[Slurry]

I've had a Hope Pro II SS hub set for about one year, and I've been fairly disappointed with the bearings in the rear hub.

The hub was draggy from the get go, and though i figured this was some sort of initial seal drag, the bearings quickly got worse (rough). I ordered a full bearing/drift kit from Hope, and set about to replace the bearings that press into the hub shell, as they seemed to be culprits. The bearings in the freehub itself still spin fine today.

Upon removing the bearings from the hubshell, i notice all the drag and a lot of the roughness go away, and they only seemed rough and draggy when they were pushed into the hubshell itself (and this is using the Hope bearing drifts to install). I replaced them anyways.

Since then, I have replaced the bearings another two times. It only takes a month or so for roughness to develop, though they are always really draggy. It always seems to be the drive side hub shell bearing that goes bad, and it seems its this bearing thats doing most of the work. I most recently replaced the bearings with some full complement hybrid ceramics, but like the others they are rough after only a month or so.

I ride 1-2 times a week, and though i often ride in poor conditions, I frequently pull-apart, clean, and re-grease both hubs. Im just not sure whats going on. I've felt many of cheaper sealed bearing mountain hubs that have no drag, no play and have had no lifespan issues after years of service. I dont know if this is just how Hope Hubs are, or if i got a bad hub. Im confident in my installation skills and I have never damaged/misplaced/forgotten any spacers or whatnot.

Any thoughts?

 

[crisillo]

I have had 2 pairs of Pro2 hubs for a couple of years...but I admit that I don't check them for drag...I just make sure they have grease every now and then...so far so good

 

[standard3x]

Did you service according to Hope's instructions (or better yet, the Hope Pro 2 service video - find it on their website or youtube)?

I find the Pro 2 SS pretty much bombproof for trials applications; and they spin with less drag than, say, a King, DT Swiss, I9 or a Hadley after their break-in period. It may be a case of perception, but that has been my experience with them.

 

[Slurry]

Did you service according to Hope's instructions (or better yet, the Hope Pro 2 service video - find it on their website or youtube)?

I find the Pro 2 SS pretty much bombproof for trials applications; and they spin with less drag than, say, a King, DT Swiss, I9 or a Hadley after their break-in period. It may be a case of perception, but that has been my experience with them.

i have watched the install video a few times and done my repair accordingly. I have felt a few used king hubs, most felt smoother than mine.

I recently worked on a FELT solo nine that a customer had for about a year. His rear felt branded hub (cheap rebranded sealed bearing hub) was about 20x smoother than mine, such that you could spin the axle and it would keep rolling for a second or two. Just as an example. He rides it everyday as a commuter and takes it offroad on the weekends.

If the drag is just how they are, then im ok with it. Im not ok with constantly blowing bearing over and over....

 

[dontheclysdale]

I think I have similar with my recently acquired Hope2 SS hubs. I had DT240's before and they seem to spin and spin when on the stand. The Hope's (specifically the rear) seems to drag. I've even taken the brakes off and it still seems to drag. When I'm out pedaling on the trails or the road, I can't really feel the drag so I'm not sure that they are actually dragging. I had a pair of CK hubs that had horrible and very noticeable drag and so I know what it feels like on the trails. The Hope's definitely don't drag anything like the CK's I had. While they may not roll free on the stand, they seem to be rolling well on the ground.

 

[Slurry]

I think I have similar with my recently acquired Hope2 SS hubs. I had DT240's before and they seem to spin and spin when on the stand. The Hope's (specifically the rear) seems to drag. I've even taken the brakes off and it still seems to drag. When I'm out pedaling on the trails or the road, I can't really feel the drag so I'm not sure that they are actually dragging. I had a pair of CK hubs that had horrible and very noticeable drag and so I know what it feels like on the trails. The Hope's definitely don't drag anything like the CK's I had. While they may not roll free on the stand, they seem to be rolling well on the ground.

Thats the conclusion I came to as well. However, the fact that I've gone through three bearings in a year is what worries me. I've talked to hope, and they've suggested some testing i can do to determine if the hubshell is undersized and/or if the axle is oversized.

Either way, It sounds like they'll replace it if something is up.