Hubs

Optimize your bicycle's performance with our high-quality bicycle hubs. Precisely manufactured and durable, they offer optimal power transfer and stability on any terrain. Discover our range now and find the perfect hub for your individual requirements.

Keep on rollin': Your bicycle's hub

Bicycle hubs sit at the center of your wheel and make it rotate. They hold the spokes and, in the case of rear hubs, transfer the driving power through them to the rims and tires, and thus to the road. It should therefore come as no surprise that they have a significant impact on how your bike rolls. Would you like to rely on high-quality industrial bearings, or would you prefer cup-and-cone bearings that you can service yourself? How does a freehub work? Here you will find everything you need to know so that you can make your purchase with confidence! 

Structure and function of bicycle hubs

Whether front or rear wheel, road bike, gravel bike, or MTB - all hubs consist of a hub body, a bearing system , and an axle with a clamping mechanism to secure the hub in the frame's or fork's dropouts. However, there are also some significant differences.  

What is a Straight-Pull hub? 

One of the most noticeable differences is the spoke attachment. Hubs are designed either for spokes with a traditionally bent end (J-Bend) or for straight spokes (Straight-Pull).  

• You can recognize classic hubs (J-Bend) by their flange. This is a flat disc with holes drilled perpendicular to the direction of travel, into which the spokes are hooked by their bent ends. 
• However, numerous hubs are now also available that can accommodate straight spokes (Straight-Pull hubs). You can recognize them by the fact that they do not have a flange, but instead have small threaded holes directly in the hub body.  

If you’d like to learn more about the two types of spokes, take a look at our informational text about spokes! 

Front hubs 

Hubs installed in front wheels are generally designed more simply than their rear-wheel counterparts. Apart from the basics shared by all hubs, they have no additional features. Here, you only need to make sure they are compatible with your braking system (disc or rim brakes) and that the appropriate number of spokes can be fitted.  

Drive or rear hubs 

On most bicycles, rear hubs transmit the drive power they receive via the crank, chain drive, and sprocket. If you want to buy a rear hub, you generally can’t avoid the subject of the “freehub.” It acts as a link between the hub and the sprockets and ensures that the crank does not keep turning when you stop pedaling (see below). Almost all rear hubs have a freehub. Only if you ride a fixie or do laps on a track can you skip this topic, because on these types of bicycles, a single sprocket is mounted rigidly on the hub.  

Center Lock vs. Six-bolt 

You may already have come across these two terms several times in our shop. They are relevant if you are looking for a hub for disc brakes. The brake rotor is attached directly to the hub - and there are two common standards for this.

• Center Lock hubs have a ring-shaped area fitted with many small teeth. The matching brake rotor is riveted to a carrier with exactly the corresponding tooth profile. It is secured with a lockring, which may require special tools.
• Six-bolt hubs, on the other hand, have a mounting interface that often resembles a six-pointed star. Each point has a hole for attaching the brake rotor. To install it, you only need the appropriate torque wrench. 

The two standards are only partially compatible, even with adapter solutions. So it’s best to consider in advance which one you prefer. 

Hub bearing systems 

For everything to run smoothly and seamlessly, bicycle hubs are equipped with ball bearings. Of course, there are differences here too, especially in terms of quality. We’ll introduce you to the two common types. 

Industrial hubs 

Industrial bearings, also called deep-groove ball bearings, are often used in high-quality hubs. They are standardized (DIN 625) and installed in the hub as a complete unit that you cannot open. They are available with steel balls or, in the absolute high-end version, ceramic balls (“ceramic bearings”). Since they were originally designed for industrial purposes (hence the name), they are extremely precise, durable, and low-maintenance. The only disadvantage: If industrial bearings are eventually damaged by moisture, salt, or overly enthusiastic cleaning, they cannot be repaired and must simply be replaced. 

Cup-and-cone bearings 

The classic choice for bicycle hubs is cup-and-cone bearings (also angular-contact ball bearings). High-quality cup-and-cone bearings can also be adjusted very precisely. However, they occasionally need to be greased and readjusted to run with as little play as possible. Advantage: Their service life is in your hands. If you maintain them regularly, you can enjoy them for a long time. 

Your bicycle's freehub 

A great deal of tuning potential is also hidden in the freehub. It is a crucial factor in the quality of your rear hub. You can choose between two common types:

Pawl freehub 

The first type is the pawl freehub. Here, several spring-tensioned pawls are located on the freehub body. When the carrier holding your sprockets rotates forward, as it does when you pedal, the pawls engage with small recesses in the sprocket carrier and transfer your muscle power to the hub. When you stop pedaling, the sprocket carrier remains stationary, while the freehub body and hub continue rotating. The pawls then slide beneath the recesses, creating the characteristic freehub sound.  

Toothed-ring freehub 

The second type, the toothed-ring freehub, works in much the same way as a pawl freehub. It creates a connection between the freehub body and the sprocket carrier that engages in one direction but not the other. In this case, the connection is created by two toothed rings pushed apart by a spring: one ring is seated in the sprocket carrier, the other on the freehub body. 

Toothed-ring freehubs are mainly used by DT Swiss (Ratchet technology). The advantage: The toothed ring has a larger contact area, thereby avoiding point loads, which makes it especially robust and reliable.  

Freehub: An overview of the most important mounting standards

The important thing with a freehub is that it matches your desired cassette. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, every manufacturer does things their own way here. So, to conclude, here is an overview of the common standards:  

Shimano HG (Hyperglide) for MTB 

• For eight-, nine-, ten-, and eleven-speed mountain bike cassettes from Shimano whose smallest sprocket has at least eleven teeth 
• Cassettes from various other manufacturers, including SRAM, are also possible, but not SRAM XD/XDR (see below). If in doubt, check the third-party manufacturer’s compatibility information!
• Shimano HG for MTB is also referred to as HG spline M 

Shimano HG (Hyperglide) Road 

• Suitable for eight-, nine-, ten-, eleven-, and twelve-speed road bike cassettes from Shimano and third-party manufacturers whose smallest sprocket has at least eleven teeth
• SRAM is compatible, but not SRAM XD/XDR (see below)
• A spacer is required for eight- to ten-speed cassettes
• Shimano HG Road is also referred to as HG spline L  

Shimano Micro Spline

• For twelve-speed MTB cassettes from Shimano and licensed third-party manufacturers (observe compatibility information) 
• Enables the use of a smallest sprocket with ten teeth 

SRAM XD 

• For eleven- and twelve-speed cassettes from SRAM and various third-party manufacturers 
• Introduced to enable a smallest sprocket with ten teeth or fewer 
• Not compatible with HG-compatible cassettes or SRAM XDR 

SRAM XDR

• For SRAM road twelve-speed cassettes
• SRAM XD cassettes possible with a spacer 

Campagnolo freehub mounting standards  

• Various proprietary standards, e.g. Campagnolo N3W (with room for using thirteen-speed cassettes)
• They all have one thing in common: not compatible with Shimano, SRAM, or third-party products compatible with them

Axle standards

As if things weren’t complicated enough already, in addition to freehub standards there are other mounting standards to consider: namely, the hub’s installation width and the respective axle types. You can find everything you need to know about this, as well as an overview table of the common standards, in our informational article on “Quick releases & thru-axles”.