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Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | Silent, looks great, zero problems, and bearings stay very clean. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, DX, XT, Mavic, Chrono Metro | | Bike Setup: | Full suspension carbon fiber Schwinn Sweet Spot designed by John Castellano | | Bottom Line: | Simply works. I have never had a problem with these hubs. I bought these used, and can't believe they cost so little. These things are like getting a Chris King hub on the cheap. After 10 years I am finally adding a small amount of Phil Wood tenacious oil.
As for those who broke wheels, it's how you had the wheels built, abused them, or you just had a fluke. I seriously think you would have broken an XTR hub.
If you want totally bombproof, then buck up and pay for Phil Wood.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Sherwood Pines forest Park, UK | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Silent, smooth | | Bottom Line: | Had my rear hub for 8+ years now and just had to replace cartridge bearings. No problems up until then, love the silent action. Other readers comment about using engine oil instead of grease is spot on, no slippage with oil. There is a small amount of lateral play but I think this is due to the clutch engagement machanism. When you step on the cogs, even lightly, the clutch engages and the play disappears. About to replace the rim with Mavic 717 as they have worn out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John "Schwinnski"
a Weekend Warrior
from Norman, Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | NuDraper | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Al's (Norman) | | Strengths: | Bomb Proof, Looks, Hub is as big as a beer can! | | Similar Products Used: | LX, SPIN | | Bike Setup: | On a Mavic 217 SUP | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the front hub. I bought this set up 3 years ago when my Spin cracked. My LBS hooked me up for less than 50 dollars, and I've had zero problems.
Thanks Kevin. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Bucks England
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Walse | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Heffs | | Strengths: | T30. Beautifully built tough hub | | Weaknesses: | Not sealed enough for the U.K 7 & a bit noisey. | | Similar Products Used: | Machine tech, Hope. | | Bike Setup: | Kona & Rocklobster Hardtails with XT gs, Marzocchi & R/S. | | Bottom Line: | Bought on a whim in 97 as it had sat in the display cabinet looking the dog's bolxxx for 2 years. I offered the shop owner about 1/2 the asking price and built it up on a Mavic rim.
It has been abused ever since and is still going strong although it now has a tiny bit of sideways freeplay. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nic
a Cross Country Rider
from raleigh, nc, usa
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | centennial/rocky road | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | strong and durable | | Bottom Line: | my machine tech front suspension hub is one of the few things i have not been able to break. in the 7 YEARS and ~5000 miles i have ridden this hub off road i have broken a white industries rear hub twice, 2 cranks, 2 seat posts, 2 rims, headset, and even cracked my litespeed frame. This hub has seen 2 forks come and go. i weigh 200 lbs and used the hub with 3x lacing, 32 hole, and butted spokes. if these guys are still in business im buying the disk version | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Front hub is bomb proof. | | Weaknesses: | Rear hub slips a little, but it needs servicing. Which brings me to my biggest concern. Where do I get a tool that'll take that wretched lock ring off? | | Bottom Line: | Bummer about everyone's product support problems, guess I'll have to get a tool machined to take the rear hub to bits. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wojo
a Racer
from philly
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | wiss | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | metropolis | | Bottom Line: | i still road that hud even with the broken off flange and
risk it on some small tours last month, the soda can hub
broke again this morning. this time 8 spoke holes on the
right flange completely tore off like nobodys bussiness!
