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Campag Hubs
Anyone got experience of them?
Runing Vento wheels on my winter bike for just over 12 months on 8 speed Claris & have done about 6000 miles on them according to my Strava (including all through winter).
My LBS say it's noisy when freewheeling which it is but has been right from when I got them but didn't really think anything if it.
The hub on the back is on the way out apparently & it's gonna be approx £100 all in to replace. Seems a bit much to pay when the wheels were only about £170 to start with. It actually sounds worse now than when I took it in. Fine when pedalling but when freewheeling doesn't sound great at all.
There is some play in the cassette so maybe the freehub is gone rather than the whole hub itself? Even freehubs seem to be about £60-£70.
Should I be expecting whatever is gone to last longer cos I've only had them for 12 months & is £100 reasonable?
Thinking I might as well just buy some more wheels but bit loathe to when I've only had them 12 months.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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27 comments
Worth figuring out if it's the splines of the freehub that are worn which makes the the cassette loose, which is doubtful after a year, or the bearing inside the freehub that's shot causing the whole freehub + cassette assembly to wobble. See what Wiggle have to say but things shouldn't fall apart after a year in normal use.
Think that what I'm gonna do. I was thinking about taking it for a 2nd opinion somewhere else cos it's a right ballache to send a wheel back but Wiggle but as they're picking up the tag I might as well get them to look at it.
As you say it shouldn't go Pete Tong after a year & that's the basis of what I've said to them so will just have to wait & see what they say & take it from there.
Thanks for everyones input!
What's actually wrong with the freehub? Noise and play in the cassette are totally unrelated issues, it would be quite bad luck to have both problems simultaneously after just a year. Campag wheels were traditionally quite ratchety, like a football clacker. Their most recent cup & cone hubs have reduced that sound, sadly, but I wouldn't replace a feehub just because it's noisy. Probably just needs some fresh grease on the pawls.
I'd try a different LBS if I were you.
TBH I'm not sure. The freewheel has always been noisy right from the word go (like a football clacker as you say) but it's never given me cause for concern & has never been "gritty" for the want of a better word when spinning the wheel. Actually when I got the bike back it was worse than before as it didn't have that gritty sound when I took it in.
There is quite a bit of amount of play in the cassette & he just said that the freehub was on the way out basically.
The issue with me trying to diagnose the problem myself is I don't have the tools to be able to take it apart. It may well be just a case of something needing regreasing but I'm not sure I could do it with my limited capabilities. Could do with learning though, as is pretty obvious from this thread freehubs & maintenance in general isn't my strong point
I've had a bit of moan at Wiggle where I got them from & they've agreed to take the wheel back at their cost for inspection under warranty so I can't say fairer than that really. Will just have to wait & see what they say.
I can't remember how to take a campag hub to bits, but is not hard.
Once the freehub is out, I'd have a go at replacing the bearings in that before buying a new freehub.
it might be a total ball ache, but its worth a go.
Bearings can be picked up for a few quid a piece, so you could be back up and running for a little over a tenner.
The tools I'd suggest you'd need include a hammer, the old bearings and standard socket set.
If the pawls are knackered, then thats a different thing, but that is unlikely to be the case.
£100 seems a fair enough price taking into account the cost of a freehub, wheels bearings and labour.
From the link above it actually doesn't look that bad to do myself even for a total novice to something like this.
I guess it's just a balancing act between the cost of the part itself & buying the odd tool I'd need that I may never use again.
For you to checkout.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/shimano-pr-whls-rs11-clincher/#pid=29041?a...
Cheers.
Nice looking wheels for the price & well reviewed.
Buy some Shimano RS11s. £100, bombproof, 1800g for the set and will do you 20,000km in all conditions before you have to even think about them. People make wheels sound so much more complicated than necessary, leave wheel making to the machines and ride your bike!
These are my winter wheels, have used them over most surfaces, potholes etc and they still run true. I did buy a lighter set for them summer though...
They are that good for just over £100?
Freehub & bearings bombproof as well?
I would really like something that I can just use all through winter & get serviced once a year & not have to worry & just get out there & ride!
In my personal experience they've been great. At this level of wheelset the way I see it is can someone build you a better wheel than Shimano - yes but for a lot more money. Can someone build you a cheaper wheel than Shimano - yes but of a much lower quality.
