Philwood Hubs Custom Hand Built Wheels

Why Phil Wood hubs are different

• Built around low maintenance since 1971. Phil Wood was founded to make maintenance-free hubs and still designs, makes and assembles them in San Jose, California. A front hub shell passes through seven production stations before assembly.
• Two bearing choices. Standard bearings have full contact seals and a full fill of Phil Waterproof Grease for wet, dirty riding. Carbonyte bearings have partial contact seals and a 30 percent fill of synthetic grease for lower drag.
• Bearings made to Phil's spec. Phil Wood specifies the characteristics of every bearing it uses, and it says many are made exclusively for it. If a bearing wears out, Phil's answer is to replace the cartridge rather than repack it.
• Classic or Pro. The Pro swaps the Classic's stainless axle and end caps for 7075 aluminum, which Phil says cuts about 34 percent of the weight on its road hubs, depending on the configuration. Check the rating before you choose: Phil lists 280 pounds of rider and bike on Classic hubs and 190 pounds on Pro.
• A cassette mechanism with five double-row pawls. Heat-treated stainless pawls engage a 40-tooth ratchet ring in a hard anodized 7075 body. Phil says some backpedal resistance is normal for up to 350 miles of break-in, and it suggests servicing the mechanism at least every three months.
• Hubs that can change with the bike. Phil Wood says both front and rear hubs can be laced radially without voiding the warranty, and it can convert most older rear hubs to a different spacing. Its limited lifetime warranty covers manufacturing defects for the original owner.

The Philwood hubs we build with

These are J-bend hubs, which take standard J-bend spokes - the widest choice of gauge, color and material, and the easiest to source anywhere in the world if you ever break one far from home.

Axle spacing has to match your frame or fork, and it is the single most common thing people get wrong when ordering a wheel. We build Philwood hubs in 100mm, 110mm, 120mm, 126mm, 130mm, 135mm, 142mm, 148mm. If you are unsure what your frame takes, measure the inside faces of the dropouts before you order, or email us and we will work it out with you.

What to pair with a Philwood hub

A wheel is a system: the rim decides the tire and the braking, the hub decides the drivetrain and the axle fit, and the spokes have to suit both. Start from whichever end matters most to you and the configurator will keep the other end compatible.

Popular Phil Wood hub and rim pairings

Rims our customers build with each Phil Wood hub, led by the pairings they choose most often in our build records since 2009. Every rim listed is in the builder today in a drilling and brake type that fits; tap a hub to start that build.

• Phil Wood Track High Flange with Velocity Deep V, Velocity Dyad, HED Belgium R, DT Swiss R 460, DT Swiss RR 511, Velo Orange Enterprise
• Phil Wood Track Low Flange with Velocity Quill, Velocity Atlas, Astral Radiant, Astral Solstice, HED Belgium R, DT Swiss RR 411
• Phil Wood Pro with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity A23, Astral Radiant, Boyd 44 Carbon, Astral Leviathan Touring, NOX Composites Falkor 36R
• Phil Wood Touring with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity Quill, Velo Orange Enterprise, Astral Leviathan Touring
• Phil Wood Track Pro High Flange with HED Belgium R, Astral Solstice, Velocity Chukker, Velocity Major Tom, NOX Composites Falkor 55R, Astral Veil 3 Carbon
• Phil Wood Track Pro Low Flange with Velocity Fusion, Velocity A23 OC, Astral Veil 4 Carbon, Astral Veil 6 Carbon, PWB Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track, DT Swiss R 460
• Phil Wood Pro Disc with Velocity Aileron, Velocity Aero, DT Swiss GR 531, DT Swiss G 540, HED Belgium G, HED Vanquish V45 Performance Carbon

Every model of both brands that fits, on one page: Velocity wheels with Phil Wood hubs, HED wheels with Phil Wood hubs, DT Swiss wheels with Phil Wood hubs, ENVE wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Stan's NoTubes wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Velo Orange wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Astral wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Kinlin wheels with Phil Wood hubs, NOX Composites wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Boyd wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Surly wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Chromag wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Convergence We Are 1 wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Derby wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Ibis wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Industry Nine wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Nextie wheels with Phil Wood hubs, PWB wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Race Face wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Reserve wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Spank wheels with Phil Wood hubs, WTB wheels with Phil Wood hubs

Popular rims brands for these builds:

• Astral Rims
• Boyd Rims
• Chromag Rims
• Convergence We Are 1 Rims
• Derby Rims
• DT Swiss Rims
• ENVE Composites Rims
• H Plus Son Rims
• HED Rims
• IBIS Rims
• Industry Nine Rims
• Kinlin Rims
• Mavic Rims
• Nextie Rims
• NOX Composite Rims
• PWB Rims
• Race Face Rims
• Reserve Rims
• Spank Rims
• Stan's No Tube Rims
• Surly Rims
• Velo Orange Rims
• Velocity Rims
• WTB Rims

Want to check spoke lengths for a Philwood hub before you order? Our free spoke length calculator has the measured dimensions for it.