Anybody use Novatec hubs in the mud and wet?

[Sheepo]

If so, how do they hold up?

In eyeing either the f482sb(rear) + a291sb(f) combo

or the f372sb(rear) + a271sb (front)


I know the Chinese carbon wheel thread mentions these hubs a few times but I diddnt see many posts about nasty cross conditions.


Thanks guys!

[T0mi]

I don't know about novatec in particular but I've used unbranded taiwanese hubs CX this year without issue. I only had to regrease the pawls on the freehub body at the end of the season. They were dry.

[Sheepo]

Thanks! I wonder how the bearing quality compares between different Taiwanese hub manufacturers.

I think Ill be okay. Im not afraid to pull em apart and fix em when they act up(if i have to)

[rearviewmirror]

The Novatec's I've seen use sealed bearings so they'll be fine for CX use. I can't speak for all models though, so it might be worth contacting the seller to verify the bearing setup in them.

[Sheepo]

The ones I am interested in have sealed bearings. I read in the Circus Monkey(another Taiwanese hub) thread that they would get all sorts of messed up in the wet because of the cheap bearings with crap seals.

I guess Ill have to find out! Thanks guys.

[rearviewmirror]

The ones I am interested in have sealed bearings. I read in the Circus Monkey(another Taiwanese hub) thread that they would get all sorts of messed up in the wet because of the cheap bearings with crap seals.

I guess Ill have to find out! Thanks guys.

If you wear them out over a CX season order a set of Enduro Bearings and you'll be good to go for a couple more seasons. I raced two seasons on Mavic Ksyriums and they're still good as new, they certainly weren't designed for CX, but they're taking to the mud quite well.

[Sheepo]

Thats a great idea. Thanks.

[tsunayoshi]

My cx wheels are all Novatec hubs and they are still running fine after seeing a few pretty nasty races last year, plus plenty of post-race hose-downs (though I try to avoid spraying the hubs directly).

These are the FHA291SB and RHF482SB hubs. They use sealed bearings.

[mblock78]

I have run some Vuelta wheels which use Novatec hubs (A191SB front, F172SB rear) and they held up well at USGP Madison which was real muddy on day 2.

I have since built a set of NoTubes Alpha 340 wheels using Novatec F171SB and F172SB and they also held up well to the mud and pressure washers at CX Nats. I'm planning on building a second set with the same hubs.