Cheers for that, certainly worth considering if the bill to repalce what I have gets anywhere near £100 then I might as well just get some new wheels.
Just watched a GCN video how to replace the freehub & it looks pretty easy but then again it always does!
If anyone can link me to a compatible brand new freehub at rock bottom prices I'd be grateful!
Agreed. I got a set of Fulcrum 7s as an upgrade over the OEM wheels on my roadie, and they've been totally bombproof. They do a CX version now, too, which have better bearing seals, etc.
Don't Fulcrum 7 use the same hubs as the ones in the OP's Campag wheels?
Pretty sure they do.
As much as the Vento wheels themselves have been bang on all this faffing about together with how much the freehub is full price plus the relative lack of decent availability is putting me off from buying similar in the future.
Don't see the point in riding the cheap, machine made wheels that come with most bikes when bought new: cheap components how bike shops make their margins on an eye-catching frame. GBP250 or thereabouts will get you a decent set from a reputable wheel-maker. My winter wheels, Mavic Open Pros on Miche Hubs, were hand-built by Harry Rowland and have been ridden 250-350km a week - literally hammered on London and the South-East's pot-holed roads, and I've had no issues whatsoever. Call him. You won't regret it.
I had a noisy rear Vento (ooh er) (current type- post 2014 I think? 17mm alloy axle) and the casette was beginning to be a bit sloppy. Ebayed a freehub, really quite easy to remove and replace (I'm assuming here you've got a Campag casette lock ring tool). think it was £25. Bearings were completely buggered in the old one, might turn my hand to trying to replace them. The actual wheel bearings on inspection were completely fine. Noise gone, wobble gone, shifting errors gone.
By "buggered" we're talking "a heady mix of grease and metal particles" .
Sounds like exactly what I've got to a tea even down to the "sloppy" cassette
Problem is as above I'm just not really that confident about doing it myself. Might go down the route of eBaying the part itself & the pitching up at the LBS & getting him to fit it as that might save a few quid on the part itself.
You couldn't point me in the direction of what I should be looking at?
Incidentally would I need a Campag lockring tool if it's a Shimano cassette if I did attempt to do it myself?
I was wrong, it was £40. If you're on Shimano cogs you need fh-buu015x1 - just search ebay and see what deals you can find
Big help mate thanks for that. Qick look around online & they seem to be about £70 so you did well to get it for £40. There's no immediate rush as I'm not using the winter bike at the mo so I guess the best bet is to keep my eyes peeled on eBay.
My bargain hunting skills must have been on form. All you'll need though is a couple of hex wrenches (alan keys) and spanners. I was amazed at how eash it was.
If I can pick up 1 at a decent price it might be worth buying a couple of hex wrenches & attempting it myself. From the link above it doesn't look too complicated but everything looks easy in theory.
The GCN video makes it look even easier but it doesn't cover that particualr model of freehub.
Always difficult to diagnose at a distance but I tend to agree with STATO and TheDoc.
Depends on the conditions you're riding in but 6000 miles through winter could well see an unmaintained freehub show signs of deterioration. And repairs aren't much cheaper because the kit was relatively cheap - replacement Campag freehubs are often relatively expensive, as you note. The shop might be pitching a little on the high side but not hugely so.
DIY might be your best option, and if that doesn't work/you don't fancy it, a new pair of wheels with cheaper-to-replace freehubs which also see a bit of adjustment and grease in the winter.
Not gonna lie didn't really consider cheaper to replace freehubs when I bought them but certainly something to consider next time.
Are other brands "better" or is there anything I should particulary look out for?
Have Mavic wheels on my other bike but not really a fair comparison as the only time it gets wet is when I wash it & I don't ride in the winter on them.
If you are mechanically inclined then you can fix it yourself.
https://www.campagnolo.com/media/files/035_83_Technical%20manual_wheels_...
4 bearings is likely all you need, but this assumes you have the tools or knack to remove and install them yourself. Otherwise you are looking at shop labour rates to do that or just fit a replacement part.
As you have encountered though, when it comes to the more budget items (Vento are just on the edge) its often cheaper to just replace the whole lot, especially considering you are probably already well into rim wear if youve been using them through winter.
Thanks for that, looks far beyond my limited capabilites!
Rim wear looks OK TBH & the wheels themselves have stayed nice & true but it's just a wee bit frustrating when parts cost nearly as much as the product itself.