Boyd 85 Road Rear Black Hub
The Boyd 85 is the rim-brake road hub from Boyd Cycling in Greenville, South Carolina, built for the classic road wheels Boyd still makes alongside its disc range. It has a machined aluminum shell with low flanges, Enduro sealed cartridge bearings, a pawl freehub that swaps between Shimano HG and SRAM XDR bodies without tools, and 100mm front and 130mm rear quick-release axles. This page covers the Boyd 85 Road Rear Black Hub.
The Boyd 85 is not sold bare. You choose the rim and the rest of the build in the configurator, and it ships from our shop in Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
Boyd designs the Quest around bearings first: Enduro ABEC-5 cartridge bearings in common sizes, which roll smoothly, last well and are replaceable anywhere. The freehub runs pawls on a hardened ratchet ring for quick pickup, and the bodies pull off by hand for a swap between Shimano HG, SRAM XD or XDR and Micro Spline. End caps convert the Quest between 12mm thru-axle and quick-release standards in road, gravel and Boost MTB spacing, and the flanges are J-bend for the widest spoke choice.
How it rides
A Boyd 85 hub rolls smoothly and quietly under a rim-brake road wheel, engages promptly, and its Enduro bearings last through wet seasons. It is the hub for a classic road build on a Boyd Altamont or Rouleur rim-brake rim, or any rim-brake rim in the catalog, at a fair price.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Axle options | QR 5x130mm Rear |
| Driver bodies | Campagnolo 9,10,11 & 12spd, Shimano HG 8,9,10,11 & Road 12spd, SRAM XD 10,11 & MTB 12spd |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | rim-brake |
| Left flange diameter | 44.5 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 55.5 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 37.7 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 17.3 mm |
| Weight | 254g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black |
This listing
This is the rim-brake version: QR 5x130mm, 24h, 28h, 32h drilling, about 254g, in black. Same internals and flanges as every other 85; only the mount and axle differ.
This is the rim-brake 85, with no rotor mount at all: a lighter, simpler shell for road, track and classic frames that stop on the rim. It builds into the lightest wheel the model can make and it is the version to choose for a rim-brake bike; the disc versions of the same hub have their own listings.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Boyd 85 Road Rear Black Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page in 100mm front and 130mm rear quick-release spacing with a Shimano HG or SRAM XDR freehub. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most 85 wheels with Sapim Laser, Race or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition and Aerolite, and brass or alloy nipples.
It pairs naturally with the Boyd Altamont and Rouleur rim-brake rims, the HED Belgium R, H Plus Son Archetype and Velocity Quill. Pick road as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build it with us
We build this hub to order. Open the Custom Wheel Program with the Boyd 85 Road Rear Black Hub already selected and pick the parts around it; it is offered for road rim brake and touring builds, and the configurator will not let you assemble a combination we would not build.
What Boyd says about testing
Boyd Cycling designs its own hubs and builds them into wheels in Greenville, South Carolina. Every model runs on Enduro ABEC-5 cartridge bearings with LLU/LLB seals; the Grade 54 has a forged 6061-T6 shell, a 7075-T6 axle, straight-pull flanges and Centerlock mounting, the Sixtus mountain hub has six-bolt rotor mounting and Boost spacing, and Boyd states the Sixtus is "Fully eBike Rated". Published front weights are 120 grams for the Quest, 100 grams for the 85 road hub, 85 grams for the Grade 54 and 178 grams for the Sixtus.
the Quest uses a 36-tooth ring with six pawls engaging three at a time for 5 degrees of engagement, as does the 85 road hub; the Grade 54 uses a 54-tooth ratchet for 6.6 degrees; the Sixtus uses a 102-tooth driver ring, six pawls and a steel phasing ring for 612 points and 0.5 degrees of engagement. The Quest rear weighs 245 grams with two 6902 bearings in the shell and two MR15267 in the freehub body, and accepts Shimano HG, SRAM XDR, Microspline, Campagnolo and N3W drivers; the 85 rear weighs 254 grams, the Grade 54 rear 185 grams and the Sixtus rear 380 grams, with an optional aluminum freehub body about 35 grams lighter giving 3-degree engagement. Freehub bodies swap by hand.
Boyd's videos
Certifications
- eBike rating (maker-stated) — Boyd states the Sixtus MTB hub is "Fully eBike Rated" (source)
- Handbuilt in USA — Wheels handbuilt in Greenville, SC (product pages) (source)
Sources on Boyd's site:
- Quest Hubs Info | Boyd Cycling
- 85 Hubs Info | Boyd Cycling
- Grade 54 Hubs | Boyd Cycling
- Sixtus | Boyd Cycling
- Repairs and Warranty | Boyd Cycling
Boyd publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Boyd makes the 85; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. Every 85 wheel we build gets spokes cut from the measured ERD of the rim, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief and a final true before it ships.
In the configurator you will only see parts that fit this drilling; combinations that are not made are struck through, and the price updates as you pick.
Warranty
Boyd's warranty. Boyd Cycling warrants carbon wheels bought new since 1 January 2018 for life against manufacturing defects and alloy wheels for three years, and runs a lifetime crash-replacement scheme that follows the wheel rather than the owner.
ProWheelBuilder. Wheels we build around this part are covered by our own one-year warranty alongside the maker's. Within the year: broken spokes replaced regardless of cause, and the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning or a complete rebuild - included. A manufacturer-covered rim or hub failure is a claim we make and manage for you; one they will not cover is answered with an eligible replacement at 25% off retail. Shipping each way is yours. Parts you supply yourself fall outside it.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
85 Road Rear Black Hub questions
Can I use this hub with disc brakes?
No - this is the rim-brake version and it has no rotor mount at all, which is exactly why it is lighter and simpler. It is the one for a rim-brake road, track or classic frame. A disc frame needs one of the disc versions of this hub, which are listed separately.
Is the Boyd 85 disc compatible?
No. It is a rim-brake hub; the Boyd Quest is the disc hub.
Which freehub bodies fit the 85?
Shimano HG road and SRAM XDR, swappable without tools.
What bearings does the 85 use?
Enduro sealed cartridge bearings in common sizes, replaceable at any shop.
What spoke counts suit the 85?
20 to 28 front and 24 to 32 rear depending on rider weight; the configurator recommends.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
QR 5x130mm Rear. Measure between the inside faces of your dropouts if you are unsure, or text us.
Does it need special spokes?
No. It takes standard J-bend spokes, which the configurator offers in every gauge and finish we stock.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
