Trailmech hubs

[Valerio]

Hi All,

I'm looking to possibly replace my wheels and I came across Zolla wheels and their Poltava wheels
https://zolla.cc/product/poltava-29er-wheels/

I was wondering if anyone here has first hand experience with them and/or with Trailmech hubs.

[boxelder]

No, but a mate has a coupleof pairs from Silt wheels and they've impressed, including a crash replacement rim.
https://siltmtb.com/products/xc-carbon-29-1-272g

[Leerowe76]

Another option Hunt Proven
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products ... 1316187213

[Valerio]

Another option Hunt Proven
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products ... 1316187213

Wow that looks like a bargain.....what's the catch?!

What are these 5degs RapidEngage hubs?

[Valerio]

No, but a mate has a coupleof pairs from Silt wheels and they've impressed, including a crash replacement rim.
https://siltmtb.com/products/xc-carbon-29-1-272g

Another really good price but not much info on the hubs.
Has he had them for a while?

Weight and width look good, although I'm not too sure about the 28spokes (I'm relatively heavy)

[Hyppy]

What are these 5degs RapidEngage hubs?

Happy to be told I'm wrong nowadays but wasn't common consensus that Hunt wheels were just rebranded Bitex hubs and Kinlin rims? As far as I know, Kinlin don't do carbon, but the hubs could still be a rebranded reliable name like Bitex. I've never had any problems with Hunt hubs, save for their loosely fitted freehubs sliding out when the rear wheel was off the bike (just as Hope do TBH). I think many of these boutique-styled brands use the same few hub manufacturers.

FWIW, I've used Light Bicycle rims to build with in the past and they're decent, but with UK pricing of carbon wheelsets coming right down it's becoming less attractive a 'gamble' to import direct.

Sigma had some possible bargains too, under what I think is their own VEL label: https://www.sigmasports.com/wheelsets?m ... seller&p=1

[fatbikephil]

I've been running Hunt all season wheels for a couple of years. Hubs seem pretty good (I was told they were Novatecs) and come apart dead easy for cleaning or swapping axle types. Rims are a bit thin but have resisted a respectable battering despite only having 24 spokes....

I nearly bought escape goats carbon ones but the weight difference is BA.

[Johnallan]

For peace of mind, I never choose wheels with less than 32 spokes. Maybe it's overkill, but for the extra few grams it seems like good insurance

[FLV]

Same as everyone here. I suspect the hubs in the first post are Novatec / Bitex and will more than likely be absolutely fine.

I have a set of hunts, trailwides from 2021. They need new grease in the freehub a bit more often than some DT Swiss I have, but other than that just keep on running.

[jobro]

I've often seen Hunt wheels criticised for using Novatech hubs and I do wonder, does it really matter what the hubs are?

Perhaps someone who understands this better than I do can explain what a hub does other than provide a housing for bearings and freewheels and an anchor point for the spokes. So, within reason and not forgetting how good the rims are, do you really need to spend a fortune on hubs when its bearing,freehub,spoke quality that determines the functionality of a particular wheel set?

[Hyppy]

… do you really need to spend a fortune … 

Most definitely not! But then that's true of most of our kit.

[Lazarus]

A more expensive hub will have better freehub bearings seals and we could all ride on single buted spokes etc.
Granted I wont be buying king hubs or paying £500 for a carbon rim to save 50 grams but generally more expensive kit is a higher quality ( law of dimishing returns) Even the cheapest of hubs on a BSO would technically work as would the tyre. ( as would the BSO but we don't ride them do we.

[faustus]

Can't remember if it's SIlt or Hunt, but one of them has a freehub body with an anti- cassette bite thing. That's worthwhile as all these generic hubs have alloy freehubs to get a good headline weight. I've got a couple of sets of novatech hubs and they're fine, but they all succumb to cassette bite which makes cassette removal stickier than it needs to be.

[Valerio]

As the ignorant that I am, my understanding is that better hubs have better seals, are typically easier to maintain, have better engagement(?) and - which might the most important feature - are easier to find replacement parts for.
I had an issue my the freewheel of my novatech hub and couldn't find a replacement.

Is that all bollocks?

Other than the hubs and spokes, what about the rims? Are all carbon rims the same?

[Hyppy]

As the ignorant that I am, my understanding is that better hubs have better seals, are typically easier to maintain, have better engagement(?) and - which might the most important feature - are easier to find replacement parts for.
I had an issue my the freewheel of my novatech hub and couldn't find a replacement.

Is that all bollocks?

Maybe SJS for your Novatec? https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/novatec-hub-spares/ I've rebuilt hubs in the past with parts from there.

Other than the hubs and spokes, what about the rims? Are all carbon rims the same?

No, but … I'm going to say that unless you're paying for proper high end rims then much like hubs they're going to be coming from the same few manufacturers, and you'll find identical profiles offered by multiple 'wheel' brands so you can perhaps work out what they are. And given that, so long as you don't choose a proper rogue outfit, it's just about finding the feel you're after from any rim for whatever you're wanting it for. I've nice set of 46mm deep Light Bicycle rims that I laced to Hope Pro 4s which are pretty bulletproof which are ace on the road and 'American' gravel, but I find a bit harsh for my regular rough stuff. I'd not hesitate in using them again with a shallower rim to give a little more compliance but that said, I threw an old wheelset of alloy WTB KOM's and cheap SRAM hubs back on at the end of the summer and love the way they ride so ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯

[fatbikephil]

If you were to be picky, you'd want a hub that was very precisely machined to ensure all the bearings are in perfect alignment so they last the longest. But it's nigh on impossible to know if you are buying a hub that does or doesn't achieve this. I've used Hopes for years, right back to the original Ti Glides and it basically boils down to brand loyalty. Shimano cup and cones, for the money, work perfectly and if you splash out on XT/ 105 aren't much heavier than hopes et al.

The Novatecs seem pretty good and I like the fact you can dismantle them by getting hold of each end and pulling. No bits fly all over the place so in theory, if your freehub siezes or ends up free in both directions you can pull it to either fix it or bodge it, in the field, so to speak. This is much more tricky with hopes and impossible with Shimano.