Are there any decent boost 15mm axle dynamo hubs out there? SP and SON do 1 and the SP is half the price. Are the bearings any better now in the SP or still crap and should they be better being a larger diameter. Also is there 1 that has changeable end caps for QR and are user serviceable? Hope that makes sense.
New forks ,new headache

Supposedly the latest batches of SP hubs are ok.

Not changeable end-caps but there's a 15mm - 12mm converter sleeve and there's certainly a 15mm to QR insert/converter , there should also be a 12mm to QR converter.

I don't think any of the dynamo hubs except maybe the Shimano ones, are user serviceable.

My bearings have been fine. Like most things, if it goes wrong people shout about it but the other 95% of users that haven't had a problem just keep riding with no need to grumble about it on the interweb.
Got a 15mm bolt through version of the SP branded Exposure, it should come with an adaptor to take it down to 9mm.

My Exposure branded SP (PD8X) has done over 2000 miles now and is fine. See the thread about ceramic bearings for how the rear hub and BB have done over the same period. It is the latest version which was a warranty replacement for the earlier type.

I did worry that the front hub may have an issue as in the last couple of days I've noticed a resonance/vibration that can be heard between about 15mph and 20mph On further investigation I think it is the MYOG plastic deflector I have behind the bottle cage vibrating. When the noise starts if I rest my foot against the deflector it stops I had taken it off during a thorough clean and after refitting I think the noise has only started since then.

Beware of using any step-down adaptors on a dynamo hub. I have a 100 to 135mm 15mm/QR adaptor on an SP PD-8, and frankly it's rubbish. It's another point of failure, because it doesn't affix to the hub it means that the hub can spin in its entirety, taking your contacts and cable with it.

I'd pay more money and get the proper thing, or perhaps get someone to make an adaptor sized exactly to your hub and fork to absolutely minimise the chances of movement.

Big SON fan here. 5 years, never ever did I give it any attention and 0 issues.

It's on my snow bike and hardly sees any dirt, just water in different phases and some salt.

Are the bearings any better now in the SP or still crap and should they be better being a larger diameter.

Maybe something I read but seemed plausible. The balls in a 15 or 12mm through axle hub are much smaller than in a qr hub as the outside diameter of the bearing is the same but the inside diameter is bigger to accommodate the axle. So the space that the balls sit in is smaller. Of course I may be talking balls and it's crap seals that is the issue

I know tgat this may have been fixed as mentioned above, but I will notbuy another sp hub. The first one failed a month outside ofthe warranty. 18 bikes sorted it forme with the distributor and I then got a reconditioned one, which lasted about 100km before dying! I’ve had a SON hub for about 12 months now and (touch wood) it’s been great so far.

Hux, I had two SP hubs, one died and was replaced under warranty the other is still running great and is in on my 'gravel' bike and has now covered several thousand K.
Also got a SON boost on the mtb 29ers and it's great. Appears to put out more power than the SP.
What about one of the rim dynamos Stu reviewed a while ago? Guess it depends on how often you are going to use it and where?

And my early SP 15mm hub just carries on working.....

Last year I sent my SP dynamo hub back to the factory in Taiwan for bearing replacement. It had seen 4 years of constant use on mixed conditions including desert, mud, river crossings etc and just general hard trail riding.

Total cost including bearings and shipping was $37. (From USA)

Now that I have moved to boost sizes I had no hesitation in ordering another from SP.

my 2c, YMMV

I was thinking about bearings and dyno hubs whist riding... so I gathered up all the old bearings in my workshop and the shed I could find I'd changed. For some reason they just get left about 'just in case' I need them. Quite how bad the bearings on the bike would need to be to ever consider refitting any of these, most of which are seized Anyway, the picture below is all I could find.



