Cone Vs. Sealed Bearing Hub

As cone-and-cup hubs lose popularity and the convenience of sealed-bearing hubs catches on, it's worth looking into which is really the better pick for the cycling enthusiast. There are a couple of advantages and disadvantages to each, as well as price differences. Whichever type turns out to be best for you, it will pay off to do a bit of research to understand how the hubs work before you decide.

  1. Function

    • A good hub is essential for an easy-to-ride bicycle.

      The hub serves a few purposes on the bicycle. One is to hold the spokes together at the center of the wheel. Another is to attach the wheel to the bicycle. A third is to hold the bearings, which keep the wheel turning smoothly on the axle, and end up taking a lot of wear. For a smooth, competitive or comfortable bicycle, good hubs on both wheels are essential. A badly adjusted or damaged hub can mean friction or unsafe wobbles, and can do more damage to the bicycle.

    Cost and Quality

    • You can spend as much or as little as you want to get your bike running.

      Sealed-bearing cartridge hubs and cone-and-cup hubs both range widely in price. However, cartridge hubs are more often high-end hubs, while cone-and-cup hubs are more often low-end. Shimano is the only company that makes high-end cone-and-cup hubs. Many sealed hubs cost up to $300. While the high-end Shimano cone-and-cup hubs can cost in the $400s, other cone-and-cup hubs can be bought used for $10 and refurbished to work like new again.

    Cone Bearing Hubs

    • The benefits of a cone-and-cup hub is that it is easy to service at home. Changing out bearings, cleaning the hub and adding lube, making small adjustments and changing out the axle are all relatively easy tasks. With this type of hub, you can learn to do fixes on the road if you run into a problem. You can also keep costs down in the future since you can easily get replacement parts and you don't need any highly specialized tools.

    Sealed Bearing Hubs

    • The benefit of having a sealed-bearing hub is that it needs much less maintenance in general, since damaging dirt and grit are kept out by the seals. However, they do need service occasionally, since they cannot keep all grit out and they eventually lose some of their lube. Unfortunately, servicing sealed-bearing hubs can be difficult. While there are many models available, servicing most types of sealed-bearing hubs requires special knowledge and specialized tools. Additionally, these hubs can take some time to loosen up and run as smoothly as a cone-and-cup hub. Still, decent sealed-bearing hubs can last a long time without service, and lots of bikes come with them already installed in the wheels.