I've been very pleased with my Hydras, having previously owned DT 240s & 350s. I love how easy it is to service the Hydras, and how they don't require a ton of expensive special tools (like DT). The bearing life does seem to be only on par with frame bearings, but they're super easy to replace. I also wash my bike too much, which kills bearings.
I don't care about the extra engagement for riding tech, I just like it because there's not a bit of slack followed by a hard thunk when riding chunky sections (like DT, even with 54t). I rode my buddy's bike which had new DT 240 EXP hubs back to back with my bike with Hydras, and the kickback from the DT hub was really unpleasant.
I thought about silent hubs like P321 or Onyx, but passed due to weight and the fact that I ride on a lot of multi-use trails, so having a noisy hub is a benefit.
Oct. 22, 2021, 8:49 a.m. - Andeh
I've been very pleased with my Hydras, having previously owned DT 240s & 350s. I love how easy it is to service the Hydras, and how they don't require a ton of expensive special tools (like DT). The bearing life does seem to be only on par with frame bearings, but they're super easy to replace. I also wash my bike too much, which kills bearings. I don't care about the extra engagement for riding tech, I just like it because there's not a bit of slack followed by a hard thunk when riding chunky sections (like DT, even with 54t). I rode my buddy's bike which had new DT 240 EXP hubs back to back with my bike with Hydras, and the kickback from the DT hub was really unpleasant. I thought about silent hubs like P321 or Onyx, but passed due to weight and the fact that I ride on a lot of multi-use trails, so having a noisy hub is a benefit.