2 sets of BB bearings
3 sets of freehub bearings
3 1/2 sets of rear hub bearings

In the same time frame I've had to return one front SP QR15 dyno hub and that was early on. I would guess that all these bearings have been changed since the warranty replacement hub was fitted. When looked at like this it makes the dyno hubs look remarkably reliable. It's just the fact that when the bearing do fail it's not a 10 min job in the shed to replace them

AlasdairMc wrote:Beware of using any step-down adaptors on a dynamo hub. I have a 100 to 135mm 15mm/QR adaptor on an SP PD-8, and frankly it's rubbish. It's another point of failure, because it doesn't affix to the hub it means that the hub can spin in its entirety, taking your contacts and cable with it.

I'd pay more money and get the proper thing, or perhaps get someone to make an adaptor sized exactly to your hub and fork to absolutely minimise the chances of movement.

Mine does the same on some forks. Gradually walks round until it pops the cable off. While descending Yad Moss into Alnwick.

My SP's about 3 years old and is still running fine. Bearings in that have lasted longer than in any of the rear wheels I've been running with it.

Any problems with the SP QR adapter alliwing the hub to spin can be solved with a little wet and dry.

Hmmm. Thanks for your replies all.If I go for 1 it looks like it's going to be a bit of a gamble. Might last 50 miles or 5000

An update if you're still in the market for a hub...

My Exposure QR15 has started making a noise but only at certain speeds. I'm fairly sure this is what it is but I will put my other front wheel in to check, once I have put a tyre on it. There is no play in the bearings but I'm paranoid about a last minute failure just before the HT550 so I though I'd find out how to get it fixed if need be and anyway the bearings are bound to need changing at some point in the future. I called Exposure to see what the procedure is for bearing replacement on out of warranty hubs. They advised that they do not provide support for hubs out of warranty and to contact SP direct.

I've been on the SP website and sent them an email. I'm hoping that they will still be able to change the bearings on the Exposure branded hubs but obviously sending it back to Taiwan will take much longer than the uk. I've also noticed this on their website

We do not license our dynamo technology to other brands. We also no longer produce OEM dynamo hubs for rebranding by other marks. We only produce and sell our dynamo hubs under the SP brand.

So, can someone recommend a UK retailer for a SON with QR15 axle and 6 bolt disc.

SP sorted out my Exposure branded hub that was out of warranty, it just cost me postage - so it's worth a try Sean.

For a SON, have a word with Rich and Shona at Keep Pedalling. They've plenty of experience in that department.

I was going to suggest Spa Cycles, I'm sure when we visited them that they showed us a Schmidt SON 28 with a 15mm axle but it's not on their website. Note that you should look for a SON 28 not a Deluxe as the latter is actually designed for a 20" wheel so doesn't produce as much power at low speeds when laced into a 29er. Having said that unless you are trying to run lights and charge something at the same time it's unlikely you'll notice the difference - I've the Deluxe on my commuter (700c wheels) and it's never been a problem.

Edit: SJS cycles have them - https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/dynamos/32- ... -anodized/

Bearbonesnorm wrote:SP sorted out my Exposure branded hub that was out of warranty, it just cost me postage - so it's worth a try Sean.

For a SON, have a word with Rich and Shona at Keep Pedalling. They've plenty of experience in that department.

Hopefully I'll hear back from SP then. Can you remember how much it cost to post and how long it took?

Can you remember how much it cost to post and how long it took?

Think it was £13 or so and I had a new hub (mine was beyond any sort of repair) within a fortnight.

Cheers That's quick a turn-around, was that returning it to Taiwan or to the UK distributor?

was that returning it to Taiwan or to the UK distributor?

That was straight to Taiwan ... no one in the UK wanted anything to do with me at all.

They sent me a pic of my hub stripped down and the horror within but I had to swear not to show it to anyone.

ScotRoutes wrote:Any problems with the SP QR adapter alliwing the hub to spin can be solved with a little wet and dry.

The 15mm->QR adapter that cane with my SP hub was 100.00mm exactly. The hub was 99.9mm wide. Hence the hub wasn’t clamped properly.

A quick turn in a laithe did the job. Been solid ever since. Although it’s now a SONhub.