the 15mm thru). There are a couple of other convertible models too, D881SB and D541SB. You can sometimes get the 771 sold as front only on eBay, but they usually come in pairs. Bdopcycling sells the hubs in any configuration and sells adapters D771SB


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion! I've never heard of that site. Seems like they charge rather a lot for novatec hubs and adapters though. That's more than a hope pro 2 Evo from CRC.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

Definitely not the cheapest. You should be able to pick up the 771 hub for around $50 on eBay or Aliexpress but you'd still need to spring for the adapters which I haven't seen elsewhere


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Cool, yeah thanks again. That guy must have a pretty lucrative business going.


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

06HokieMTB said:


> So my fears of Boost148 have been resolved.
> 
> Brandon just emailed me and said that Boost hubs will be on his website around the October time frame.
> 
> Time to build a proper B+ hardtail!


I had to google it =
"Boost 148," which in non-marketing speak measures out to 148x12mm, is targeted at 29ers, with the primary goal being increased wheel stiffness via an increase in the distance between hub flanges. Increasing the width of the base of the triangle made by the spokes and flanges of the hub shell increases lateral stiffness.

Hokie ~ yer wife won't let you have ANOTHER bike!! :nono::skep:


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

rusty904 said:


> Can anyone suggest an affordable front hub that can run a 9x100 thru axle? need something to pair with the 270. Would be awesome if I could convert the 15x100 on the bhs hub to a 9x100.


BHS hubs are convertible, I have the 9x100


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Burt4x4 said:


> BHS hubs are convertible, I have the 9x100
> View attachment 1011090


That looks like a standard QR, meant one of these guys. 
DT Swiss - RWS Thru bolt

I know it's kind of an anal thing but I already have them on my current cross bike and I really prefer the setup over a typical QR.


----------



## Burt4x4 (Feb 21, 2013)

Oh I see, hmmm.. what endcap does that work with?

I'm using XT Skewers..


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Bitex makes that end cap but Bike Hub Store doesn't sell it.

Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

NYrr496 said:


> Bitex makes that end cap but Bike Hub Store doesn't sell it.
> 
> Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub


Great News! Now I just have to track one down, could be difficult.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

rusty904 said:


> Great News! Now I just have to track one down, could be difficult.


Let's just all harass the crap outta Brandon until he carries them.


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

NYrr496 said:


> Let's just all harass the crap outta Brandon until he carries them.


Email already sent!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

rusty904 said:


> Email already sent!


:thumbsup:


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

I'm wondering if this adapter might possibly work? 80497 New Force Adaptor for 9 mm Axle for Front Basic 4 in 1 Hubs | eBay


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Wow... Looks promising.


----------



## Myers005 (Jan 31, 2011)

This is the Force 4 in 1 hub 80480_5 New Force Basic 4 in 1 Front Disc Hub 6 holes Variable Option - EU Bikeshop
You have to buy the axle separately, so will run~$44 (plus shipping)
Says it's a Novatec hub, looks like the D991SB D991SB (FH) - Novatec

I think Brandon is the way to go if he can get the Bitex adapter.


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Brandon says he is carrying them now so...problem solved


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

rusty904 said:


> Brandon says he is carrying them now so...problem solved


Too damn cool. Now if we can just get him to get 9mm thru axles for 135mm fat bike forks, all will be right with the world.


----------



## always_last (Jun 7, 2012)

Here's another option for using a 9mm thru axle type front skewer:

15mm thru Axle Hub Adapter to 9mm Quick Release Skewer 15mm thru Hub Adapter | eBay

Order the 15mm hub and this axle insert which steps it down to 9mm. Probably what I will do when I built up my BHS wheelset this winter.


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

rusty904 said:


> Can anyone suggest an affordable front hub that can run a 9x100 thru axle? need something to pair with the 270. Would be awesome if I could convert the 15x100 on the bhs hub to a 9x100.


Get the 15mm hub from bikehubstore and then get one of these adapters.
MTB Tools Mountain Bike 15mm thru Axle to 9mm Quick Release Wheel Adapter | eBay
Done.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

So, has anyone built a wheelset with BHS and the WTB i29 Asym wheels that just came out? Curious as to what spoke length you need, as this is an asymmetrical rim.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

The offset gets added to the hub's one side center to flange spacing number and subtracted from the other side. Very simple. Just think about where the center of the spoke bed is in relation to a normal rim (wide part of offset facing front disc, rear cassette). Doesn't change anything else on the spoke calc.

Use the WheelPro Spokecalc calculator... It lets you enter and offset and shows the correction. Makes perfect send when you see it.


----------



## adagioca (Apr 28, 2004)

06HokieMTB said:


> So my fears of Boost148 have been resolved.
> 
> Brandon just emailed me and said that Boost hubs will be on his website around the October time frame.
> 
> Time to build a proper B+ hardtail!


I'm in the prep stage of building my B+ hardtail too (checkout the new Advocate Cycles Hayduke). Still trying to figure out which hub I'm gonna use. Anything new regarding availability of Boost hubs?


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

The Boost148 MTB270 (Bitex MTR12-148) is on Bitex's website.

As you quoted, Brandon with BHS told me October. Might be worth shooting him an email?

[email protected]

BTW: nice score on the Hayduke! Didn't know they were available yet?


----------



## adagioca (Apr 28, 2004)

06HokieMTB said:


> BTW: nice score on the Hayduke! Didn't know they were available yet?


Well, available, not exactly as it is not in my hands yet. But I signed up thru their Indiegogo campaign and if all goes on schedule should be shipping soon. Cant wait!

I did email the email address you listed 2 weeks ago but never heard back. Maybe I'll send it again...


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Oddly enough, just got an email from Brandon at BHS saying he'll be helping out at the Bitex booth at Interbike. So he's emailing


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

So I got a wheelset with Bitex Hubs built from XM Carbon Speed (Peter). The idea was to use the same Wheelset for CX and XC racing so I ordered an XD driver from them and a Shimano driver from the bike hub store. 

The BHS driver is about 1.6mm too big to fit in the hub. The two sets of hubs I have look absolutely identical on the outside. The pawls are the same design and the ratchet teeth look the same except the ones I got with my wheelset are silver and the ones from BHS are a darker color. 

Is anyone else aware of multiple versions of this same hub? Kinda frustrated that as of right now, I can't use mine on my cross bike!


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

rusty904 said:


> So I got a wheelset with Bitex Hubs built from XM Carbon Speed (Peter). The idea was to use the same Wheelset for CX and XC racing so I ordered an XD driver from them and a Shimano driver from the bike hub store.
> 
> The BHS driver is about 1.6mm too big to fit in the hub. The two sets of hubs I have look absolutely identical on the outside. The pawls are the same design and the ratchet teeth look the same except the ones I got with my wheelset are silver and the ones from BHS are a darker color.
> 
> Is anyone else aware of multiple versions of this same hub? Kinda frustrated that as of right now, I can't use mine on my cross bike!


I was looking at bitex website and doesn't seem like there are different versions...
Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub

So you are saying the diameter of the freehub from BHS is 1.6mm bigger than the diameter of the XD freehub(the portion that goes into the hub)?
Are the pawls removable? If so maybe try removing all the pawls to see if it fits?


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Correct, I did try pawl removal, no dice. XD driver freehub goes in and out pretty easily, more so into the hub from the bike hub store. Will try to post some pics after work.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Brandon just emailed me...

The MTB270 Boost148 is up on their website.

MTR Boost Rear Disc Hub

What I'm not clear on, is if it's actually Boost148, or a 150x12 hub that has a 148 axle?

If it's a true Boost148, the rotor and cassette should both be moved 3mm outboard.


----------



## Markiel (Mar 26, 2015)

It kind of looks like its a boost 148 hub. It's about 12 mm wider flange to flange than the normal MTB270 (which looks to be a 135 based hub).


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Brandon responded:



> The flange spacing is wider - new mold. It's not accomplished by axles/endcaps. Now, on the front - they're still working on this. The temporary solution is 15x110mm end caps for the MTB180


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

Really interested in these hubs. 
Ride a 2012 Trek Cobia and the stock wheels are pretty much garbage. 17mm internal. 
Have a good riding buddy that can build wheels. 
Thinking about going with the Easton Arc 30 and the Mtb270. 
Not sure what size tire I can fit back there though. 
Only going rear for now. Too damn broke. 

You guys still loving these hubs?


Sent from my R2 unit.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Yep. Replacing the rear M529 hub on my wife's Spearfish with an MTB270. 
Also doing a 170 fatbike set for my brother shortly. 
Just put a 130mm rear on my commuting bike and it blows away the hub that came on it.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

So just built a rear wheel with an i23 and this hub, and rode it for the first time last night. Felt great the the POE was really nice to have coming from a x9 hub with like 7 POE. 

One thing that surprised me was how quiet it was. Maybe it was some of you guys saying that it was loud so maybe I was expecting louder, but riding last night, I really couldnt hear it over the leaves. Maybe its louder when riding on a clean trail, but still not bad. It was also a solo night ride, so everything around me was dead quiet.


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

gregers05 said:


> So just built a rear wheel with an i23 and this hub, and rode it for the first time last night. Felt great the the POE was really nice to have coming from a x9 hub with like 7 POE.
> 
> One thing that surprised me was how quiet it was. Maybe it was some of you guys saying that it was loud so maybe I was expecting louder, but riding last night, I really couldnt hear it over the leaves. Maybe its louder when riding on a clean trail, but still not bad. It was also a solo night ride, so everything around me was dead quiet.


I agree. I don't like loud hubs and was kind of worried about this hub when I bought it due to the reviews I have read. However, I find that while the hub is not quiet, it is really not that loud either. But most importantly, I find that I really like the sound that this hub makes....not sure why.


----------



## Acme54321 (Oct 8, 2003)

Been flogging a set of these on my hardtail for about 9 months. No issue. Best cheap hubs ever. I've got a set of these on one bike and I9s ont he other. Other than the fact that the i9s are a gnat's ass lighter and have a little higher POE I'm not really partial to one over the other.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

I find the sound is similar to a tire leak, pssssssss. First time I rode em I was constantly freaking out I had a leak lol.

Great hubs, look forward to many more miles on mine.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

As also wine who posted above about the racket of these hubs-
I usually don't notice them and then when I do, like Lithi said, I think what he heck is that noise?

But- these hubs will be on many builds to come. They are just too good and too low cost not to consider as my go to hub. 
Although I have no real builds coming up. 

-JCB


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> As also wine who posted above about the racket of these hubs-
> I usually don't notice them and then when I do, like Lithi said, I think what he heck is that noise?
> 
> But- these hubs will be on many builds to come. They are just too good and too low cost not to consider as my go to hub.
> ...


Ya know, i have to wonder if we're screwing ourselves.

If we keep stating how much we like these hubs, we're basically shifting the economic demand curve... ie: the more we rave, the more BHS can raise the price?


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Hokie- I agree somewhat. 
But I'd bet that the numbers of us stacked up is nothing compared to what they sell. 
Bet most folks stick em on their bikes then go ride. Prob don't post much online. 

But even still- they won't ever cost what a DT, Hope, or King costs. Well, let's hope not. Get too close to that line and I'm jumping ship just for the Made in USA King-ness or back to DT because they just are wonderful.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

So there is elasticity to our demand. Gotcha.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm currently saving to build what's going to be a pretty expensive bike. I'm feeling like it's ALMOST wrong to use these hubs because they're not expensive enough. 
I think I'll get past that and use em.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

I have an MTB270 on a 6" carbon AM bike


----------



## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

Is the MTB270 hub a good choice for rough All Mountain applications?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> Is the MTB270 hub a good choice for rough All Mountain applications?


It'll be fine.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

NYRR-
Isn't that funny? Wanting to build up something amazing and trick and not wanting to use a solid low cost option? 
I wish I could say I don't know what you're talking about but my bikes tell a different story. 
Wheels are one area of the bike that us tweakers really like to tweak over. 

To your wallet- I hope you use the BHS hubs. 
To what would be my vanity and gucci part lust- get something with some bling! Or at the least, do something to make the BHS hubs look better. 

-JCB


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> NYRR-
> Isn't that funny? Wanting to build up something amazing and trick and not wanting to use a solid low cost option?
> I wish I could say I don't know what you're talking about but my bikes tell a different story.
> Wheels are one area of the bike that us tweakers really like to tweak over.
> ...


Whatever I use, it will be black, so BHS hubs fill the bill. I'm certainly going to use them.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> Is the MTB270 hub a good choice for rough All Mountain applications?


lol. Look at my post, directly above yours 



06HokieMTB said:


> I have an MTB270 on a 6" carbon AM bike


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Going to grab some of these hubs for a WTB asym i29 build, but unfortunately I'm stuck with QR dropouts. Since it's a hardtail, I'll probably go with standard QR dropouts in back, but can't help but wonder if I should go with the 9mm thru-axle up front or one of the 15mm to 9mm QR axle adapters linked to previously. Main concern is clamping down the QR and preloading the cartridge bearings. I looked at the bitex website, and it looks like the axle ends are locked down to prevent side compression when clamping with a QR.


----------



## Tommybees (Dec 25, 2014)

Anyone having trouble with SRAM cassette being loose? The engagement is a hair off and allows a few degrees of radial play without any visible wear or damage to either part (cassette or freehub). This cassette has the first 4 large gears on a common Al hub and all the others gears are all individually stacked with spacers. The individual gears do dig into the al freehub a bit but somehow engage better than the main cassette. 
Also, the cassette nut bottoms out on the freehub before all the cogs and spacers get fully tight. I am running 10x on a 11x SRAM 1070 with OEM spacer. I know I need to add another .5mm shim or something to make it all tight.


----------



## Mike Nagle (Jul 29, 2015)

Tommybees said:


> Anyone having trouble with SRAM cassette being loose? The engagement is a hair off and allows a few degrees of radial play without any visible wear or damage to either part (cassette or freehub). This cassette has the first 4 large gears on a common Al hub and all the others gears are all individually stacked with spacers. The individual gears do dig into the al freehub a bit but somehow engage better than the main cassette.
> Also, the cassette nut bottoms out on the freehub before all the cogs and spacers get fully tight. I am running 10x on a 11x SRAM 1070 with OEM spacer. I know I need to add another .5mm shim or something to make it all tight.


I got a spacer or shim from Bike Hub Store which took up this space, if I understand you correctly. The fellow there will know exactly what you need.

I had a pair of 29" Stan's Flows built on these hubs in spring, and so far they have been fine. They seem plenty smooth and free-spinning. They have a solid "feel" and sound, but are nice and quiet. I can tell a King hub from fifty yards away, by the annoying buzz. I am very happy with my Bike Hub Store hubs.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Mike Nagle said:


> I got a spacer or shim from Bike Hub Store which took up this space, if I understand you correctly. The fellow there will know exactly what you need.


Yep, hubs should have a shim/spacer on them.


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

watts888 said:


> Going to grab some of these hubs for a WTB asym i29 build, but unfortunately I'm stuck with QR dropouts. Since it's a hardtail, I'll probably go with standard QR dropouts in back, but can't help but wonder if I should go with the 9mm thru-axle up front or one of the 15mm to 9mm QR axle adapters linked to previously. Main concern is clamping down the QR and preloading the cartridge bearings. I looked at the bitex website, and it looks like the axle ends are locked down to prevent side compression when clamping with a QR.


They do 9x100 and 10x135 thru axles now, you just have to ask. I have them on my cross bike and I highly recommend them.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

Mike Nagle said:


> I got a spacer or shim from Bike Hub Store which took up this space, if I understand you correctly. The fellow there will know exactly what you need.
> 
> I had a pair of 29" Stan's Flows built on these hubs in spring, and so far they have been fine. They seem plenty smooth and free-spinning. They have a solid "feel" and sound, but are nice and quiet. I can tell a King hub from fifty yards away, by the annoying buzz. I am very happy with my Bike Hub Store hubs.


This. I actually forgot to put the spacer on the first time I put the cassette on, had a lot of play as well. Put the spacer on and fixed the issue.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

rusty904 said:


> They do 9x100 and 10x135 thru axles now, you just have to ask. I have them on my cross bike and I highly recommend them.


I ended up getting QR in back and the 9mmx100mm front thru-bolt front hub. Now I just need to get a through bolt that doesn't cost as much as the hub. Really wish BHS sold one. Hard to find the DT Swiss through bolt for less than $45.


----------



## GTR-33 (Sep 25, 2008)

watts888 said:


> Hard to find the DT Swiss through bolt for less than $45.


Hadley Thru bolts are around $30 and I'm sure you could find something on the line.


----------



## shenvatele (Sep 28, 2011)

06HokieMTB said:


> The flange spacing is wider - new mold. It's not accomplished by axles/endcaps. Now, on the front - they're still working on this. The temporary solution is 15x110mm end caps for the MTB180


Has anyone found these 15x110 end caps? I don't see them on their website.


----------



## cerebroside (Jun 25, 2011)

GTR-33 said:


> Hadley Thru bolts are around $30 and I'm sure you could find something on the line.


I just bought a Sixpack Racing Nailer 2 10x135 thru bolt, there don't seem to be many options in that size.


----------



## FrankZappa6 (Aug 9, 2010)

shenvatele said:


> Has anyone found these 15x110 end caps? I don't see them on their website.


Alternate Plan B


----------



## Erock503 (Oct 20, 2014)

Thanks for the heads up on these hubs, very pleased with the feel and quality, especially for the cash. Laced up great, and feel 10x better than the stock Spec hi/lo hubs they replaced. Lighter too! Wound up at 1850g with wheelsmith db14 spokes and Roval alloy fattie 650b 30mm ID rims.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Nice!!


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

shenvatele said:


> Has anyone found these 15x110 end caps? I don't see them on their website.


as far as I know they only have 20mm axle end caps in the 110mm width. You might need to call and confirm.

just took mine out for the maiden ride the other day installed by l-b on a set of their 38mm 650b cf rims and the new e*13 9-42t cassette.

Initially very, very impressed ...


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

MTB270, 40 Sapim Race spokes, 40 brass nipples. 10% off comes out to $139!


----------



## sfo423 (Oct 12, 2010)

20x20 on MTN wheels? Taco special?



Krigloch said:


> MTB270, 40 Sapim Race spokes, 40 brass nipples. 10% off comes out to $139!


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

just doing the rear wheel for now. ordered extras for the hell of it


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Krigloch said:


> just doing the rear wheel for now. ordered extras for the hell of it


Smart man. I do the same thing!!

Built up my 2nd set of these hubs a few weeks ago. Running good. Just last night I installed the XD driver (had the hubs ship with standard 9/10 driver). So easy. Took 10 minutes. Loving the versatility of these. And inside the hub is so simple. Can't wait to get more miles on em.


----------



## Culwen (Dec 23, 2015)

@Erock503 Oh my!! Just exactly in my case, but a 29er. I own the very same roval with hi bye hub and wanting to try higher poe but 24h f /28h r hub is a pain to find replacement with. I'm considering hard to buy BHS hubs to relace with the roval rims. I think Im gonna give it a go! Hope it had worked well for you.

P.S. I realised you were the one recommended me these. Cheers mate.


----------



## Erock503 (Oct 20, 2014)

Culwen said:


> @Erock503 Oh my!! Just exactly in my case, but a 29er. I own the very same roval with hi bye hub and wanting to try higher poe but 24h f /28h r hub is a pain to find replacement with. I'm considering hard to buy BHS hubs to relace with the roval rims. I think Im gonna give it a go! Hope it had worked well for you.
> 
> P.S. I realised you were the one recommended me these. Cheers mate.


:thumbsup:


----------



## Outdoorrat (Oct 23, 2011)

Looks like its not up on their website, I emailed them with questions...


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

About 500 miles in on these hubs and zero problems. Has anyone had any problems yet? Particularly with heavy use? I am considering using these on my next wheel build for my downhill bike.

I currently thrash the pizz out of them on my trail bike and zero problems, so I am hopeful it'll be a good move for the dedicated lift bike as well. Thoughts?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I'll be doing a 190mm fat hub in 29+ wheels. I weigh about 250, so if anyone's going to hurt one, it'll be me. 

I'll keep everyone posted. I'm not expecting any problems.


----------



## Olie12 (Oct 15, 2009)

Looking at building my first wheelset and I think I have narrowed it down to BHS hubs and WTB frequency I25 rims for my SB66, anyone have advice on spoke length? DT, sapim, or wheelsmith? I am trying to use the spoke calculator but I have got something different everytime I put them in.


----------



## cerebroside (Jun 25, 2011)

Olie12 said:


> Looking at building my first wheelset and I think I have narrowed it down to BHS hubs and WTB frequency I25 rims for my SB66, anyone have advice on spoke length? DT, sapim, or wheelsmith? I am trying to use the spoke calculator but I have got something different everytime I put them in.


Ha, that's exactly what I built (assuming 26".) Got Sapim Lasers, can't tell you exactly what lengths where but from the invoice it looks like I ordered 35x258, 18x260, and 18x262. 
Built up fine, thought it was only my second wheelset build so I probably wouldn't know if spoke length was less than ideal unless something was obviously wrong.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

Just popped in to say mine are going great. In the process of swapping over to another frame going from 15 to 20mm in the front and QR to 12 x 142mm in the rear. So simple and easy.