trust me everyone!!! get your butts off those hubs before
yee lose many teeth... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wojo
a Racer
from philadelphia
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | wiss | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | metropolis bikes | | Strengths: | nice and shinney! | | Weaknesses: | weak flange | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | cannondale touring w/40h phil in the back and 40h mtec inthe front, mainly used for long distance w/ heavy loads. | | Bottom Line: | i demand the best when i`m touring who know`s where. I need to depend on the equipment i buy. My front flange cracked taking two holes with it. THIS HUB SUCK`S!! STAY AWAY FROM
THIS PRODUCT-- MAD MOGOLIAN BIKER FROM PHILLY | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Racer
from Boston MA
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$310.00 | | Strengths: | Light, easy to disassemble and repair | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Chris King | | Bike Setup: | Klien Adriot | | Bottom Line: | Great Hub! Works fine, no problems, light and responcive! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug
a Racer
from Idaho
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | Hint for everyone with a rear hub. Clean it out with WD-40 then lube it with motor oil. Do not use grease or a wax type lube. The hub has a roller clutch in it. Grease and wax type oils will bind up the bearings in the roller clutch, preventing it from engaging. If you just use motor oil, you'll have many years of life (I have 6 on 3 hubs). If you used grease and rode the crap out of them with the teeth slipping, your probably screwed. It helps to read the directions. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a Cross Country Rider
from washington dc
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Silent,easy cleaning,good looks | | Weaknesses: | Slips more than my grandma on ice, cost too much, and machine tech support sucks the biggest one. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Lx,Xt and Chris King | | Bike Setup: | Gt Zaskar LE, Shimano XTR drivetrain, Mavic rims, Cooks cranks. | | Bottom Line: | Machine tech provides the worst service,which is probably why ther are out of the bussiness. The owner, Bob, has a lot to learn about providing a quality product and good support and service. This hub has slipped so much on engagement that it can kill any hill climb or any holeshot.
It sounds like I'm breaking a gear when it slips.
I will say it stays pretty clean and looks nice, but so what. I will never buy another M-tech product. The biggest prob I had was with their zeroflex brakes. I was very patient with M-tech and they kept coming up with excuses. I asked for the owner because the guy was so rude and blamed it on me and my ride. Turns out I had been dealing with Bob, the owner the whole time. He even hung up on me and I never cursed or raised my voice. He just didn't know how to say my product sucks I will refund your money. He never even returned a certified letter I sent. I hope he goes bankrupt in all his future endeavors!
Buyer Beware
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Elkhart, In
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Still looking | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light, Smooth, Colors | | Weaknesses: | Dunno yet | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio, XT, Nukeproof | | Bike Setup: | Mongoose hardtail with some nicer bits | | Bottom Line: | Got the front hub only.
Not a bad hub. Got it on closeout from the LBS a while back and it was an easy build. Put it on the wife's bike and it's smooth and trouble free. The way every bike part should be.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Boyd
a Cross-Country Rider
from New Brunswick , Canada
Date Reviewed: September 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Backyard Noonan | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Front hub very stiff | | Weaknesses: |
Longevity of rear hub very poor | | Similar Products Used: |
Ringle,XTR,White Ind. | | Bike Setup: |
Heckler,Judy 100,Race Face,Avid | | Bottom Line: | Front hub still going strong on my hardtail but the T30 rear only lasted about a year.I hate to drool on independant companies but obviously they had repeated problems with rear hubs which may have been a deciding factor in their decision to get out of bike parts.Front hub still impressive though and that earns them three fried goat turds. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doctor
a Cross-Country Rider
from Las Vegas, NV
Date Reviewed: September 23, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Stiffness, bearing seals are excellent, looks cool | | Weaknesses: |
Rear hub slipping, heavier than many high $ hubs | | Similar Products Used: |
Ringle | | Bike Setup: |
Proflex 855 | | Bottom Line: | Front hub has been a winner. I will keep it for my second bike. Rear hub worked great for 2-3 years, but then started slipping on me. I thought it was the cogset/chain, so I replaced them, but LBS guy pinned it on the hub. It is absolutely unrideable now (it has sent me over the handlebars twice when it slipped during a high power climbing move), and I have no recourse with Machine Tech. I'm buying a set of Dave's Wheels for the new bike. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
darren m
a Weekend Warrior
from portland me usa
Date Reviewed: May 26, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
lynn woods | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
??????
