Novatec D791/792SB

[svanimpe]

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering what are your experiences with these hubs, and how they compare to a budget DT Swiss 370?

[Zomb1e]

Novatec has a long history of hub failures...
Put some blue Loctite (243 or any other medium strength threadlocker) on the thread, and it'll be ok. Unscrewed cap can cause fatal damage to freehub body. Front hub is good.

[Icyseanfitz]

I'm using novatec hubs for the last year on my bike bike (Ican p9) can't say I've had any issue with them.

[Vipassana]

I built 3 identical bikes in 2014 with Novatec hubs. Of those, all 3 front hubs are running great to this day with original bearings. However, 2 of 3 rear hubs had catastrophic freewheel failure where the ratchet ring shattered in multiple locations.  Both were able to be ridden home, but that might have just been luck; they sounded terrible and very skipping engagement.   1 was within 24 months. The other was after 6 years.  Both were replaced with DTSwiss 350s.

I would not choose Novatec again for a rear hub.  Fronts are fine.  Ok to save money there in my opinion.

[benando]

Rear freehub has historically had problems with 100 kg mountain bikers mashing their sub 1:1 gear ratios (i.e. very high torque) up steep climbs. This is a challenge for any rear hub, and tales of this sort of failure have been amplified by (1) the fact that novatrc sells a ton of hubs and is the OEM for many wheel brands and (2) inherant bias against non western companies.

I have 6k miles with the front and rear hub on my gravel bike. No issues. Got mine from Bdop Cycling with Japanese EZO bearings. I would, however, hesitate to buy them for a mountain bike wheel build. In twouldhis case I would reach for 18t ratchet DT 350 instead.

[Lovewookie]

Used a novatec rear hub for 5+ years, (I think an old D712SB) only recently replacing it with an XT when freehubs weren't available.

observations over that time:
if you're using cheaper HG cassettes, invest in an ABG freehub, or the steel freehub option. they are pretty readily available thankfully, although I think one of the other model hubs, the freehub is something like £70! most are between £20-40 though. I think the D792 takes a B2 type which are between £40-50 here in the UK.

if you can, change the freehub bearings for better quality ones as soon as you can. I'd gone through a few freehubs due to the innermost bearing shattering. Sometimes you can use a blind bearing puller to get the outer race out, sometimes you can't. They get very stuck.

I did manage to crack the axle on mine, but there was a steel option available as a replacement.

Novatec are easy to contact and are very helpful, so product support is actually pretty good.