Shimano Hubs Custom Hand Built Wheels

Why Shimano hubs are different

• Cup and cone on the road hubs. Shimano says this construction lets a mechanic fine-tune the bearing and stays smooth under cornering and sprint loads, and that Dura-Ace uses it on purpose. The 105 hubs add internal O-rings and a grease sleeve for durability.
• Cartridge bearings on current XT and XTR. The M8210-B and M9210-B hubs moved to cartridge bearings with preload adjustment, in steel on XT and stainless on XTR. Shimano pairs them with new seals and calls them easily serviceable.
• Quick engagement off the line. The XT and XTR rears engage within 3.5 degrees. Shimano says that helps you get moving quickly, while the seal design and smooth bearings mean less drag when you coast.
• Micro Spline for small cogs. Its smaller spline diameter makes room for a 10-tooth top gear, on a lightweight aluminum body. It needs a matching Micro Spline cassette.
• Gears inside the hub. Alfine gives you a 307 percent range in 8 speed and 409 percent in 11 speed, with both approved for e-bike and regular use. Nexus 5 is built for e-bike torque, and Shimano rates it 50 percent more durable than the SG-C6000 series.
• Dynamo hubs with less drag. The UR700 and UR705 make 3 watts on cup and cone bearings. A new ring magnet construction cuts dynamo drag by up to 44 percent compared with the DH-T8000, according to Shimano.

The Shimano 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 Shimano hubs in 100mm, 110mm, 120mm, 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 Shimano 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 Shimano hub and rim pairings

Rims our customers build with each Shimano 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.

• Shimano 105 R7000 with Velocity Dyad, DT Swiss R 460, Velocity Quill, DT Swiss RR 511, HED Belgium R, Velo Orange Enterprise
• Shimano 105 R7070 with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity Aileron, DT Swiss RR 521, DT Swiss R 470, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, WTB KOM Light TCS I 23
• Shimano XT M8210 B with WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 35, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, DT Swiss XM 481, DT Swiss GR 531, Velocity Dually, Race Face ARC Offset 35
• Shimano Dynamo DH UR700 3D 6V 3W with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity Atlas, Velo Orange Voyager, Race Face ARC Offset 30, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, DT Swiss G 540
• Shimano Alfine S7001 8 Speed with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity Dyad, DT Swiss R 470, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, DT Swiss R 500, Astral Leviathan Touring
• Shimano XT Dynamo DH UR705 3D 6V 3W with DT Swiss G 540, DT Swiss R 470, Velocity Cliffhanger, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, Velocity Blunt SS, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 30
• Shimano Alfine S7001 11 Speed with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity Dyad, DT Swiss GR 531, WTB KOM Tough TCS 2.0 CVX I 25, Velo Orange Voyager, Astral Leviathan Touring
• Shimano XTR M9210 B with PWB Terra I22 Carbon, Stan's NoTubes Flow MK4, DT Swiss FR 541, NOX Composites Teocalli, Race Face ARC Offset 30, Velocity Deep V
• Shimano Alfine DI2 S7051 11 Speed with Velocity Cliffhanger, Velocity A23, Boyd CCC, Velo Orange Voyager, DT Swiss E 512, DT Swiss RR 421
• Shimano Nexus C7000 5 Speed with Velocity Cliffhanger, DT Swiss RR 521, DT Swiss E 532, Velocity Chukker, HED Belgium G, Kinlin TL 23

Every model of both brands that fits, on one page: Velocity wheels with Shimano hubs, DT Swiss wheels with Shimano hubs, WTB wheels with Shimano hubs, Stan's NoTubes wheels with Shimano hubs, Kinlin wheels with Shimano hubs, HED wheels with Shimano hubs, Velo Orange wheels with Shimano hubs, Race Face wheels with Shimano hubs, Boyd wheels with Shimano hubs, Spank wheels with Shimano hubs, NOX Composites wheels with Shimano hubs, Surly wheels with Shimano hubs, PWB wheels with Shimano hubs, Astral wheels with Shimano hubs, Chromag wheels with Shimano hubs, Convergence We Are 1 wheels with Shimano hubs, Derby wheels with Shimano hubs, ENVE wheels with Shimano hubs, Ibis wheels with Shimano hubs, Industry Nine wheels with Shimano hubs, Nextie wheels with Shimano hubs, Reserve wheels with Shimano 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 Shimano hub before you order? Our free spoke length calculator has the measured dimensions for it.