Quality hubs. . .

. . .just wondering what y'all think, why are Phil Wood hubs, supposedly better than Goldtec?

Both hubs seem to be the sh1t, but what makes one better than the other???

price? mirror finish?

:D

unxetas price? mirror finish?

:D

price - yep, there's is sure a big diference there

mirror finish? - true, there is that as well. But for the sake of comparison, lets say a black Goldtec, and a black phil, is there realy that much of a diference for the money, or is it just so you can say "I have the most expensive equipment on my bike"?

When I was looking into exactly the same question, I went for the Goldtec (just built it into a wheel today, and looks great) over the Phils because the quality is pretty much the same, and the Goldtecs are half the price of equivalent Phils. Goldtecs are less "bling bling" than the Phils which means a thief is less likely to try and nick your wheels or bike.

Both have decent cartridge bearings. My goldtecs are nice and smooth, that's for sure.

If you've got the money to burn, by all means, get Phils, but I don't think they're better than Goldtecs.

in all fairness, I'm pretty new to this "road" bike thing. But I don't think it'll be too different from bmx.

There's 3 types of hubs in bmx, pretty much:

1 - cheap hubs. They suck. They're good for kids bikes and that's about it.. But they are cheap and anyone can afford them.. The axles will bend in less than a week, the threads will strip, the bearings will definately not be sealed and will die prematurely.

2 - good hubs.. They're what most people would consider expensive, but any "serious" bmxer will know they're worth the money. They'll have sealed bearings, good quality axles, and will work perfectly for a long time. Made in Taiwan (very important..)

3 - ridiculously priced hubs. Mainly profile's, but also G-Sport hubs and the like. They're what most bmxers will consider stupidly expensive, but those who can afford them would call fair. They'll work just about the same as other good hubs, but have something slightly different about them that justifies the price - made in USA for profile hubs, female axles for gsports. To most people, they look, sound, feel and work soooo much better. To those who realise the price difference is caused by the more expensive labour in the states, they work just the same, but cost more..

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling most of that should apply to fixed wheel stuff.. ;)

Unxetas, good points, but both these hubs (goldtecs + phils) would fall into your "ridiculously priced" category, as the Goldtecs are made in the UK.

I think he Goldtecs are definitely on the cards in the near future (when they're available again - anyone wanna buy an alll black, cartridge wheel set? :)

does anyone know if goldtecs are available in the US, i wonder if they have any kind of a rep over there?

Goldtecs aren't readily available in the states.

Things I like about Phils: the chainline is dead on without needing to mess around at all, the threads are still in great condition and give me lots of confidence that they're going to last, the hubs are machined rather than forged from high grade aluminium blanks, the whole hub can be serviced easily and its goes on. They really stand by their products which I like too.

I think Goldtecs and Phils are comparable. I think Phils are just slightly better all around and they have a track 'standard' chainline, which is a deal breaker for me.

Phils are expensive here (due to markup, customs, vat etc) and Goldtecs are expensive in the states (due to markup, customs, vat etc) so its hard to find people with experience of both. I've handled Goldtecs but never owned them so I really can't compare aside from first impressions.

Goldtecs are available.... just have to wait a while if you want them in black. I got a rear from Brixton Cycles luckily, the front should be being manufactured right now.

looking into it, I supose you could make the same comparison between Hope and Chris King. . .

Although, it looks like the Phil's are completely forged, eyelets included, the goldtecs look to be machined.

Goldtecs are machined, as far as I'm aware.

You've got to ask yourself what you'll be using them for, I think. Are you going to leave your bike outside unattended (locked up obviously)? How good is the frame? Decent rims to go with it? Or is it a pub bike?

Considering a lot of couriers use goldtec, too, they must be good to take the daily pounding of that kind of use.

the finish on goldtecs isn't as good as hope. if hope made fixed hubs i would probably buy those over any other as the visual quality/price ratio would be spot on.
i like the philosophy of phill stuff, i have a phil EBB on my singlespeed and it has a mirror finish even though you don't see it as it's hidden inside the frame.

MrSmith the finish on goldtecs isn't as good as hope.

How is it different? Why were you disappointed with your goldtecs? I know they're good hubs, I'm not taking that away, just wondering why they didn't meet your expectations? (or are you a perfectionist who likes everything to be 100%!! ;)

cheers!

goldtec's "pewter" anodising fades

but I quite like what it fades to!

but I agree with Smit, if Hope made a track hub, it would most likely have a nicer finish.

there are machining marks if you look closely that haven't been polished out,but I'm happy with the hubs and would recommend them.
i don't think there is much else out there at that pricepoint but Hope could make a good fixed hub as all their other hubs are really good.
Profile stuff is good too, i have a profile rear on the ss mtb.