front works good | | Weaknesses: |
The rear never worked. slipped out of the box. I sent it back, was told It was my fault,and was told to fuck off!!! They never returned my hub so I could smash it. They won't talk to me, they keep hanging up on me. | | Similar Products Used: |
Chris King rocks!!!!! | | Bike Setup: |
Wodjick w/bomber | | Bottom Line: | These guys suck. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Racer
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: March 15, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | I have two sets of Machinetech hubs, the original silent clutch hub and the newer T30. The silent hub has worked fine for me for nearly 3 years. I have no problems with slipping. I think there was a batch of hubs that did slip, but mine never has sliped. the only problem was some noise caused by the bearing in the hub moving around. I called machinetech and they sent me a small spring which goes in between the two main cartidge bearings to keep everything silent. I replaced two cartridges last fall. Otherwise the hub is great. I also have one of the T30 hubs which also works very well. It is very loud unlike the silent hub. Too bad they stopped making bike parts. I thought they had some good stuff. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Salsi
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Looks | | Weaknesses: |
It slips | | Bottom Line: | This hub slips. It is very anoying, its feels like I'm jumping a cog or something, but it definitly is the hub. It has not failed me though. I would rather I bought a good XTR instead for less than 1/2 its price. The XTR would still be running strong. I'm going to replace this weak hub soon. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DJD
a cross-country rider
from SF Bay Area
Date Reviewed: March 10, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
After about 2 years, my rear Mahcine Tech Powerclaw started making a disturbing noise which no one can diagnose. I called up Machine Tech, and they said they are no longer in the bike accessory business, and no one there can help me. Obviously I wouldn't recommend this product. Nice looking though. I replaced it with a Chris King. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bas Bijvank
a racer
from the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: March 5, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
THANK YOU!!!!!! I resently bought a Machine Tech front hub an I LOVE it. Smooth, stiff, light (not the lightest but....) and it looks great. I was on my way to my local bikeshop to puchase the REAR hub, when I thought; let check the reviews first you never know. And here I and reading houw good the FRONT hub is and how BAD the rear, so I think I buy a HUGI now. The noise is a real benefit for a racer because the racer in front of you gets really stressed by me, and this causes him to make mistakes muchs sooner TO MY BENEFITSO THE FRONT HUB 5 CHILLS FOR SURE !!!!!!!!!!!!! THE REAR I (LUCKELY) DON'T KNOW. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a cross-country rider
from Minnesota
Date Reviewed: February 10, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I got set up with a hollowcore front hub mated to DB 14/15 spokes and a Mavic 517 rim. My old wheel (some no-name hub witha Weinamnn 519 rim) flexed like crazy when I stood up. The new wheel has taken off-camber hits when I'm out of the saddle and so far it has never even bucked a little. other than the routine truing, this wheel/hub has never, ever given me a problem after almost 2K on it last year. (I do, however, run a Shimano XT in back....) Overall, a great hub. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen
a cross-country rider
from Austin,TX
Date Reviewed: December 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a power claw rear hub that has 3,000+ miles on it. I have had no problems yet, but after reading some of these reviews I probably would not have bought it. The silent clutch is neat, but its seems to be just a sales gimmick. But to Machine Tec's credit, the hub has worked perfectly. It engages with no slipping and is very smooth. I clean and lube the hub every 750 miles or so. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a cross-country rider
from Ann Arbor, MI
Date Reviewed: November 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the Hollow Core font/T-30 rear, and so far, so good. I ahve used them for about a year and a half, and the bearings seem to be staying tighter than the legendary Whites. The old style rear hub may have slipped, but the T-30 is built like a brick sh*t house! I doubt that the ratchet will ever break, but it is a bit noisey. The front hub seems pretty god, but most suspension forks are stiff enough now that I don't think a suspension hub is much of a benefit any more (my Mag 21 SL-Ti could have used one, though!). Good hubs overall, money well spent, five hotties from me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rob
a weekend warrior
from OC, Cal
Date Reviewed: November 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had the T-30 rear and hollow core front for about a year now. these hubs rock. I know the powerclaw sucks but the T-30 is awesome and loud to. The T-30 will scare any hiker on the trail as well as any person riding with ringle hubs. If you can still find these hubs, get them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike jackson
a downhiller
from wa
Date Reviewed: October 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
all you who have had problems with your power claw hubs should learn how to do proper maintenance if you keep them clean you wouldn't have any problems.
