How to choose your road bike hubs?

The hubs is the interface between the rest of your wheel and your bike. Here's how to select this part without making a mistake.

The standards

• The type of brake : pad, 6-hole disc, Center-lock disc
• Bearing type: cone/cuvette or sealed
• Width and shaft length (for disc systems only)
• Freewheel body type: CAMPAGNOLO or SHIMANO
• Number of spokes

Which hub to choose?

The first element to guide your choice is the braking system or disc brakes. In the latter case, in addition to the disc attachment (Center Lock or 6 Holes), it is essential to check the axis length of your fork for the front hub and of your frame for the rear, as there are a multitude of standards (notably 9/100 mm, 12/100 mm, 15/100 mm for the front, and 9/135 mm, 12/135 mm and 12/142 mm for the rear).

The hub contains the ball bearings. They can be either : "cone and cup A requiring more regular maintenance but generally reliable over time; or the "sealed bearing" type B maintenance-free (simple bearing replacement when defective).

In addition, make sure you choose a hub compatible with your transmission, where two standards of freewheel body SHIMANO / SRAM and CAMPAGNOLO.

Finally, for the number of spokesthe more spokes you have, the stronger the wheel; the fewer you have, the lighter it will be. For a classic wheel, you'll need 32 spokes. Please note that this choice goes hand in hand with the rim, so both must be designed for the same number of spokes.