The 1/1 hubs combine good quality, very easy serviceability, fast enough engagement, and domestic (NA) manufacturing for a reasonable outlay. I think that even ignoring where they’re made that they’re the best overall buy on the market (though personally, I bought a P321 G2 hub last time I was in the market as it’s my overall favourite).
I’ve worked on many Spank Hex Drive hubs and feedback has been that they’re very reliable for the money. As with the 1/1 they’re fast-enough engaging. Personally, I’d spend a bit more but I still maintain they’re a min-max option.
I’m generally not a DT Star Ratchet fan for mountain bikes (I guess I can say Star Ratchet in general now that the patent is expired and a million knock-offs are hitting the market?). They’re very reliable in 18t and 36t formats (20d and 10d engagement) and I’ve witnessed reliability issues with the 54t format.
Personally, I love <5d engagement. I find fit the technical climbing and descending I like that they enhance my experience significantly. That’s certainly not a universal stance - [wrote more in-depth about it if you’re interested](https://nsmb.com/articles/varying-degrees-of-engagement/) \- but I wouldn’t recommend something I wouldn’t buy myself.
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If the DT 54t works for you, that’s clearly an awesome choice.
On the Hydra, I find I do the large hubshell bearing 3:1 compared to the small hubshell bearing and at least that compared to the freehub bearings, if I stay on top of it. Maybe that’s helpful?
Sept. 26, 2023, 7:01 a.m. - Andrew Major
The 1/1 hubs combine good quality, very easy serviceability, fast enough engagement, and domestic (NA) manufacturing for a reasonable outlay. I think that even ignoring where they’re made that they’re the best overall buy on the market (though personally, I bought a P321 G2 hub last time I was in the market as it’s my overall favourite). I’ve worked on many Spank Hex Drive hubs and feedback has been that they’re very reliable for the money. As with the 1/1 they’re fast-enough engaging. Personally, I’d spend a bit more but I still maintain they’re a min-max option. I’m generally not a DT Star Ratchet fan for mountain bikes (I guess I can say Star Ratchet in general now that the patent is expired and a million knock-offs are hitting the market?). They’re very reliable in 18t and 36t formats (20d and 10d engagement) and I’ve witnessed reliability issues with the 54t format. Personally, I love <5d engagement. I find fit the technical climbing and descending I like that they enhance my experience significantly. That’s certainly not a universal stance - [wrote more in-depth about it if you’re interested](https://nsmb.com/articles/varying-degrees-of-engagement/) \- but I wouldn’t recommend something I wouldn’t buy myself. ——— If the DT 54t works for you, that’s clearly an awesome choice. On the Hydra, I find I do the large hubshell bearing 3:1 compared to the small hubshell bearing and at least that compared to the freehub bearings, if I stay on top of it. Maybe that’s helpful?