I have used the hub for three years and had no failures. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Georg Parthen
a downhiller
from Wiesbaden,Germany
Date Reviewed: October 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My Machine-Tech never slipped, but the internals (lockring, freewheel mechanism etc. ) broke 4 times during 13 months of having them. My bike shop replaced them three times but after that they told me that Machine-Tech discontinued to build Mountain-Bike parts. They majorly suck and I am angry that I wasted about 250 bucks on a rear hub that never worked properly. I just installed a 30 marks Shimano LX and haven´t had any complaints yet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a cross-country rider
from sacramento
Date Reviewed: July 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The front hub works very well, pretty much the same as any other high priced MTB hubs. The rear hub also worked well (at least for the first 100 miles when the internals crashed. No problem I thought, Machime Tech sells high end stuff, they 'll back it. After all, it was barely out of the box. The long and the short of it is...I love my White Industries hubset, and the Machine Techs make great windchimes. If you feel like flushing money down the toilet, I encourage you to buy Machine Tech | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a weekend warrior
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: June 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Just look at all of these negative reviews for the rear hub. Look closer and they all say, buythe way the front hub is great. After reading this over and over I felt pretty safe getting the front hub. It was a very good choice too. Super smooth and stiff. I dont notice my breaks rubbing while out of the saddle any more. I didn't think a hub could make that much difference but it did. I don't expect any problems because i only got the front hub (XT rear works great). I guess I am going to throw the curve off but here goes | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bert
a weekend warrior
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Don´t ever buy the powerclaw rear hub Ihad it serviced buy my importer THREE, YES THREE times and it still has heaps of drag after 3000 kilometers. And the last 500 kilometers it has strated to jump, when I pedal hard. Had the front bearings changed. but I love the front | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a cross-country rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: May 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The Powerclaw hub worked great for the first year and a half, then it started to slip. I tried to service the hub but the locking ring had cracked. Not a big deal, I'll send it back to MachineTech and have them repair it. I thought I have to pay for this, mountain biking abuses your gear. MachineTech doesn't service their product. They don't STAND BEHIND their product and I assume the reason for this is, they must know that they are manufacturing crap. Any company that takes this attitude towards customer service should not be in business. If you want a disposable $200 rear hub that can make a great paper weight two years down the line, buy MachineTech. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brent
a cross-country rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: April 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well they worked great for about 1500 miles.Then something went terribly wrong.
The needle bearing on the side of the cog didn't like to get torqued on I guess, as it shifted, breaking the piece that unscews so that the hub can be overhauled. Guess it really doesn't matter though as Machine Tech stopped making and servicing all bike parts. They are an aero space company so I really don't think they give a shit about all the people with there bike parts. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY EXEPT THERE FRONT HUB WHICH IS SUPER SMOOTH, there breaks and break levers suck too. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a cross-country rider
from Raleigh
Date Reviewed: April 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well, I'm surprised at the problems with the rear hub. I have the front one, have had it for over two years now, and haven't had a single problem. It has been 100% maintenance free for the entire time, and I cetainly can't complain about any drag. I've got XT, LX and even a couple of old DX built wheelsets, and the Machine Tech is clearly superior to all of them. Maybe I'll open it up and clean it this year...nahh. Works great, no worries at all. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Bomber
a weekend warrior
from Houston TX
Date Reviewed: February 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have over 2200 miles on my Hollowcore front/T30 rear. These hubs have survived mud, sand and water from a high pressure hose. I am not a lightweight super skinny 22 year old. Like a Timex, they take a licking and keep on ticking. Not for riders who insist on silent hubs. I get a lot of positive comments on how they look. Be careful, if lubed with excessive oil, it will get out and on the rim which will make V-Brakes howl until the rim is wiped off. Phil Tenacious oil works best, it really stays in there. It is too bad that there is not a separate review category for the T30 as it is completely free of the Powerclaw nonsense. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joseph
a weekend warrior
from Dallas
Date Reviewed: January 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have to say that I hate the rear hub. I own the Powerclaw/Hollowcore set
and like everyone else, I love the front. I too was one of those lucky enough
to purchase the rear hubs with slippage problems. I wrote a lengthy letter
detailing the problem and called the company. Needless to say nothing got resolved. I was told that their were initial design flaws and that it was the fault of the company, but that I still had to pay $60 to get the damn thing fixed. In the meantime I decided to run an old Alivio rear and unlike the Machine tech, I had no problems with it whatsoever. That should speak volumes for the company and their product. When something as lowly as Shimano Alivio outperforms your hubs then you obviously need to go back to the drawing board.