Awesome customer service, great product, low price. Can't seem to go wrong here.



TheUnknownRider said:


> as far as I know they only have 20mm axle end caps in the 110mm width. You might need to call and confirm.
> 
> just took mine out for the maiden ride the other day installed by l-b on a set of their 38mm 650b cf rims and the new e*13 9-42t cassette.
> 
> Initially very, very impressed ...


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

Oh, and here's a video on how to swap from QR to 12x142 rear hub axle in case anyone ever needs it






Whatever you do, don't lose or forget to replace the small spacer/washer between the drive hub and the wheel hub!

I didn't even gave to remove the (XD) cassette from the hub when doing my rear axle conversion. That's how easy it was.


----------



## Guest (Feb 25, 2016)

I joined the party with the 180 & 270 hubs in ano blue for my new ride and will get some riding in once all assoc goodies come for the project.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm still so happy w/ these hubs on my cross bike. Just perfect. 
Light, cheap, work well. 

So I wanted some for the fat bike but BHS isn't there yet w/ the 177 hubs. 
Had to go Salsa. Sigh.... so sad. And heavy.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> As they wear, their sound gets louder.
> Still isn't as bad as a Hope, but I dropped some grease in this eve to hopefully quiet it down a bit.
> 
> Just an FYI for the new buyers.


Had the same experience. When I recently did the axle conversion I packed the ratchet and pawls with fresh grease. It's as quiet as a mouse now. I'm sure it'll come back eventually, but if/when it does I'll just pull the drive hub to rinse and repeat again with fresh grease.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Weird. Of the two MTB270's I'm currently running, the older one is quieter.

And I'd recommend that you don't use grease. I'd recommend that you get some Phil's Tenacious Oil. Clean everything (WD40 is a great solvent, but don't spray so much that you wash out the bearings!) and then add just a couple drops of Phil's... maybe one small drop on each pawl.


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

Don't have a ton of miles on mine but so far so good. 
Sound doesn't bother me at all. I'd actually like them to be louder. haha


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

It doesn't get that cold here (80*F now) and as long as it (Park Polylube 1000, not super thick) doesn't get sticky of gummy I'm having difficulty seeing how it can hurt? Some manufacturers don't recommend it (DT Swiss), but other people have used it successfully.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Ive used whatever happens to be hanging around the garage at the time for my bhs hubs, for the pawls. 

Everything from marine grease, weird thick marine grease, super thin grease, normal bearing grease, synthetic grease, 5wt suspension oil, 5w40 engine oil. wd40 once, for a ride.

... it all works. They're so not picky its amazing. Just dont go crazy and pack the thing full of any grease. Just a thin coat and you're good.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I think the grease type won't make a big difference. 
NFBD at all.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

Not an inexperienced kid and will take my chances. Rode like a champ today. If it starts to have issues I'll know where to start making changes. Worst case new parts or hub, so nbfd to me.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Experienced and extensive?
Well... Shut the front door.


----------



## Guest (Mar 6, 2016)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Experienced and extensive?
> Well... Shut the front door.


yup, yup shut the front door!!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I use Phil's Tenacious oil on the freehubs in Hope and BHS hubs. Works fine in both.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Experienced and extensive?
> Well... Shut the front door.


Let me get my walker through first ... shuffle, shuffle, shuffle ...

theunknownoldfart


----------



## baltik (Nov 16, 2005)

What are the odds that we'll get Sram Torque cap compatibility on the front hubs.... I hear the Hope ones are due any day now


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Send Brandon an e mail. He'll answer you.


----------



## Pedals On (May 17, 2016)

So these have a high engagement? I am super curious about them. I have a DT 240s rear and a Hugi FR front on my current wheels. I want to build a new set with spank hoops that are for trail and all mountain use. Will these hold up to the abuse? 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest (Jun 16, 2016)

Pedals On said:


> So these have a high engagement? I am super curious about them. I have a DT 240s rear and a Hugi FR front on my current wheels. I want to build a new set with spank hoops that are for trail and all mountain use. Will these hold up to the abuse?


yes


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I'd have to say yes also. They have high engagement, are mostly stout for hard work, and bomber for plenty of it. 
They are way light (can't remember my original post, very close to the 240 weights) and easy to change to some different standards. 
I see no reason you won't be happy w/ em. 
Get em. Ride em. If they blow up somehow bizarre- please let us know. 

-JCB


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

So has anybody built a set with these hubs and 29" WTB Aysm i29s? I am curious what you used for your spoke lengths. I did my calculations for the rear hub last night, I want to make sure I am doing it right. I got 292mm on both sides


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

I will be building a 29" WTB Asym I29 wheelset for my co-work next week. For the rear we bought 292 NDS and 291 DS to go with Sapim force and 14mm sapim polyax nipple. 292 will work too but 291 is a better fit with spoke stretch.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

ckspeed said:


> I will be building a 29" WTB Asym I29 wheelset for my co-work next week. For the rear we bought 292 NDS and 291 DS to go with Sapim force and 14mm sapim polyax nipple. 292 will work too but 291 is a better fit with spoke stretch.


awesome thanks. Better to be a little shorter than too long. What did you go with for the front?


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

292mm for the front on American classic iso hub 15x100.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

gotcha, thanks. That hub is probably a little different than the BHS, but 292 seems pretty close. I will measure either way.


----------



## David Mackintosh (Mar 21, 2015)

I've been using them hard for a year with no major problems. Each time I install the rear wheel I make sure the two axle halves are snug, otherwise there can be lateral play which you'll notice as brake disk rub or poor shifting. I built mine up with 28h LB 38mm 29er rims and Sapim Race spokes. I recently broke one rear NDS spoke at the elbow, which is very unusual for me, not sure of the cause (I've had a number of good crashes, though). I don't have much experience with the Sapims and may go back to DT Comps for future builds.


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

BHS front has 2 different PCD, 58mm NDS and 45mm DS.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

David Mackintosh said:


> I've been using them hard for a year with no major problems. Each time I install the rear wheel I make sure the two axle halves are snug, otherwise there can be lateral play which you'll notice as brake disk rub or poor shifting. I built mine up with 28h LB 38mm 29er rims and Sapim Race spokes. I recently broke one rear NDS spoke at the elbow, which is very unusual for me, not sure of the cause (I've had a number of good crashes, though). I don't have much experience with the Sapims and may go back to DT Comps for future builds.


I have good luck using Sapim Force spokes. Not the lightest spokes, but im not skinny either. Its easier for me to drop pounds on myself than it is the bike lol. I tend to lean towards durability over weight.



ckspeed said:


> BHS front has 2 different PCD, 58mm NDS and 45mm DS.


yes, you are correct.


----------



## teh_cat (Jun 16, 2016)

Can anybody measure or name the length of the freehub? I couldn't find anything and I'm still not sure, if a 11s road cassette will fit on the mtb270.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I believe it will. I'll measure it when I get home. 

I have to use a shim to put a 10 and 11 speed mtb cassette on there.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

I can if you tell me exactly where to measure from. I have a set of calipers at home.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> I believe it will. I'll measure it when I get home.
> 
> I have to use a shim to put a 10 and 11 speed mtb cassette on there.


Yep, i use the shim that they give you with the hub for my 10 spd


----------



## teh_cat (Jun 16, 2016)

Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub

The difference between 42.6mm and 5.85mm = 36.75mm = 1.447"
Thats the length, which is needed.

Non 11s road hubs should have a length of ~34.95mm = 1.376"

Here's a better comparison:
11-Speed Road Bike Hubs Versus 10-Speed - Tech Breakdown - Bikerumor

upper side: 11s road
lower side: 10s road / 11s mtb


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Bitex now has stainless inserts for their freehubs. They also have steel and *titanium* freehub bodies!

This is straight from bitex, but bhs carries the brand. Hopefully we'll see them start offering these pretty soon.

High engagement, good bearings, and a titanium freehub body sounds like it might leave a big impression in the market.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Nice!


----------



## Pedals On (May 17, 2016)

This is turning out to be great news all arround. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Not only are they making steel and titanium freehub bodies, they have one where all six pawls work together instead of two sets of three. 
Probably half the engagement but heavy duty!


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Nope- Mine are laced to WTB KOM. Couldn't help anyway, no idea on spoke length. 
I'd be guessing at best. 

-JCB


----------



## Guest (Jun 17, 2016)

One Pivot said:


> High engagement, good bearings, and a titanium freehub body sounds like it might leave a big impression in the market.


sounds like WI xmr hubs.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

so for spoke lengths I need 291. Wheel pro says 291.1, 290.8. Cant find any 291, only 290 and 292. Round down right?


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> I believe it will. I'll measure it when I get home.
> 
> I have to use a shim to put a 10 and 11 speed mtb cassette on there.





ckspeed said:


> I will be building a 29" WTB Asym I29 wheelset for my co-work next week. For the rear we bought 292 NDS and 291 DS to go with Sapim force and 14mm sapim polyax nipple. 292 will work too but 291 is a better fit with spoke stretch.


where did you get the sapim force 291? I can only find it in 290 and 292


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I almost always round up but I'm heavy so I like it when the spokes poke out the back of the nipples by a thread or two. 
I'd go 292 on that.


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

gregers05 said:


> where did you get the sapim force 291? I can only find it in 290 and 292


We ordered 292s from thorusa.com and call them to cut 17 of the 292 to 291mm, no charge like bikehubstore.com. Like I mentioned before, 292mm will worked, just going to stick out of the nipple head about .5mm.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Spokes poking out the back of the nipple?
Now that's funny for me. I've always rounded shorter. Laced up plenty of wheels. 
Certainly no pro but have built plenty. 
Then this spring I pull the carbon rimmed SS off the hooks for a desert trip. 4 broken spokes! 
Weird. Figured something must have fallen against it in out little home. 
Nope- after pulling the tape off during the repair I found several little bits of the nipple collar. All mushed up, sometimes like a little taco. 

Now I get it. As usual- all the knowledge of others is useless to me. I had to wait for broken nips to learn this lesson. 
Yes- spoke should just reach ta the end of the nipple. Well- esp if you're running alloy nips. 
Was told by one of the pros in that lacing world that it's not an issue with brass. 

-JCB


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

ckspeed said:


> We ordered 292s from thorusa.com and call them to cut 17 of the 292 to 291mm, no charge like bikehubstore.com. Like I mentioned before, 292mm will worked, just going to stick out of the nipple head about .5mm.


Cool, thorusa is my go to spoke place

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

ckspeed said:


> We ordered 292s from thorusa.com and call them to cut 17 of the 292 to 291mm, no charge like bikehubstore.com. Like I mentioned before, 292mm will worked, just going to stick out of the nipple head about .5mm.


Just sent them an email, this is the response I got:

sorry
only come in even sizes ... one mm difference makes no difference in a wheelbuild.... just round up or down depending on the measurement you got

even if we cut there is always a plus minus of 1 mm Smile

Thanks Thor


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

Guess I will do 292 instead


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

I'll find out tomorrow evening if they really cut to 291 that my coworker called in for.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I buy spokes from a guy on line that cuts to any whole number.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> I buy spokes from a guy on line that cuts to any whole number.


does he have a website you can share?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

childhood_dreams | eBay


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

cool thanks


----------



## abelfonseca (Dec 26, 2011)

Has anyone tried the new Bitex BX106R sold on BHS? I am considering them because of the centerlock interface. They are lighter than the 270s, dont know about the internals though. Engagement? Durability? If anyone has tried it, would you mind sharing your impressions?

This is a link to the hub on the bhs website.
Bitex BX106R Rear Center Lock Disc Hub









Cheers


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

abelfonseca said:


> Has anyone tried the new Bitex BX106R sold on BHS? I am considering them because of the centerlock interface. They are lighter than the 270s, dont know about the internals though. Engagement? Durability? If anyone has tried it, would you mind sharing your impressions?
> 
> This is a link to the hub on the bhs website.
> Bitex BX106R Rear Center Lock Disc Hub
> ...


I'm sure it's exactly the same internally as the others. Send Brandon an E mail to be sure.


----------



## banjor (Dec 8, 2015)

ckspeed said:


> We ordered 292s from thorusa.com and call them to cut 17 of the 292 to 291mm, no charge like bikehubstore.com. Like I mentioned before, 292mm will worked, just going to stick out of the nipple head about .5mm.


Which nipples allow the spoke to protrude out the top?

I just tried to do a wheel build with Sapim D-Light spokes and Sapim hex head nipples. I was planning on having the spokes protrude out the back of the nipple by about 1mm on one side. I was shocked to find out that the spoke "bottoms out" at the very top of the hex head nipples. I know it's not the spoke, because on the D-Light spokes the butting starts immediately behind the threads. I actually rounded up because I had heard that Sapim spokes could be threaded all the way through.

I'm thinking of getting Sapim or Wheelsmith double-square nipples for my next build. They have a longer than normal threads, and should allow spokes to be slightly longer and still fully engage.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

Has anyone paired these with 29" WTB ST i25? These are the measurements I came up with on spoke length with a ERD of 603 on the WTB rims.

Front : 
Left spoke length: 291.2
Right spoke length: 294.5
Rear :
Left spoke length: 292.3
Right spoke length: 291

Thinking of going with all 292 on the rear | 16 - 292 and 16 -294 on the front. All Sapim Race with 12mm brass polyax nipples.

(appreciate any help... I am new to wheel building)


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

I got an email reply from Brandon and he liked my measurements. I guess I am just wondering if you guys, based upon experience with the weird flange size differences on the front hub, think my rounding will work?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

It'll work fine.


----------



## Jerz_subbie (Sep 1, 2012)

Does anyone know if the axle caps/conversion caps on the BHS hubs are interchangeable with Stan's? I just got a new bike and it has ZTR crests 15mm & 12x142 but I want to swap my BHS/Freq i23 set onto the new bike, and put the crests on the old bike which is QR. I know the caps from my old Mavics worked on another brand I had for a short time, can't recall which brand.
I have the BHS adapters and Stan's front QR caps, but trying to avoid having to order a Stan's rear adapter kit for $30+.

Edit: They are not interchangeable, looks like I'm buying the QR axle.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

What is the POE of the BHS MTB270 hub?

I'm building a new wheelset and am curious if this one is more than my stans 3.30 12x142 hub.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

It's been a while since I posted on these hubs. 
But I don't know the answer to your question.
I guess I'd put them about the same as my DT 240s hubs. (engaged every 20 degrees, 18 teeth) maybe a bit better than that. Not much. 
Certainly not those insanely noisy and annoying torch hubs. 

Oh- and speaking of POE- Anyone see an Onyx hub? Seems like instant POE. 

I still love these hubs. 
Cheap, light, and seemingly bomb proof. 

-JCBs


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

You can rotate the wheel 360* and count how many clicks there are in a complete rotation. Be sure to use the wheel and not the crank. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

kikoraa said:


> what is the poe of the bhs mtb270 hub?
> 
> I'm building a new wheelset and am curious if this one is more than my stans 3.30 12x142 hub.


54 poe


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Awesome. Significantly more than my stans 3.30. 

Is it a loud hub? Like bees? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

na, it's not super loud.
Im happy with mine for sure


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

kikoraa said:


> Awesome. Significantly more than my stans 3.30.
> 
> Is it a loud hub? Like bees?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's also not total junk like a Stan's hub.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

It's louder than some, and not nearly as loud as a King, Hope, or annoying i9 Torch. 
Have I already overstated how annoying a Torch is to be near? 

Sorry!

-JCBs


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

kikoraa said:


> Is it a loud hub? Like bees?


I'd say it's a medium sound on the clicky scale. it's nothing like I9's, but not silent like others. somewhere in the middle.

I'd check youtube for videos if your still curious.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

It's loud enough that I can back pedal to get hikers to hear me coming. Not nearly loud enough to be annoying while coasting. I don't notice it when I'm in the groove of a fun trail. 

Similar to a dt hub I suppose, but almost 3 times faster engagement.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

NYrr496 said:


> It's also not total junk like a Stan's hub.


SOLD

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

I have yet to kill a MTB270

(Knock on wood)


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Yeah.. I have a Hope Pro4 on my bike and my son is on a BHS. He digs that it sounds like mine but a little quieter and slightly higher pitched. 

My 20" wheeled Dahon folder that I commute on has a BHS hub on the rear wheel. That thing buzzes cool as hell when I coast really fast.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

06HokieMTB said:


> I have yet to kill a MTB270
> 
> (Knock on wood)


How many and how long?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

I sold about 100 myself. I saw zero come back and was never asked for pawl or fhb replacements.

I haven't seen a broken one posted. I'm sure someone has to have destroyed one by now, but failure isn't common, and there's so many of us on them now.

I stopped selling them years ago, so it's not like I have anything to gain. They're just solid.

In short, expect thousands of miles.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Does anyone have any pics of the blue hubs? I want to see how it matches up with my bike but the picture on the sight looks more purple. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Guest (Oct 27, 2016)

kikoraa said:


> Does anyone have any pics of the blue hubs? I want to see how it matches up with my bike but the picture on the sight looks more purple.


hope these help.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Damn. THose blue hubs are way better in your shots. 
Thanks for taking the time to post them. 

And for the record- these hubs are still great. 
Back when I started this post- I said I'd post updates. There aren't any. They just work, all the time. 

As someone above said- if there were issues w/ these? We'd know it by now. 
To me, this question is solved. Need a good light cheap hub? Get these. 

-JCBs


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

I agree that these are great hubs. The guys in the bike shop here were intrigued by them when I brought them by. Said they looked legit. I have been running them for over a month now. No complaints.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

kikoraa said:


> How many and how long?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Quantity: more than 5, less than 10
Duration: 3+ years


----------



## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

My two pairs have been great for about a year. Has anyone tried the boost version of the hub yet? It's quite a bit heavier.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Anyone know of any coupon codes available right now? Looking to make an order.


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

I don't know about coupon codes but they do have a package special for front/rear combo MTB180/270 Hubsets - $30.00 Off . I've been liking my MTB270. I'm a 250# 6'1" clydesadale who's broken several Shimano freehubs over the years.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

The black set shows RED in the description. I will call them monday and see. I hope they still have this deal next friday because thats when I have to place my order after a mishap within the past hour, lol


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

kikoraa said:


> The black set shows RED in the description. I will call them monday and see. I hope they still have this deal next friday because thats when I have to place my order after a mishap within the past hour, lol


For the black set order from this page BLACK MTB180 / MTB270 Hubset with Bitex Logo - 32/32 - $30.00 off! . I don't see anything about red in the description there.

Edit: I see where you are talking about in the first link. You have to select either red or black by clicking on the choices and the select which axle types you want. That would be the second link that I just posted.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Jesus what a deal.
Dang. Now I need to find a reason to have more hubs... which grow into bikes, which grow into conversations about "why do you have so many bikes that are kind of the same?"


----------



## mevnet (Oct 4, 2013)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Jesus what a deal.
> Dang. Now I need to find a reason to have more hubs... which grow into bikes, which grow into conversations about "why do you have so many bikes that are kind of the same?"


Hmm....somehow that sounds very familiar...


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

So I bought the mtb270 in ano blue and holy hell does this thing feel quality! No clue how they do it but I'm glad. I laced it to a wtb KOM i29 27.5 using sapim d light spokes (2.0/1.65)

Came out feeeling exceptionally light for a rear 29mm rim. I'll be mounting it all up this afternoon to my filthy trail bike. Toocold to wash! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I used these hubs on a CX build in the summer of 2015. Used it a bunch but in the end that bike just wasn't comfy enough to allow me to love it. (Carbon thru axle frame/fork for sale? Anyone? I'm motivated. $250?)
But, these perfect hubs will make a move onto whatever frame takes it's place. 
It's likely to be a steel frame and will be used for endless long days. 

Of the bits and parts I'm considering for the new build, the one part I haven't given a second thought to are the wheels and these hubs. 
They're just perfect. And remain to be so. 

Go ride. 
Snowing hard here, so if you can- go ride. 
-JCBs


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

kikoraa said:


> So I bought the mtb270 in ano blue and holy hell does this thing feel quality! No clue how they do it but I'm glad. I laced it to a wtb KOM i29 27.5 using sapim d light spokes (2.0/1.65)
> 
> Came out feeeling exceptionally light for a rear 29mm rim. I'll be mounting it all up this afternoon to my filthy trail bike. Toocold to wash!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Man! Nice. Unfortunately it doesn't appear the boost hubs are in anything but black. Make planning a 17 model bike tough! The blue looks great tho. I'm running reds right now.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Lithified said:


> Man! Nice. Unfortunately it doesn't appear the boost hubs are in anything but black. Make planning a 17 model bike tough! The blue looks great tho. I'm running reds right now.


I'm glad you said they make a boost hub. I'll have to look into that. I'm planning on building a norco torrent ht+ and will be needing boost hubs for that.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## chrisyews (Jun 29, 2016)

Was looking at their boost hubs but it does not spec # of spoke holes. Anybody know?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

chrisyews said:


> Was looking at their boost hubs but it does not spec # of spoke holes. Anybody know?


The front shows 32. I'm sure the rears are as well.


----------



## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

Just ordered a set of the sale hubs. Hard to beat a set of reliable hubs for under $150.

Looking at building up another set of wheels for my single speed. Bike is an On-one Inbred SS. Horizontal track end dropouts. 

