I bought the Timberjack 27.5+ SLX model a couple of months ago and rebuilt the frame with my own parts. Can't seem to sell the stock WTB wheelset, so I'm considering rebuilding its hubs on a set of 29'er rims. But,. I can't figure out who makes the hubs - they are plain black and Salsa's website just says that they are "WTB" hubs. However, I don't see that WTB even makes their own hubs anymore. Anybody have any intel on what sort of animal these hubs are?
Timberjack SLX hubs?
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Are they cup 'n' cone or sealed, pressed in bearings? Did you remove the freehub to check out what sort of engagement they use? WTB never made their own hubs, American Classic used to make them and then WTB just re-badged them. I had an early set from 2007, engagement was and is utter crap, if you need to back pedal you have to go back well over a quarter turn to get it to engage, it was some weird fvcked up drive system, but they're working fine now on my old Monkey doing commuter duties :skep:
I think they're the WTB Serra hubs that are also on the Horsethief and another Salsa bike. But, WTB doesn't seem to sell them aftermarket anywhere. I emailed Salsa directly - no response yet. I don't want to build a wheel around a crap hub just to have to rebuild it later.
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I looked at one yesterday at a bike shop. Thinking of getting one myself, so I wanted to see one in person. From what I could see looking at the hubs, they resemble the ones in this drawing ( https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0202/9884/files/ServiceProterraSpeedterraHubs_20190326v3.pdf?916), so I think they're the Speedterra or Proterra. They don't look like the Serra model. Also, the engagement sounded halfway decent which would marry to the 4 pawl/ratchet ring drawing. They definitely didn't sound like the poor engagement Formula-type hubs.
Experiment complete. WTB (direct, only source) sells replacement freehubs for their Speedterra hubs which come on these new Salsas. In stock form, the Shimano and SRAM freehubs have 4 large pawls and have decent engagement. However, these replacement freehubs from WTB have 6 pawls. They drop right in, sound killer, and greatly improve the engagement. Nice cheap upgrade.
Part numbers:
W035-0125 Shimano Freehub Kit
W035-0127 Sram Freehub Kit
Part numbers:
W035-0125 Shimano Freehub Kit
W035-0127 Sram Freehub Kit
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Not sure. Looks strange. My LBS told me that her QBP rep stated that these are Serra hubs (not Speedterra), so I looked up a drawing for the Serra hubs. I think what you may be seeing is part #7 or #8 on the 12x148 drawing. Either way, it looks to be a proprietary part which would require a special tool from WTB.The rear hub of my 2019 TJ has a weird hum. Tried to disassemble it, but couldn't. There seems to be a specific tool that I never seen. Does anyone know what tool is that? See the profile inside the hub.
Thanks in advance.
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Your answer was perfect. From there I got to this page, that says:
Exactly what I needed confirmation, as I suspected from this other thread:
https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/how-disassemble-hub-1115257.html
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Thanks. I contacted WTB customer service this week (which was awesome) and a tech rep told me that the Serra free hub (part#19 on the drawing) is technically able to be serviced, but they recommend just getting a new one if it fails. I think with loose-bearing freehubs, it's just a matter of time.
Lastly, can confirm that the SLX model currently ships with the Serra hubs, which is the weakest part of the build spec. Overall tho, it's still good value for $1,400.
EDIT: WTB graciously sent me a Serra f/h for warranty replacement, so I just wanted to post what the p/n W035-0134 kit looks like. It's a direct order and available by contacting them directly, although I suppose a WTB local dealer could provide the same. It consists of 1) the Freehub Nut, 2) the freehub itself, and 3) 15x26x7 Bearing. Looking at it in-hand I would definitely say it's not really meant to be serviced. List price for a replacement is about $26.
Pics:
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Holy Linoleum. I remembered my password from 4 years ago....
Anyway. 2019 Timberjack SLX owner here. Love the bike for the price. I also bought a Warbird Tiagra. They basically have the same wheelset. I have a cassette oscillation problem under investigation. You'll notice when freewheeling, that there will be a movement in the cassette as if the axle is bent, its not. I have this problem on both bikes. The hubs are basically the same. Both are 12mm. I have tools on the way to help me disassemble and investigate. I have been in conversations with others about this and they want me to check and see if the retaining nut for the hub body is loose at all.