In addition, the person I spoke with on the phone told me that I would have the brand new version of the hub. Big deal. All I wanted was a hub that worked in the first place. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY $400 FOR A WHEELSET NOT TO WORK CORRECTLY. And to add insult to that I had to pay an extra $60 just to get it to work right. Customer service sucks ass as do some of their products. NEGATIVE Stars for service, Negative stars for the Rear hub and 5 for the front. At least they got that right... One other note, if their V brake ripoff were so good, then why are they been discounted/clearanced at some of the major mailorder companies? As of Jan 22 98 they are being sold for 1/2 off. Seems to me like they are just as poorly designed as their rear hubs.
proof of this is that as of Jan 22 98 their V brake ripoffs have been put
on clearance/closeouts by major vendors. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
happy rider
a cross-country rider
from hell
Date Reviewed: January 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Just recently got a pair of Machine Tech hubs. The Hollowcore up front is noticably much stiffer than my old Kona 999 suspension hub (remarkably similar to a Shimano Parallax....but it's ok, Kona rules). The rear T-30 is very nice, too....pawl hook-up is much faster than standard hubs, feels great. It's a little (ok, a lot) loud, but not enough to drive me crazy, sounds like a baseball card in the spokes. (when was the last time you did that, eh?) Both hubs are also the most incredibly sexy hubs on the planet, and feature bearings that come with tight seals that break in to become silky smooth and damn near frictionless. There's a miniscule amount of play in the rear, odly in only one direction, but it hasn't grown worse with riding, so it seems ok for now. My only regret is that the T-30 doesn't come in gold anodization, to match my nipples, but that's ok. Five Chiles after 60 miles.... if they suck later, i'll let it be known. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dustin Warr
a cross-country rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: October 12, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have been riding the hollowcore and powerclaw for 6 months and I have never had any problems whatsoever with either one. I ride them in extremely harsh, rocky conditions and they are as smooth as silk. In fact, I have a number of friends that ride them as well, and not one of them has ever had a problem | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie Blumenfeld
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Love these inexpensive hubs (T-30), interesting disassembly of rear hub. Rear hub is loud! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Severson
a cross-country rider
from Winona, MN
Date Reviewed: September 26, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Can we say junk? I had mine for 3 months and they started to slip bad. When I tried to get them warrentied they admited they had a problem with the first run, but they wanted ME to pay $60 to get them rebuilt. The worst part about this story is that I work for a large shop. If a customer is pissed at the product that is bad, but when the shop is you get a REALLY bad name for your product. Because of this little incident we will not carry Machinetech products until they do fix the problem. This is what we call on the inside of the industry bad customer relations. If you want someone to call to bitch at ask for Bob at Machinetech. For the cost of the hub one should not have to pay ANYTHING to get them fixed especially when it is a problem the manufacturer admits to. If anyone out there wants a silver Powerclaw hub I'll sell you mine for $100 shipped, you get it fixed for $60 and you get a better deal than most shop employee's (who pay about $175 for one of these hubs). Just email me.Before it blew I'd give it 3 peppers (it still had a lot of drag after 500 miles). IF it actually worked it may be worth more becauseit is incredibly smooth.-Jon Severson | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
vladevlad
a cross-country rider
from Chatsworth,CA,USA
Date Reviewed: September 6, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Wow, after reading all the problems with the Power Claw rear hub I probably wouldn't have bought mine. But after 1000+ miles, mine works great! It has the noise that some describe but I always figured if it aint broke... Super stiff and abuseable. I ride mostly tech. single track, 90% of my riding is on dirt trails, and I ride min. every weekend regardless of weather. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zach