What hub do I want? Do I get a 10x135mm thru axle and get a DT RWS axle? Will that work? Seems better than using a XT QR.

Or is there a way to use the MTB270 hub with a bolt on axle?

Thanks and glad I found out about this thread and these hubs


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

yourrealdad said:


> Just ordered a set of the sale hubs. Hard to beat a set of reliable hubs for under $150.
> 
> Looking at building up another set of wheels for my single speed. Bike is an On-one Inbred SS. Horizontal track end dropouts.
> 
> ...


One of my friends has a Surly Krampus which has horizontal dropouts too. He has BHS hubs and Shimano quick release skewers. Never gives him an ounce of trouble. 
He's running gears but I don't see how that would make any difference.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

I run qr on my sliding dropout frames. No issues. Make sure it's a closed cam and a quality skewer. Salsa, hope, xt all work 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I remember some story about a QR lawsuit years ago. Like 1995 or so. A QR had opened so an independent company was testing various QRs to see what worked and what didn't. 

As your basic shop kid- the choice seemed easy no simple. GO w/ the Salsa of course. 
But the test company (that's who I was talking w/) found out that Shimano QRs were the tightest by a significant margin. 

2nd story- Know a guy who's all about his Surly w/ some horizontal drops. But when he gets big air or some such he had axle slippage. So I told him that same QR story. Now he uses Shimano. Boring and zero on the Bling scale. But his problems are over. 

-JCBs


----------



## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

Yeah, I was originally going with the XT, just wondering if a 10mm thru axle with a RWS would be better. or if there was a "bolt on" thru axle option.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

BHS has so many end caps, I wouldn't be surprised if they offer some that that would work w/ a RWS. 
Would love to hear from anyone that can confirm whether a bolt on RWS style is actually tighter than the QR designs. Seems obvious that the bolt on would be tightest but heck if I know for sure. 
Anyone?


----------



## pdxmark (Aug 7, 2013)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> BHS has so many end caps, I wouldn't be surprised if they offer some that that would work w/ a RWS.
> Would love to hear from anyone that can confirm whether a bolt on RWS style is actually tighter than the QR designs. Seems obvious that the bolt on would be tightest but heck if I know for sure.
> Anyone?


Just ordered the Loaded AmX Step Down Axle from Bluesky as it measures at 12.08mm for a snug fit in my just ordered MTB270, the thru axle bolts down for added security from slipping QR lever and theft. I will be trading out the Loaded supplied axle nuts for Problem Solvers Tracked nuts.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Anyone know if the boost hub is also 55 poe? 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

PDX- 
Thanks. In one post you helped answer more than one question I've had for various builds I have. 
The loaded axle is a great solution. 
It's good for me to wander into web pages I've never seen!
-JCB


----------



## kamper11 (Feb 8, 2008)

Anyone using the BOOST Bitex Hubs - BX 210 series? Looks like a new model also out but not listed via BHS


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

kamper11 said:


> Anyone using the BOOST Bitex Hubs - BX 210 series? Looks like a new model also out but not listed via BHS


It looks to me to be the same as BHS MTB148, which as we know BHS hubs are unbranded Bitex hubs. According to the specs the weights are the same as well as the PCD.

The top photo is the BHS MTB148









The bottom is the Bitex BX210R









Unless I'm mistaken they both use the freehub that has all six pawls locking at the same time which probably means less POE.








R07-M2C2Z
MTB : 6 pawls working together
Alloy Freehub body
6 pawls working together
For Shimano 10s / 11s
For MTB ( Heavy Duty )

Bearing option: 
steel Bearings
Stainless Steel Bearings
Ceramic Bearings
Japanese Ceramics Bearings

Weight：79.9g
Material：Alloy ( 7075 )
Bearings：3 ( 6802*2 + 6902*1 )
Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

huckleberry hound said:


> It looks to me to be the same as BHS MTB148, which as we know BHS hubs are unbranded Bitex hubs. According to the specs the weights are the same as well as the PCD.
> 
> The top photo is the BHS MTB148
> 
> ...


I just checked the drawings for both and the are in fact the same hubs.


----------



## rumblytumbly (Jun 5, 2013)

yourrealdad said:


> Just ordered a set of the sale hubs. Hard to beat a set of reliable hubs for under $150.
> 
> Looking at building up another set of wheels for my single speed. Bike is an On-one Inbred SS. Horizontal track end dropouts.
> 
> ...


 I too have an older 110/135 dropout frame and recently got a bundle deal from BHS with the 180/270 hubs plus Pacenti TL28 rims/Sapim, etc. (1595g wheelset for little over $300, sweet) and decided to go RWS instead of regular QR. Just get the 9mm/10mm endcap option and you'll be good to go. Thread on RWS here: http://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires...rws-mtb-skewers-vs-regular-skewer-535340.html
but disregard the negative comments about plastic skewer arm breakage as they are all aluminum now. Search Amazon or Jenson, etc. to find deals on the RWS as they can be had pretty cheap now since everything is thru bolt last few years. 
These aren't the exact same hubs, but here is how to replace the end caps:


----------



## danmtchl (Sep 18, 2004)

I have 2 sets of Bitex/BHS hubs. The older set is about 4 years old and the only problem I've ever had was I broke a pawl. It was an older model 270 and it took BHS awhile to find to correct freehub but I got it. They changed the freehub design and my hub was not compatible with the new design or even XD drivers. Other than that I have had zero issues. 

The newer ones are about 18 months old. Again never a problem until I tried to install an XD driver. It poped right on and when I tightend axle, the driver bound up. When put into the frame with the maxle it would bind up even more. Finally figured out I have to leave the hub axle about a 1/2 to 3/4 turn from tight to stop the binding. I also cannot run the maxle at full tightness. 

I may get a shimano compatible Sunrace cassette to stop the binding and its cheaper than the SRAM cassette. 

I love these hubs despite the minor problems that are easily fixable that I won't be going back to super high end hubs anytime soon....unless they were free.

Also Orgin8 uses Bitex as their elite classic hubs. So you can get a Freehub body that is the same as the BHS/BITEX hubs if your shop is a J&B dealer.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

huckleberry hound said:


> Unless I'm mistaken they both use the freehub that has all six pawls locking at the same time which probably means less POE.


I was curious recently so i pulled the freehub/axle out of one of my 270's. after counting 54 clicks with it installed, i counted the notches on the ratchet. it had 27. so the 6 pawls are offset and engage 3 at a time.

if you look closely at the pic of that freehub you attached, it looks like the pawls are arranged in three pairs. kind of hard to tell exactly from that pic alone, but if you dig a little deeper you'll find this pic on other websites.









I know the 270 and the fatbike rear hub share the same drive mechanism. i would guess the boost is similar.


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

*OneSpeed* said:


> I was curious recently so i pulled the freehub/axle out of one of my 270's. after counting 54 clicks with it installed, i counted the notches on the ratchet. it had 27. so the 6 pawls are offset and engage 3 at a time.
> 
> if you look closely at the pic of that freehub you attached, it looks like the pawls are arranged in three pairs. kind of hard to tell exactly from that pic alone, but if you dig a little deeper you'll find this pic on other websites.
> 
> ...


Yes I am aware that the 270 has that set up but if you look on Bitex's website you will see that the RO7-M2C2Z freehub is the only one that is listed as "heavy duty" and is listed as "6 pawls working together." If you then click on each hub to view the details all of them except the RO7-M2C2Z show the "A-team and B-team" picture. 
Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub
That is what makes me think that it could be different with less POE.


----------



## erb16 (Oct 15, 2015)

I have a problem with my MTB270 rear hub. If I pedal the bike in the stand, and let it freewheel, the freehub is dragging and the cranks continue to spin. All it takes is one finger to stop the cranks and they will stay still if you let them go while the wheel continues to spin.

I pulled the freehub off and cleaned it up with a little alcohol and a rag. The pawls sprang freely, the spacer was in place, bearings are smooth and play free. I reassembled with one drop of Phil's Tenacious Oil on each pawl pivot, a very light coat of Maxima waterproof grease on the ratchet teeth, and a little grease on the seal but it continues to drag.

One thing that concerns me is there are teeth marks on the freehub body between a couple of the pawls. They are not deep enough to catch a fingernail but thre has been enough contact to wear the anodizing off. I did notice once the axle end cap had loosened so that may have been the cause of the marks.


----------



## TheKaiser (Feb 5, 2014)

erb16 said:


> One thing that concerns me is there are teeth marks on the freehub body between a couple of the pawls. They are not deep enough to catch a fingernail but thre has been enough contact to wear the anodizing off. I did notice once the axle end cap had loosened so that may have been the cause of the marks.


I haven't taken one of these apart but am interested in them for a future build. Some of the other lightweight but inexpensive hubs have had problems with axle flex when run in a QR configuration, so under heavy riders, or high pedaling/impact loads the axle would bow in the middle and allow the cassette body to come out of alignment with the hub shell and ratchet ring, potentially digging and tearing things up as you describe. On these hubs, is the axle end cap that you mention a key part of the axle stiffness?

Regarding the binding, does axle end cap or through axle tightness affect the situation as in the example danmtchl posted above with his hub and the XD driver?


----------



## Tri Geminy (Jun 5, 2016)

I just got this hub with my new wheelset. Is it okay to have a little play sideways? I just noticed it and I didn't notice it on my previous wheelset.


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

Nope, you should tighten the 2 endcaps so that there is no play and not so tight that you can't spin the wheel by hand.


----------



## Slow poke (Jul 23, 2013)

Any one using the 150mm? How do you like them?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Slow poke said:


> Any one using the 150mm? How do you like them?


Front fat bike hub? I have two of em and like them just fine. All I care about is that it's black and rolls nice. Hit on both counts. I also have a couple Salsa 150mm hubs, two 907 and a Hope. The ones I like the least are the Salsa because they have Salsa emblazoned across them in script. Looks a little sloppy. I know... White people problems.


----------



## Slow poke (Jul 23, 2013)

lol- actually looking for a good rear hub 150mm. I like black too- and red.



NYrr496 said:


> Front fat bike hub? I have two of em and like them just fine. All I care about is that it's black and rolls nice. Hit on both counts. I also have a couple Salsa 150mm hubs, two 907 and a Hope. The ones I like the least are the Salsa because they have Salsa emblazoned across them in script. Looks a little sloppy. I know... White people problems.


----------



## LaXCarp (Jul 19, 2008)

Remind me again about using the cassette spacer with the hub...will I need to use it when putting an 11 speed XT 11x42 cassette on the hub?


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

I just put on an XT 11x42 on a hub that had a 10-spd cassette on it, didn't use a spacer and shifts great. If it makes a difference it was a Spec Roval wheel.


----------



## mevnet (Oct 4, 2013)

LaXCarp said:


> Remind me again about using the cassette spacer with the hub...will I need to use it when putting an 11 speed XT 11x42 cassette on the hub?


The 1.8mm spacer is needed for freehub that are built to take 11 speed road cassettes. Those are the ones that need the spacer for the 10 or 11 speed MTB cassettes. You can see a bit of that explanation here at the start of this video:


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

Just had a set of BHS hubs delivered, they are very nice looking! Smooth bearings, nice finish, seems like a great value. Just waiting on my rims to show up so I can order spokes.. hope they work as good as they look!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

LaXCarp said:


> Remind me again about using the cassette spacer with the hub...will I need to use it when putting an 11 speed XT 11x42 cassette on the hub?


Yeah. You need the spacer.


----------



## alexdi (Jun 25, 2016)

Graveldad said:


> Just had a set of BHS hubs delivered, they are very nice looking! Smooth bearings, nice finish, seems like a great value. Just waiting on my rims to show up so I can order spokes.. hope they work as good as they look!


You and me both. I initially ordered a Stan's 3.30 hub, but picked this one up soon after because it'll last more than ten minutes.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

BHS hubs are great. The aluminum freehubs are kind of soft so don't use cassettes that don't have aluminum carriers. I bought the steel freehub and been flawless. And that's the 170mm one. I will be using their hubs in any wheel builds for my bikes from now on. Though I like Shimano hubs (angular contact bearings), BHS can rotate between axle standards, parts are available, engagement is REALLY nice and put up with winter riding quite well.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Yes, I'd say RAKC nailed it. 

I too have always had a soft spot for the undersung and overbuilt Shimano hubs. Bulletproof and invincible though a shade behind in axle swap tech. 

But the BHS hubs just shine in their quiet versatile way. 

New dropbar build coming, it'll be BHS again.

-JCBs


----------



## Carl Mega (Jan 17, 2004)

NYrr496 said:


> Yeah. You need the spacer.


Huh... I now see it on the XT cass box but don't know how to parse that in relation to these hubs. My congnative dissonance realized - I've been running XT8000 on a BHS 270 rear hub for over a year without it and it's been great so double huh. Asking BHS to confirm. Mounted up the sans spacer looks normal to me and with spacer seems to push it out too far. Need to check on the hardtail w/ spacer - who knew?

But to chime in - I have 3.5 sets of these (3R, 4F) and they are my goto for doing a no hassle, cheap reliable build. 2 Shimano FH, 1 XD driver. Fast engagement but has freehub some drag compared say my Hadleys; Hadleys and CK have less bearing resistance too. So not bling/boutique but if you want high engagement for reasonable price- here you go.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I had to use a spacer with my sunrace 10-speed wide range cassette. At first I put it on without the spacer, because I didn't know better, and in one ride it quickly gouged up the freehub because the smallest 4 rings had some play (the other 6 big rings were on carriers). Barely perceptible, but enough. Put on the spacer and it's much better. After a year of riding, showing some signs of gouging, but nothing like that first ride.


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

If you are fat like me you might want to upgrade to the HD steel freehub right away.

This is what mine looks like after 1.5 seasons of riding. It started to make clunking sounds when engaging, so I figured a pawl spring or something was a miss. Turns out 4 springs are shot. The pawls have deformed the hub, and there is evidence of the ratchet teeth gouging the hub. Also, I had a very hard time getting the cassette off. I had to use a mallet to get each gear disengaged from the hub and the a screwdriver to pry them off. I will have to use a file to get the spacer removed.


----------



## Guest (Mar 6, 2017)

no hub is bullet proof just ask jonshonda about his experiences. Not sure what cassette you used but some have the 5 inner cogs riveted to a billet carrier that will help alleviate much of the drive damage you experienced.


----------



## banjor (Dec 8, 2015)

nvphatty said:


> no hub is bullet proof just ask jonshonda about his experiences. Not sure what cassette you used but some have the 5 inner cogs riveted to a billet carrier that will help alleviate much of the drive damage you experienced.


Yeah, many manufacturers of alloy freehubs recommend only using cassettes that have a spider carrier to reduce this sort of damage. I am a big fan of the one-piece cassettes such as SRAM XX or XX1, which aren't susceptible to this, but the cost is somewhat prohibitive. The middle-ground of having the largest gears on a spider is usually fine, since only the largest gears apply the most torque.

It's too bad that titanium has gotten so expensive, it was a great material for freehubs in the past. Steel freehubs do last longest, though.


----------



## Guest (Mar 6, 2017)

banjor said:


> It's too bad that titanium has gotten so expensive, it was a great material for freehubs in the past.


The White bros XMR hubs have Ti freehubs..


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

The cassette is a mid grade SRAM 10 speed. The 2 largest cogs are on a carrier. I'm not saying BHS hubs have a flaw. I do. I'm too fat for biking. I ordered a steel freehub right away. The stronger material and extra bearing will hopefully help it last longer.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Sure some cassettes might do less damage to the freehub than others but if it says it's compatible? It's compatible. Or should be (hopefully)!

But what about the hub shell damage. 
Can you tell us more about that?

-JCBs


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

around each pawl the material is locally deformed. You can feel it is raised up and pushed out. The surface is crazed from all of the fracturing in the material. The outside diameter has come into contact with the hub shell as can be seen in the picture. Only a couple pawls springs still work, but that could be an effect and not the cause.

I really like these hubs and don't want anyone to not get them. Just be aware, if you are a fat pig like me, you might want to look at the HD steel freehub sooner than later. The tougher material and extra bearing hopefully will make it last longer.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Thanks Slow. Now that I look at your photos on a screen that isn't my phone- I see the swelling? Swells? Uh....

Do these humps interfered in any way w/ the FH's interface w/ the hub shell? 

-JCBs


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

They did not. The hub is recessed in this area enough that there was no rubbing.


----------



## biggrumble (May 6, 2010)

Huh, I had the inner 142 axle sleeve on my MTB270 completely crack when going down a 2 ft drop yesterday...I'd only ridden the hub for about 400 miles. Kind of alarming; I've never had an axle on a bike break like that before. I'm going to replace the axle unit and keep riding it for now, but I'm definitely going to view the hub with a little more suspicion from here on out.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Are you talking the axle for the frame or the hub itself?

I'm 280lbs and hammer the hell out of my 170mm version on my fat bike (use steel freehub though, I know better than to use aluminum freehubs). Don't even know how many miles couple hundred at least in nasty winter conditions, mud everything. Not afraid of small jumps/drops whatever. No even a single tiny whimper from the hub.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## biggrumble (May 6, 2010)

It was the sleeve within the hub that supports the frame's thru-axle that cracked, not the frame's thru-axle. I'm a "light clydesdale" (215lbs) and while I'm fairly hard on my gear I'm also a bit of a wuss.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Was this on a hardtail or fs? What size tire? Just curious...


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

I got the new steel freehub installed. They must have made a few tweaks because it seems to be even quicker to engage and is MUCH quieter than the aluminum freehub.


----------



## minimusprime (May 26, 2009)

slowride454 said:


> If you are fat like me you might want to upgrade to the HD steel freehub right away.
> 
> This is what mine looks like after 1.5 seasons of riding. It started to make clunking sounds when engaging, so I figured a pawl spring or something was a miss. Turns out 4 springs are shot. The pawls have deformed the hub, and there is evidence of the ratchet teeth gouging the hub. Also, I had a very hard time getting the cassette off. I had to use a mallet to get each gear disengaged from the hub and the a screwdriver to pry them off. I will have to use a file to get the spacer removed.


It's easy to end up with damage like this one these hubs if the axle is run loose. I'm not saying that's what you did, but I did damage to the pawl area like yours has on the AL freehub body on my BHS hubs when the axle loosened. I ended up going with the steel free hub body and have not had any issues since.


----------



## biggrumble (May 6, 2010)

NYrr496 said:


> Was this on a hardtail or fs? What size tire? Just curious...


It was on my hardtail, running a 29x2.2 tire. The axle shell fractured right at the interface between the freehub body and the hub shell. Maybe my riding was outside the design specification, although there's nothing in the description about the hub only being for XC riding, or anything of a weight limit.

FWIW, I'm running the alloy freehub body with an XT 11sp cassette, and the freehub body seems fine (no significant gouges)


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I was only asking because I really only ride plus and fat bikes and I break NOTHING. My theory is that the higher volume tires protect everything.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

biggrumble said:


> It was the sleeve within the hub that supports the frame's thru-axle that cracked, not the frame's thru-axle. I'm a "light clydesdale" (215lbs) and while I'm fairly hard on my gear I'm also a bit of a wuss.


Bummer to hear about that. I would view it as an isolated event though. I've got two sets, one 142mm, one 150mm. I ride the 142 a lot more (my daily driver trail bike) and holy moly I beat the tar out of this thing. Big heavy drops, rock gardens, high speed hits, jumps, I mean I hammer this thing.

Hope you can get set up again pretty cheaply and keep charging!


----------



## Rock Garden (Aug 3, 2011)

minimusprime said:


> slowride454 said:
> 
> 
> > If you are fat like me you might want to upgrade to the HD steel freehub right away.
> ...


I just pulled my hub apart for cleaning last night and noticed almost exactly the same thing except I did not have any deformation of the freehub in the pawl seat areas. End cap was loose (almost finger tight)....for how long I don't know. Freehub was chewed up between the pawls and I had a hell of a time getting the cassette off. Once disassembled I filed down the high spots on the splines, relubed, reassembled and tightened down the end caps....I've been thinking about it all day though and just ordered a new heavy duty steel freehub for peace of mind and ease of cassette replacement. I did notice a random pop sound once in a while under heavy load but it was never consistent and only happened a few times over months of riding so I attributed it to dirty chain on dirty cassette teeth and being fairly worn drivetrain....that still may have been what those sounds were for all I know.

It should be noted that I'm in the ultra uber clyde category at 300 lbs riding and I'm not very smooth at all....pretty much everything on/in a bicycle is subject to damage and a shortened life!


----------



## ckspeed (May 25, 2012)

It happens on the chris king freehubs too, but only the 3-4 outter cassette. I think even my hadley titanium freehub shows a little mark on the 3 small cassette. Seem to be much worst on the MTB 270 freehub though.


----------



## Rock Garden (Aug 3, 2011)

I'd been running a cheap sram 10sp cassette that only had the two biggest cogs on a carrier. I'm putting a new drivetrain on as it is....Sunrace 11-40, 30T N/W and chain. That cassette has the six biggest cogs on two carriers so it wouldn't cause that much damage to an aluminum freehub to start with, but at my weight (lots) and riding style (unabashedly not smooth) the HD steel freehub with three bearings vs two bearings on the aluminum will help considerably....I imagine.


