Phil Wood Pro Rear Hub
The Phil Wood Pro is the top of Phil Wood's range: the same San Jose, California machining and full-contact sealed bearings as every Phil hub, with Carbonyte low-drag bearings, a 7075 aluminum axle and end caps, titanium bolts and RLR multi-drilled flanges that let one hub be built in several spoke counts. It comes in road rim-brake, 6-bolt disc and centerlock disc versions, and it is the Phil Wood hub for riders who want the durability without the touring hub's weight. This page covers the Phil Wood Pro Rear Hub.
The Phil Wood Pro 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
Phil Wood's bearings are the point. They are full-contact sealed cartridge bearings, meaning the seal rubs the inner race rather than floating above it, which adds a little drag and keeps water out completely; packed with Phil's own waterproof grease, they run for years in the worst conditions. The touring hub uses a 6061 axle and 6902 bearings, with a Carbonyte low-drag bearing upgrade available, and the shell is machined thick because a touring hub is not where weight is saved. Wide flanges give the rear wheel lateral stiffness under a load.
How it rides
A Phil Wood Pro rolls with less drag than the touring hub thanks to the Carbonyte bearings, engages quietly, and keeps the permanence Phil hubs are known for. It is the hub for a road, gravel or light-touring wheel that the customer intends to keep for decades, on an HED Belgium, Velocity Quill or Mavic Open Pro.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Axle options | QR 5x130mm Rear |
| Driver bodies | Shimano HG/SRAM 8,9,10 or (ROAD 11spd) Aluminum, SRAM XD / XDR 10,11 or 12spd (10 tooth 1st poistion cog) Aluminum |
| Drillings | 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | rim-brake |
| Left flange diameter | 59 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 59 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 34 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 16 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 331g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | polished, black |
This version
This version is the rim-brake hub in QR 5x130mm, drilled for 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h, about 331g, in polished, black. Those are the only things that differ between the versions of the Pro; the shell, bearings and seals are the same.
This is the rim-brake Pro, 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 Phil Wood Pro Rear Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page with the axle and brake options shown in the configurator: rim brake in 130mm, 6-bolt or centerlock disc in 135 and 142mm. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most Phil Pro wheels with Sapim Race, Laser or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition and brass nipples.
It pairs naturally with the HED Belgium R and G, Velocity Quill and A23, Mavic Open Pro UST, H Plus Son Archetype and Boyd Altamont. The configurator recommends spoke count and lacing from your bike type and weight.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Phil Wood Pro Rear Hub — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this hub pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for road rim brake and touring builds.
How Phil Wood tests its hubs
Phil Wood & Co. states it was founded in 1971 and that its products are “completely designed, manufactured and assembled in San Jose, California”, machined from US-produced materials on CNC machining and turning centers with diamond-tipped tools. The company says a front hub shell passes through seven production stations before assembly, and that it specifies every bearing it uses, many made exclusively to its specifications. It publishes no load, fatigue, salt-spray, or ISO/EN figures.
The warranty page states a lifetime limited warranty against manufacturing defects for the original owner, one year on all bearings, and one year on Classic stainless cassette bodies and Pro aluminum parts; normal wear, contamination, misuse, modification, improper maintenance, and incorrect reassembly are excluded, with proof of purchase required.
current cassette hubs use 5 double-row heat-treated stainless steel pawls on a 40-tooth ratchet ring (earlier 4-pawl, 20-tooth hubs can be upgraded by the service department); Pro cassette bodies are hard-anodized 7075 aluminum; the Pro 11-speed rear hub weighs 331 g. Ratchet wear is excluded from warranty.
Phil Wood's videos
Certifications
- Made in USA — “Our products are made in the USA- they are completely designed, manufactured and assembled in San Jose, California”; “All of our manufactured items are machined out of US-produced materials” (source)
- Lifetime limited warranty — Original owner, manufacturing defects; one-year guarantee on bearings and on Classic stainless cassette bodies / Pro aluminum parts (source)
Sources on Phil Wood's site:
- About Us - Phil Wood and Company
- Warranty and Return Policy - Phil Wood and Company
- Bearings - Phil Wood and Company
- Hubs - Phil Wood and Company
- Touring Hub Front - Phil Wood and Company
Phil Wood publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Phil Wood makes the Pro; 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
Phil Wood's warranty. Phil Wood & Co. gives the original owner a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, with a one-year guarantee on bearings, stainless cassette bodies and aluminum Pro parts. Proof of purchase from an authorized dealer is required, and bearings that fail from contamination or lack of maintenance are not covered.
ProWheelBuilder. Any wheel we build on this part carries ProWheelBuilder's one-year warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Broken spokes are replaced for a year whatever the cause, and all wheel-side labor is included - truing, re-tensioning, rebuilding. Where the maker covers a failed rim or hub we handle that claim for you; where they decline, an eligible replacement comes at 25% off current retail. The customer covers shipping in both directions. Components supplied by the customer are not covered.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Pro Rear 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.
What is RLR drilling?
Phil's multi-drilled flanges, which carry more than one spoke-hole pattern so a single hub can be built in several spoke counts.
What are Carbonyte bearings?
Phil Wood's low-drag sealed bearings, which keep the full-contact seal but roll with noticeably less resistance than the standard bearings.
Pro or touring hub?
Pro for road, gravel and light touring where weight and drag matter; touring hub for loaded touring and tandems where strength is everything.
Which freehub bodies fit the Pro?
Shimano HG and SRAM XDR, selectable in the configurator.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Phil Wood Pro Rear Hub?
We are not. Phil Wood manufactures the hub; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
QR 5x130mm 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.
