Get a Soma Somax hub instead, the Surly ones have the cheapest bearings and they always break at bad times.
Wheel Consensus: 48h 26inch build
So it's that time of the year. Winter in Canada land.
Time to build up a new wheelset.
So far I'm thinking about building up a 26;
rims: Salsa Gordo 48h
hubs: Surly 48h fixed/free
120mm spacing
Any recommendations out there?
I can't seem to find any fixed/free rear hubs, only matched free/free or fixed/fixed. I read that putting a free wheel on on fixed/fixed wouldn't be a problem, but i'm not too sure, still learning. Would there be any problems with that?
I don't really want to spend 330 for a hudbset just to bling it out, these surlys seem pretty sweet. Same goes for the rims, before i buy these, maybe you think otherwise or have found some better shit out there in the interwebs.
On the rear I ride a phil. Has nothing to do with bling. Has to do with having a hub that doesn't break. I hated my surly rear, it was long ago maybe they're better now. Maybe.
I'm also a big guy who's ridden 36 hole for years of polo. I know everyone thinks 48 is better but my wheels keep lasting fine. Save money on spokes and get a better hub.
To save money you might find used 36hole Phils.
The benefits I see for 48 holes is you can lose 2 adjacent spokes and ride on with a mostly straight wheel.
edit: oops - I just copied what shane00001 said. And he's ridden such a setup more that I did (briefly).
Has anyone ever spun the threads off with a setup like that? (freewheel on a fixed side)
Devin
I've been thrashing my surly polo hubs for a long while now. They are nice hubs but you need to learn how to adjust them properly. I've seen them seize up at pickup but mine have never had an issue.
I always make sure that the locknuts are super tight. The trick is to set them with a little grind in the bearings then torque the lock nuts together until the grind is gone.
Make sure to check on them every few months and if need be replace the bearings to phil bearing and save yourself and couple hundred bucks.
Oh and you can run a freewheel on a fixed threading no problem. Same thread engagement as a fixed cog would have and there is more torque on a fixed cog. Just make sure you chain line is straight.
Thanks for the replies.
Do you think it'd be worth it to put the phil cartridges in the surly hubs right from the start? Or should i just ride through them. On a heavy day i weight 140, so general wear on tear on bikes isn't too bad for me. But is it going to be a lot smoother if i go for the phil bearings right off the bat?
I don't have the money to get a phil hub, i just spent 220 + on some paul V's hahah
you might as well swap them right away or you'll never beat me on a joust, "hothands"
nah - don't go changing the cartrige bearings before they're burnt from a few years of polo and getting there. Rolling resistance loss from your tires and beer is more than you can loose at the hubs anyway.
Also Phil 'specs' rather than manufactures their cartridge bearings. It's an important QC thing, and that's part of the greatness of Phil. But the cartriges are just parts of a whole product.
I've had the Surly 120mm 48 hole fix/fix hubs on my polo bike for the last year. Played on them regularly 2/3 times a week and during 4 tournaments, plus riding to/from the polo court about a third of the time. I run 32/20 gearing with a freewheel on the fixed threading. I've had no issues with the threads. I've had no issues with the OE bearings. Like ArenFry said, I've had to adjust the locknuts, but on mine I've only had to make that adjustment twice. So, I'm happy with mine.
The only thing I'll do differently in the future is buy a cassette hub for the rear wheel. Cassettes are better than freewheels. They're a little more expensive and I guess a lot of people are on freewheels because they have their same hubs from when they rode fixed (myself included), but otherwise I don't know why more people don't play on cassette hubs.
Thought about that too, but it all comes down to engagement vs. resistance. I wouldn't say freewheel or cassettes are better than one another, you can buy nice freewheels and nice cassettes.
But at a certain point the increased resistance becomes more of a limiting factor than the bonus of faster engagement. A lot of mtbers like INdustry Nine, personally I think they have way to much drag.
That said I've got a WI Freewheel and really like how quick it engages but I'm stuck with a 22t. With a cassette you could play around for different court lengths by swapping cheap cogs.
i think freehubs aren't as popular due to the asymmetry in the spokes, in polo that difference in strength might make a difference. i've seen a(maybe a prototype) symmetrically dished freehub, with only enough room for a couple cog options on there. that seems like best of both worlds.
I've always used freehubs, by default really as that was what I had at hand when I started building for polo. I do occasionally think about getting a wheel made with a free/free hub with freewheel either side (34/22 polo, 36/16 street), but only because I use a 700c rear and think it might help alleviate the (reported) issue of weakness due to asymmetry in the wheel. It's probably not going to happen though, even though I have to fix my rear wheel into true every few weeks. Flexibility in chainline and cog choice are pretty handy (and certain decisions in the family budget). If I go back to 26" wheels I'd probably stick to a freehub.
I did notice this while trolling about, no idea if they're any good but it might be a good fix.
http://www.fireeye-bike.com/product.php?menu=2&prod_class=24&prodsn=19
700c not 26 but anywayZ...Peep!
http://321polo.net/2012/01/1-a-spoke-wheel-sale-on-48-spoke-julian-wheel...
i have a fixed/fixed surly 36h rear hub, 120 spaced. been riding with freewheels on both fixed threads for the last two years, and have had 0 problems. there is less thread for the cog to grip on to, which could theoretically make it easier to strip, but with my 35/22 ratio, i've had no problems. surly's are decent enough hubs. the bearing do wear down quick enough though. they're the only bearing i've had to replace, but they accept phil wood sized sealed cartridges, so replacing them makes them super smooth again, and the phil cartridges are cheap enough.