Posts Tagged ‘White Industries’

After reading the title, you’re probably saying to yourself, “I can easily find new, quality bike parts.”   I say, “You’re probably buying new parts that are branded with a name you associate with quality.”

New bikes or bike parts are much like any product sold around the world today.  Much of what we buy is designed and built to be used lightly and temporarily and then discarded.  It’s good for consumerism.  We buy, discard, buy, discard, buy, discard…  However, if you happen to me like me, you strive to get the most out of almost everything you buy.  But even the most durable goods (high quality) wear out with time and use.  Again, if you’re like me, you try to replace parts of worn out goods.  If irreparable, I immediately begin lamenting buying a replacement.

One definition I have of quality is something that functions correctly for its intended purpose and last longer or much longer than I expected.  Especially with bike parts, I tend to have a pre-conceived notion of how long something will last based on what type of part, its design and who made it.  Usually, my notion about the quality of the part matches the part’s longevity.  Usually that’s enough for me to buy the part again or repair it.

The problem is, if I’ve used the part more than six months (likely, if it has good quality), the part is no longer available from the manufacturer.  It’s been replaced by a new model which features numerous design changes, many of which may affect quality.  Or the part has been obsolete.  Or you can’t buy repair parts because the newest design uses new components and the manufacturer doesn’t carry the replacement parts anymore.

To illustrate my point here a couple of examples:

Lowe Alpine Contour Mountain 50 (See Review here):  After 11 years of use, it’s still going strong.  I tried looking at the selection of backpacks Lowe Alpine has now to see if there is an equivalent but nothing looks even remotely close to what I have.  I’m sure their new product line is not manufactured in the same location or made from the same materials.  How do I know my next LA pack will have the same quality?

White Industries Hubs (See Review here):  These hubs have worked well over a long time.  When I contacted WI, they were able to tell me what parts I should service and had all of the parts available.

I am a big believer in using what you already have until it is completely worn out. I have to try to fix everything two or three times before it either wears out completely or all hope is lost. This is the case with my current bike commuter.

I ride a 1997 Schwinn Homegrown mountain bike to work. The frame is in fairly good shape as far as I can tell although there is a lot of paint missing. Most of the components are the same. It’s probably easier to tell you what I’ve changed and why:

After two rear derailleurs, I converted to a single speed – the Performance-offered conversion kit – because I wanted to keep using my current hub (see Product Reviews White Industries Hubs). This seems to work well and I don’t miss the sound of grinding gears. I replaced the right break lever due to the pivot bearing failing. After two suspension forks, I went rigid with a Surly mountain fork. The seat did not fail but became very uncomfortable so I replaced it with a Specialized mountain seat. The White Industries crank arms failed last year due to striping at the interface of the arm and the hub spindle. Also replaced the bottom bracket as I decided to go with a splined system. The Shimano bottom bracket still seems fine and I kept it in case I need it for another bike. The rear wheel was rebuilt from a Mavic 220 (I think) to a Sun Rims Rhino Lite. Cables and housing have been replaced a couple of times. Numerous chains, of course. I will soon need to replace the seat post as the clamp which holds the seat began slipping this year and I have twice placed aluminum shims in to allow it to clamp harder. The seat post has also been bent slightly after years of use (and some abuse). The tires have changed from the VelociRaptors that were on there (which I hated) and I now ride a Hutchinson Python on the front (Love It!) and a Sweetskinz semi-slick on the back. I must ride treaded tires in Memphis due to the large quantities of sharp objects lining the roads.

Send me a description or photo of your primary means of transportation (as long as it’s not an undesirable vehicle) and I’ll publish you here (mason@biketofeel.com).

While the hubs I am reviewing are rather antiquated, I think the review is still relevant because little has changed in the last ten years with the WI mountain bike hubs – with good reason. The hubs I have came standard on the 1997 Schwinn Homegrown I bought in Saint Charles, IL. I am now on my 6th year of real riding on the hubs. The rear hub was relaced this year to a new rim (Sun Rhino Lite). I have done only minor maintenance to the hubs over their life. This year I finally bought (from WI) some rebuild components. I bought bearings and pawl springs. I found on receipt of the components that really only one bearing on the rear hub had more play in it than the new bearing so I replaced it only. I replaced all of the pawl springs but only because they seemed the weakest link and it was easy. Of the four or five times I service the rear hub I used Phil Wood for lube. I have never serviced the front hub. Most of the riding I did on the hubs was off road, although I have quite a few miles on road as well (I now use the bike for 16 mile round-trip Memphis bike commutes). The only true dislike I have of the hubs is the use of set screws to secure the collar of the hub. These bound easily and the hex drives were easily stripped. I found, however, that if you slightly modified the length of the cannulated axel, the need to secure the collar was mute. (An inappropriately adjusted collar can result in substantial play in the rear wheel making you feel like you’re floating from side to side.)
With the rebuild components I bought, WI also sent a new product brochure. A PHD biomedical engineer and I found this piece of literature quite entertaining and laughable. The engineering claims and explanations of design features were off-base and unsubstantiated. They may need a new marketing manager (I’m available).

Despite this, and as few people actually ride one set of hubs long enough to approach the end of their life cycle, these hubs are in my humble opinion worth the cost. They will last virtually forever and thanks to WI’s good customer service can be rebuilt. Furthermore, their aesthetic appearance make them an instant classic. While simple in appearance, maintain these suckers and well-versed bikaholics will appreciate them for the fine mechanisms they are€.

My rating: 4 Broken Down Cars (deduction for the use of soft-metal set screws)

Likes: Classic appearance, durability, good customer service
Dislikes: Soft set screws
Best Uses: Years of heavy mountain bike use