[stumphumper92]

Anyone have the bitex hubs offered at bikehubstore.com? I have the 211's laced to flow's and so far they have been awesome. 54 POE, relatively light and color options. Just wanted to hear others' opinions on these hubs.

Unless you're going to really high end hubs I can't see a reason why I would go with anything else. I put them on level with hope pro4 and maybe dt swiss 350 though I think the ratchet system in the dt's requires less maintenance and very easy to service.

 

[rockcrusher]

I was looking at these hubs. How are the bearings for service? I live in seattle and have a lot of wet days.

Clarifying: can you access all the bearing shields so you could remove them and add grease?

 

[06HokieMTB]

Anyone have the bitex hubs offered at bikehubstore.com?

I've had quite a few of them. They're good budget hubs. Upgrade to the steel axle when ordering and they should be bombproof. If you're running a Shimano style cassette, it's worth upgrading to the steel freehub as well (in addition, the steel freehub has an extra bearing - so very stout setup). I'm currently running a Bitex BX211R hub with steel axle and steel freehub on my park/enduro rear wheel and it serves me well.

Clarifying: can you access all the bearing shields so you could remove them and add grease?

yes. And the bearings are pretty easily replaced when the time comes. I just installed a new pair of bearings into my BX211R rear hubshell last week. (The original pair of bearings were starting to become a little 'gritty' after 2-3 years of riding)

Main thing I'll add - once you get your hubs, remove the disc side end cap and put some blue loc-tite on the threads. I preemptively do this and have never had any problems. Keep the end caps tight and these hubs will serve you well.

Edit: I'll also add that if you ever need to swap freehubs or pull the hub apart, pay close attention and don't misplace to the spacer/washer that rides on the axle and sits between the freehub and the driveside bearing on the hub body.

 

[Burt4x4]

YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!!

Building my second wheelset w/Bitex hubs right now!!
Swap-able end caps and replaceable sealed bearings!! Awesome!

Burt

 

[One Pivot]

They've become fairly popular over the years. Almost everyone has good luck on them.

Ive had so, so many sets of them either personally or from wheels I've sold. Maybe 200 hubs total? My experience has been exemplary, no come backs and no problems... however, they're not perfect. More than a few people have snapped axles on them and the bearing quality is just so-so.

I wouldnt say they're bombproof by any means, but I would say most riders in general dont beat their gear to death and will do just fine. Known hub abusers should go ahead and skip them.

My bitex hubs on my road bike must be pushing 10 years old now. They've had new bearings in them, but thats it.

When I was using/selling them heavily, there was no steel axle and no one ever asked for the steel freehub. All aluminum, and no problems. If you think you're the kind of person that needs that sort of beef, just get something else off the bat. A modified and upgraded bitex costs the same as a DT 350.

 

[Burt4x4]

BHS customer service is AWESOME!!
I just had an issue and it was address likkity-split!!
Best budget hubs on the market!!

RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lone Rager]

+1 on BHS customer service and Bitex hubs.

 

[mack_turtle]

anyone build some wheels entirely from products through BHS? It seems like the Bitex hubs have a good reputation. what about their Kinlin rims? Looks like a TL-29 would be the dimensions I would want in a 29er rim.

 

[Lone Rager]

You're really asking about Kinlin rims, which have been around for a long time and which BHS just happens to be selling. They have a good rep but I've never used them myself. I've gotten HED road rims and another set of rims from BHS that I don't see on their site at the moment.

 

[TylerVernon]

I ride Kinlin on the road but their mountain rims just haven't appealed to me. They're solid but not fancy.

 

[One Pivot]

I've only built the road stuff, but I'd be surprised if the tl29 wasnt a good rim.

Kinlins tend to be pretty damn stiff and durable. A lot of the ones I've built have a seam hop, but its completely inconsequential. But still, they're not works of art like a DT swiss rim.

Its a $70 rim. For a splitting hairs amount of money, you can get a premium aluminum rim from DT swiss, or raceface. I was going to try the tl29 anyway, but then I found an arc27 for something silly like $22.

 

[LexSuperfly]

I just ordered a set of Stans Crest mk3 rims with Bitex BX211 hubs. Had never heard of Bitex. 2 wheel builders I spoke to both told me to run away from Stan's Neo hubs. They are junk, so they claim.

I'm definitely building my own wheels next time. The scarcity of wheels made it a nightmare to find anything in 29. I almost decided to build my own when I found a guy on Ebay that sells Stan's with Bitex hubs so I decided to jump on it. He said the Bitex are very reliable.

Good to hear some good reviews.

 

[s0ckeyeus]

I don't know that I abuse my equipment (I've never had hub issues before), but I broke the axle in my BR211R. Bitex is apparently shipping a replacement axle. I'll see how that whole process goes. I requested a steel axle this time, but I'll install whatever they send. The hubs have been pretty good until I took off my rear wheel and the cassette/freehub fell off.

 

[LexSuperfly]

That's a bummer. What is the warranty for the Bitex (China-made) hubs anyway?

 

[s0ckeyeus]

That's a bummer. What is the warranty for the Bitex (China-made) hubs anyway?

I really don't know for sure but my hub is almost 2 years old and Bitex is sending an axle for free.

I'm hoping I can get it installed and keep running the the hub no problems, but I guess I'll see how that goes once the replacement part gets here. The axle broke exactly where the freehub ends, which I guess is probably the best spot.

 

[LexSuperfly]

Dude are telling me the entire barrel just sheared off? Is that what I'm seeing in that pic?

 

[s0ckeyeus]

Dude are telling me the entire barrel just sheared off? Is that what I'm seeing in that pic?

Pretty much. Luckily the thru-axle held things together fine, and I didn't even notice the problem until I took off the rear wheel. Still not sure how/why it happened.

 

[LexSuperfly]

Are you much larger/heavier than normal? It seems like most bike hardware isnt meant for people who weight more than 200lbs.

 

[s0ckeyeus]

Are you much larger/heavier than normal? It seems like most bike hardware isnt meant for people who weight more than 200lbs.

No. I'm a relatively lean at 180 lbs and 6'1". I do ride a hardtail fairly aggressively, so maybe that's part of it. My technique is pretty decent though, so it's not like I'm casing every jump and slamming into every living thing. The good news is I got a warranty replacement steel axle, and installation was a breeze.

 

[LexSuperfly]

Can I ask where you bought that BITEX hub?

I got mine through a wheel builder associated with Bikehubstore.com