Some say red is faster. And that if you have red hubs, you’re destined for greatness.
All I know is that red hubs look great and at least some of you want them.
Which red hubs can you buy?
In this article I’ll explore which hubs you can buy in glorious red, how much they cost, and which you should choose… and why.
Superlight Nextie Rollingstar II hubs for your XC rig.
You may have seen some pics of wheels that I’ve built using red Nextie hubs. They’re light (300g for the set), gorgeously made and easy to live with, thanks to their tool-free maintenance, standard bearing sizes and DT Swiss-style ratchet freehub mechanism.
The design is loosely based on the DT Swiss 180 hubs which are similar in weight but much more expensive – not to mention unavailable.
Selling for R5995 as part of a custom wheel build, they’re not dirt-cheap, but they won’t break the bank either.
I recently had a set come in for service after 23,000km and apart from some mildly rough bearings, were still in great shape.
These 28-spoke straightpull XC and trail-riding hubs are available on special order, with HG, xD or MS freehub, and with a 36t or 54t ratchet.
Buy these if you’re after the lightest hubs possible.
Premium lightweight OneUp hubs for XC, trail, enduro and e-bikes.
OneUp’s hubs are designed to be light, simple and reliable. Easy to maintain and live with.
They weigh in at 142g for the front hub, and 220g for the rear / 362g for the set.
Their website has a cool explainer video here. Some cool features, like the drive ring is integrated into the hub shell, double sealed end caps, and they’re approved for all kinds of bikes.
Essentially, they’re lighter than their j-bend peers, and cheaper than many of them too. And I can get them in red.
They’re around R8,200 for the set.
Spank Hex Drive hubs – high engagement, heavy-duty hubs
The Spank Hex hubs are a wonderful compliment to Spank’s awesome enduro rims.
They feature a high rate of freehub engagement – 102 POE to be exact, and literally sing down the trail. They differ from the Nextie and OneUp hubs in that the freehub mechanism uses 6 pawls instead of ratchet rings.
The rear hub weighs 318g and the front weighs 173g / 491g for the set.
They’re sensibly priced too, at R6990 for a set, with any freehub configuration, in 32-spoke only and yes, red’s an option.
Hope’s bomb-proof Pro5
If you’re looking for hubs that your grandchildren can pass down to their grand children, these are the ones you want. Hope are renowned for their incredible durability and serviceability.
Featuring an exceptionally friction-free, 6-pawl high engagement freehub mechanism with 108 points of engagement, these hubs will out-spin most others.
There are 2 penalties to be paid if you choose these hubs: they’re not light or cheap, but they are premium. If ultimate durability is your priority, look no further.
The front hub in boost, 6-bolt format weighs 187g and the rear weighs in at 318g, for a set weight of 505g for the set.
The Hope Pro5 hubs sell for around R8700 for the set and are available in 28h, 32h, boost and non-boost.
Which are best for you?
This depends on how much you care about saving weight, whether you prefer j-bend or straightpull spokes, how many spokes your wheels have and how much you’re prepared to spend.
If you must have red hubs, you can also pair them with red anodized nipples.
Hand-built wheels made just for you
If you’re in the market for a set of custom, hand-built wheels, with red hubs (or any other colour) click the link below and request a free, no-obligation quote for your next set of wheels.
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