----------



## minimusprime (May 26, 2009)

Rock Garden said:


> I'd been running a cheap sram 10sp cassette that only had the two biggest cogs on a carrier. I'm putting a new drivetrain on as it is....Sunrace 11-40, 30T N/W and chain. That cassette has the six biggest cogs on two carriers so it wouldn't cause that much damage to an aluminum freehub to start with, but at my weight (lots) and riding style (unabashedly not smooth) the HD steel freehub with three bearings vs two bearings on the aluminum will help considerably....I imagine.


As stated above, I destroyed one of the aluminum free hub bodies with both pawl spring damage, pawl shoulder area damage and free hub spline damage. 600 miles ago I put the steel free-hub body on and it's been flawless ever since. I only weigh about 190 geared but this bike sees very very heavy usage like shuttle trails in laguna and 5-6 park days a year. You won't be disappointed with your choice.

FWIW, I use slick honey to grease the pawls. I also use blue loctite on the axle end nuts.


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

My aluminum has a little bit of damage, but I'm not worried yet. 
Totally going steel when the time comes. 

Sent from my R2 unit


----------



## Rock Garden (Aug 3, 2011)

It never came loose in two years....until it did it on it's own sometime near the end of last season. The last time (prior to the other night) I pulled the wheel they were tight enough I couldn't loosen them by hand and no play so I called it good. I rode about a month or so (guessing) after that before winter set in. Just doing a mid-winter full bike check/clean/lube and the nut was loose with play. I've never had to loctite the axle nut, but I will when I put the new freehub on....end check it more frequently.


----------



## Rock Garden (Aug 3, 2011)

FWIW, I did contact BHS to see if they had an anti-bite freehub for the MT270 and Brandon is supposed to be sending me that in place of the all steel version at my request. It's not listed on their site at this time, but he does have them.

Checking into Bitex's website I see they have several freehubs shown: anti-bite alloy (2 bearings), HD anti-bite (3 bearings) and all steel (3 bearings)

Makes me wonder if the new BHS hubs are going to be coming with the anti-bite freehubs from the start now or at some point in the future?

Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub


----------



## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

biggrumble said:


> It was the sleeve within the hub that supports the frame's thru-axle that cracked, not the frame's thru-axle. I'm a "light clydesdale" (215lbs) and while I'm fairly hard on my gear I'm also a bit of a wuss.





Lithified said:


> Bummer to hear about that. I would view it as an isolated event though. I've got two sets, one 142mm, one 150mm. I ride the 142 a lot more (my daily driver trail bike) and holy moly I beat the tar out of this thing. Big heavy drops, rock gardens, high speed hits, jumps, I mean I hammer this thing.
> 
> Hope you can get set up again pretty cheaply and keep charging!


I had the same thing happen to my hub last season, after only a few hundred miles. I'm heavy and ride hard, but no drops whatsoever. When I removed the wheel to do some maintenance the freehub and cassette fell off the rest of the wheel. The freehub body (aluminum) showed gouging similar to the pictures from a few posts ago. I replaced the hub axle and rode it for a couple of months before the freehub started making noise and sticking occasionally when freewheeling. I switched to my backup wheel and am now in the process of picking out the parts for a new wheel, probably with a Hope hub. I may replace the freehub on this hub and keep it as a backup, but I won't ride it as a primary wheel anymore.


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

What is going on here? This thread started over two years ago, and had virtually nothing but glowing reviews, so three weeks ago I bought a set of BHS hubs. In the last two weeks, it's turned into a carnage thread!! Collapsed freehubs, broken axles, exploded hub shells.. I haven't built my wheels yet, should I be looking for something better?


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Seriously... Similar to how the Koozer thread went a couple years ago. The only difference is that I damaged koozer freehubs in short order, and my BHS freehub is still fine after 7 or 8 months. Ill be taking my freehub off again this weekend for a proper inspection, but it hasn't given me a stitch of trouble after 600-700 hard (clyde) miles.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Nah- blow those complaints off. 
Not that they aren't valid- but they are the rare moment. 
There are way too many of these hubs out there running just fine to discount them due to a few complaints. 

I just (last night) built up a new steel frame using these hubs from a previous build. 
There are part concerns (will the 10s Shimano work well enough w/ a mtn shifter on a drop bar?), should I chop the Woodchippers down some? 
But the wheels? Nah- they won't be part of the issue. They'll do their job day after day. 
These hubs are a non-event. They just work. 

-JCB


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Yep. I build mostly with the fat hubs which I would think would have a higher rate of failure and so far, not one has come back. 
Anything will break. Look up some of Johnshonda's threads. He breaks Industry 9 and other high end hubs.


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

I was curious as to how my freehub looks on mine. I'm a 260# clyde and I have about 800 miles on mine. I am also rough on freehubs as I have broken many over the years. Mine looks to be in great shape! I didn't see any of the deformations in the pawl sockets that *slowride454* had.









While I had it apart I put some Lucas Semi Synthetic Assembly Lube on the pawls just to see what happens. I had some left over from when I changed cams on my Harley. It is very sticky and prevents seizing, galling and scuffing. When I put it back together it was silent, not that it made much noise before as I thought it was a pretty quite hub to begin with. I will report back later as to how long the silence lasts.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Here's my xD freehub after 600-700 miles of hard clyde mashing with plus bike traction and 28/46 gearing.









My endcaps were snug but not tight. Id guess they were around 3 or 4 ft lbs. More than finger tight, but very easy to take apart with wrenches on the flats. I have a little bit of scoring from the freehub teeth, which means theres a little bit of axle deformation happening. I also see just the slightest bit of deformation in the pawl hinges, but nothing to worry about yet. I will say that the springs dont feel as stiff as they did when they were new. All in all, this freehub is holding up much better than my last ones. Its not the end of the world if I had to replace the freehub once every year of two, but for now Ill see how long this one lasts. I re-lubed up, and tightened the endcaps to roughly 10 ft lbs, ready to do more battle.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

These hubs are so old now that some people have thousands of miles on them. The freehubs are a hard alloy, similar to DT and harder than most hubs out of Asia. That said, it's still aluminum. It'll dent in.

IMO, these are end of the line hubs. If you can ruin a BHS hub, you need to buy something like a king with a steel fhb because nothing else would hold up anyway! You reached the limit of how durable something affordable can be.


----------



## Rock Garden (Aug 3, 2011)

Just a little update on my situation. I received the new freehub on Saturday. I did a very thorough inspection of everything (new and old). I noticed a slight mark all the way around the axle exactly where the inboard freehub bearing rests. I didn't grab a picture, but it's just slightly visible and you can feel it dragging a fingernail over it, but it's not a deep gouge or anything of the like. New freehub looks exactly like the old alloy one with the exception of three approximately 1mm thick steel (stainless steel?) reinforcement splines equally spaced around the freehub on the driving edge of the splines. I greased (lightly with slick honey) and assembled. I did apply blue loctite to the axle/nut interface and torqued precisely to 'that-feels-about-right' and put the cassette on reinstalled the wheel. Spins freely, feels good. I'll likely pull it after a month or so of riding and see how it looks. 

That ring is certainly from the axle flexing due to torque on the freehub. I surmise this won't happen if the axle/nut are tight. If I have to replace the axle so be it. I can't complain about a $100 hub that needs a little maintenance after two years. I have kept my old freehub for a spare as it still works fine, but has some deep bite marks in it and I felt better replacing it.

The Sunrace cassette has only two cogs that are likely to bite in. The 11 & 13 both have the spacer built it so their load is spread over that area. The 15 & 18 are the only one that are single cog width and they now rest on a steel spline so that should help. The 21-28 and 32-40 are each on a carrier so no worries about biting in there.


----------



## abelfonseca (Dec 26, 2011)

I have put about 1000 kms on mine. Totally problem free so far. I am not a clyde at 170 lbs but managed to bust two koozer hubs in short order before trying the BHS. I will check on the internals and report back to you guys.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Has anyone replaced the coil springs in the freehub? I wonder if its possible to get something a little heavier. I feel like my pawls have lost a good bit of spring, compared to new.

I see the industry 9 springs, which are the only coil springs I can find for sale. I wonder if its worth a $5 gamble?


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

My first BHS wheels are built. My only concern is the free hub sounds sort of dry, I'll probably pull it open for some lubes tonight before riding tomorrow. Probably over thinking this... Built them up with Easton ARC30 rims and Wheelsmith butted spokes for my trail bike. Considering I haven't built a bicycle wheel in about 10 years the building went really well, about 6 hours for the pair, the front went together really easily, probably because I wasn't trying to hurry, lol! Did the rear with increased confidence after the front went so easily, the confidence was quickly shattered when the wheel laced way out of true. Had to back the tension off and redo the initial alignment, everything was easy after patience was forced upon me! I really enjoy the process, it's a great brain exercise..

To anyone thinking wheel building is beyond your ability, or that you need a bunch of equipment, don't worry! I used the bike as a truing stand, did tension by sound, the only equipment I bought was a new spoke wrench. Worst case, you'll have to find someone to rework your wheels for you if you truly can't make them work, best case you'll have a set of wheels you'll be proud of for years. Try it!


----------



## alexdi (Jun 25, 2016)

With spokes in the right length, it's pretty hard to screw up a wheel build beyond repair. I did my first wheel ever with a BHS, Lasers, alloy nipples, and a carbon EIE rim... mostly using one arm. I ended up getting the dish wrong, but it wasn't hard to correct. It's all about nipple lubrication.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

So here is the steel freehub:
https://www.bikehubstore.com/product-p/fh-mtb270-steel.htm

It says it has an extra bearing for added support.

Here is a question. This freehub is more durable and, heavier, than the normal one. Outside of being more durable, are there any other benefits over the normal? i.e. Better engagement, faster, etc?


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Durability is it's only advantage. Weight is a disadvantage. Engagement remains unchanged.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

GuitsBoy said:


> Durability is it's only advantage. Weight is a disadvantage. Engagement remains unchanged.


Thanks.

I am pulling mine apart to swap the QR with a 10mm thru and will also re-grease if needed. Figured I could also swap the free hub if need be.

I am curious to see what type of damage I did to mine... if any. I put it in July of last year and rode it heavily until mid-November. I was about 195 last year on a hard tail.


----------



## gregnash (Jul 17, 2010)

So I will finally get around to building myself a new rear this year. Reading back through the thread a few pages it is pretty much confirmed that the BITEX that BHS sells is the same as his hub (MTB270) correct? Only difference is the his is the 6-bolt and the Bitex is the Centerlock?

Will plan to lace this up to a WTB i29 29er rim with DT Swiss spokes so that front and rear match (for the most part). Front currently is a WTB i29 with Formula hub (got luck and grabbed from REI last year when it was on sale for $99 shipped). Liking the wide rim so fa with my 2.4" tires (coming from a rim that is 19mm internal).


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

I pulled my freehub apart to check for grease, it was pretty much good to go from the factory. I added some heavy wet chain lube, seems quieter and smoother now. End caps were nice and tight, overall everything seemed properly set up out of the box. I've got about a hundred miles on mine so far, they're working perfectly. Time to forget about them and ride!


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

So I pulled my DX freehub out again last night, to measure the springs to see if I could source something a little stiffer. The freehub body doesnt look like its been gouged out any more than it did last time, but the hub still feels like its not engaging as "strong" as it should for lack of a better way to describe it. I suspect the pawls are not engaging on the rare occasion, and the freehub is skipping a tooth. I feel like stiffer springs will help with this.

My verneer calipers gave me approx .080 OD, .065 ID, and .200 OAL for the spring. This leads me to believe the original springs are 2mm OD, 5mm OAL, and 0.2mm wire thickness. Keep in mind this is the XD driver, not the shimano freehub. I found a bag of 25 0.3mm x 2mm x 5mm springs for 8 bucks on ebay and pulled the trigger. Hopefully they will be a little stiffer, and give me a little more confidence. Theyll probably make the freehub a little noisier, which I'm fine with.

While I was in there, I noticed two of the pawls felt like they had much lower tension than the others. I pulled the springs out and gently stretched them a bit. Upon reassembly, the pawls felt more even. The freehub sounds a bit better too as the spinning wheel clacks away.

EDIT: Clarified the slow engagement.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

In my BMX days, I remember riders obsessing over having a loud hub and going to great lengths to make the driver spring on their hub stronger. I think a few riders managed to cram two identical springs in their driver to do the job.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

My concern isn't so much about loudness. Its about positive pawl engagement. I dont think Id be able to get two springs under each pawl, but I could probably shim it with something if all else failed. Good luck getting it back out though...


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Bike Roomer wrote that Wolftooph is going to make a carbon wrapped ti spring for these. 

After careful research they decided that pawl springs are the only thing left on any bikes that aren't insanely expensive. 

Supposed to be $75 per set. 
A steal though you can get em off Alibaba for $11 in a few months. 

There are even rumors of their new springs coming in orange to match your racer guy Fox fork. 
Sure you can't see them, but the ego wants what the ego wants. 

Back on point- I love these hubs. Moved them over to a better more sturdy build than their original home. 

Lots of miles, few centuries. Plenty of goop, snow, mud, rain, sun and all else (except submersion- oh, that too but only for a few seconds) and all is well. 

need hubs? 
these will work just fine. 

-JCBs


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Man, You guys are BRUTAL.

Sure the hubs are working just fine now, but I dont want them to suffer the same fate as the Koozers did (which had a great rep right up until we all started breaking them).

I'm hoping a little tweak and some garage engineering might give me a little extra confidence in them. Or is customizing or altering a component from stock in any way completely anti-mountain biking now?

But hey, If you've got a line on those carbon wrapped ti springs, I'm all ears. Did you happen to get a weight on those?


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

GuitsBoy said:


> The freehub body doesnt look like its been gouged out any more than it did last time, but the hub still feels like its not engaging as "strong" as it should for lack of a better way to describe it.


your looking for a problem that isn't there.



GuitsBoy said:


> Sure the hubs are working just fine now, but I dont want them to suffer the same fate as the Koozers did (which had a great rep right up until we all started breaking them).


Koozer hubs are no where near the quality of these hubs. Bitex hubs are most frequently compared to Hope and DT 350 hubs.



> But hey, If you've got a line on those carbon wrapped ti springs, I'm all ears. Did you happen to get a weight on those?


your kidding right?


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

With all due respect to the senior members of this thread, I disagree. 

I do have visible pawl socket deformation, and gouging on the freehub body from the teeth of the ratchet ring. When riding it occasionally will feel like the engagement is not as quick, or that the pawls skip one tooth before engaging. With the hub disassembled, two of the pawls had noticeably less spring tension than the other four. I am not simply imagining these things.

Maybe the hub would have continued to live a long and fulfilling life on its own, and these minor issues never would have turned into anything threatening. But if I can make a small and inexpensive tweak to help insure it doesn't grenade under my clydeness, why do you guys feel the need to talk me out of it?

Yes, I agree that these hubs are far better out of the box than the koozers are, but I'm not convinced theyre quite DT or Hope either. Thats not a bad thing, since theyre substantially cheaper, and work very well just the same. 

And yes, I was obviously kidding.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

if your having a problem with your hub, i would contact BHS.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

In this case, "problem" is subjective. The freehub is not broken, and does not have any reproducible problems (issues are sporadic at best), aside from the gouges and deformation which may well be considered normal.

I did however voice my concerns about the spring tension to Brandon, and he doesn't seem to think there's a problem judging by the pictures. He suspects its a pawl that may engage a little "late", which is known to happen with 6 pawl freehubs. He mentioned that they sell a ton of these hubs with a very low failure rate.

Ever being the tinkerer, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and figured I'd post on the thread so anyone interested could follow along. I'm not disparaging the hubs, or saying theyre defective or insufficient in any way, I'm simply trying to "upgrade" them for my particular needs. I thought the measurements and info may be helpful to someone, somewhere. But it appears that the BIG BITEX lobbyists want to shut me down. (That's another joke, if you haven't had your coffee yet)

But in all seriousness, it seems that you guys dont think this thread is the right place to post this stuff. I would have thought this was *Exactly* the right place to post it.

EDIT: Updated the post regarding the response from BHS.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

by all means, post up your info. yes your in the right place, and yes others may benefit from your experience. 

your initial description/reasoning was that it doesn't feel like it engages "strong". to me that sounds like you just don't know what your talking about, or how to articulate it. You didn't mention anything about slow engagement or skipping. that's a problem. 

can you post pics of the gouging your talking about?


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Sure, the pic is up the page a little bit, post #379. With another hundred fifty miles on the freehub, the gouges dont really look much worse, but the socket deformation continues. Not really much you can do about that, since its going to happen to any alloy simply from the torque. But if the pawls are skipping because the spring tension is too weak, they have a little extra momentum when they finally slam home into the gear ring.

I will admit my original description was a bit lacking. And switching to a lighter weight oil and stretching the springs a bit has seemed to help, at least in my quick test. Like I mentioned, the clacking of the pawls slapping sounds more even now, likely due to the more even spring tensions. But IMO the spring tension should be enough to overcome whatever oil or grease I put in there. 

Maybe there's a subtle difference in the XD driver springs, or maybe its because I bought the discount BITEX branded hubs from BHS. But either way, the pawl tension is considerably lower than even the koozers were and not even in the same universe as a hope. Granted leaf vs compression springs are apples and oranges, but in practical application the results are the same. Hopefully that will explain my desire to get a hold of some beefier springs.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

sorry, totally missed that. I'd still try contacting Brandon, if e-mail doesn't work I'd try a phone call. .


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

*OneSpeed* said:


> sorry, totally missed that. I'd still try contacting Brandon, if e-mail doesn't work I'd try a phone call. .


:thumbsup: Ill let you guys know what he thinks...


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

I've been watching this, thought I'd throw my 2c in. 

If one or more pawls don't engage, the load on the freehub won't be symmetrically supported, pushing the freehub off center and creating the gouging you're seeing. This would likely cause inconsistencies in engagement or skipping. I think Guits is on the right path looking at the pawl springs and ensuring free movement. 

I've cleaned and lubed my new hubs drive mechanism, it was pretty well lubed out of the box. I'd suggest checking the lube and torque of any new parts before use, I've found many poorly assembled parts of all types over the years. If they miss some grease on the assembly line it could easily lead to these kind of problems. And if some better springs are available, I'll grab a set as a preventative upgrade for sure. Especially if they're color matched, carbon wrapped titanium, lol!!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

GuitsBoy said:


> With all due respect to the senior members of this thread, I disagree.
> 
> I do have visible pawl socket deformation, and gouging on the freehub body from the teeth of the ratchet ring. When riding it occasionally will feel like the engagement is not as quick, or that the pawls skip one tooth before engaging. With the hub disassembled, two of the pawls had noticeably less spring tension than the other four. I am not simply imagining these things.
> 
> ...


When my Hopes start doing exactly the same thing, I replace the bearings. Cures it. You need to do it before too much damage is done.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> When my Hopes start doing exactly the same thing, I replace the bearings. Cures it. You need to do it before too much damage is done.


The hubs have less than 1000 miles on them, and the bearings still seem tight and smooth. I suspect the flex has something to do with a 230 lb gymrat furiously mashing away on 28/46 gearing with plus tire traction, on a 10x135 thru axle that's not supporting the hub axle in the middle. Its the exact recipe you'll find in the hub destroyers cookbook.

Still, its information that is worth paying attention to. I will keep an eye on the bearings and make sure theyre not the source of any runout or deflection.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

ALL of my hubs require annual attention. I weigh about 255 right now. I will get skipping and ultimately, stripped ratchet rings on any hub if I don't change the bearings annually. 
Now, since I have lotsa wheels, I have to keep a log so a wheel that doesn't get ridden a lot unnecessarily gets bearings. 
I have wrinkled aluminum Hope drivers behind the pawls. I run steel on everything now. 
I still have an alloy driver on a BHS hub on my Dahon commuter bike. That bike only gets ridden on pavement and so far, two years and still going strong. I'll probably put bearings in that hub this year for good measure.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Here was Brandon's response after sending him the pic and description:



> I'm not sure there is a problem here. Occasionally one pawl will engage a little late when under load, creating a kind of popping sound. This is something that is known to happen with 6 pawl freehubs like the kind Bitex uses. This is not something we see often, if at all, really. We sell over XXXX of these hubs every year (MTB270) and see very few freehub/pawl failures of any kind


He did offer some replacement parts, but apparently skipping teeth is par for the course?

Anyway, new springs are on the slow boat from China just the same.


----------



## erb16 (Oct 15, 2015)

I have a MTB270 that exhibits the "skipping tooth" symptom. It happens when applying heavy power after a short period of freewheeling, like pausing the pedals to avoid a pedal strike then getting back on the gas. I am using it in a single speed configuration. I pulled the freehub off to investigate. I removed the freehub seal then reassembled without it. Like this you can see the pawls engaging the ratchet ring.

I found one pawl was out of "time". The other 5 are fully engaged into the ratchet and this one had barely crested the "peak" of its respective tooth.

It doesn't seem to me like this could be corrected by a heavier spring of a different lube. It is a machining issue where the pawl seat is not evenly indexed with the others.

