[tedsti]

Kind of looking at what I am going to build up for my next bike. I was looking at the X9 rear hub and it looks like a pretty good deal at $76 for the 135 QR. Unfortunately the 142 x 12 is $187!! This should just be an axle change, maybe a $20 up-charge if that since it won't come with a QR.

 

[boomn]

I can't say the pricing looks right or makes sense at face value either. However, looking closer the 12x135 and 12x142 hubs are at least somewhat different in design than the 135QR hub.

The hub shell is different, with the right side flaring out much larger than the 135QR version, which means the engagement mechanism must be larger and/or different in design. My 135QR version only has 12pts of engagement, so maybe (just throwing this out there with no proof, just random speculation) the thru-axle versions could have something better?

The axle ends on the 135QR version have locknuts with wrench flats tightened up against the bearing covers, which are all threaded onto the axle. The 12mm versions appear to have a completely different design with no wrench flats, so there are probably more differences beneath the surface in the design there too.

The SRAM Spare Parts diagram confirms that the 12x135/142 versions use not only a different axle and hub bearings but a different freehub body than the 135QR as well. Unfortunately it only shows an exploded diagram for the 135QR version

Given these possible differences, it seems strange that the 12mm and QR hubs even share the same X.9 name at all. Even more so when there is apparently no design difference between the X.7 135QR and the X.9 135QR, just a sticker and supposedly a slight weight difference

 

[tiflow_21]

I wouldn't even pay $76 for 12 POE. IMO that's pretty ridiculous on a brand new hub meant for mountain biking. Really SRAM? X9 with 12 POE?

 

[mtnbiker72]

I wouldn't even pay $76 for 12 POE. IMO that's pretty ridiculous on a brand new hub meant for mountain biking. Really SRAM? X9 with 12 POE?

Very disappointing considering a 32 poe Shimano SLX hub costs $40 and a 36 poe XT costs $80. Once could hope the X9's that cost more use a much higher (at least 2x) engagement.

 

[boomn]

I wouldn't even pay $76 for 12 POE. IMO that's pretty ridiculous on a brand new hub meant for mountain biking. Really SRAM? X9 with 12 POE?

I gave them a chance because they were in a pre-built wheelset that I got a great deal on, plus I knew that for the type of riding these would be used for I had no need for quick engagement. So far I'm very happy with them. For $76 you get a simple to work with cartridge bearing hub that is backed by a major, nationally distributed company. My old Novatec hubs had 24pts of engagement, were reliable, and are cheap, but they're only available through ebay, I was never able to get spare parts in the US, and I probably wouldn't be able to get any warranty either if that came up. mtnbiker72 brings up a good point about Shimano hubs, which I considered to be the only decent competition to these, but I just personally prefer cartridge bearing hubs.

For technical climbing, especially involving ratcheting over obstacles, quick engagement is definitely helpful, and becomes more important the lower the granny gear you're in. For the rest it doesn't make that much difference other than that good feeling of engagement, and it makes less and less difference the higher the gear you're in. For open trails and other times you're pedaling fairly consistently engagement doesn't even factor in

 

[mtnbiker72]

For technical climbing, especially involving ratcheting over obstacles, quick engagement is definitely helpful, and becomes more important the lower the granny gear you're in. For the rest it doesn't make that much difference other than that good feeling of engagement, and it makes less and less difference the higher the gear you're in. For open trails and other times you're pedaling fairly consistently engagement doesn't even factor in

Exactly...when I was riding in Vegas and then in the Sierra I never gave thought to hub engagement since my granny gear was rarely used for much beyond smooth STEEP climbs. But upon moving back to the PNW (where I'm from originally) just the increase to 32 poe has made a HUGE difference with all the log crossings on my local trails. My new rig which I love came with a 16 poe and I'm already contemplating a replacement (and how to secretly do it w/o the wife knowing) as it is my only complaint for this bike.

Anybody looking for a lightly used 36 spoke DT M520 rear wheel with a (formula made) cartridge bearing hub and already set up for tubeless?