Velo Orange Chronos Front Hub
The Velo Orange Chronos Front Hub is the rim-brake front for a touring, randonneur or classic road wheel: a 58mm high-flange aluminum shell, large sealed cartridge bearings and a 100mm quick-release axle, at 155 grams. It comes in 28 or 32 hole, in silver or black, and it is the front of the Chronos range that replaced Velo Orange's earlier hubs.
This page covers the rim-brake Chronos front. We build it to order: choose the rim, spokes and nipples in our configurator and we lace, tension and true the wheel by hand in Georgia.
Design and construction
Velo Orange calls the Chronos a no-fuss hub, and the rim-brake front is the plainest expression of the idea. The flanges are 58mm across, large for a front hub, and the extra diameter makes room for big sealed cartridge bearings inside the shell. A larger flange also shortens the spokes a little, which makes for a slightly stiffer wheel.
Both flanges sit 33.9mm from the center of the hub, so the wheel builds perfectly symmetrical with equal spoke tension on both sides. That is the easiest kind of wheel to keep true for years. There is no rotor mount and no thru-axle option on this version, and the holes are punched for J-bend spokes.
How it rides
On the road the Chronos front is the part of the wheel you stop thinking about. The bearings are sealed against rain and grit, a symmetrical front stays round and true, and 155 grams is light for a hub with flanges this size.
For a front loaded with a handlebar bag or low-rider panniers we usually suggest 32 hole; a 28-hole build suits a lighter rider on an unladen road or club bike. Silver gives the classic look Velo Orange is known for, and black suits a modern bike.
Specifications
| Position | Front |
|---|---|
| Brake | Rim brake |
| Axle | QR 5x100mm (skewer not included) |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Flange diameter | 58 mm, both sides |
| Left center-to-flange | 33.9 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 33.9 mm |
| Weight | 155g |
| Bearings | Sealed cartridge |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | silver, black |
About this listing
This listing is the rim-brake Chronos front: 100mm quick release, no rotor mount, 28 or 32 hole, about 155g, in silver or black.
With disc brakes you want the Chronos Front ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub, which adds a 6-bolt rotor mount and thru-axle end caps, and a Boost 110mm fork takes the Chronos Boost front. For a matched pair, put it with the rim-brake Chronos Rear Hub.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Chronos Front Hub fits a rim-brake fork with 100mm dropouts and a quick-release skewer, which covers nearly every touring, randonneur and classic road fork. Velo Orange does not include a skewer.
It takes standard J-bend spokes. We usually build it with DT Champion or Competition or Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples: straight-gauge spokes for heavy loads, butted where weight matters. Any rim-brake rim with a machined braking surface in a matching drilling works, and the polished Velo Orange Enterprise is the classic match. Choose road, touring or track as the bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for road rim brake, track and road single-speed and touring builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Velo Orange Chronos Front Hub and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
Testing, standards and warranty at Velo Orange
Velo Orange works with specialist partner factories in Taiwan and documented its hub factory on a 2025 visit, when its new hubs were in the pipeline and early samples were in testing. Hub shells are cold-forged in-house on presses up to 650 tons, then CNC machined for cleanup. Spoke holes are punched rather than drilled, which leaves a chamfer that Velo Orange says suits J-bend spokes best because it avoids a stress riser at the elbow. Velo Orange states that every hub is tested for smoothness and play before it is packaged.
The Chronos fronts share the high-flange design of the rears. Velo Orange says the 58mm flange was chosen for longevity, because it leaves room for large sealed cartridge bearings, and credits it with a more reliable wheel build and a hub that stays smooth through seasons of grit and grime.
Velo Orange does not publish impact, fatigue or ISO test results for the Chronos. On warranty it states that defective parts can be exchanged for one year from the purchase date, with proof of purchase.
From Velo Orange
Sources on Velo Orange's site:
- Chronos Front Hub, Rim Brake
- Behind the Scenes: Velo Orange's Factory Visits in Taiwan
- Velo Orange Hubs collection
Velo Orange publishes those claims; ProWheelBuilder builds the hub into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velo Orange makes the Chronos front hub; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before a spoke is cut, bring the wheel up to tension in stages with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last.
The configurator only offers rims, spokes and nipples that fit this hub, strikes through combinations that are not made rather than hiding them, and prices the wheel live as you choose.
Warranty
Velo Orange's warranty. Velo Orange exchanges defective parts and accessories, its rims and hubs among them, for one year from the purchase date. Proof of purchase is required, because the warranty period runs from the day the part was bought.
ProWheelBuilder. Built into a wheel by us, this part is covered by our own one-year wheel warranty on top of the maker's. For a year we replace broken spokes whatever caused them, and we cover the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild if it needs one. If a rim or hub fails and its maker covers it, we run that claim for you; if the maker says no, you get an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off retail. You pay the shipping each way. Wheels built from parts you send us are excluded.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Chronos Front Hub questions
Is this the old Velo Orange front hub?
No. Velo Orange discontinued its earlier hubs, and this listing now carries the Chronos front that replaced them, with 58mm flanges, sealed cartridge bearings and 28 or 32 hole drillings instead of the old 32 and 36.
Can I use it with disc brakes?
No, it has no rotor mount. The Chronos Front ISO 6 Bolt Disc Hub is the disc version, and it is listed separately.
28 or 32 hole?
32 hole for touring, heavier riders or a loaded front; 28 hole for a lighter road wheel. Match the rear if you want the pair to look alike, though it is not required.
Does it come with a skewer?
Velo Orange does not include one. Your existing quick-release skewer will fit; text us if you need one.
Will it match a Chronos rear?
Yes. The rim-brake Chronos Rear Hub has the same 58mm flanges and finishes, so a silver or black pair looks like a set.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Chronos Front Hub?
No. Velo Orange makes the hub. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a wheel to your spec.
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.