I have contemplated ordering another freehub but decided to leave it alone until it happens more frequently, I can see excessive wear or impending damage.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

They are offset in two groups of 3 pawls. So 5 should never be fully engaged at a time. Only 3 should be engaged at a time while the other 3 are mid way up the ramp. 

I suspect maybe youre having a difficult time observing them through the window youve created, but if you are indeed correct, youre right that it would not be fixable, you would need a new freehub. If you want to prove it one way or another, check the measurements between pawls. You should get alternating measurements, in two groups of 3.


----------



## erb16 (Oct 15, 2015)

Yes. My mistake. 1 out of the group of 3. I was thinking 6-1=5 while typing my post. 

The pawls and ratchet ring can indeed be seen clearly with the seal removed.


----------



## erb16 (Oct 15, 2015)

Also while freewheeling the bike in the stand, or slowly riding on smooth ground, you can hear a pawl out of time with the rest. There is a single click that is out of rhythm with the consistent buzz during every revolution of the wheel.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I just finished lacing up a set of wheels with BHS's boost hubs. First set of them I've seen. They have the exact same brown anodized driver as all their other stuff. Nice hubs, exactly as I expected.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

I've been hammering on mine since last summer. The aluminum freehub body lasted about 50 miles on my fat bike before I swapped it and it took some work to get the cassette off (reason I quickly replaced with the steel version). Cassette gouged it and I was having some skipping. But I'm 275lbs on a fat bike with low gearing of 26/42 and wasn't nice to it. 

Steel freehub body since then and not a single issue.

Aluminum body sits in the drawer for replacement pawls, springs or bearings when I need them. Still useable but with what my fat bike has already gone through since the new wheel build, not touched the hubs since install yet and everything is like new, don't see anything failing majorly on me.

Everyone should know by now though:

If your a clyde and mash on your drive train, stay away from aluminum freehubs. Your going to have issues regardless of brand. Going to destroy them.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## westin (Nov 9, 2005)

NYrr496 said:


> I just finished lacing up a set of wheels with BHS's boost hubs. First set of them I've seen. They have the exact same brown anodized driver as all their other stuff. Nice hubs, exactly as I expected.


Good to know. Thinking of using BHS Boost vs DT350 for new build. I can get Hope Pro 4 at employee price but they're too loud. BHS weight and cost can't be beat, and durability is not questionable. The 3 sets nonBoost are doing well other than 1 which I let get loose and destroyed hub shell teeth. My bad!


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Can y'all help me out I am going nuts tracking down some play in my front wheel.

Setup...
MTB180 laced to a Flow EX
Bolted to a Fox 36 - 20mm caps
SRAM Guide RSC brake
Shimano RT66 rotor 180mm

Fork/wheel about 18mo of hard riding
Brake basically brand new, 5-6 rides

When I hold the front brake I can grab the tire and get an *almost* imperceptible amount of fore/aft play in the system.

I've ruled out the headset as I can do this with the bike hanging and a zip tie holding constant pressure on the brake. Holding wheel and fork, I get the play. Also of note, all rotor bolts are tight 

I can't really see the movement except up at the rim. Like I said almost imperceptible AMT of play. But it's definitely there...and it didn't used to be. And it's freaking me out on my new build.

Is the front hub body and disc mount one piece? Or is there any kind of interface that could develop play? Similar to the rear wheel, is there anything that could come loose over time on this front hub? I know on the rear you should check your axle nuts every so often.

Is A fastened or forged to B - one place to start? Photo below...










Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I think that's all one piece. Could be the pads moving in the caliper.


----------



## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

Lithified said:


> Can y'all help me out I am going nuts tracking down some play in my front wheel.
> 
> Is A fastened or forged to B - one place to start? Photo below...
> 
> ...


A and B are one piece, ie. constituting the hub shell. I literally just rebuilt a front wheel replacing old hub with the BHS hub.

Btw, if you are holding the brake and checking for movement, and you get movement it usually is the headset/headtube. The brake locks the wheel so it can't move, ie. its locked out. The only other major moveable part is the headset ignoring play in the fork stanchions.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

NYrr496 said:


> I think that's all one piece. Could be the pads moving in the caliper.


This. Shimano brakes are terrible for this, but any brake can do it. The Pads rock back and forth on the center pin.


----------



## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

06HokieMTB said:


> This. Shimano brakes are terrible for this, but any brake can do it. The Pads rock back and forth on the center pin.


They will move the first time you grab the brake. But after that that's it. Pads should not rock back and forth while clamped, otherwise you'd have some serious brake issues.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

I have had ample Shimano pad slip in such a back/forth test. 
Many levels of brakes, many calipers. 
Pull super hard and the pads are much less likely to do this. That's one test. 
In my experience it's not a severe brake issue. Just a teeny bit of play that most brake models have. 

Another might be to turn the bars 90°. 
If it's still happening it could be the headset. 

When the wheel isn't turned that 90°- slide your hand down the upper stanchion so that your thumb is lightly pinched between the upper stanchion and the fork crown. 
Then when you rock it you might be able to clearly feel possible play between the upper/lower stanchions. 

And here's one you can all chime in to tell me I'm wrong but I've experienced this:
Every now and then when I've done that F brake rock back forth, I've felt play at the rear shock bushings slightly reverberate to mimic a loose headset. I know I know... can't be. Impossible. (And I wasn't holding the rear brake st all). 
It's been baffling but dammit I've felt it. 

-JCB


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Fantastic replies all. Thanks. I'll further investigate the brake. Like I said this happens when the bike is hanging (by the saddle) and I have one hand on the wheel, one on the fork, zip tie on the brake. Pretty confident that rules out the headset.

Cheers!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## gregnash (Jul 17, 2010)

Other thing to check is the mounting bolts to the fork for the brake caliper itself. They could have worked themselves lose and allow the caliper to move slightly. There could also be a slight bit of play in the end caps of the hub so I would check everything and clean all interfaces real well to ensure that you dont have some random grain of sand that is not allowing the hub to not mount fully on one side to the fork and giving you that small amount of play.


----------



## NH Mtbiker (Nov 6, 2004)

gregnash said:


> Other thing to check is the mounting bolts to the fork for the brake caliper itself. They could have worked themselves lose and allow the caliper to move slightly. There could also be a slight bit of play in the end caps of the hub so I would check everything and clean all interfaces real well to ensure that you dont have some random grain of sand that is not allowing the hub to not mount fully on one side to the fork and giving you that small amount of play.


All good points here. Another simple issue to the problem can be just a slightly loose axle. Thru axles do and will come loose if left alone long enough. Just this slight movement and being un-tight can cause problems with braking and hub performance. As mentioned, check ALL related points of contact and bolts!


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

So my new pawl springs arrived after a few weeks waiting for them to come in from china. I ordered size 2mm OD, 5mm OAL, 0.3mm coil thickness. The new springs are substantially thicker. I didn't even think they were going to fit, but they did fit just fine. The pawls were noticeably firmer, which is what I was hoping for.

Here's a comparison between the original and new pawl springs. You can see the new ones are much beefier, and fewer coils, resulting in a higher spring rate.








Here are all six of my original pawl springs. Hard to tell from the picture, but some springs appear to be more compressed than others. There was a noticeable variation a couple weeks ago, before I stretched a couple springs to give them some more life.








Here are the new pawl springs installed.








This hub is LOUD. Like extremely loud. Its considerably louder than my buddies hope pro 4, as well as another buddy still riding his koozers. I notice the wheel has quite a bit more drag when freewheeling on the bike stand, but its obviously impossible to notice while riding. While turning it slowly by hand, its easy to hear the pawls being slightly out of time with one another. Theres probably only a degree or two variation, but its a little disconcerting that you could potentially have only one or two pawls catch on the rare occasion.

Out on the trail, the new pawl springs seem to engage with authority and confidence. I did not notice a single skip or any slow engagement. Perhaps only because of the loudness of the buzz, the annoying clunk is no longer noticeable when engaging hard.

Overall, the new springs may be a bit overkill. Though I greatly prefer them to the anemic stock springs I had, I may order a slightly lighter spring, maybe with a .2 mm thickness, instead of the .3 thickness I have now. My fear is that the pawls and ratchet ring may wear faster because of the added spring rate. But maybe the springs will soften slightly after a few more rides. Ill post back and let you guys know how the settle in.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Do you have a link for those exact springs? I'd like to get a set too for my 270. 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

kikoraa said:


> Do you have a link for those exact springs? I'd like to get a set too for my 270.


Before I link you, theres a few things you need to fully understand.

1. These springs are probably not necessary (nor advisable) for most users. In most cases the stock springs are plenty. I feel like I may have had a bad batch, and I was having some issues with the freehub skipping/slow engagement. If you dont have these issues, I suggest you leave well enough alone.

2. These springs were for my hubs, which came with an xD driver. I cannot verify that the same springs will fit the normal shimano style freehub.

3. These springs are completely untested. Aside from completely nullifying any warranty you may have, I cant vouch for how long these springs will last. Who knows, they could start breaking or soften up on me in the next few rides. I'm rolling the dice here.

4. These springs could possibly do more harm than good. They are completely untested, and we have no way of knowing if there are any detrimental long term effects in running them. They could potentially wear out the pawls or ratchet ring much faster than they otherwise would.

5. As I mentioned, these springs were probably overkill. The 0.3 mm thickness seems like its a bit heavier than I shoudl have gone. I may go with a slightly lighter 0.2 mm thickness spring in the near future.

That said, if you're still interested, here is the ebay listing I purchased:

25pcs Stainless Steel Compression Spring 0.3*2*5 | eBay

Please note that the ebay item image does not match the springs in question.


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

Don't know if I wrote about it in this thread or another one but on my first ride on my first build (with 180/270 hubs) I felt kind of like a 1/4 revolution skip until it grabbed and noticed nothing irregular during the rest of the ride.
I got home and removed the pawls and also noticed that not all of the springs were the same length so I stretched them all out a little to match the longest one and it's been fine ever since.
I like the upgraded spring idea.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Update on Heavier Springs:

The 0.3 mm coil thickness springs were a bit too heavy, so last night I swapped them out to new 0.2 mm coil thicness springs. Upon disassembly, I saw that one of teh heavier springs had actually broken at some point in the last 100 to 150 miles. The pawl was still operating, as only one coil had broken off. The broken coil had worked itself out of the ratchet ring and up against the seal, so it wasn't doing any damage. The springs were nowhere near coil bind, so IMO its simply too heavy a spring, and it simply succumbed to fatigue. 

The lighter weight 0.2 mm springs have more coils, so fatigue life should be extended a bit. Its hard to remember how the stock springs sounded, but the new springs are FAR quieter than the 0.3 mm springs were. I'll miss the rattle snake sound a bit, but hopefully this will be a good middle ground. I have not yet gone for a ride on them yet, but theres a lot less resistance spinning the wheel by hand.


----------



## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Does anyone have an extra mtb270 XD driver body they can sell? I have the Shimano splined freehub but I have 2 XD cassettes i wanna use. Wanted to save before buying new from the store.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

kikoraa said:


> Does anyone have an extra mtb270 XD driver body they can sell? I have the Shimano splined freehub but I have 2 XD cassettes i wanna use. Wanted to save before buying new from the store.


Unfortunately buying from BHS at full pop may be your only option. Ive been all over ebay, aliexpress, DH gate, and the rest of the usual "asian direct" sites without any luck tracking down a bitex XD driver. Assuming nobody is willing to part with theirs.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Ill just say it first, buy one from brandon at BHS. Hes a long time member here, and at RBR. Hes an actual rider running a really cool small business. He responds to emails personally and he'll do what he can to help you out. Plus the product is good.

That said, bitex will definitely sell you whatever bitex part you want. It'll take forever to show up. They do have a website. Ive done many, many orders with bitex and honestly its a huge pain in the ass. Its always right in the end, but getting to the end isnt necessarily smooth or fun.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

One Pivot said:


> That said, bitex will definitely sell you whatever bitex part you want. It'll take forever to show up. They do have a website. Ive done many, many orders with bitex and honestly its a huge pain in the ass. Its always right in the end, but getting to the end isnt necessarily smooth or fun.


Ive seen the UK site that you can order from, but the prices are over what BHS sells for. Ive seen what I believe is the bitex corporate site Bitex : MTB hub,BMX hub,SHOW hub,FOLDING hub,CHILD hub, Wheelchair hub, but it doesnt appear that you can order. They have links to distributors, and BHS is the only one stateside.

As for Brandon, and BHS, I like the guy, but it can sometimes take a couple of tries to get in touch with him. My first email went unanswered, but he eventually responded to a followup. Though in all fairness, I only emailed, and did not try to give him a phone call.

He didn't exactly offer any resolution when my freehub was skipping, and my springs barely had any pressure. I believe his words were "I dont think there's really a problem here". I had to tinker around and come up with my own solution to stop the freehub from getting gouged. Though the freehub never failed, or even close, so it doesn't really count as a warranty issue either. As I mentioned in a previous post, the freehub may have lived on for years with the occasional skip, pop, and some cosmetic gouging. My efforts were towards nipping the problem in the bud.

He's probably like every other small business owner, overwhelmed, just trying to keep his head above water. I know its not personal, but it does make it frustrating when you have a problem, or are trying to find a specific item. When you do get in touch with him, he does seem to be a down to earth and genuinely nice enough guy.

Any difficulties aside, you'll be hard pressed to find any other hub this strong for this price. I would be remiss if I did not continue to recommend the hubs to family and friends as a great budget option.

EDIT:
I did receive an email from Brandon apologizing for missing my emails, and offering replacement parts. He's not sure how the emails went missing, but I have to concede that its equal parts my fault for not trying to contact him by phone. Regardless, I dont think any replacement parts are necessary at this point since the freehub is working well now. But his contacting me does go a long way in reaffirming my faith in BHS. Thanks, Brandon, for tracking me down to make sure I was a happy customer.


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

Hey dudes. Totally blew out the bearing closest to the pawls on my mtb270
Any idea what I'll need for a replacement? 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Just ordered a Boost148 hub. I think this is my 6th rear hub from Brandon. Couldn't be happier.

Sold a 3 year old MTB270 on a bike yesterday... was still going strong. It did have some decent gouging on the freehub from the shimano cassette. It was the older alloy freehub. This has been addressed with the anti-bite inserts on the new alloy freehubs, or with the steel freehubs.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

BTW: the only thing I've noticed with these hubs is that frequent wheel swaps/installs can cause the end caps to loosen on the thru axle. The end cap keeps the freehub tight against the bearing, which keeps the pawls supported in the drive ring. If the end caps aren't tight, I can see how play can develop between the pawls and the drive ring. (Maybe that caused some of carnage that others recently saw?)

You can feel lateral play in the wheel/hub when the end caps are loose. (Hold the bike and push the wheel/tire side to side.)

Moral of the story? Add a drop or two of Loctite to the end cap threads, keep 'em torqued and they seem to last forever!


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Looking at using these for a road wheel build. Anyone have any better suggestions for a 12x142 rear/15mm front setup? I think literally the only thing that could be better is a Bitex road disc setup that maybe shaves weight....

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Lithified said:


> Looking at using these for a road wheel build. Anyone have any better suggestions for a 12x142 rear/15mm front setup? I think literally the only thing that could be better is a Bitex road disc setup that maybe shaves weight....
> 
> Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


BHS hubs are Bitex hubs.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

NYrr496 said:


> BHS hubs are Bitex hubs.


Lol. I got it man. I'm just saying I wonder if the only thing better than a MTB270/180 setup for road would be if Bitex made a road specific set...but I don't think they do!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

Lithified said:


> Lol. I got it man. I'm just saying I wonder if the only thing better than a MTB270/180 setup for road would be if Bitex made a road specific set...but I don't think they do!
> 
> Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


They do but they are not disc brake compatible. 
SL210 SuperLight Rear Road Hub
SuperLight Wide Front Hub

All of their road hubs are listed here. Road Hubs

Edit: It looks like they do have centerlock hubs. Bitex BX106R Rear Center Lock Disc Hub


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

Has anyone ordered the straight pull version of these hubs? I see BHS has them on the site, but there is an error if you click on them. I emailed Brandon yesterday asking about them, but dont have a reply yet.

Thinking about doing a wheel build using one of the higher end Chinese carbon 28 hole and the straight pull version.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Converted a 142 MTB270 to Boost148 tonight.

The idea came after looking at my buddies hubs (DT350 and Industry9) after they installed the Boostinator kits.

Anyway, I bought a 148x12 thru axle from Brandon.

Then I took an old aluminum end cap I had and cannibalized it, plus a thick 15mm ID washer that I had in my tool box.

To do it from scratch, you'd need a 6mm thick spacer, that is 28mm OD/15mm ID.

Install the 148 axle from the cassette side, slide on the 6mm (28/15 OD/ID) spacer against the Disc side outer bearing and then install the normal end cap. Do this on the Disc side. (The Boostinator kits only space the Disc side, the cassette side is essentially in the same place in the drive side of the frame.)

Then install an eBay 6mm rotor spacer (again, Disc side... but I guess that's given).

Wa-La.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh, I've also got two new Boost148 rear hubs (Bitex, from BHS) and can confirm that the 142 and 148 rear hubs use the same freehub.

I converted a new Boost148 Shimano hub to XD with an MTB270 XD driver that I had.

Frickin love these hubs.

The Boost148 BHS hubs look strikingly similar to the SRAM 900 Boost hubs. I think the POE is even the same. And SRAM advertises their 900 hubs to have an offset "DoubleTime" freehub, which also sounds strikingly similar to the way the offset pawls in the 56POE BHS/Bitex hubs operate... hmmm.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

06HokieMTB said:


> Install the 148 axle from the cassette side, slide on the 6mm (28/15 OD/ID) spacer against the Disc side outer bearing and then install the normal end cap. Do this on the Disc side. (The Boostinator kits only space the Disc side, the cassette side is essentially in the same place in the drive side of the frame.)
> 
> Then install an eBay 6mm rotor spacer (again, Disc side... but I guess that's given).
> 
> Wa-La.


Oh yeah, you're supposed to redish your wheel when you do this. I probably will the next time that I put the wheel on the truing stand. Luckily, my wife's new bike (Boost148 rear) has enough tire clearance that a 2.4 tire being slightly (maybe 3mm) out of dish is not noticeable and doesn't cause any clearance issues.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

06HokieMTB said:


> Oh yeah, you're supposed to redish your wheel when you do this. I probably will the next time that I put the wheel on the truing stand. Luckily, my wife's new bike (Boost148 rear) has enough tire clearance that a 2.4 tire being slightly (maybe 3mm) out of dish is not noticeable and doesn't cause any clearance issues.


Know what's funny? My wife has ZERO mechanical or engineering abilities but she would notice a wheel 3mm out of dish.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

Found the straight pull set online for a ridiculous price. $120 for the pair:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bit...15mm-rear-142x12mm-thru-axle/32809661675.html

Can anyone confirm these are the same hubs as the ones found at BHS? If so, this price is nuts!


----------



## Krigloch (Aug 9, 2011)

Krigloch said:


> Hey dudes. Totally blew out the bearing closest to the pawls on my mtb270
> Any idea what I'll need for a replacement?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


Well I was going to take a pic of the damage, but the bearing exploded in there. No damage anywhere else and the other bearings were just fine. 
Very weird, but a cheap fix

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

*Breaking in...*

How long was it before the end caps on the rear stopped loosening?


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

J: said:


> How long was it before the end caps on the rear stopped loosening?


I brought my bike in for service after about 6 months. The tech at the shop found my endcap was only finger tight.

Not sure how quickly it became loose... but it did.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

For break in period, it's normal to re-torque to spec @ first couple rides...should not continue to loosen up after snugging it back up to spec a coupl'a times, which is why I'm asking.

I can feel it through the pedals when hammering up hill, cranks rotate forward slightly at high torque when the hub seems to slip EDIT*- it's not the pawls skipping either -


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

I've never NOT had the rear endcaps be loose no matter how tight I torque them. I dont want to potentially crush the bearings, and I can feel drag when I torque it too much. I was considering a touch of threadlocker. Does anyone know what the proper torque spec is?


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Cmon guys, it's not a torque issue. A couple of drops of blue thread locker on the first few threads of the Disc side of the axle (after you've inserted it through the hub)


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Purple locite would probably be most appropriate. Purple should be used nearly everywhere people use blue.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

While i don't disagree, I think blue is fine for this application. Either will work.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

06HokieMTB said:


> Cmon guys, it's not a torque issue. A couple of drops of blue thread locker on the first few threads of the Disc side of the axle (after you've inserted it through the hub)


I'm always aware of and take note of how much play/how coarse threaded fasteners are on my bikes. If there's too much wiggle room, it gets addressed at assembly and during break in.:thumbsup:

This is on a 155mm steel hardtail, 180mm cranks and meaty rubbers...more than a little torque involved here

It's getting less and less but taking quite a while to "break in"


----------



## Bittu (Aug 3, 2017)

subbed, planning to pick these. hope they turn out as good as people say they are.


----------



## GFisher2001 (Mar 16, 2006)

Can anyone comment on the drag or rolling resistance of these guys? In a 142x12 axle?
Compared to say a DT Swiss 18t or 36t?


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

When I ran DT 240s w/ a 36t, I noticed no difference in drag compared to the 18t. 
(though I did chip the 36t and go back to the 18t). 
And compared to the 18t DT240, I think the BHS hubs might (might?) spin more freely. 

