Boyd Quest Rear Black ISO Centerlock Disc Hub
The Boyd Quest is the disc hub Boyd Cycling builds its own wheels on, and it is a sensible, well-sorted hub from a company in Greenville, South Carolina that has been building wheels for a living for years. The Quest has a machined aluminum shell, Enduro ABEC-5 sealed cartridge bearings, a pawl freehub that engages quickly and swaps between HG, XD and Micro Spline bodies without tools, and centerlock or 6-bolt rotor mounts in road, gravel and MTB spacing. This page covers the Boyd Quest Rear Black ISO Centerlock Disc Hub.
The Quest comes from us only as a finished wheel: pick the rim, spokes and nipples, and we lace, tension and true it by hand in Georgia before it ships.
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.
The shell is machined and anodized black, with a low-flange profile on the road version and wider flanges on the MTB version for a stiffer wheel.
How it rides
A Quest hub is quiet and quick. Engagement is prompt enough for cyclocross starts and technical gravel, the Enduro bearings spin freely and shrug off wet weather, and the freehub is muted. It is the hub we suggest when a customer wants a Boyd rim on a Boyd hub, or simply a reliable disc hub at a fair price for a road, gravel or trail wheel.
For instant engagement and colors an Industry Nine Hydra 2 or SOLiX is the step up; for the same job at a similar price the DT Swiss 350 is the alternative.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Axle options | QR 5x135mm Rear, Thru Axle 12x142mm Rear, Thru Axle 12x148mm Boost Rear |
| Driver bodies | Campagnolo 9,10,11 & 12spd, Shimano HG 8,9,10,11 & Road 12spd, SRAM XD 10,11 & MTB 12spd |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | centerlock disc |
| Left flange diameter | 62 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 62 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 29 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 29 mm |
| Weight | 269g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black |
About this listing
What sets this listing apart from the other Quest versions: centerlock rotor mount, QR 5x135mm, Thru Axle 12x142mm, Thru Axle 12x148mm Boost, 28h, 32h drilling, about 269g, in black. Pick the one that matches your frame and rotor and the rest of the hub is identical.
This is the centerlock Quest: the rotor sits on a spline and a lockring holds it, which saves weight over six bolts and makes swapping rotors a one-tool job. If your rotors are 6-bolt, a centerlock adapter fits them, or choose the 6-bolt version of the same hub.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Boyd Quest Rear Black ISO Centerlock Disc Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page with the axle, rotor and driver options shown in the configurator. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most Quest wheels with Sapim Race, Laser or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition and brass or alloy nipples.
It pairs naturally with Boyd's Altamont, Rouleur, CCC and carbon rims, and with any rim in the catalog that matches its drilling. Pick your bike type and weight in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for gravel and road disc, mountain bike and fat bike builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Boyd Quest Rear Black ISO Centerlock Disc Hub and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
Testing, standards and warranty at Boyd
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
Everything in this section is published by Boyd. ProWheelBuilder is the wheel builder, not the tester, and the hub reaches us as the maker ships it.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Boyd Cycling makes the Quest; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before we cut a spoke, bring the wheel up in three or four rounds with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last, then tape it and fit a valve if you want it tubeless.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is live.
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. Lace this into a wheel here and the finished wheel gets our own one-year warranty as well as the maker's. For twelve months we replace broken spokes however they broke, and the work on the wheel is on us - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild where it is needed. If the rim or hub is covered by its manufacturer we put the claim in and chase it; if it is not, we supply an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off the current retail price. Carriage both ways is the customer's, and this does not cover wheels built from parts you send in.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Quest Rear Black ISO Centerlock Disc Hub questions
Will my rotors fit this hub?
This is the centerlock version, so a splined centerlock rotor drops on and a lockring holds it - one tool, no six bolts to torque or lose. If your rotors are 6-bolt they will fit with a centerlock adapter, or take the 6-bolt version of the same hub, which is a separate listing.
Which freehub bodies fit the Quest?
Shimano HG, SRAM XD or XDR and Shimano Micro Spline, swappable without tools and selectable in the configurator.
What bearings does the Quest use?
Enduro ABEC-5 sealed cartridge bearings in common sizes, replaceable at any shop.
Is the Quest e-bike rated?
For light road and gravel e-bikes, yes. For e-MTBs we recommend a hub with a steel-reinforced or full-contact freehub.
Quest or Boyd 85 road hub?
The Quest is the disc hub; the 85 is Boyd's rim-brake road hub. Pick by your bike's brakes.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
QR 5x135mm Rear or Thru Axle 12x142mm Rear or Thru Axle 12x148mm Boost 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.
