White Industries

White Industries new T11 hub

White Industries pawls. Part of the freewheel mechanism.

T11 Cassette body for Shimano with axle and end caps

Everything sliding into place

We've been building wheels for a very, very long time here. We've seen a TON of hubs over the years, good and bad. Yes, we like to sell the good ones and we do have some favorites. Chris King, DT Swiss, Campagnolo and others are all regularly recommended favorites. White Industries is the focus of this piece though. White Industries really do make a very robust, reliable, extremely fast rolling and beautiful looking hub. We'll stick to the new T11 road hubs for now. So you're wondering why we're gushing about these lovelies from White.

What makes a hub better? Bearing quality, manufacturing tolerances, the freewheel mechanism, reliability and weight. All of these things have to work together in order for a hub to be great. If one of these characteristics doesn't make the cut, you've got yourself a component better used as a paper weight. Let's dive in.

Bearing quality is part of what determines your hub's rolling resistance. Using the highest quality bearing you can find to build your hubs is important. That works as long as your bearings are put in the hubs precisely and the hub shell and axle are accurately made. This goes to manufacturing tolerances. You can have the best bearings in the world but if the surfaces they are pressed into or mounted against are a little off, your bearing will have an uneven preload. An uneven preload means more resistance and friction in the bearing. The more friction in the bearing, the slower you're going. So we've kind of tackled two characteristics at once but that's how interrelated they are. For example, we hear a lot about ceramic bearings these days and there are definitely some great applications for them, hubs being one. I've used several different ceramic bearings not just in hubs but also in bottom brackets and derailleur pulleys. You can spend crazy money on the best ceramic bearings but if they get put in a less than perfect hub, you're likely to get just as much friction as you would with traditional bearings. The same goes if you don't have the proper tools to put them in. So bearing quality is crucial as long as the hubs and all their internal components are made with absolute precision. That would be White Industries.

The freewheel mechanism is pretty important too. Freewheel mechanisms handle a pretty heavy load and when they fail, not only does that slow you down, you can get hurt. What they need to do is handle the torque delivered to the drivetrain, the cassette needs to mount up straight (you'd be surprised) and the ratcheting mechanism should also move with the least amount of friction as possible. Hey, I love coasting, let's coast faster. I also like freewheel mechanisms that have as little play (wobble) as possible too, that affects shifting and honestly, why make something that costs a lot and doesn't work very well. Mavic, if you're reading this, redesign your freewheel mechanism. Moving on. Engagement is also important. How many degrees of movement is there before engagement? When you start to pedal, you should start to move as soon as possible right? Yes. I don't know how many degrees the White hubs have but it's pretty darn quick. Not as quick as King but they do the job. White hubs do all this very well. That and they make the cassette body out of titanium, that is smart. Super, super durable.

Weight matters but not that much at the hub. 349 grams for the set. That's light. Done. You might guess that I'm not that concerned with weight. The thing is that if you're buying the best quality components, chances are the default is reasonable weight. If we're talking rim weight, we can start to pay more attention. In the case of White Industries, there are plenty of lighter hubs (maybe 20-40 grams) out there that either don't roll as well or are less reliable. 

At the end of the day, the choice is yours. We try to put as much real information on the table for people as possible so that they can make good decisions based on what you want. Not what we want, what YOU want. If you understand all the ins and outs of each individual component, you are better prepared and you'll definitely make smarter purchases. You'll have accurate expectations and you'll understand how to better maintain your equipment. We try to make sure we have access to everything out there and for the most part we do. Virtually any bicycle part out there is available to us here at Bespoke. We tend not to fall into the trap of large pre season orders from companies because that has a negative affect on how we do business and how our clients are served. If we buy 20 wheelsets from one manufacturer just to save a buck, our incentive would be to sell as many of those as possible. That would affect how we approach informing our clients. We do have favorites but getting into bed with one or two suppliers means that we won't be able to offer people the choices they deserve. That is also why we don't discount or price match. Accurate information for you specifically is far more valuable. It takes a bit more time but you know what they say, "if you're going to do something, do it right."

There will be some follow up to this. We will feature products we believe in and describe how they suit different rider types, you'll see everything from shoes to maintenance products and as much else as we can think of. If you would like to see a particular product category here or have any questions, let us know.