On the down side, my hubs have a small knock when pedaling on choppy terrain. 
When there's lag in my pedal stroke and the terrain is rough, you can hear the paws re-engage after those occasional moments when pedal pressure slightly relents. 

No an issue. Just an odd sound. Pretty sure I can address it w/ some grease.

-JCBs


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Got a couple q's.

1. Is the only difference between BX106F and MTB180 that the BX is centerlock, 180 is 6-bolt? Same question for the rear I guess (BX106R vs. MTB270).

2. Do all the Bitex hubs use same end cap setups? e.g. will the BX106's convert just as easily as the 180/270 setup?

3. For the MTB boost hubs, what are you guys using....the BX211 front/rear?


I've got two different wheel builds coming up, one with Centerlocks (standard 142 on a gravel bike), and one for a new MTB with boost.


----------



## abelfonseca (Dec 26, 2011)

I opened up my rear bhs hub after a year and about 1000 kms since installing it. Most of these are trail miles, which included several wet rides and some river crossings. I was pleasantly surprised with how it has been holding up.

Turning the axle by hand off the bike felt smooth, no gritty feeling, just like new. This was surely a good sign. 
Removed the freehub and there were was no marring from it hitting the drive ring on the side. My bhs fat hub on the other hand, does show some drive ring marks on the freehub body. I guess the increased width makes it flex more.








The condition of the outermost bearings was what really surprised me. They look brand spanking new. The grease is intact ant totally uncontaminated. They are definitely very well sealed. I even felt bad for popping them open. I didnt open the other bearings after having a look at those two.
















I am happy with the hubs so far.

Cheers


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

I picked up a BX centerlock. They're shipping with the anti bite freehubs now, so that's cool. 248g.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

Is anyone else having issues with the outer surface of the freehub where the cassette slides on getting marred by the cassette? The cassette is getting stuck on the freehub because it is digging into the ridges on the freehub. Hope that makes sense.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

gregers05 said:


> Is anyone else having issues with the outer surface of the freehub where the cassette slides on getting marred by the cassette? The cassette is getting stuck on the freehub because it is digging into the ridges on the freehub. Hope that makes sense.


This is pretty common with aluminum freehubs and other people have experienced this with this hub. They make a heavy duty steel freehub for this reason that has an additional bearing in it for added stability. It has been posted awhile back on this thread for others with this problem. It is $10.00 more than the aluminum replacement, but it does fix that problem.

MTB270 Heavy Duty Steel Freehub


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

noremorse1 said:


> This is pretty common with aluminum freehubs and other people have experienced this with this hub. They make a heavy duty steel freehub for this reason that has an additional bearing in it for added stability. It has been posted awhile back on this thread for others with this problem. It is $10.00 more than the aluminum replacement, but it does fix that problem.
> 
> MTB270 Heavy Duty Steel Freehub


Yep. Not only these. My Hopes do it too. I try to get steel freehubs with any hub. Also helps to run an XT cassette.


----------



## gregers05 (Jan 30, 2013)

noremorse1 said:


> This is pretty common with aluminum freehubs and other people have experienced this with this hub. They make a heavy duty steel freehub for this reason that has an additional bearing in it for added stability. It has been posted awhile back on this thread for others with this problem. It is $10.00 more than the aluminum replacement, but it does fix that problem.
> 
> MTB270 Heavy Duty Steel Freehub


thanks. I never had the issue to this extent with other freehubs so was just curious. I am at the point where I am having to file down the burrs to get the cassette back on. I will look into the heavy duty, may be worth it, but not sure for the added weight. This freehub has been ridden on for 2 years, so maybe just replacing it every 2 years isnt terrible.


----------



## rumblytumbly (Jun 5, 2013)

Freehubs

Just go with the anti-bite version which has steel faces on half the grooves. Will solve the problem without adding hardly any weight. A lot of manufacturers have this type. There's also a full TI version now, but that is silly money.


----------



## Haymarket (Jan 20, 2008)

Is there only the one source to buy these hubs or do they offer discount codes? It seems like most people bought theirs cheaper than the what the BHS lists them for..($159 for boost rear with XD/$89 front). I can get SRAM 900s a little bit cheaper, and they seem to be around the same weight with the same engagement, so I'm trying to decide which way to go with the next build.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

Haymarket said:


> Is there only the one source to buy these hubs or do they offer discount codes? It seems like most people bought theirs cheaper than the what the BHS lists them for..($159 for boost rear with XD/$89 front). I can get SRAM 900s a little bit cheaper, and they seem to be around the same weight with the same engagement, so I'm trying to decide which way to go with the next build.


You can find them on Ali Express for cheaper. Heck... you can get the 28-hole set with straight pull 100x15 front and 142x12 rear for $133.00 shipped.

Downsides are... you are not supporting Brandon at BHS and he has been a very good dude to a lot of those here (me included). I dont mind spending my money local (or in the USA for that matter) when I know there is good service/people behind it.

Also... it takes 2-3 weeks to ship for Aliexpress.

I dont mind linking it in this case because BHS does not stock this item. Brandon had them... but I dont think he is going to get them back in.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bit...15mm-rear-142x12mm-thru-axle/32809661675.html


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

You're paying a little extra with BHS for the warranty.... which is really very good. Its up there with the best. I suppose its up to you to decide what thats worth.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

One Pivot said:


> You're paying a little extra with BHS for the warranty.... which is really very good. Its up there with the best. I suppose its up to you to decide what thats worth.


Also a very good point. As I mentioned... Brandon has been very good to all of us who have done business with them. I have probably 8 orders from him.

The only reason I consider buying the item I linked from Aliexpress is because BHS does not have the straight pull, 28-spoke, hubs listed. They did for a short period... and I emailed them to ask about them and if they would be back in stock. I have always gotten a reply from them but, for some reason, never got a reply to that inquiry.


----------



## slacker607 (May 25, 2005)

So I ordered my hubs and rims (stans). Anyone mind double checking my calculation for spoke length?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I ran your measurements through Freespoke and got Front: 292/293.5 and rear:293.4/292.
So, looks good.


----------



## slacker607 (May 25, 2005)

NYrr496 said:


> I ran your measurements through Freespoke and got Front: 292/293.5 and rear:293.4/292.
> So, looks good.


Thanks, I guess the main thing I was concerned with was plugging in the measurement specs from BHS. Some of the measurement abbreviations were different from the ones used in the calculator.

mtbr180 front

Technical Information:

Weight	182g
Length (OLD)	100mm
Bearings	2x TPI Sealed Cartridge
PCD	Left 58mm, Right 45mm
Right Flange-to-Center	36mm
Left Flange-to-Center	23mm
Hole Diameter	2.6mm
Axle	Al-7075
Body	CNC Machined Al-6061

mtb270 rear

Weight	278g (QR), 267g (12mm Thru)
Length	135mm or 142mm
Bearings	4 sealed TPI bearings
Pawls	6
Driveside PCD	58mm
Non-Driveside PCD	58mm
NDS Flange-to-Center	34.14mm
DS Flange-to-Center	19.54mm
Hole Diameter	2.7mm
Axle	Al-7075
Body	CNC Machined Al-6061


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

As long as your not relying on website number for measurements. Brandon is awesome but I ran into the measurements being way off on the website versus in my hand for the fat bike hubs.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## CoinSlot (Mar 15, 2017)

Just wanted to add that even light riders can chew up an alu freehub. This is about 6 months of riding, averaged out to about 2 rides per week.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Ah- that bit of indent isn't an issue. 
It takes much more gouging to be an issue.
When you have to use your chain whip to reverse drive the smaller cogs to remove them- it gets annoying. 
But even then everything still works fine. 
Even shift gates of cogs seem to sync fine. 

I haven't experienced that on these hubs, but know it can get much worse and still be fine. 

-JCB


----------



## CoinSlot (Mar 15, 2017)

Fair enough, but the cassette was totally stuck on. I've since filed the tops of the gouges so my new cassette could go on.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

CoinSlot said:


> Fair enough, but the cassette was totally stuck on. I've since filed the tops of the gouges so my new cassette could go on.


MTB270 Heavy Duty Steel Freehub


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

The aluminum freehubs now have steel inserts, no need for a full steel one.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Steel inserts?
I take it all back. Sure I've seen the aluminum freehibs gouge a bit but I've never experienced any actual problems due to it (except the occasional issues with cassette removal though that's more minor hurdle than real issue)

But....
Steel inserts? Well crap. That sounds like a perfect compromise. 
I just placed a BHS order. Wish I'd know. 
But thanks. 

-JCB


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

One Pivot said:


> The aluminum freehubs now have steel inserts, no need for a full steel one.


IDK, I've still dug the cassette into freehubs with the "anti-bite" steel inserts. (AC hub) Unless it was a race wheelset, I'd personally still choose a steel freehub.

I was pretty surprised the first time I removed the cassette from my Bitex fatbike hub. (Non steel insert version) Even the 11t cog was dug in. I've not seen that before and my thought is that the aluminum Bitex freehubs are softer than most.

Not the end of the world, it will be replaced with a steel one, just wish I knew that going in. I also wish it was an option when buying, like Hope, instead of being something that's an immediate and necessary upgrade.


----------



## Graveldad (Mar 31, 2015)

I'm at about 1000 miles on my BHS hubs, been completely solid so far. I'm about #200, push a bigger gear than I probably should, so I'm thinking these are great hubs for the price..


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I just did a service on my son's 907 built with BHS hubs about two years ago. He said his brakes needed to be bled. I bled the brakes, replaced the pads, oiled the chain and washed it. I am amazed how fast and long the rear wheel coasted in the stand. 
Made me think yet again how awesome these hubs are.


----------



## TwistdSpokes (Aug 11, 2009)

bvibert said:


> I had the same thing happen to my hub last season, after only a few hundred miles. I'm heavy and ride hard, but no drops whatsoever. When I removed the wheel to do some maintenance the freehub and cassette fell off the rest of the wheel. The freehub body (aluminum) showed gouging similar to the pictures from a few posts ago. I replaced the hub axle and rode it for a couple of months before the freehub started making noise and sticking occasionally when freewheeling. I switched to my backup wheel and am now in the process of picking out the parts for a new wheel, probably with a Hope hub. I may replace the freehub on this hub and keep it as a backup, but I won't ride it as a primary wheel anymore.
> 
> View attachment 1127024
> 
> ...


I have had this exact same issue - I contacted Brandon and he said it was an isolated incident and sent me a new one quickly. I was doing some maintenance a while back and noticed a groove getting cut into the sleeve again, so i emailed Brandon to make him aware there is something going on with this hub but never received a response.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago - I pulled the rear wheel to do some maintenance and cassette hit the ground which really pissed me off (they aren't cheap if damaged). Not to my surprise the sleeve broke again, I emailed Brandon hoping he could send a replacement and no response. I got the wheel rigged back on the bike so I can at least ride it but pretty disappointed with the lack of response when there is obviously something going on here.

I will probably just go ahead and purchase a new sleeve (they aren't that expensive) since it doesn't seem Brandon is willing to help the second time around but it seems this will be a 1-2x a year replacement part for me.

Other than that the hub has been good.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

^^^^i do not understand how y'all are snapping the axle.

QR frame?


----------



## TwistdSpokes (Aug 11, 2009)

06HokieMTB said:


> ^^^^i do not understand how y'all are snapping the axle.
> 
> QR frame?


I have a thru-axle - 12x142, I am not even sure how either but its happening.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

travman said:


> I have a thru-axle - 12x142, I am not even sure how either but its happening.


Same here, 12x142. I don't understand how it happens either, but it does.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

travman said:


> pretty disappointed with the lack of response when there is obviously something going on here.


He's much better responding through phone. I've been a little miffed by unanswered emails in the past as well, but to Brandon's point, I should have just picked up the phone.

Still, it would be nice to see him get a better handle on this. One of the perils of being a small business owner, I guess.


----------



## TwistdSpokes (Aug 11, 2009)

bvibert said:


> Same here, 12x142. I don't understand how it happens either, but it does.


It seems where mine is breaking is at the spot where the spacer sits between the hub bearing and XD driver bearing. The spacer might be the culprit somehow, not 100% sure how but not sure what else would start to wear a groove into the sleeve eventually causing it to snap.

The bearings all feel like brand new and spin freely, its an annoying occurrence because you don't know when it will break and there are no signs of it breaking when the wheel is tight inside the dropouts. The only way you know is when you pull the wheel and the cassette falls out unexpectedly.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

travman said:


> It seems where mine is breaking is at the spot where the spacer sits between the hub bearing and XD driver bearing. The spacer might be the culprit somehow, not 100% sure how but not sure what else would start to wear a groove into the sleeve eventually causing it to snap.
> 
> The bearings all feel like brand new and spin freely, its an annoying occurrence because you don't know when it will break and there are no signs of it breaking when the wheel is tight inside the dropouts. The only way you know is when you pull the wheel and the cassette falls out unexpectedly.


I have had my last two emails to Brandon go unanswered as well.

Funny that you mention that spacer. The last email I sent to him was trying to source the spacer as I lost mine when I was servicing my hub about a month back. I was unable to locate a new one... and even went to my LBS. However, they did have one the exact size I needed made out of nylon that seemed very sturdy. We put it in there as a temporary fix.

If it is that space that is wearing a groove in the sleeve and snapping it... I wonder if my quick-fix might actually be better as nylon should not where a groove in a metal sleeve?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

travman said:


> It seems where mine is breaking is at the spot where the spacer sits between the hub bearing and XD driver bearing. The spacer might be the culprit somehow, not 100% sure how but not sure what else would start to wear a groove into the sleeve eventually causing it to snap.
> 
> The bearings all feel like brand new and spin freely, its an annoying occurrence because you don't know when it will break and there are no signs of it breaking when the wheel is tight inside the dropouts. The only way you know is when you pull the wheel and the cassette falls out unexpectedly.


In my case I'm not using a XD driver. I'm not sure if the same spacer exists with the standard freehub.. I haven't looked at the hub since I stopped using it.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Hammering the daylights out of this hub for just over 2 years. Not one peep then broken axle. Honestly not too bummed and will gladly order another on Monday, just a bit argh since I waited till Friday night to do my maintenance and find it. Gravel bike for the weekend I guess. Wom wom.

12x142 bolt on with XD driver









Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## Tommybees (Dec 25, 2014)

Same thing here x3. Clearly a fatigue problem. Recently blew up the hub (lots of cracked metal) so now went with the full steel hub which has a pair of bearings (3 total). Hope the flex of the axle is a little less thereby extending fatigue life of the axle sleeve and also getting rid of gouging to boot. If that blows, well maybe time for a whole new wheel.
Front is dope though, little plain and dorky looking but does the job just fine. The best looking hubs ever came from Cane Creek, but for some reason they bailed on hubs about 5 years ago and stopped supplying anything wheel.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Has anyone here broken an axle w/ a steel freehub? 
Anyone know if BHS offers some more burly axle? 

Think CKing used to offer such items to save the day when some burly rider kept blowing things up. 

-JCBs


----------



## Tommybees (Dec 25, 2014)

For me, after about a year in (not too bad), inner freehub bearing went bad 2x, then the axle broke, then a bearing again, then a shaft and finally the freehub spilt open where the bearing lives. So was it then the first bad bearing that caused the shaft to fail (not supported in that area) and then hub or vice versa? Steel freehub has two bearing so depending on root cause all of my problems they should go away -right. I banked on this theory and went with the doublewide bearing setupand crossing my fingers and so far so good (5 months in).The only real answer to the shaft breakage problem is a steel shaft (or Ti) because this issue is a fatigue problem and there is no more room for thicker aluminum. 
BUT, the fact that the tolerances are such that you cant just torque the nuts and load the bearings perfectly like a high end hub, it means that depending on how tight you torque the nuts, it significantly changes the game. My bearings could have been toasted by my setup all along, leading to the other problems. These are simple deep groove bearings but are being forced into working like a cup and cone set up, i.e., too tight, lots of drag and blown bearings or too loose and sloppy wheel/break rub. I've tried bearing shims but cant get it quite right and then kind of sniff a little when I think about how did I get here and how much time I'm spending on this. And as the price creeps up.....
BTW im 205# and ride hard but no big drops or crazy air...too old and just glad to be riding. Now that I think about it, too loose torque may also be part of the shaft breakage problem because the shaft can bend more (i think?) with this loading. Net, keep your preload just right!
Hope that helps.


----------



## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

How much has this axle been running you guys when talking to Brandon? Did I see somebody above got one replaced for free? I am going to try picking up 3 of them, 1 to replace mine, 1 for backup, and 1 for a buddy's backup! haha.

And boost/non-boost both been snapping axles?


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

These seem worth about $100 a set. I want better durability to prefer them to SRAM 900 or DT 350.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

Schulze said:


> These seem worth about $100 a set. I want better durability to prefer them to SRAM 900 or DT 350.


They have been good for me. I have about 2,000 miles on them and have not encountered an issue.

HOWEVER... I am going to build a set of wheels this winter through Carbonfan... and will be opting for DT 350's with the 54T upgrade.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Schulze said:


> These seem worth about $100 a set. I want better durability to prefer them to SRAM 900 or DT 350.


Having held a SRAM900 and a BHS in my hands at the same time, I could be convinced they're the same hub.


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

06HokieMTB said:


> Having held a SRAM900 and a BHS in my hands at the same time, I could be convinced they're the same hub.


Interdasting. I have the 900. We should measure our axle wall thicknesses and compare.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Edit: my comment above was for the BHS MTB148 rear hub (MTB148 Boost Rear Disc Hub - 12 x 148mm). The MTB148 has now been replaced with the BHS BX211R Boost hub, which is definitely not the same as a SRAM900.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> Has anyone here broken an axle w/ a steel freehub?
> Anyone know if BHS offers some more burly axle?
> 
> -JCBs


I spoke with Brandon two days ago, Chromo axle option is coming


----------



## Asmodeus2112 (Jan 4, 2008)

*Origin 8 = Bitex too?*

I purchased two wheelsets from Pricepoint when they went out of business. They were Origin8 hubs with DT rims. I needed different end caps and searched all over and finally found them at Niagra Cycle. They were to convert front QR to 15x100, and were unique. I just was browsing BHS and saw the adapters for the MTB180 look exactly the same. Looking at Origin 8's hub page they look like they are all the same Bitex hubs.

Product Description | Origin8

Not earth shattering news, and BHS is still cheaper and probably better service. I just feel better knowing the brand of the hubs on my wheels and where to buy parts. Perhaps someone else could use the info.

Also, for those looking to buy Bitex straight pull, maybe Origin8 versions would do. Niagra Cycle seems to have some...

https://www.niagaracycle.com/catego...a-6b-32x142-11s-xd-driver-sb-bk-straight-pull


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

It's not too hard to find bitex hubs from not BHS.

I bought $2000 worth of them direct and ALL the hubs were 100% defective. That's a bit unnerving to say the least.

Brandon seems to spot check the hubs, and even if something goes wrong he's here in the US and has proven to back his products, quickly.

It took a long time and many angry people to resolve my $2k direct order. It got solved, as bitex themselves are legit and honest, they're just across the world. Don't bother if you're just trying to buy a pair for yourself, just pay marginally more and buy from BHS.


----------



## Andy13 (Nov 21, 2006)

Can anyone confirm the weights of the BHS Bitex BX 211 hubs? The front is listed as 140.78g, which is a little weird for Brandon to measure to the 100th of a gram. The rear is listed as 275g. Both weights are very light for Boost hubs. 
Thanks in advance.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I don't have a set of hubs here at the moment but I can say that they are very light. A few months ago, I built a set of boost wheels with the earlier hubs that had the curved body.
The new ones are straight. I asked Brandon why the change and he replied the new ones are lighter.


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

One Pivot said:


> It's not too hard to find bitex hubs from not BHS.
> 
> I bought $2000 worth of them direct and ALL the hubs were 100% defective. That's a bit unnerving to say the least.


What was wrong with them?


----------



## Andy13 (Nov 21, 2006)

If anyone cares. ( I may be the only weight weenie when looking at boost hubs).







142g for a front boost hub is very attractive.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Huh- I just checked my shoddy spreadsheet. 
The non-boost 100x15mm was 180g. 
Wonder where that discrepancy comes from? My record keeping? My scale? 
Could the boost be that much lighter? And why? 

But yes- that is a great weight. 
I think a King hub is in the 160g range? 

-JCBs


----------



## Andy13 (Nov 21, 2006)

Your spreadsheet is correct AFAIK. BHS lists it as 182 (hence mtb180) and they have a pic on their website showing all 3 front hub axle configurations on a scale. So I was very pleasantly surprised w/ the 142g weight. I am fairly sure my scale is accurate. American Classic is the only 'reasonably' priced boost hub lighter to my knowledge at 130g, but much more expensive than BHS, and could be pretty hard to find from what I hear.


----------



## Haymarket (Jan 20, 2008)

Andy13 said:


> Your spreadsheet is correct AFAIK. BHS lists it as 182 (hence mtb180) and they have a pic on their website showing all 3 front hub axle configurations on a scale. So I was very pleasantly surprised w/ the 142g weight. I am fairly sure my scale is accurate. American Classic is the only 'reasonably' priced boost hub lighter to my knowledge at 130g, but much more expensive than BHS, and could be pretty hard to find from what I hear.