Did you find that this wasn't seated? Is there anything noticeably off about the freehub body or its interface into the hub shell? Could the machining for the lock (star/spine) that holds it firm be uneven? It would be off by the smallest amount, but its going to be magnified by the cassette as it moves outward toward the largest rings.
Its possible there is a bad batch of freehubs in circulation that might go unnoticed until you're picky like me. Its a budget set and I get the mass production value, but I have cheap bikes that dont have this problem. I dont know if its causing any real issues, but anything out of round can cause problems, plus you just know its not perfect on your new bike. Its like painting your own house. The cassette body on the Serra hubs is cone-based whereas the Speedterra is cartridge. This makes a huge difference and for a bike that costs 1400+ I would spend the extra money on wheels.
I'd be curious to find out. There aren't a lot of threads on this and I'll try to post pics here for archive at least. Its nice they provide schematics, but it was hard to understand at first where and how the nut engages the freehub body. The only thing I could imagine at this point is the spined cutout is uneven. The brake side is dead straight.
Anyway. 2019 Timberjack SLX owner here. Love the bike for the price. I also bought a Warbird Tiagra. They basically have the same wheelset. I have a cassette oscillation problem under investigation. You'll notice when freewheeling, that there will be a movement in the cassette as if the axle is bent, its not. I have this problem on both bikes. The hubs are basically the same. Both are 12mm. I have tools on the way to help me disassemble and investigate. I have been in conversations with others about this and they want me to check and see if the retaining nut for the hub body is loose at all.
Did you find that this wasn't seated? Is there anything noticeably off about the freehub body or its interface into the hub shell? Could the machining for the lock (star/spine) that holds it firm be uneven? It would be off by the smallest amount, but its going to be magnified by the cassette as it moves outward toward the largest rings.
Its possible there is a bad batch of freehubs in circulation that might go unnoticed until you're picky like me. Its a budget set and I get the mass production value, but I have cheap bikes that dont have this problem. I dont know if its causing any real issues, but anything out of round can cause problems, plus you just know its not perfect on your new bike. Its like painting your own house. The cassette body on the Serra hubs is cone-based whereas the Speedterra is cartridge. This makes a huge difference and for a bike that costs 1400+ I would spend the extra money on wheels.
I'd be curious to find out. There aren't a lot of threads on this and I'll try to post pics here for archive at least. Its nice they provide schematics, but it was hard to understand at first where and how the nut engages the freehub body. The only thing I could imagine at this point is the spined cutout is uneven. The brake side is dead straight.
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My guess the problem is inside the free hub. IMO, this is a very lame design by WTB, even for a budget hub. The cup and cone bearings are inside the free hub which is definitely a weak point for a bike with 130mm of travel. I would contact WTB and have them send out a new freehub, which they’ll likely do at no cost. I switched wheel sets on this bike, otherwise I was going to have a new BHS 148 hub installed to the rim. The front hub I had zero issues with, but the rear began to make a slight grinding noise, even though it spun OK.
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Hi Udelslayer, I'm having the exact problem you are describing on my Timberjack rear hub. Did you find out what's the cause and any possible solution? Thanks
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I just had my Stormchaser (Serra) wheel off to replace a tire and the axle feels crunchy. Considering whether to try to service bearings, replace them, or replace the hub. Thoughts? I wasn’t really looking to be wheelset shopping though they are overall kind of cheap with OK rims and straight gauge spokes. I haven’t bought any tools for bearing pulling
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Wait, what is this cone wrench bs? I thought these were cartridge hubs. Could they just be overloaded?
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My slx rear hub was grinding and rough from day 1. I bought hope pro 4 hubs and all is good. The hubs and can't creek 10 headset are definitely the worst parts of an overall good value bike.
Same here, and probably the same with everyone else. I just decided to use it until it breaks. Turns out that more than a year later, the hub is still going strong, despite the noise. When it breaks I'm thinking of going wild and putting an Onyx.
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Mine was actually still going strong after a season as well, it was just noisy, sloppy play, and poor engagement. I had always planned on upgrading at least the rear hub anyway, so when the wheelset was on sale it was a no brainer.
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