a racer
from Seattle Washington
Date Reviewed: June 19, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This front hub was able to wrestle an old mag-21 into a corner and made a beautifuly steering fork out of a judy SL. The hollowcore remains an exquisite hometown favorite for me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hmmm
a weekend warrior
from
Date Reviewed: May 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm a little confused. I just bought a set of machine tech hubs (silent rear) and have had NO problems whatsoever. The slippage reffered to in most of these reviews must be the built in clutching system. The hub is designed to slip VERY slightly when the hub is engaged to take some of the slack of big power pushes on the drive train. I only notice it if I happen to REALLY pay attention to. I crank up hills big time (I have a 30 thigh) lot's of power. And had no problem. Cool hubs, very smooth, and totally silent. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TF855
a cross-country rider
from phx az
Date Reviewed: May 6, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Rear hub sucks..slips ahd it rebuilt 3 times still skips when really torquing uphills. I'm geeting a chris king rear to match my front | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AngrY
a cross-country rider
from West Sacramento, CA
Date Reviewed: April 29, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These hubs are the B0MB! They are so damn easy to do maintenence on and i have had no problems with the prior concerns. So far, they have out performed friends hubs, in terms of blowing up, coming loose, or cracking. I called Machine Tech and talked to a tech about mainenence and he was absolutely professional and the most helpful of all people regarding technical assistance ive called. I have them inside a set of Mavic 217's and have been very happy. They are stiff, they have good seals, and dont come loose. Why go on with the logistics of a hub? Theyre grrrrrreat! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony Gravano
a racer
from Bend, Oregon
Date Reviewed: April 28, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm sick of all these people who right in and shread on a product when they obviously don't know what they are talking about. The person who said that the front hub sucks is a dumb ass. I've ridden every hub out there and say that the two best front hubs you can buy are the Paul and the Machine Tech. I'll admit that I thought Machine Tech's silent hub was shit! The T-30 is probably the best value for the money. It seems that they copied Hugi's rear. It is very loud and doesn't cost much. This is an excellent rear for people who don't want to fork out a lot of money. Right now I'm riding the Hollowcore and a King rear. Two stars for the silent hub, five for the hollowcore, and four for the T-30.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Professor
a weekend warrior
from Houston TX
Date Reviewed: April 23, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
The Hollowcore front/T-30 rear hub combination has to be the best hub deal out there. The front is super stiff, and runs slick. The rear is a work of art. Lock-up is fast and positive. The insides have some similarity with the Hugi in that the surfaces of saw-tooth wheels run against each other. While freewheeling the backs of the teeth slide over each other. Start to pedal, the points snag and the drive locks at 18 or 24 places, not just 3 pawls. Unlike the older powerclaw, the two halves of the ratchet mechanisim are constantly in contact which makes it impossible for these hubs to slip. Noise is similar to that of the Hugi. If the hub is lubed with some 90 weight gearbox oil, it will run quietly. The slip out axel makes lubrication a 2 minute job with no tools required. The deal part is just about every mail order house out there will sell this hubset made up with Mavic 217's, DT double butted spokes and alloy nipples for $249. That is only about $30 more than the usual charge for XT wheels. Front hub is 150 gr, rear 350 gr. BTW the T-30 was recommended for use by clydesdale class riders in a recent issue of Mountain Bike magazine, that is how tough it is. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin Grant
a weekend warrior
from MI
Date Reviewed: April 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been riding a set of these PowerClaw hubs for almost two years, both on a GT Team-LTS and a Klein Pulse, and I have good and bad things to say in terms of front and rear respectively. The front has been problem-free and really stiff in any condition, period.
