Phil Wood hubs for racing?

kumate_champ07

do people race on them or are they more a boutique & durability piece of hardware?

thinking of building track wheels with the high flange hubs, their flanges are larger than most other brands.

Im around 110kg so need a stiff wheel, 36h front and back with tubular box section rims. does this sound like a good race wheel for outdoor use ie Sundrive park velodrome,
or would cheaper hubs be fine? carbon is a bit above my budget



my cheaper build option is: on one track hubs laced to 36h open pros. would need to get better nuts and perhaps upgrade the bearings. obviouly clinchers would be handier but want the best performance and found a good deal on tubular rims.

or should I just go for Dura Ace 7600?

niceonetom

Tubulars and 36 spokes doesn't make any sense to me - what you might gain in rolling resistance will be dwarfed by what you lose in aerodynamics.

kumate_champ07

a tubular 36h rim would have an advantage over a 36h clincher of similar design profile. lower weight and a bit stronger, no?

kumate_champ07

Wolber Aspin or Wolber Arc en Ciel are my rim options, found a good deal on them

blorg

Start racing on whatever you have and then make up your mind how much difference any of it will make.

Aero is more important than weight, especially on the track where there aren't many hills. Light is slightly easier to get up to speed but even in short events I suspect aero is more important. Aero rims tend to be stiffer too. Doesn't have to be carbon, for example consider a CXP-33 over an Open Pro.

I don't think hubs are going to make any difference in a race.

My track experience is quite limited (a few Wednesdays doing the legaue) so I will defer to the guys who do a lot of it but at the end of the day I doubt equipment matters much beginning track racing. Bike fit and position would be more important; the legs, of course... gearing choice and don't forget tactics which are very important. All of this matters more than your choice of hub or rim.

steinone

Phil Wood's stuff is considered some of the best around, in no way boutique stuff. (they sure are purrdy though)
For the track hubs arent too much to worry about once the threads are good, hubs would get much more of a battering on the roads. Fixie heads and couriers consider Phil to be one of the best.
I'm using formula hubs at the minute on my day to day fixed commute and I weigh around the 95/100kg mark, they are holding up well other than replacing the rr drive side sealed bearing after a lot of tom foolery.

Single Malt

I would say max 28H front, and 32H rear. 30mm+ deep aero rims, such as the Alex R700 (50mm deep). Dt prolock hex nipples, so the tension can be cranked right up towards the 14-1500N mark. Then tie and solder. Get an experienced professional to build them.

nak

I highly rate Goldtec hubs, I use them for racing and commuting. My hubs have lasted about 5 years so far (my husband used them on his work bike before he gave the wheels to me). Well worth the money, bearings have only been changed a couple of times.

kumate_champ07

cant find any proper info on the alex r700 rim, just 1 page but nowhere sells them. not sure of that brands quality tho, some people think theyre crap.

the cxp33 isnt very aero, u need at least 35mm, realistically 50mm and above for an aero advantage. It's 'aero' design is more functional towards strengthing the rim itself. it's in my shortlist tho

Im leaning towards a second hand carbon tri spoke or planet x carbon for the front and phil wood 36h with 500g-ish quality rim

that new goldtec hub looks nice but price is close to what I can get the phil wood for.

nak

I have the cheaper Goldtecs, paid about €70 each and they have lasted longer then some people's Phil Woods. The Phil Woods are a bit out of my budget, they look great, very shiny.

Single Malt

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

cant find any proper info on the alex r700 rim, just 1 page but nowhere sells them. not sure of that brands quality tho, some people think theyre crap.

the cxp33 isnt very aero, u need at least 35mm, realistically 50mm and above for an aero advantage. It's 'aero' design is more functional towards strengthing the rim itself. it's in my shortlist tho

Im leaning towards a second hand carbon tri spoke or planet x carbon for the front and phil wood 36h with 500g-ish quality rim

that new goldtec hub looks nice but price is close to what I can get the phil wood for.

Alex rims are as good as any other, at teh same price point. The problem is the the popular opinion is skewed due Alex making a lot of cheapo rims that are crap. Alex is the most common rim out there