Paul 6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub
The Paul FHub is the front hub from Paul Component Engineering in Chico, California, and like everything Paul makes it is machined from solid: a 3-inch round bar of 6061 aluminum goes through four machining operations to become a hub with tall windowed flanges in the style of the classic track hubs, a 7075 aluminum axle and sealed 6902 bearings, at about 175 grams for the 100mm rim-brake version. It comes in 28, 32 and 36 hole, in rim-brake and 6-bolt disc versions, and in Paul's anodized colors. This page covers the Paul 6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub.
The FHub is sold here only inside a wheel we build. Choose the rim, spokes and nipples in the configurator and the finished wheel ships from Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
Paul's flanges are the thing you notice: 56mm high on the rim-brake FHub, windowed to save weight, which shortens the spokes and makes a stiff front wheel, and finished in colors that match Paul's brakes, levers and stems. The axle is 7075 aluminum, stronger than the 6061 shell, and rides on sealed 6902 cartridge bearings in common sizes. The rim-brake FHub is 100mm quick release; the 6-bolt disc FHub adds a rotor mount and comes in 100mm quick release and 15 x 100 thru-axle.
Every Paul hub is machined and anodized in Chico and rebuildable with off-the-shelf bearings.
This is the front hub, and a front hub has no freehub. What matters here is the part of the hub that carries the wheel: the bearings, the seals, the axle and the two flanges, and the front FHub shares all of them with its rear partner. It is the simpler half of the pair and the one that runs longest between services. The driver and engagement story belongs on the rear hub's page; this page is about a front wheel that spins freely, stays sealed and builds stiff.
How it rides
An FHub front wheel is stiff and precise, because the tall flanges shorten the spokes, and it is one of the best-looking front wheels you can build. It rolls smoothly on its sealed bearings and it lasts.
A front wheel is where you feel a hub least and a build most. With no drive torque to carry, the front FHub can be laced two-cross or even radial on the non-rotor side on a rim-brake bike, which makes a lighter, more direct-feeling wheel; on a disc bike we lace both sides crossed so the rotor's braking torque has spokes to pull against. Either way the front wheel is the one that steers, and a stiff, true front wheel is most of what makes a bike feel precise.
Specifications
| Position | Front |
|---|---|
| Axle options | QR 5x100mm Front, Bolt On 9x100mm Front, Thru Axle 12x100mm Front, Thru Axle 15x100mm Front, Thru Axle 15x110mm Boost Front |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | 6-bolt disc |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 180g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black, polished, purple, silver |
This version
This version is the 6-bolt hub in QR 5x100mm, Bolt On 9x100mm, Thru Axle 12x100mm, Thru Axle 15x100mm and more, drilled for 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h, about 180g, in black, polished, purple, silver. Those are the only things that differ between the versions of the FHub; the shell, bearings and seals are the same.
Six-bolt is the original disc mount and still the most universal: any ISO 6-bolt rotor from any brand bolts straight on, rotors are cheap and easy to find anywhere, and the six-bolt flange is a robust, simple interface that has been on mountain bikes for twenty-five years. Centerlock rotors do not fit it.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Paul 6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page with the axle and brake options shown in the configurator. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most FHub wheels with DT Champion or Competition and Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples.
It pairs naturally with the H Plus Son Archetype and TB14, Velocity Deep V, Chukker and Dyad, HED Belgium and Mavic Open Pro rims. The configurator recommends spoke count and lacing from your bike type and weight.
Build it with us
We build this hub to order. Open the Custom Wheel Program with the Paul 6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub already selected and pick the parts around it; it is offered for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed and MTB single-speed builds, and the configurator will not let you assemble a combination we would not build.
How Paul tests its hubs
Paul Component Engineering states its hubs are “Machined right here in Chico California by a bunch of bike nerds, just like everything else we make” and “Made with pride in Chico, California”, where the company has manufactured since 1989. Hub shells are 6061 aluminum with 7075 alloy axles, and Paul states the bearing bores are machined to a tolerance of .0002 inch, “8 times thinner than the thickness of a human hair”. Bearings are described as high quality user-adjustable sealed cartridge bearings; the bearing brand is not named. The FHub is stated to be machined “to last a lifetime”. Published weights: FHub 126 g quick release / 171 g bolt-on; Disk Fhub 172 g (12 mm thru-axle), 174 g (15 mm), 190 g (quick release), 223 g (bolt-on). Flange diameter is 43 mm with 2.5 mm spoke holes.
Paul publishes no ISO/EN test claims, fatigue, load, or sealing figures for its hubs, and no written warranty term appears on its site; the support pages state “We offer the absolute best customer service and warranty with our genuine parts” and that counterfeit parts receive no support. Service parts are sold for hub overhauls and rebuilds, and technical questions go to tech@paulcomp.com.
Paul's videos
Certifications
- Made in USA — “Machined right here in Chico California”; “Made with pride in Chico, California”, 11204 Midway, Chico, CA 95928 (source)
- Warranty statement — “We offer the absolute best customer service and warranty with our genuine parts” (no term stated) (source)
Sources on Paul's site:
- FHub - Paul Component Engineering
- Disk Fhub - Paul Component Engineering
- Word - Paul Component Engineering
- Disk WORD - Paul Component Engineering
- Hubs - Paul Component Engineering
The figures, certificates and media above are Paul's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the hub.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Paul Component Engineering makes the FHub in Chico, California; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. Spokes are cut from the ERD we measure on the actual rim, the wheel comes up in stages on a tensiometer, and it is stress-relieved and trued before it goes in the box; tape and a valve go on if you ask.
The configurator filters to what fits, crosses out what is not made, and prices the build as you go.
Warranty
Manufacturer's warranty. Paul warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship. The duration, conditions and claim process are set by Paul and can change without notice, so ask us and we will confirm the current terms before you buy.
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.
6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub questions
Will my rotors fit this hub?
This is the 6-bolt version: any ISO 6-bolt rotor bolts straight on with six T25 bolts, which is still the most common and the easiest rotor to replace anywhere. Centerlock rotors do not fit it - for those, take the centerlock version of the same hub, listed separately.
Rim brake or disc FHub?
The rim-brake FHub has 56mm windowed flanges and no rotor mount; the 6-bolt disc FHub adds a rotor mount and a 15mm thru-axle option. Pick by your fork.
What bearings does the FHub use?
Sealed 6902 cartridge bearings, replaceable anywhere.
Which colors?
Paul's anodized range, which matches its brakes, levers and stems; the colors in stock are listed in the configurator.
Is the FHub made in the USA?
Yes. Every Paul hub is machined and anodized in Chico, California.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Paul 6 Bolt Disc Fhub Front Hub?
No. Paul makes the hub. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a finished wheel to your spec.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
QR 5x100mm Front or Bolt On 9x100mm Front or Thru Axle 12x100mm Front or Thru Axle 15x100mm Front or Thru Axle 15x110mm Boost Front. Measure between the inside faces of your dropouts if you are unsure, or text us.
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.