The rear is another story. I heard some stories from my mechanic about axles breaking but nothing like that has happened to me. This rear hub is SHIT. I have never, in my nine years of riding, heard and felt anything skip like that rear hub. It is on its' way to Oregon for a rebuild and after reading some of these reviews, I am not surprised. I was told that no real design changes have been made, just material specs. As an industrial designer, I can't believe that someone spec'd the soft crap that makes up the insides of these things. Unbelievable! The silent hub concept is nice but Machine Tech has got issues to deal with before it can earn my trust on a good wheelset...in the meantime I revert back to my bulletproof Shimano LX wheelset that these hubs were supposed to be an upgrade to. @%#$&*!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a racer
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the t-30 and the holowcore and it they kicks ass. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry
a cross-country rider
from Boone, Ia
Date Reviewed: April 1, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've ridden a few of different hubs, Nuke Proof, Ringle, White Industries
(my brothers and I have different tastes in hubs) and the Machine Tech is
my favorite front hub. The Nuke Proof is cool too, but the White Industries
hub broke and it took a long time for replacement parts to come and I notice
excessive independent slider action on my Judy fork when I'm riding on the
Ringle hub. I don't ask too much from a front hub, it's got to be light and
stiff, look cool, and not break when I'm riding- and so far the Machine Tech
has lived up. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ping Chou
a weekend warrior
from Davis, CA USA
Date Reviewed: March 19, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Machine Tech Front Hub:I bought the Machine Tech front hub based on some magazine reviews and tests regarding the stiffest suspension hubs on the market. Well, the hub was pretty stiff, but it's also a piece of crap. I'm not a very abusive rider and not that heavy (143 lbs.) and I usually ride once every couple weeks due to my schedule, however after about a year and a half on the front hub, the flange shattered across 4 spoke holes while sitting in my garage (not a joke), most likely due to some materials defect or fatigue, which the company coincidentally refused acknowledge. It was a nice hub while it lasted, but I cannot honestly recommend this hub to anyone for safeties sake. Don't buy Machine Tech. I recently bought a Specialized STOUT front hub and it is Sweet! Super stiff! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Goose
a cross-country rider
from Hawaii
Date Reviewed: March 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Couldn't decide on Machine Tech or Hopes but the MT was a better choice per my LBS mechanic so I ordered them in Sept. 95 and didn't get them until Jan. 96 after I had called Machine Tech directly to complain about mly missed order. On the bike stand, I noticed the wheels moved when I freewheeled the hub! No prob, cause the manual said that it had to be broken in for 50 miles. Well, at 50 miles, it was broken in alright! It was broken literally! The washer/plate that touches the cassette cracked and the hub would not let me pedal my cranks, freewheel or otherwise! Good thing it happened in the parking lot. Got that fixed within 2 wks and MT said that it was a heat-treating problem with the initial batch. So tried to break it in another 50 miles, and guess what? It broke again within 50 miles! Same problem! So got it fixed again (and the LBS was really getting nervous- if the owner wasn't my friend, I would have demanded a refund), and thankfully, I have had no problems with them since. I was hearing this annoying click, click sound (sorta like rocks in the rim) when I spun the wheels but that was cured when my LBS mechanic installed a spring in the hub. The wheel still moves a little (maybe it's the dirt/oil on the cassete-hub junction) when I freewheel the hub but I can live with that; I'm not about to spend $400+ on another hubset. The front hub is awesome. Before the MTs, I had some Whites and the front developed some serious play, and a bearing in the rear exploded on me on the trail. Whites are light but not as durable. If you ask me, go for XTs -- a little heavier but darn near bulletproof and half as cheap. If you want something fancy, go with the Hugis if you can tolerate the noise, or try those new superlight Mavics. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jerry
a cross-country rider
from Corvallis, Oregon
Date Reviewed: January 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought these based upon recommendations of a mail order and bike shop in Santa Rosa, Ca and have not been disappointed, I got the wheelset for $330, butted spokes, Mavic 217SUP. The front hub is silky smooth even after most of the winter here in wet-wet-wet Western Oregon, very stiff and no bearing problems yet. Fortunately (from the posted reviews) I have the new T-30 Rear hub, it looks the same but has standard pawls, very noisy! (I can't sneak up on anyone) but it too is silky smooth and so far very durable and has required no maintenance in spite of the wet weather here. Also, I win coasting contests! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Shorts
a cross-country rider
from San Diego CA
Date Reviewed: January 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I got a fantastic deal on the Machine Tech hubs. I was a little worried about reported slippage, but my LBS assured me that the problem had been solved in the hubs I had. So I went for it, and Have I been pleased. The wheelset was a tremendous upgrade. The hubs are very stiff and work great with my Manatou III's Plus I did a week of nasty muddy riding with little chance for cleaning. When I took the hubs apart to clean them they were practically spotless inside. Color me impressed. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christopher Green
a racer
from Fayetteville, NC
