jdejace

@PHeller: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17871323333890877/

@PHeller: found it for anytime curious. I didn't take 5dev's response to mean they were aware of a manufacturing problem. But yes, their representative should go back to CS school. The guy whose cranks broke wheelie-ing through traffic is a douche too, but still a bad look on 5dev's part.

@justanotherusername: deets on dickhead? My local shop sells 5dev and I like giving them money, but I have limits. Are we talking bad customer service, racism, homophobia, trump supporter..?

@g123: I've broken one off where the freehub meets the bearing, another one interestingly the little lip behind the drive side bearing broke but the rest of the axle remained intact. I thought I had a bearing issue, they felt gritty until I removed them. The drive side bearing was just grinding against the broken part. The latest axle design with a washer behind the bearing that they sent me in late Fall 2022 is ok for me so far (knock on wood). The Dumonde grease I9 recs takes care of the sound if you prefer a quiet hub. In Canada it seems like buying the steel axle from Pinner is the move if you're paying that much for replacements. Mine were free including shipping. Did you reach out to them for warranty? I have a hard time believing they'd make you pay for the axle even if they wouldn't cover international shipping.

@jubs17: there are two kinds of "bad" Hydras that I know of. Some people have trouble with them eating bearings - I don't, but my riding conditions are pretty kind to bicycles. Some people break hub axles - I broke two last season on my enduro but their latest redesign has held up well for the past month so fingers crossed. I am 185lbs and faster than the average weekend rider but still in the thick of the bell curve I think. And then I guess #3 there are a few Shreks out there who manage to break the ring gear putting out 1000w but I've not seen much of that. I'm not sure the choice of oil vs grease in the ring gear does much to affect the sealed bearings in the hub. I use the grease they recommend personally because I like to keep them relatively quiet. The bearings are Enduro brand and I9 are certainly not the only hubs using them. The hub axle issue isn't limited to I9 though it does seem to happen more often based on internet forum browsing. Heavier riders, faster riders, maybe certain frames flex more who knows. Many popular hubs are using a similar 15mm aluminum hub axle (ie 1.5mm wall thickness over a 12mm rear axle). There is an aftermarket steel axle available for Hydras and they'll still be lighter than Onyx classics with it. Axles and bearings are a relatively minor annoyance, the hubs are easy to service and I9 are good to deal with. I suppose if I had to replace bearings several times per season I'd be a bit miffed but as part of the annual rebuild - whatever, they're much easier than linkage bearings. I'm hoping I9 nailed it with this latest axle design. If I started breaking ring gears and had to rebuild wheels regularly I'd likely switch to a different rear hub but again that seems rare. Overall Hydras are pretty good hubs IMO. Most people don't break em. You can make them loud or nearly silent. They are easy to work on. They have good customer service (my warranty axles arrived within a week of my sending an email, with new bearings I didn't ask for/need). They are made in the US if you care. I think most hubs have their downsides.

Jack really should have consulted the blue square heroes in the PB comments section, he's gonna be rubbish riding those SRAM brakes.

@jesse-effing-edwards: some people have speculated that inserts concentrate the force on the central channel (typically very thin in cross section) vs the rim bead which is reinforced and what you would hit when you bottom a tire sans insert. I would have thought Tannus less susceptible to this mechanism given their design with the channel, but maybe not. Also that poster is a wrecking ball :-)

I wear US13-14 shoes and like the Catalyst XL's. I'm not necessarily a fanboy and would happily try a comparable pedal if there were one but nothing else comes close for platform size. To me it's one of the things like a taller stack/bar height that makes a substantial difference as a bigger human. You don't ride a medium frame, why ride medium pedals.

@jamesbrant: they pretty much all break, even DT though I'll say it seems the Hydra are especially prone to it. https://www.mtbr.com/threads/breaking-hub-axles.1214627/ Something about the 15mm alloy axles on most popular hubs (ie 1.5mm wall thickness on a 12mm thru axle). Steel will fix it. Or a bigger axle. I believe Hadley still use 20mm.

@wburnes: have you built, weighed and ridden these 1500g wheels or is it more theoretical? Have you had any previous issues with aluminum wheel breakage? 28h alloy rear for me has historically meant frequently walking home. I was using DT Swiss. $1275usd will buy WAO Unions which are heavier but I haven't had to walk home in my two seasons on them.