Paul Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear Hub
The Paul WORD, Wide Open Rear Disc, is the single-speed rear hub from Paul Component Engineering in Chico, California: machined from 3-inch 6061 bar through four operations, with windowed high flanges, a 7075 aluminum axle, sealed 6902 bearings, a 6-bolt disc mount and threading for a single-speed freewheel, at about 290 grams in 135mm. It comes in 32 and 36 hole and in Paul's anodized colors, and it is the hub for a single-speed mountain or gravel bike that wants an American-made rear in a color. This page covers the Paul Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear Hub.
The WORD is built to order here. Choose the rim, spokes and nipples in the configurator; the wheel leaves Georgia laced, tensioned and trued.
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.
How it rides
A WORD rear wheel is stiff, because the tall flanges shorten the spokes, and simple, because a threaded freewheel hub has nothing to go wrong. It rolls smoothly on its sealed bearings, takes a White Industries or Shimano single-speed freewheel, and looks the part. It is the rear hub we build for single-speed mountain bikes and gravel bikes with disc brakes.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Axle options | Bolt On 10x135mm Rear, QR 5x135mm Rear, Thru Axle 12x142mm Rear, Thru Axle 12x148mm Boost Rear |
| Driver bodies | Single Speed Freewheel, Single Speed Fixed Gear (+$20) |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | 6-bolt disc |
| Left flange diameter | 56 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 56 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 280g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black, polished, purple, silver |
Which version this is
Version notes. 6-bolt rotor mount, Bolt On 10x135mm, QR 5x135mm, Thru Axle 12x142mm, Thru Axle 12x148mm Boost, 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h, about 280g, in black, polished, purple, silver. If your frame or fork uses a different standard, the other versions of the WORD on this site cover it.
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 Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page in 135mm quick-release spacing with a 6-bolt rotor mount and standard freewheel threading. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most WORD wheels with DT Champion or Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples.
It pairs naturally with the Stan's Crest and Arch, Velocity Blunt SS and Cliffhanger, WTB KOM and any 6-bolt disc rim in the catalog that matches its drilling. Pick single speed as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed and MTB single-speed builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Paul Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear Hub and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
Paul's testing and certifications
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
Paul publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Paul makes the WORD; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. The build is the same every time: measured ERD, spokes cut to the half millimeter, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief, a final true, and tubeless tape and a valve on request.
The configurator shows only rims and spokes that fit the WORD drilling, strikes through combinations that are not made, and prices the wheel live.
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. If we lace this into a wheel for you, that wheel also carries ProWheelBuilder's own one-year warranty, which covers broken spokes regardless of cause and all wheel-related labor, including truing and rebuilding, for a year from purchase. Where a rim or hub is covered by its maker, we make the manufacturer's claim for you and coordinate it; where it is not, we offer an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off current retail. Shipping to and from us is the customer's. This cover does not extend to wheels built from components you supply yourself.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear 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.
What does WORD stand for?
Wide Open Rear Disc: Paul's single-speed disc rear hub with widely spaced flanges for a stiff wheel.
Which freewheel fits the WORD?
Any standard-threaded single-speed freewheel; we recommend the White Industries ENO freewheel.
Is the WORD thru-axle?
The WORD is 135mm quick release. Ask us about current axle options if your frame is thru-axle.
Which colors?
Paul's anodized range; the colors in stock are listed in the configurator.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Paul Single Speed 6 Bolt Disc Word Rear Hub?
We are not. Paul manufactures the hub; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
Bolt On 10x135mm Rear or 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.
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.
