Sweet..!!

Why do Shimano insist on using cup and cone bearings in their hubs? I don't have the tools, skills, time or money to keep them running sweetly. The drop in price is very welcome though. Maybe Sram will do the same ?

Hucking Fell -

Tools - 2 normal spanners, alot less than needed to service some sealed bearing hubs such as DT Swiss 240's or Hope

Time - not much longer than sealed bearings really, more a bit of extra faff dealing with loose balls but prepare properly and its not a problem

Money - loose ball bearings cost alot less than equivalent sealed bearings

Skills - thats up to you isnt it, but its not a hard job. I was doing it when I was 12 and sealed bearing hubs didnt exist. I would suggest if it bothers you then you would do well to teach yourself. There is very little you can do wrong

It looks like an old Deore in black

I want that XTR mech...

@ iain1775

Isnt it also the case that cups and cones offer lower rolling resistance and operate better than cartridge bearings for loads which aren't going straight up through the wheel? Much to my dismay I opened up my road hubs at the weekend to discover what had looked like cup and cones are in fact covers for cartridge bearings. Cartridge bearings in my opinion are a royal pain to service in comparison to cup and cone.

Oh dear!

Traditional hubs need regular maintainance to prevent the wear/damage of the bearing races (and rendering the whole hub useless).

They are also adjustment sensetive (slight play to compensate for clamping forces), so yes, they are certain things that can go wrong.

Quality cartridge bearing hubs are fit and forget.

You actually DON'T NEED to adjust or clean them but instead you ride you b****y ike.

I haven't touched my Hope Pro's for ages. Still smooth with no play.

If I eventually wear the bearings out, I'll put a new set and it'll be like new.

Price REDUCTION - Well that is news.

Maybe the tide of higher and higher prices is finally turning.

cant knock shimano for function but they are left lacking in the aesthetics department. saint is a good looking groupset and the splashes of colour to the xtr trail bits are welcome but the rest of the range looks a little dull. also i would like shimano to machine the teeth on their outer rings like fsa and TA as it looks better longer and adds a touch of class. i do like the look of the brakes though.

what special tools for servicing hopes. all I need are my fingers to pull off the caps and to pull out the free hub. If I ever need to replace the bearings I would just need a soft rubber hammer and a 14mm socket to press in the new bearings. (which i haven't needed to do in 11 / 12 years. ) YUP same bearings in 11 years. just given the free hub body a clean out every 6 months.

And cartridge bearings are cheap to get . I can get any size bearings I need from a Motorbike shop down the road I can replace all my hope hub bearings for front (2) and back (4) for less than a £10 and they are Japanese Stainless steel . BOCA bearings are fantastically cheap too for how long they last .

i quite like the look of them. They have obviously recessed the graphics to avoid heel rub. Liking the fact that the brakes are XTR through and through in looks at least.

It will remain to be seen what happens with the price when it gets handed down to us mere mortals though...

Why hydraulic disk brakes for a trekking groupset? On a trekking bike you want cable brakes, like Avid BB7. Hydraulic means too much maintenance and if it breaks on the road, you have a problem.

@ iain1775

I've spent an hour or so "faffing" with a cup and cone bearing hub (Shimano Deore) just getting it not too tight and not too loose. The 1 time in 12 years that I've had to replace the bearings in my rear Hope Bulb took me less than half an hour.

Cartridge bearings don't cost a lot. Letting the LBS sort the hub for me would cost a lot.

But that's not a problem and I'm not "bothered" that I'm not well practiced at "faffing" with cup and cone bearing hubs 'cos I've no intention of ever buying any.

I'm allowed not to like them you know.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hope-pro-2-hub-failure-the-actual-body-of-the-hub-split

I have never experienced it, but then, I have only ever had one Hope hub and someone stole the whole bike...it was a superlight front ti front hub which weighed something like 70g. I am probably over-influenced by Sheldon Brown's site on this, the difference between forged and machined. But I have had axles break on me in the past, and I think axle strength is significant. Depends on how hard you ride your kit, whether or not it gives out on you, and you can only tell over time. For me, saving a few grams on a hub is less important than on the rim or more importantly, my fat *rs.

I guess everyone has their own opinion on their kit...there is no right or wrong. I find adjusting the bearings on my Shimano hubs easy...I've never had to touch my XTR hubs and they run like silk. I didn't know I couldn't change the cups and would have to throw them away...but then I have never encountered a Shimano hub whose cups have worn through.

I had a couple of wheelsets with cartridges, both of which have come with shoddy bearings in the beginning which seize...my latest set use a proprietary freehub which is going to be a pain to replace...hence my comments above, sorry that wasn't clear.

Another bug bear with wheelsets is the skewers they come with...I find the Shimano ones to operate flawlessly. All the boutique skewers I have used have been inferior and overpriced...again, just a small sample of skewers over 20 years of riding.

i agree with barteos. cup and cone hubs are sensitive to adjustment thus, each servicing done on them makes the ride slightly inconsistent. i've had numerous cup and cone hubs/wheelsets and maintaining them is a pain in the behind. if you lose track of which to service next (my bad probably for having numerous bikes and wheelsets), you're bound to lose the hub entirely and replace it altogether. sealed bearings on the other hand don't need the extra attention. just replacing the bearings and off you go. and you don't lose the hubs if you forget to service them. also, performance is consistent all them time as long as you use the same type of bearings every time you replace them.

I am somewhat disappointed with this article - XT has been the mainstay of most riders offroad kit since the sport really took off and yet this is, at best, a brief comparison with XTR. Will there be a full write up?

Any idea what that white frame is on shimano display?..

Cup and cone are pain in 0. Broke XTR axle and no spare parts. Just buy full new hub. Were extremely smooth running when working. Better than hope2 i have now.

When/Where can I actually buy the whole groupset.....