SRAM 900 is about the same weight...I just built with them; really, really nice light weight hubs with decent engagement that are dirt cheap.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

So the boost hub might have the same bearings but it’s certainly ly wider flange to flange. 
Why would it be lighter? Did they add chunks of newspaper or kitty litter to the aluminum?

Sram hubs? That stings all my personal biases. Most of which have no rational foundation. 
I’d just never consider a SRAM when I’m lacing. I wouldn’t even remember that they make them. 
So maybe it’s time I lace a pair just to pry open this crotchety old brain. 
Thanks. 
Esp since they are cheap. 


-JCB


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

I've been looking hard at the sram 900 hubs, but the fact that they have only two pawls engaged at a time really bothers me. But I guess the design works well enough for hope. I just have a difficult time believing that two can be as strong as three.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Looking at a quick price comparison between the BHS hubs and the SRAM- I'd still lean to the BHS. 
Plus I've had no issues w/ the BHS hubs, though mine are less abused than the DT hubs on my bikes. So partially tried and true I suppose. 
The SRAM are probably absolute fine. 
But a higher cost and that slight unknown lean me to BHS. 

Anyone had lots of abuse on the SRAM? Good/Bad things to add?

Edit-
I wasn't looking at the Boost pricing on the BHS hubs. When I did, they are closer in cost to the SRAM.


----------



## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Johnny Chicken Bones said:


> But a higher cost and that slight unknown lean me to BHS.


For boost hubs, SRAM 900 can be found for under 200 bucks for the pair. BHS wants $250 for boost and xd.

The price that BHS is charging for boost hubs starts to put them in line with a lot of other options. Namely hope and DT 350 from European sites, in addition to the aforementioned sram.


----------



## Haymarket (Jan 20, 2008)

GuitsBoy said:


> For boost hubs, SRAM 900 can be found for under 200 bucks for the pair. BHS wants $250 for boost and xd.
> 
> The price that BHS is charging for boost hubs starts to put them in line with a lot of other options. Namely hope and DT 350 from European sites, in addition to the aforementioned sram.


I intended to buy BHS when I started out. I have long used Hadley, but just couldn't justify the price any longer with more options that are lighter and now closer in engagement. That said, I couldn't find any reports of durability issue at all with the 900s. Maybe there are some, but I couldn't find them. I found lots with BHS, even though most people have good experiences, but as stated, SRAM can be found cheaper with Boost by a decent amount. So I tried them, and they just seem like well made hubs. Really well made for the price, and light weight for the engagement. We'll see when I start hitting them hard and how they hold up.


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong hub. 
I only see the Bitex boost rear hub on the BHS site. 
And it's on sale. 
Post a link if you can. 

Otherwise- If your numbers are correct? Man- I would always take DT over both BHS or SRAM. 
The 350s aren't quite as versatile as the 240s but they are an absolute known event.
They work, and they don't stop working. 
Easy to work on. Heck you can even pull the cassette off on a trip w/o tools. That would make installing a new spoke easier on the drive side. 

-JCBs


----------



## Johnny Chicken Bones (Jul 13, 2005)

Disregard. There's a big huge link above of it. Didn't find it on their site since it's in the sale bin. 
Still- it's $150. 
Not terrible.


----------



## sfo423 (Oct 12, 2010)

Anyone know how much lateral play you should have in front hub (MTB180)? With wheel out I can slide left & right a very noticeable few mm. 

is this normal for front wheel standard use?


----------



## cerebroside (Jun 25, 2011)

sfo423 said:


> Anyone know how much lateral play you should have in front hub (MTB180)? With wheel out I can slide left & right a very noticeable few mm.
> 
> is this normal for front wheel standard use?


The endcaps? Yeah, the are only loosely held in place when the hub is not clamped by the axle. Pretty standard.


----------



## tuvok (Jun 22, 2008)

Hope this is not too off-topic. Does anyone know which (if any) 142 to boost conversion kits will work with the MTB270 rear hub? Built a rear wheel with one and want to move it to a new frame but a few of the frames I'm looking at are boost *sigh*


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Email BHS about which end caps you need then locate a rotor spacer

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

RAKC Ind said:


> Email BHS about which end caps you need then locate a rotor spacer


Well if it's anything like my experience, you can e-mail all you like and never receive a response from Brandon. Granted mine most recently is a warranty issue, but I had the same experience when trying to order.

I have three sets of hubs now and still get no response from e-mails. Pretty disappointing.


----------



## cerebroside (Jun 25, 2011)

tuvok said:


> Hope this is not too off-topic. Does anyone know which (if any) 142 to boost conversion kits will work with the MTB270 rear hub? Built a rear wheel with one and want to move it to a new frame but a few of the frames I'm looking at are boost *sigh*


Any of the versions that use an axle spacer instead of new endcaps should work.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

I should elaborate, I was assured by Brandon that I would receive my warranty parts (damaged axles and freehubs) as soon as they became available (couple months). More than 2 months passed and I heard nothing so I sent a follow up e-mail. Still nothing. I just sent another e-mail, I'll be happy to update this thread if I get a response.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

*OneSpeed* said:


> I should elaborate, I was assured by Brandon that I would receive my warranty parts as soon as they became available (couple weeks). More than 2 months passed and I heard nothing so I sent a follow up e-mail. Still nothing. I just sent another e-mail, I'll be happy to update this thread if I get a response.


What is needed under warranty, Im curious as I have 3 hubs so far and was planning to use them when I build new wheels for my B+

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

*Lost washer*

Does anyone know what size the washer is that goes between the hub bearing and the freehub bearing? I lost it and spent 2 hours trying to find it to no avail. My best guess is 15 mm id x 21 mm od x .3 mm thick. I have found several suppliers on eBay in the UK selling all sorts of shim washers. None in the states. I am going to call Brandon tomorrow and, hopefully, he has what I need. Thanks!

I am referring to the bearing removed in this video:


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

I called the shop yesterday and they informed me that, when you order a new freehub, it includes the washer that goes between the drive-side bearings.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Cool. I happen to have one of their hubs apart right now and was going to measure that washer for you but my wife's car needed attention last night and I forgot about it.


----------



## corinthian (Feb 15, 2014)

For those of you who have used the SRAM 900 rear hub and the BHS/Bitex hubs, how do they compare in terms of noise? And are any of the Bitex hubs quieter than the others?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

The fat hubs seem to be louder than the Boost and 135mm hubs. Must be the size of the body somehow amplifying the sound because the freehubs are the same on all the MTB hubs.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

NYrr496 said:


> The fat hubs seem to be louder than the Boost and 135mm hubs. Must be the size of the body somehow amplifying the sound because the freehubs are the same on all the MTB hubs.


I noticed the very same effect on Hope hubs. Fat hubs are slightly louder.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

*7 or 8 rides in...help what was the trick to separate these*

Been a while since I dealt w/ this scenario, are these one now or how do I get the cassette off the bhs freehub? I still want to use the cassette:eekster:
View attachment 1194517


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Uh oh. I guess the separate cogs dug into the aluminum driver? Just gotta wiggle em off. Takes patience. 
I've been opting for the Anti Bite freehubs.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

I'll try to wiggle em today, thanks. This bhs hub order was supposed to be the steel fhb, maybe it's not have to check that. Trials wheel pulls dbl duty so two bikes are down w/o it..last night tried prying w/ big screwdriver, then chainwhip and tapping each sprocket in reverse, 7spd no budgie!


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Holy cow. If it's steel and it did that...


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

No way its a steel freehub body. I have 2 of them and at 275lbs, on my fat bike for 2 seasons so far there isnt a single mark

Looks like you accidentally got an aluminum one( though last time I ordered steel versions still had to be ordered seperate) 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

This nearly happened to me too. The 11t cog dug into the freehub pretty bad. I think this is what caused my cassette cog to break.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

*OneSpeed* said:


> This nearly happened to me too. The 11t cog dug into the freehub pretty bad. I think this is what caused my cassette cog to break.
> 
> View attachment 1194619
> 
> ...


Shoot, is that the steel or aluminum fhb you have there..not sure how to tell them a part?

Mine looks to be the same color/finish. Soaking it in hoppes no. 9, going to get ugly it's so stuck..doesn't come off in one more go I'm gonna have to run the other bike w/ 7spd spares :madman:


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

That's an aluminum freehub. Pre anti-bite version. I have all steel now. 

You can also see where the axle is flexing and causing the FHB to hit the drive ring. That's what those marks are at the other end, by the pawls.


----------



## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

You're too strong dude.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Well, I'm not the first, and I'm sure I'm not the last to experience this with these hubs. I just wish they were either made stronger like most hubs, or there was an option for a steel replacement axle, which there isn't. 

Like many things in the bike industry, the engineering was too focused on being light weight at the expense of durability.


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

Is there a better place than bhs to get the steel fhb?


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Deerhill said:


> Is there a better place than bhs to get the steel fhb?


For these hubs? Nope.


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

*OneSpeed* said:


> That's an aluminum freehub. Pre anti-bite version. I have all steel now.
> 
> You can also see where the axle is flexing and causing the FHB to hit the drive ring. That's what those marks are at the other end, by the pawls.


Dang. Are you a 300 pounder like RAKC?


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

*Can't believe it's not butter*

It's the butterstuff, buyer beware..it lasted probably 3-4 rides from the look of mine, should absolutely not be junked as it is this quickly...7spd is quite a bit thicker compared to 9-10spd...low cost/quality of the aluminum is not worth it w/ these, buyers over 100lbs are better off getting a used Hadley on ebay Edit* just checked ebay and this mk goes @ $250 FOR FRONT AND REAR HADLEY SET:thumbsup:

Even if you articulate before purchase- ABSOLUTELY CANNOT USE ALUMINUM FHB, that is what bhs will send you


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Schulze said:


> Dang. Are you a 300 pounder like RAKC?


Im a fair bit below 300 now lol.

I havent looked recently to see if I have any marks, last time I had the hub apart I didnt. But then too Im on a steep freehub.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

Anyone know if the mtb 270 9spd / 10spd / 11spd steel freehub body is the same as steel Bitex RAR9 RAR13 or RAR16??

Found this but not sure what the difference could be
https://m.ebay.com/itm/6-Pawls-Hub-...3D560876513908&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

*OneSpeed* said:


> I just wish they were either made stronger like most hubs, or there was an option for a steel replacement axle, which there isn't.
> 
> Like many things in the bike industry, the engineering was too focused on being light weight at the expense of durability.


Yes they do sell chromoly steel axles. I will be stocking them soon, as well as steel freehubs.



Deerhill said:


> Anyone know if the mtb 270 9spd / 10spd / 11spd steel freehub body is the same as steel Bitex RAR9 RAR13 or RAR16??


No, it's not. The ones for road hubs are about 1mm smaller at the pawls. And that auction doesn't say steel anywhere.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

MudSnow said:


> *Yes they do sell chromoly steel axles. *I will be stocking them soon, as well as steel freehubs.


Well, they didn't as of 2 or so months ago. You have a PN? Link?

Even if it is available now, I'm still a little disappointed that I have to pay to upgrade the freehub and axle after buying the hub because it's under built. Really makes these hubs not the great deal they seem to be on the surface. By the time I rebuild the thing with all steel parts it's going to be just as expensive as a Hope or DT and weigh a metric ton.

The flexing axle and resulting contact with the drive ring aren't the only problem I've experienced. The axle is gouged where the driver meets the hub shell and will eventually wear through and break.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

*OneSpeed* said:


> Well, they didn't as of 2 or so months ago. You have a PN? Link?
> 
> Even if it is available now, I'm still a little disappointed that I have to pay to upgrade the freehub and axle after buying the hub because it's under built. Really makes these hubs not the great deal they seem to be on the surface. By the time I rebuild the thing with all steel parts it's going to be just as expensive as a Hope or DT and weigh a metric ton.
> 
> The flexing axle and resulting contact with the drive ring aren't the only problem I've experienced. The axle is gouged where the driver meets the hub shell and will eventually wear through and break.


Well a DT350 you can get for close to that, Hope about the middle between the 2. For $25 more you can get Hope and not deal with the issues..... Granted my only experience so far is the 170mm fat hub, which I need to check condition of the freehub and axle now and I had to pay for the steel freehub body. For fat it was a good deal as long as it's not jacked up now. Steel freehub body may be enough to not have the flex issues but we'll see

But glad I went with a DT350 to replace OEM hub on my trail bike. Though the 350 star ratchet engage is like riding shimano hubs. $70 for the 36t replacement..... Not sure why DT doesn't just start at 36.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

MudSnow said:


> Yes they do sell chromoly steel axles. I will be stocking them soon, as well as steel freehubs.
> 
> No, it's not. The ones for road hubs are about 1mm smaller at the pawls. And that auction doesn't say steel anywhere.


Thanks for the heads up..far as I'm concerned, the steel axle/fhb should be what this "mtb" design starts with. Nothing seems to be available today for this MTB hub that is trail worthy except a laughable titanium fhb..bugged how this thing ended after 7 rides


----------



## Deerhill (Dec 21, 2009)

*Soft Al*



*OneSpeed* said:


> Well, they didn't as of 2 or so months ago. You have a PN? Link?
> 
> Even if it is available now, I'm still a little disappointed that I have to pay to upgrade the freehub and axle after buying the hub because it's under built. Really makes these hubs not the great deal they seem to be on the surface. By the time I rebuild the thing with all steel parts it's going to be just as expensive as a Hope or DT and weigh a metric ton.
> 
> The flexing axle and resulting contact with the drive ring aren't the only problem I've experienced. The axle is gouged where the driver meets the hub shell and will eventually wear through and break.


Not going to post any more photo's, but this^^ is also another little present I found inside..can't find the correct steel fhb the recommendation for "mtb"270 gets upgraded to AVOID


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

I have an order of steel parts coming and will be adding them to my own site in about 4 weeks.

$22 for axles and $48 for the freehubs. 

I will ask about getting some hubs with the steel parts installed already.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

*OneSpeed* said:


> This nearly happened to me too. The 11t cog dug into the freehub pretty bad. I think this is what caused my cassette cog to break.
> 
> View attachment 1194619
> 
> ...


So I checked my rear hub now that I swapped my 29+ wheels back on again. Now keep in mind my hub is 170 fat hub

My freehub isn't gouged like yours inside the pawl/ratchet area but there ARE marks where the freehub body has hit the teeth of the ring inside. My freehub is also steel, I ate the aluminum one in 2 weeks lol. But after 2 years hub is still flawless beyond that.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

RAKC Ind said:


> there ARE marks where the freehub body has hit the teeth of the ring inside.


That is caused by the axle tube flexing. Thanks to feedback I am going to be keeping chromoly axles in stock.


----------



## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Ya I figured that, I had mentioned earlier I would check my fat bike hub to see if it was flexing as badly.

Some flex is going to happen, no way around it. But enough to damage the freehub body is cause for concern.

I did notice that my salsa hub (which is formula) the axle appears reinforced at the joint between the freehub and hub body. Very similar design, at quick glance or to untrained eye it would be hard to tell a difference internally.

I'll likely order a chromo axle sometime soonish as I'm a BIG guy. Shocked the issue hasn't caused any problems for me. If I was lighter I wouldn't even worry about it but at 270lbs, don't need the axle giving out when I'm a few miles from anything out riding in the cold of winter.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

MudSnow said:


> That is caused by the axle tube flexing. Thanks to feedback I am going to be keeping chromoly axles in stock.


Props to MudSnow as a Bitex supplier (on eBay). Fast shipment and good communication!


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Just hit 'order' on a Bitex steel freehub from BHS. (They showed out of stock yesterday, but today it let me place the order.)

Replacing the 6902 bearings on an BX211R hub shell... so it was an excuse to buy a slide hammer, blind, inner bearing puller. I like excuses to buy new tools :thumbsup:


----------



## caRpetbomBer (Jul 13, 2013)

I know that the freehub uses 1x6802 and 1x6902 does anyone know the bearing size for the 2 in the shell. Has anyone noticed that the freehub bearings seems to have alot of drag. Should the bearing spacer spin the other bearing. Hubs have been awesome. Just time for a overhaul.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

caRpetbomBer said:


> I know that the freehub uses 1x6802 and 1x6902 does anyone know the bearing size for the 2 in the shell. Has anyone noticed that the freehub bearings seems to have alot of drag. Should the bearing spacer spin the other bearing. Hubs have been awesome. Just time for a overhaul.


You will want a pair of 6902 bearings for the shell.


----------



## noremorse1 (Jul 17, 2016)

I replaced the bearings in the hub shell and bought a new free hub this spring that included the "anti-bite". I pulled off my cassette, which was also brand new in the beginning of the spring, after about 500 miles this season on the new freehub and bearings... and found the free hub was gouged again. Mostly where the 11t and 13t are.

It was not this bad the first set I had... at least it lasted longer. Looks like I need a steel freehub!


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

MudSnow said:


> That is caused by the axle tube flexing. Thanks to feedback I am going to be keeping chromoly axles in stock.


I now have a few of the Bitex chromoly steel axles 142mm, boost 148mm, Shimano freehubs, and the boost hubs with steel axles already installed, in stock, ready to ship. I can get more if a lot of people want them. I plan on stocking the boost hubs with the chromoly axles from now on.


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

I meant to buy a Rohloff this year but instead used a MTB270 this summer on my fat touring bike, 135mm with 27.5x3.8 tires, 30 x 11-46 rear cassette with some gears missing to clear the tires. Took it to Central Asia and put 600 miles on it up some 13,000 foot passes and too many stream crossings to count. 

When I got home I took the rear hub apart. The small bearing in the freehub was crunchy and the steel inserts have been a little mangled. With the bearing replaced the freehub would still be useable, but I got a steel freehub from Mudsnow and all seems nice, tight and smooth spinning again.

I was going to use a Dt Swiss 350 for a 29+ wheel build, but the MTB270 did great other than all the stream crossings, plus the engagement's higher and the overall cost with a steel freehub is still cheaper. Great hub.


----------



## Kaedenmtb (Mar 21, 2017)

Hello everyone, how are the mtb270 hub holding up? Looking to get one for my enduro bike I’ve mainly now been using for cross country and now and then some big jumps. I’ve been noticing my hub engagement could be way better and would help for trials stuff and techy climbs. Intrigued by the P.O.E and price, but not sure if they would hold up.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Loctite the end caps and they hold up great


----------



## spsoon (Jul 28, 2008)

Two of my friends have now broken their MTB270 axle.


----------



## biggrumble (May 6, 2010)

I also had a broken alloy axle; if you buy one I'd just buy the steel axle to go along with it and run the alloy one until it cracks.

https://www.bikehubstore.com/product-p/mtr-axle.htm


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

spsoon said:


> Two of my friends have now broken their MTB270 axle.


For the life of me, I cannot figure out how people are doing that.

My theory is that they don't properly pre-load the end caps and radial play/flex develops between the freehub body/the axle/the hub body.

I'm guessing that radial play causes the steel bushing/spacer (that rides on the axle, between the hub body bearing and the freehub body) causes a 'scoring' on the alloy axle body.

I've had plenty of MTB270's (and BX211R's) and have never had an issue. But I always take the end cap off (when new), clean all of the threads (on the axle and the ID of the end cap) and add loc-tite to the threads.


----------



## Kaedenmtb (Mar 21, 2017)

Okay, just solved the issue. Just placed the order on CRC for a complete wheel, Easton arc 27 laced to DT SWISS 350's for a pretty sweet deal. Had a $20 coupon and ended up being $120. Even though the engagement isn't the best, once I have enough money I can get the 54 tooth upgrade. I wish the upgrade wasn't so expensive but having the feature to upgrade is pretty cool. It comes with an Xd driver so I will have to buy a new cassette, but fortunate I needed to replace my cassette anyways.
Heres the link-https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/dt-swiss-dt350-on-easton-arc27-rear-wheel/rp-prod187732


----------



## kwapik (Mar 1, 2016)

That's the way to do it. Fantastic deal!


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

spsoon said:


> Two of my friends have now broken their MTB270 axle.


Yup, I broke 5-6 in the year or year and a half I had these hubs.



biggrumble said:


> I also had a broken alloy axle; if you buy one I'd just buy the steel axle to go along with it and run the alloy one until it cracks.


The steel axle is not an option for all hubs, like Boost for instance. I broke 2 boost axles in 2 months and killed a freehub. Even if I could add a steel freehub, and a steel axle, now I'm left with a pretty heavy, not cheap hub I had to buy a bunch of spare parts for. No thanks.

Just buy something better right out of the box and be much happier in the long run with no hassles, no down time waiting on replacement parts, no added expense, no reliability issues, etc.



06HokieMTB said:


> For the life of me, I cannot figure out how people are doing that.


Easy, they're just not up to the task of heavier/stronger riders. Freehub bearings blow out, axles break, severely gouged freehubs in weeks.

Not to mention pretty lousy customer service from Brandon. Guys always got an attitude and gives snarky responses to basic e-mail questions.

I got out despite having 4 wheelsets. No regrets. YMMV


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Simply as an FYI: I have a steel axle for my Boost 148 Bitex rear hub


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Huh, wasn't available at the time. Seems all the hubs have the same broken axle issue, hence why the steel axle is necessary for all of them. A properly designed hub doesn't need a bandaid for a poor design. 

