First Date: Easton Haven and Havoc Wheelsets

Any idea if these would have the new or the old hub?

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16738-365_EASHV7-3-Parts-75-Wheelsets/Easton-Havoc-AM-Wheelset.htm

seems like a killer deal - they also have some deals on tires - I am thinking of giving my Nomad a little attention this spring.

Hi all, i read the article on the Havocs and Havens, i bought a pair of 2011 magnesium Havens, i made a mistake and bought the 12 x 135/142 instead of the 135QR. Can anyone tell me where i can buy the conversion kit (axle + end caps)…this is very urgent!!! Any help will be greatly appreciated!!! Cheers

Of course, try your local Easton dealer. However, if they lack the info, Easton is repped through OGC (Outdoor Gear Canada)- assuming you're from 'round here. They helped me out with a Haven hub replacement in the past, good folks.

Did you guys ever get around to finishing the review on these? Looking at picking up a set but not buying anything Easton until they have sorted out the hubs.
any idea whether they fixed it for 2012 or should i be looking else where?

Make sure you get a bunch of spare spokes and nipples. My rear haven was great for a long time but started breaking the odd spoke. They stay very true, but I think the tension started to get uneven. I've broken 8 spoke on the rear so far. It is currently tensioned fairly even, so hopefully that will solve it. What's unfortunate is that every spoke broke inside the nipple, so none of those expensive proprietary nipples are usable:( my hub is garbage as well, but I'm just going to buy some bearings locally, and grab an Easton freehub from crc.

Did you guys ever get around to finishing the review on these? Looking at picking up a set but not buying anything Easton until they have sorted out the hubs.

I've got a few weeks on a used set of Haven carbon 29's, here are some observations…

They've revised the hub design a few times. I needed to convert the axles for my frame/fork, the cost of small parts was very reasonable, and the easton wheel peeps sent me the most recent hub guts at no charge. The hubs are a very simple design and are well made.

I used the 135mm QR end caps, and like many people, I drilled them out (super easy) to use a 10x135 through axle.

The preload adjustment threads are pretty fine, so there's a full turn of preload between "just right" and "too tight". Easy to overtighten!

I used blue lock-tite on the threads, no problems with them coming loose. I think they have solved that with the new LH preload adjusters. However, even with the pre-load over-tightened, there is a very tiny bit of slop in the rear hub. Only noticable if your watching the rotor/pad clearance while rocking the rear wheel. It could be the tolerances between the freehub and the axle, or between the axle and the end caps, etc. but it is definitely not the bearing preload. regardless, I think this would lead a lot of people to over-tighten the hubs. It is such a small amount of play it does not affect wheel stiffness, but it's enough I can see where it would lead people to over-tightening.

The stiffness of the carbon wheels is definitely a game changer.

I would expect that the spoke issues some people are having are primarily with the aluminum rims.

I'm not sure I would seek out the alu. havens, but the carbon rims are so awesome I think the carbon wheels are totally worth it if you can score a deal. I haven't seen any reports of issues with the easton carbon rims….A couple of companies offer 24h rear hubs, (DT for one), so even if the rear hub blows up and I swap it out, I'd still be into a nice carbon wheelset relatively cheap. I don't think it would be an issue to lace this rim up to another 24h hub- but so far the easton hub seems fine (just not outstanding).

Did you guys ever get around to finishing the review on these? Looking at picking up a set but not buying anything Easton until they have sorted out the hubs.
any idea whether they fixed it for 2012 or should i be looking else where?

I've been running a set of Havens fairly aggressively on the Dixon tester for ~9 months and they are still running great. No freehub or bearing reliability issues so far, still running straight and true. The cassette has lodged itself firmly in the freehub, but in my experience that is an aluminum freehub body issue not specific to Easton.

As for Stuart's test set, I'll see if he can chime in.

Dan and I are still testing. Planning on doing a review before the snow flies. I'm also running a set on a 29er. All has been good so far.

I also know that Easton has made incremental changes to the hubs as of mid- to late summer (will include the technical details in the full review - don't have them at this time), so any wheels that were made after that date should have addressed any concerns that people may have. Dan's got more miles on his than I have, and I know he's been quite happy with his.

Any more long term info?

Would you recommend the Haven's over a Hope Pro 2 Evo/Flow combo?

I've had both hubsets. The first gen Haven hubs were garbage. That is widely known. The second generation are not only more reliable, but are able to be retrofitted with a new axle assembly that eliminates annoying bearing play.
Hopes have a better rep, it seems, but I cracked my freehub in the first month of use, so they are certainly mortal.
Hub wise, I would say it is a toss up. Havens require specialty spokes and nipples, which can be a PITA to obtain, whereas Hopes are straight forward. One thing to consider.
I ride a similar-to-Stans Pacenti rim on the Hopes. Not a true equivalent. However, I would say the Haven rims are the strong part of the wheel. No complaints from me on that front. Easy to set up tubeless, quite resistant to dings it seems.
Again, I would say somewhat of a toss up. Might be a matter of price point and serviceability in the end. You can get last years Havens for just over $500 on some sites.

Good point about availability of parts.

The Haven's can be had for less than $500 currently which is why the question came up. I'll probably go with the Hope/Flows.

The rims are definitely a highlight on the Havens. Super stiff, and simple tubeless setup on the UST beads.

One thing about the proprietary spokes is they are all the same length: front, rear, both sides. So, if you do pick up a couple spares (OGC stocks them), you can use them for any break.

I did break a spoke on the rear after a solid year of smashing. The rim still ran surprisingly true and stiff (and I rode it for a couple rides with a broken spoke).

Another issue I ran into was the cassette lodged itself into the freehub slightly toward the outside, leaving a space for the largest cogs to rattle around in. Most likely a bad install on the cassette at the factory, not a problem with the freehub itself.

On the whole I would recommend the Havens. Riding experience is great. I once destroyed a Flow on the second ride, so I'm well aware they are also mortal.