Bitex hubs - raf9/rar10

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patchsurfer
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by patchsurfer

I'm eying a set of lightbicycle wheels strictly as raceday hoops. I figure I'm probably likely to change bikes sometime in the next couple of years, so I don't really feel like chucking big chunks of money around right now, given the seemingly inexorable march towards discs. I've read about the small bearings and occasionally draggy seals in these hubs, neither of which I really see as being an insurmountable problem on wheels that'll probably hit the road no more than 20 times a year. Others experience might differ..?

Any other known issues with these? Bitex generally seem to have a rep as solid, underrated hubs. I'm c. 170lbs...if that helps.

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robbosmans
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by robbosmans

I have had no problem with these, been using these for a year now on some farsports wheels.

by Weenie


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SCJKJ
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by SCJKJ

They are fine. If they eventually fail on you, order some NTN/SKF bearings and put those in and it'll be fine for a long long time more.

patchsurfer
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by patchsurfer

Thanks both!

Steve Curtis
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by Steve Curtis

I don't know who said they have draggy but my LB build are a few months old and spin the most freely out of 12 wheel sets.
They're even more spinny than the carbon Ti wheelset I had built at the same time.

The bearings are a common size and cheap so if you did want to upgrade later, it should be cheap and easy.

I'm really impressed with them and from now on they're my go to for cheap and carbon Ti for not cheap. Way nicer than Dt 350

Aeo
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by Aeo

Do you mean RAF10/RAR9?

Use RAF12 front hub, RAF10 has bad bearings
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SCJKJ
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by SCJKJ

Steve Curtis wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 11:27 am
I don't know who said they have draggy but my LB build are a few months old and spin the most freely out of 12 wheel sets.
They're even more spinny than the carbon Ti wheelset I had built at the same time.

The bearings are a common size and cheap so if you did want to upgrade later, it should be cheap and easy.

I'm really impressed with them and from now on they're my go to for cheap and carbon Ti for not cheap. Way nicer than Dt 350
Indeed. They hold up well.

They're just not bombproof like a DT350 for example, but they're lighter and cheaper. Just clean them once in a while and check everything and they'll be fine. I've put NTN bearings in Bitex hubs before(other than these) and after that they were just extremely smooth.

Carbon-Ti are also extremely good, due to the design you just gotta clean it once in a while and after every bad weather ride.

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robbosmans
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by robbosmans

Aeo wrote:Do you mean RAF10/RAR9?

Use RAF12 front hub, RAF10 has bad bearings
Raf10 has smaller bearings, those are not necessarily bad, if you are a heavier rider a raf12 might be better.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

I've never worn out front bearings no matter how small they are. Don't know if it's just me. The smallest ones are 689 and they're holding up fine for thousands of km.

Rear wheel bearings though, yes. The RAR9 uses 6802 and those I have managed to wear out. Especially the inner hub bearing.

Mortecouille
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by Mortecouille

The BX106 is the disc version of the RAF12?
Sorry for my english

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