It seems some people are having good luck with them I guess. I just wouldn't recommend them if your heavier or ride a lot. They don't hold up.


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

*OneSpeed* said:


> Yup, I broke 5-6 in the year or year and a half I had these hubs.
> 
> The steel axle is not an option for all hubs, like Boost for instance. I broke 2 boost axles in 2 months and killed a freehub.


The chromoly steel axle is available for the 142mm and 148mm through axles. It can be added as an upgrade or I have been ordering many boost hubs with steel axles already installed for just $10 extra. The steel axle does add about 50g to the weight, which is just 11% of a pound, but it is MUCH stronger and more durable. I can also install steel freehubs for $15 extra on your purchase of a complete rear hub.


----------



## MudSnow (Jun 30, 2013)

There is no way to "properly design" aluminum to make it as strong as steel. Aluminum comes standard because it is strong enough for most riders for most trails and many riders are concerned with light weight. Heavy riders and more extreme trails will logically require stronger equipment, which of course will weigh more.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

06HokieMTB said:


> Converted a 142 MTB270 to Boost148 tonight.
> 
> The idea came after looking at my buddies hubs (DT350 and Industry9) after they installed the Boostinator kits.
> 
> ...


I assume the wa-la came after you redished the wheel 3mm to account for the spacers ;-). I didn't see it mentioned but it might be a good idea to order the *steel* 148 axle just to be on the safe side.

I was thinking to just order order a Bitex BX211R Boost hub from BHS and just swap the MTB270 out with it to avoid monkeying around with a loose axle spacer, but now you have me reconsidering that. Thx.


----------



## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

Yes, given the option, I’d buy a steel axle


----------



## elastico (Oct 17, 2019)

*Which Bitex hub is this?*

Hi guys,

I apparently have a set of wheels with carbon (Light Bicycle) rims and Bitex hubs. The guy who sold me the set said the hubs were from Novatec, so ordered a novatec freehub body but it was clearly not a match. Did some Google image research and saw that the Bitex hubs were (almost) a perfect match to my hubs. The front one is MTF15 (ordered a set of QR conversion end caps which fitted perfectly), not sure about the rear one. The outward appearance looks exactly like MTR12 / MTB270 hub but the inner contents are what put me in bewilderment. I've checked bikehubstore and bitex websites but none of the road hubs match with mine, the MTR12 / MTB270 seems like it would be the right one. On the road category the BX106R would otherwise match but it's for centerlock whereas my hub has 6-bolt pattern.

Ordered a heavy-duty steel freehub body from BHS but it was too big to fit into my hub. The freewheel side has 24 notches (which is apparently what the Bitex road hubs have, whereas MTB versions have 27 notches?, apparently they also differ some 1mm in pawl length, according to an Israeli ebay seller who's selling Bitex freehub bodies, I know it's an interesting source of information lol). The rear hub was 142x12mm, ordered an MTR12 QRx135mm conversion axle which fitted perfectly. Is my hub some kind of a weird Chinese match of different hub components?


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Why ask the internet when you can go right to the source? Write them an e-mail, or call them, or both. https://www.bikehubstore.com/default.asp



elastico said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I apparently have a set of wheels with carbon (Light Bicycle) rims and Bitex hubs. The guy who sold me the set said the hubs were from Novatec, so ordered a novatec freehub body but it was clearly not a match. Did some Google image research and saw that the Bitex hubs were (almost) a perfect match to my hubs. The front one is MTF15 (ordered a set of QR conversion end caps which fitted perfectly), not sure about the rear one. The outward appearance looks exactly like MTR12 / MTB270 hub but the inner contents are what put me in bewilderment. I've checked bikehubstore and bitex websites but none of the road hubs match with mine, the MTR12 / MTB270 seems like it would be the right one. On the road category the BX106R would otherwise match but it's for centerlock whereas my hub has 6-bolt pattern.
> 
> Ordered a heavy-duty steel freehub body from BHS but it was too big to fit into my hub. The freewheel side has 24 notches (which is apparently what the Bitex road hubs have, whereas MTB versions have 27 notches?, apparently they also differ some 1mm in pawl length, according to an Israeli ebay seller who's selling Bitex freehub bodies, I know it's an interesting source of information lol). The rear hub was 142x12mm, ordered an MTR12 QRx135mm conversion axle which fitted perfectly. Is my hub some kind of a weird Chinese match of different hub components?


----------



## elastico (Oct 17, 2019)

Thanks for your assistance. I forgot to mention I've already emailed to both Bitex and BHS, no response. Calling BHS is not an option as I live in Europe. 

Meanwhile, I received a reply from the kind Israeli seller on eBay, he said historically Bitex was using 24-notch interface on their MTB freehubs but they were having problems with failures (too much torque) so they changed to 27 notches. Apparently I have one of their older MTB rear hubs, this is also supported by the fact that the rims have an ID of 20mm and OD of 25mm (narrow), more common in the past days. That's why I converted the hubs to QR, put them on my road bike instead for a relatively light and wide, aerodynamic tubeless setup with 25mm road tires. He also recommended me a couple of options for the replacement freehub, advised me to order a "road" model instead as it would fit the 24-notch freehub system.


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

That was nice of him. I wouldn't expect a reply from bhs. They've never answered any questions I've sent about their lower end hubs.


----------



## elastico (Oct 17, 2019)

I agree, very impressive customer service. It's ROI Cycles who helped me with the issue and shared the information. I just noticed some play in the rear hub, so the axle swap may not have been perfect. The bearings are smooth and I tightened the end caps after putting some loctite (well not actual loctite but similar with medium "strength") on the threads to prevent the axle from loosening. I'll try to figure it out. The play in the hub only appears when I mount the wheel and tighten the QR, but when I have the wheel on my hands off the bike and "rocking" the axle/end caps laterally I can't feel any play in the hub.

EDIT. I couldn't get rid of the very small amount of play (well, there's not much to do as the bearings are not adjustable). Then I read about it and found this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/1137555-hub-cartridge-bearings-play.html . There it's clearly stated that a small amount of play in radial cartridge bearings is acceptable and even critical for them to function properly as that will allow the bearings to run in the center of their races, and if there was the option to adjust them, then overtightening would push them to run on the edges of the bearing races and lead to premature wear. I guess I'll just leave it like that then and stop worrying. Maybe the bearings only need replacing if/once the play gets excessive (or the bearings feel rough). I will order the new freehub, though, from the eBay seller who has helped me a ton.


----------



## Cerpss (Sep 13, 2015)

Schulze said:


> That was nice of him. I wouldn't expect a reply from bhs. They've never answered any questions I've sent about their lower end hubs.


I emailed them with a question on an xd driver for a fat hub at 4:26 oct 2 and got a reply at 10:41 october 3. So I guess different experiences for different people.


----------



## TheUnknownRider (Oct 2, 2015)

06HokieMTB said:


> Yes, given the option, I'd buy a steel axle


yeah, so I studied the situation more and am taking a different route with an Intense Spider 275C boost frame and MTB270 142mm hub. I was able to find standard spacers that allow me to shift the derailleur hanger in 3mm and also an equally longer derailleur hanger bolt. Which I have 3mm hub and rotor spacers already. If the steel hub axle threads are long enough I may try to get a spacer to fit on there the same way people used the 6mm spacer on the 148mm hub axle, but worst case I may have a loose spacer on the non-drive side.

The deal is that this keeps me from having to redish the wheel and in theory it should all work. I already had everything mounted with equal 3mm spacing, but as expected I can't get the derailleur to move over far enough to engage 11th and 12th gears. Changing the 3mm spacer on that side to instead move the derailleur hanger over should solve that. It looks like everything should clear fine otherwise. Even with the chainline over 3mm that's still within the range of a 2x front derailleur setup. I'll report back again with an update.


----------



## Captain_America1976 (Mar 15, 2005)

Another data point on these hubs, specifically the fat bike hub. I did have a wheel set built with the hubs mentioned below. In the time I had them(a year) no issued. First fatbike hub I had for about 3 years with no issue. I ran this one 170QR. I bought a new hub for my single speed fatbike 177 x 12. I had the wheel built last August, and rode it through November. I have 2 bikes, so it was ridden on average 1x a week. From December - March the bike is used as a true fatbike with different wheels and fork. From mid March it's been back in its single speed form. For the last few months I have been riding it 3x a week. Today I took the back wheel off to investigate a creak, and the hub axle was snapped. I have a 170QR axle that appears to be the same, but the NDS end cap will not come off. Any ideas here? 
I also emailed BHS to see about a warranty.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Captain_America1976 said:


> Another data point on these hubs, specifically the fat bike hub. I did have a wheel set built with the hubs mentioned below. In the time I had them(a year) no issued. First fatbike hub I had for about 3 years with no issue. I ran this one 170QR. I bought a new hub for my single speed fatbike 177 x 12. I had the wheel built last August, and rode it through November. I have 2 bikes, so it was ridden on average 1x a week. From December - March the bike is used as a true fatbike with different wheels and fork. From mid March it's been back in its single speed form. For the last few months I have been riding it 3x a week. Today I took the back wheel off to investigate a creak, and the hub axle was snapped. I have a 170QR axle that appears to be the same, but the NDS end cap will not come off. Any ideas here?
> I also emailed BHS to see about a warranty.


^ Yup, I've posted my experience with these hubs, this is a known issue that hasn't been addressed. The bottom line is to use a steel axle (if it's available?) and a steel freehub (which didn't help for me, the bearings exploded instead), and after dealing with these issues combined with extremely poor customer service from Brandon I moved on to better products.

Light weight riders seem to be OK on these hubs, sometimes, but if you're a stronger rider look elsewhere.


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

The Bitex hubs ain't bad. Unfortunately you only have one US source for them and the bikehubstore really lacks in service. To bad, way to ruin a good product.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

HerrKaLeun said:


> The Bitex hubs ain't bad. Unfortunately you only have one US source for them and the bikehubstore really lacks in service. To bad, way to ruin a good product.


But it's not a good product really. It's merely OK for some people. I built one wheelset for a friend who's not heavy at all. I don't advise any of my other friends to go with these hubs. There's better stuff like I said.


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

*OneSpeed* said:


> But it's not a good product really. It's merely OK for some people. I built one wheelset for a friend who's not heavy at all. I don't advise any of my other friends to go with these hubs. There's better stuff like I said.


I have a 197mm hub, so even have fewer options. Rereading this thread made me realize many people have the problem with the weak springs. but BHS doesn't sell springs. they also don't tell me if the one freehub they sell will fit my hub. they sometimes reply to emails with a promise, but never follow through and then never reply again.

the problem is the "better" hubs also have their issues. An i9 freehub replacement cost $370, vs. $54 for the bitex. I'm sure i9 woudl respond to en email adn tell em which freehub to buy...
Hope hubs break bearings, DT Swiss are a pain to replace bearings and require expensive special tools (and have a rotten PoE). Before DT Swiss forbade sales from Europe, they were at least reasonably priced. The cheaper novatec et all just fail outright.... Bitex seemed to be in the middle. Except you can't buy replacement parts. One would think a rearhub was part of a bike for centuries and wouldn't be an engineering challenge anymore (i mean, after sending robots to Mars, one could expect a hub to just work under the light bicycle loads)

It would be better if Bitex sold directly, or would let multiple vendors sell. What we have now is a monopoly, but that is just a middleman that adds no value but is just an obstacle. I usually have luck with manufacturers that sell directly, or let many vendors sell.

Somewhere in this thread someone bough generic springs. I may go that route since I can't expect anything from BHS.


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

GuitsBoy said:


> Update on Heavier Springs:
> 
> The 0.3 mm coil thickness springs were a bit too heavy, so last night I swapped them out to new 0.2 mm coil thicness springs. Upon disassembly, I saw that one of teh heavier springs had actually broken at some point in the last 100 to 150 miles. The pawl was still operating, as only one coil had broken off. The broken coil had worked itself out of the ratchet ring and up against the seal, so it wasn't doing any damage. The springs were nowhere near coil bind, so IMO its simply too heavy a spring, and it simply succumbed to fatigue.
> 
> The lighter weight 0.2 mm springs have more coils, so fatigue life should be extended a bit. Its hard to remember how the stock springs sounded, but the new springs are FAR quieter than the 0.3 mm springs were. I'll miss the rattle snake sound a bit, but hopefully this will be a good middle ground. I have not yet gone for a ride on them yet, but theres a lot less resistance spinning the wheel by hand.


Hi, I have he same problem and need new springs. Did the 0.2mm springs you installed work out long term? The ebay link you posted isn't active anymore (3 years later now, lol). i wonder if one can buy other springs. I saw i9Torch springs are reasonably priced and wonder if they fit. At least they would be made for pawl duty.


----------



## alex-henson (May 6, 2016)

HerrKaLeun said:


> It would be better if Bitex sold directly, or would let multiple vendors sell. What we have now is a monopoly, but that is just a middleman that adds no value but is just an obstacle. I usually have luck with manufacturers that sell directly, or let many vendors sell.


There are other vendors: both prowheelbuilder and Oregon bicycle wheels sells Bitex.


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

alex-henson said:


> There are other vendors: both prowheelbuilder and Oregon bicycle wheels sells Bitex.


Thanks. Seems they are bit more expensive and don't sell parts either. Oregon bicycles doesn't even sell the fat hubs.

I bet Bitex could make a killing if they sold all hubs and all parts via amazon/ebay. Especially if they actually sell all hubs/parts they have.


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

Edit: This was resolved with a call to Brandon at BHS. Photos below of the replacement hub!



New steel freehub and older MTR12 word of warning:

Ordered a new steel freehub for my MTB270 (aka MTR 12, purchased in 2019?) in January with a BX211R for a different build. The stainless "splines" of the original aluminum hub were munched and after having so much success with the steel freehub on a MTB270 in a different wheelset, I figured it was time for a new one. I finally got around to installing the new freehub with a new cassette. The new freehub was quieter when freewheeling, but I had some popping and banging when changing gears that I was unable to eliminate by tuning the derailleur, so I pulled the freehub out. The pawls of the old hub were taller than the new freehub and the springs felt stiffer as well. While I didn't measure the freehub body, the freehub body looked similar so I swapped springs and pawls from the old to the new. The hub feels back to its normal self and the popping and banging is gone.

Not exactly confidence inspiring. I've run these hubs for a couple of years and been 100% happy with them. This is first hiccup I've had. Hopefully the old pawls and new freehub get along well. I'm still waiting on a frame for the newer Boost version (steel axle and freehub) but have high expectations....


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

nowhereyonder said:


> New steel freehub and older MTR12 word of warning:
> 
> Ordered a new steel freehub for my MTB270 (aka MTR 12, purchased in 2019?) in January with a BX211R for a different build. The stainless "splines" of the original aluminum hub were munched and after having so much success with the steel freehub on a MTB270 in a different wheelset, I figured it was time for a new one. I finally got around to installing the new freehub with a new cassette. The new freehub was quieter when freewheeling, but I had some popping and banging when changing gears that I was unable to eliminate by tuning the derailleur, so I pulled the freehub out. The pawls of the old hub were taller than the new freehub and the springs felt stiffer as well. While I didn't measure the freehub body, the freehub body looked similar so I swapped springs and pawls from the old to the new. The hub feels back to its normal self and the popping and banging is gone.
> 
> Not exactly confidence inspiring. I've run these hubs for a couple of years and been 100% happy with them. This is first hiccup I've had. Hopefully the old pawls and new freehub get along well. I'm still waiting on a frame for the newer Boost version (steel axle and freehub) but have high expectations....


They did change the design at some point. When i bought a replacement freehub body, it came with a note and some extra spacer, and how to modify it. Or i had to remove a spacer (don't recall). IIRC there also was a way to assemble incorrectly.

Yes those "anti bite guard" SS splines are a good idea, but useless in practice since they get bent, loosen up and fall out. So when you replace the cassette, you need to pay attention to re-install them. A steel body makes sense for HG. But may as well upgrade to MS. They have the MS upgrade kit (just not for fatbikes!). i had inquired for years about the fatbike MS conversion and gave up.

For a new wheelset I went with hydra. Expensive, yes, but darn does it work well and never skips! Life is too short for inferior material. I still have the old wheels with the Bitex hubs for studded tires.


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

HerrKaLeu said:


> They did change the design at some point. When i bought a replacement freehub body, it came with a note and some extra spacer, and how to modify it. Or i had to remove a spacer (don't recall). IIRC there also was a way to assemble incorrectly.
> 
> Yes those "anti bite guard" SS splines are a good idea, but useless in practice since they get bent, loosen up and fall out. So when you replace the cassette, you need to pay attention to re-install them. A steel body makes sense for HG. But may as well upgrade to MS. They have the MS upgrade kit (just not for fatbikes!). i had inquired for years about the fatbike MS conversion and gave up.
> 
> For a new wheelset I went with hydra. Expensive, yes, but darn does it work well and never skips! Life is too short for inferior material. I still have the old wheels with the Bitex hubs for studded tires.


Interesting. I'm hoping the pawl switch will work- it's only been on a short neighborhood ride thus far, but it seems to function fine. I plan on a few ~3 day bikepacking trips in the San Juans in Colorado this summer, so I reckon I'll find out soon if it doesn't work.

I was planning on a DT Swiss 350 hub for the other build, but the big Q had none in stock when I was looking for one, nor the rims I wanted. So I ended up with a BX211R and some Rabbit Holes I had laying around which I laced offset. Heavy, but probably burly enough.


----------



## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

nowhereyonder said:


> Interesting. I'm hoping the pawl switch will work- it's only been on a short neighborhood ride thus far, but it seems to function fine. I plan on a few ~3 day bikepacking trips in the San Juans in Colorado this summer, so I reckon I'll find out soon if it doesn't work.
> 
> I was planning on a DT Swiss 350 hub for the other build, but the big Q had none in stock when I was looking for one, nor the rims I wanted. So I ended up with a BX211R and some Rabbit Holes I had laying around which I laced offset. Heavy, but probably burly enough.


My "new" freehub body experience was 1-2 years ago and they may have changed things again. and for the steel-freehub it may be all different. I would call them up with what exactly your old hub is (not sure they changed model number when they changed design).

If I also add the cost for new pawl springs (I had to research myself which ones may fit and bought from a spring supplier not affiliated with hubs), I should just have pulled the plug and bought a new hub from a real manufacturer that doesn't require all the modifications to function. Now I have that hub on my winter wheel, the 2 free hub bodies and spare springs. So I'm set for the little winter use for years. But really, if you do actual all year riding and long distances, single track, I doubt you want this hub.

Mine is a fatbike ,so there is more torque and axle twisting than on a regulars MTB I felt this hub is the one weak point that will leave me stranded. Where I ride it wouldn't be more than 2 hours of walking to get back, but still.


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

HerrKaLeu said:


> My "new" freehub body experience was 1-2 years ago and they may have changed things again. and for the steel-freehub it may be all different. I would call them up with what exactly your old hub is (not sure they changed model number when they changed design).
> 
> If I also add the cost for new pawl springs (I had to research myself which ones may fit and bought from a spring supplier not affiliated with hubs), I should just have pulled the plug and bought a new hub from a real manufacturer that doesn't require all the modifications to function. Now I have that hub on my winter wheel, the 2 free hub bodies and spare springs. So I'm set for the little winter use for years. But really, if you do actual all year riding and long distances, single track, I doubt you want this hub.
> 
> Mine is a fatbike ,so there is more torque and axle twisting than on a regulars MTB I felt this hub is the one weak point that will leave me stranded. Where I ride it wouldn't be more than 2 hours of walking to get back, but still.


I'll definitely contact BHS and see about the changes, but otherwise with the correct freehub I have had no issues at all with my original MTB 270 hub. It's on my touring bike and has taken me to some far off places- other than when it goes for dunks in heavy sediment laden waters it just keeps going. It's been a known quality to me and for the price I have yet, other than this "upgrade" issue of an old hub, to have any problems. If it does give me any issue I might just bite the bullet and buy a Rohloff. But otherwise, it's been a great hub for the price!


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

As an update, taking HerrKaLeu's advice, I spoke with Brandon at BHS. He's sending out a new steel freehub suspecting that an older style 24 tooth ratchet ring freehub was sent in January rather than the typical 27 tooth ratchet ring that is more common. Perhaps some old stock got mixed in with new....

I'll try to snap some photos once I get everything swapped out and cleaned up.


----------



## nowhereyonder (Nov 29, 2016)

Had a moment to do some swapping with the incorrect freehub and the correct one Brandon sent out this week. It sounds like someone else did some sorting earlier this year and might have mixed in NOS of 24 tooth ratchet ring freehubs with the MTB270 27 tooth ratchet ring freehubs. You can see the 24 tooth on the left is ever so slightly different than the 27 tooth on the right.

The 24t is slightly taller and has a thicker washer than the 27t (more noticeable in person than this bad pic).









The most obvious difference is the pawl shape. I didn't measure the diameter of the freehub bodies, but the spacing between pawls seems ever so slightly different.









I installed the correct freehub and it acts, feels, and sounds like a regular MTB270 freehub. No popping, no banging. Back in business- thanks, Brandon!


----------

