Question for the Wrenches: Wheels & Hubs

If they are just seizing then you may be able to get away with rebuilding them.  Are they sealed cartridge bearings or are they old school lose ones?  After you pull the axle and then the free-hub off (just takes a big azz allen wrench inserted into the whole left by the axle) you can check the bearings and especially the races.  I'd say it would be way cheaper to just rebuild the hubs.  But if the races are shot then you'll want to replace the whole hub.  You'll also want to check the axle for pitting at the same time.

How many spokes?  Are they bladed?  If it is a standard count and you want to replace the hubs then just get some Shimano ones.  Most people end up selling the hubs that come in their groupos when they buy them so you can get a good deal on EBay.  Of course I'd say get Dura Ace ones, but if you are planning on just using these as training wheels then 105 will work just fine.  It doesn't matter how many gears you have on the cassette as the same free-hub will hold 8/9/10.

For pricing I'd say rebuilding the hubs will run you about $30-ish per wheel at a shop, $10-ish if you do it yourself.  If you replace the hub then you will need the cost of the hubs, new spokes and a wheel build.  I'd typically charg $25 to rebuild a wheel with new hubs/spokes as a labor cost.  So factor in that (probably more with current pricing) and the cost of the materials.

I'm a big proponent of the "take it apart and see what you've got" strategy.  Standard cup and cone hubs are pretty straight forward, but do take a certain "feel."  Newer cartridge bearings take most of the guesswork out of a repair.  It's a pretty small investment either way. 

For the cup and cones, the grease tends to attract dirt/debris and thickens/hardens with age.  Cleaning up all the pieces and repacking the bearings with fresh grease should return the wheels to "like new" condition as long as races aren't pitted or scored.  Sealed cartridge bearings eliminate the dirt part of the equation, but they still get debris buildup and the grease ages. 

When I was building them it would take me less than an hour to rebuild a wheel so that was the rate we went at.  Granted, the last wheel I built in a shop was in 1998, so times have changed, but not that much.

$75 for a build is extortion.  But Performance is known for that .........

No, the cassettes are interchangeable with all the hubs.  It is the chain/derrailleur that will not work unless they are the same speed.  That is why I said you could use any 8/9/10 Shimano cassette with the current hub splines.

Rick, thanks for the info. That's a start.

The spokes are paired, non-bladed. 20 in front, 24 in back. You can see a picture of them HERE.

So, basically, what I need to do is:

• Pull the front wheel
• Dissemble the front hub
• See what kind of bearings are in there
• If loose, then inspect the balls and race for wear / damage / pitting, & replace if necessary
• If cartridge, then "get a new one"
• If the race is shot, then I need a new Rolf-Compatible Hub - now I'm wheel building.
• Clean, grease, and reassemble.

And thanks, Rick / Pitt / Mike for the quick replies.