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I have raced the front hub for about a year and a half, and it has no drag, it is smoother than ony other wheel I have ever ridden or worked on. The rear, is another story... I have had no problems with slow pawl engagement times, but I did have the problem with the clacking when you turn the wheel on its side, which Mackine Tech will gladly send you a spring to put in the hub to cure the problem. I have had another problem that wasn't mentioned here and I can't seem to get rid of, for some reason the rear wheel feels like its cones are loose, there is probably over 1-3 mm of side to side play at the rim, very annoying at sport class speeds (or anything else for that matter!). I like the hubs and its cool to get questions on them, but I think I would have rather bought a HUGI rear that clacks and is LOUD! I would never give up the front though. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Severson
a cross-country rider
from Winona, MN
Date Reviewed: November 16, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the rear hub. All I gotta say is it's junk. Just say no to the rollerclutch hubs. No one has made one that really lasts (or works for that matter), traditional pawls aren't thatbad. At least they work. Go WTB and you won't be mad. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cris bausch
a cross-country rider
from Columbus,OH
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought these hubs as part of a wheel set and the first day they arrived I was playing with them and noticed the rear hub during its freewheel made a latching sound. The next day I called the Machine Tech service line and told them of the problem. With in 2 days I received a spring that simply fit into the rear hub main body to keep the hub from prematue engagement during its freewheel. A little apprehensive at first I took it easy my first couple of rides. Since then I've been riding and racing 3-4 times a week for 5 months now and have absolutely no problems. One other point I'm not proud to admit, but leaving the parking lot after a intense ride I left my front tire behind the car. After destroying a Mavic 217 rim and snapping a skewer axal the hub was undamaged and still glides as smooth as ever. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patrik Etschmayer
a cross-country rider
from St. Gallen, Switzerland
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm riding the rear-hub for 9 months now and haven't got any problems at all. I rode it in mud, snow, rain, dust. It still works. It's only not as quite as I hoped it would be. But otherwise fine. The front hub, I had earlier needed replacement of the bearings once (10 Min. and 10 $ -job) and works fine ever since. In regard of the other reviews, I might either be lucky or they improved the design (Important: Never, ever grease the rear one, that would be a killer for it, as far as I know) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Georg Parthen
a weekend warrior
from Wiesbaden, Germany
Date Reviewed: August 27, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Cool, I thought. A quiet hub with barely any friction. The first few days it worked
flawlessly. But 2 weeks it started making funky crunchy sounds and the shifting
seemed to be delayed for few seconds. So I brought the hub back to my LBS. They
told me that they already had three more hubs with the same problems and because
they need a special tool to open the freewheel-body of the hub they would have to
send it in. Good thing the bike shop gave me a replacement rear wheel for the time
I would be waiting for my own repaired rear wheel. Well, I have been waiting for
5 months for it to be returned. So I am still waiting. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a cross-country rider
from Grantham, NH
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These hubs look really great and can be serviced while still in the wheel. The only problem is they don't work.
The drive mechanism has a habit of slipping in both directions, I thought it only should in one!
This can be quite alarming and could cause a nasty injury if climbing out of the saddle. It's a shame since the look and the engineering is otherwise first class. Machine Tech need to change the design and replace all of the early hubs since I understand most users have these problems. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a downhiller
from California
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
This hubset isn't as good as I had anticipated. There is excessive drag in both the front and rear hubs. There is a supposed 50 mile break-in period, but I have over 1,000 miles on them and they still drag. The rear hub also slips when starting off on a hard sprint - not very confidence inspiring. On the positive side, I've had no problems with durability. They've held up to many miles. Also, the front hub is very stiff. It was a noticable improvement over my Ringle Supperbubba. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James West
a cross-country rider
from NYC, NY
Date Reviewed: May 31, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I've owned this hub for about a 8 months. It sucks! Well, let me qualify that. It sucks that when it breaks,
which is often, they tell you that nothng is wrong with it. They actually maintain
that it's a norm,al thing for a hub to slip!!!! Even in NY someone wouldn't tell you that!
I'm now on my third one. They refuse to refund my dough or even acknowledge that anything is wrong with a hub
that freewheels in both directions. Until this most recent rebuild it was as quiet as claimed, not it's noisy,
though not like a conventional hub, and I'm afraid to ride it hard. It has become the wheel that my slicks never come
off of, instead of the killer offroad wheel I had planned it to be (Mavic 217SUP, double butted spokes, blue(!) alloy
nipples).
Bummer, I give the hub a negative star. I give the company a negative 5 stars.
FWIW, I have heard good things about the front hub.
| | Overall Rating: |
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