Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance

I was a little surprised when I searched the site and found that I hadn’t reviewed my wheels. So for your reading pleasure…

This review comes the day after I rebuilt the wheels up on Salsa Delgado Race rims. They originally were laced to DT Swiss rims, but I have never been a big fan of DT Swiss products. As such, the rims did not fail to disapoint me. I had KY replace the rear one back before I left St. George. The riding in the polar north was a bit more forgiving and the second one lasted until now. I’ve heard good things about the Salsa rims, mostly from the SG riders. And as an added bonus they are significantly lighter.

Of course, I digress, this is about the wheels not the new build up, but then again, it was the build up that got me thinking about the hubs and system all over again. If you aren’t familiar with these wheels, they are unique. The spokes thread directly into the hub eliminating the need for a nipple. Unlike other, unique designs, these can be trued just like a traditional spoke thanks to the nipple-shaped end of the spoke. The spokes are aluminum, expensive and sexy as hell. The other unique characteristic of these hubs is the free hub. It is noisy as hell, tested to the torque capacity of a Ford Power Stroke desiel engine, and actuates faster than Chris King’s hubs.

I love these wheels. They roll really smooth and the actuation works great w/ the singlespeed. They are light, currently the wheel set weighs 1690 grams, and that is I9’s regular hub, not the Superlight. The spokes have caused me no headaches and I like the way they look. I did replace all of the bearings just a couple of months ago, which in my opinion is a little sooner than should be expected from a top-of-the-line hub. They do currently roll smooth as butter, but felt horrible after riding in the rainy weather that Logan produces in the Spring. I have had absolutely no problems with the free hub. Having rebuilt the hubs, I can say that they are well fabricated. The inside of the free hub is precise and easy to deal with.

Anyways, these get the Mooseknuckler two finger approval sign despite the weak bearing seals, next time I think I will replace them with Phil Wood’s.