I'm currently working on a new build and I was looking at these hubs for my wheel set I'm glad I watched your video first. My previous build is fitted with the previous xt hubs and they've been absolutely fine.
Thank you! My 2022 Shimano slx freehub that came on my Specialized Turbo Levo Comp mtb failed at around 2,000 miles. I purchased the bike in Nov 2021 and at the time it had all Shimano components. It just started grinding and ate the metal gears. I had it replaced. Luckily I had bought a spare free hub when the bike was new, as during Covid it was impossible to find one. Specialized switched to Shram in January 2022 for their components. Now I know why.
Thanks for this explanation! My new Giant MTB came with SLX components and started creaking within weeks of purchase, I had to take it back to the shop several times before they finally relented and replaced the hub. After another six months, it's started again and I notice the bike is 'ghost pedalling' when you push it forward, deja-vous all over again. From your experience it sounds as if the only true solution is to replace the hub with something other than Shimano.
Welcome! The ghost pedaling itself is not yet a sign of a failed free hub. But you are right with the conclusion - this SLX is likely to creak again and again. An easy and relatively cheap replacement could be Shimano FH-MT510 or 410. 510 shares almost the same shell with your SLX. Meaning you can even get away with your old spokes. 410's shell is a tiny bit different, but it seems the old spokes would suit fine as well. Both 410 and 510 have a pawl ratchet system without all these nasty plastic spacers. However, you might be hating Shimano already and prefer something different like Hope or DT Swiss. It's the best solution, but it'll be 4-5 more expensive in comparison to 410/510. Good luck anyway! 🤘
thanks for sharing the part number on the black spacer. My spacer on my XT hub failed today (white spacer). I'm in the United States and shimano USA has no stock available. I ordered a couple of them from the EU and paid a lot for shipping. Still much cheaper than a new hub. This is the hub's last chance. Next step is a rebuild with a DT Swiss 350.
I have the Shimano M8120 wheelset. I only ride trails and the creak started at about 40 hours. Replaced the yellow spacer with black one, and put special grease on it. After 20 hours it's creaking again. The bike is still in warranty, but I don't have time to waste. I'm buying the 410 ou 510 hub and try to relace with the same spokes. Plan B is DT Swiss 370, which is VERY expensive in my country.
Some people still believe (or want to believe) that the black spacer is a savior. Thanks for your experience, little by little we’ll debunk the black spacer myth either 😎
The 410 has the exact dimensions as the xt so that should be possible to reuse spokes. Saw a reddit thread where a mechanic said he removed all the individual teeth from the spacer but still used the remaining ring. Claimed it stopped creaking but was slightly louder. Im facing same problem.
My recently bought XT rear wheel lastet 80km without creaking, took it apart yesterday and found the black spacer you mention. After regreasing it's quiet again. Hope it lasts for the coming season without to much maintenance, over the next winter I'll consider switching to another Hub.
@@mattk192 startet creaking after a little over 100km again. Tend to ignore it until it gets worse and probably replace the hub or the Wheel set in winter.
@@nappsuelzeShimano mt410 has same hub dimension but uses sealed bearings. Slightly heavier but looks better designed. My xt is creaking after only a few months use also.
Just went out for a ride tonight , and sure enough this has now happened to me bits of plastic everywhere inside my hub , an hour of pulling it apart and putting back together, so annoying think I’ll be replacing hubs with Indy9 hydra
Reminds me of a saying I read lately--"newer is always better...even if it isn't...", or that's what they would like us to believe. I have two wheelsets with XTR 965 hubs. Never an issue with them...rock solid. From 2003-4-not sure.
FWIW, im at 7000km on a slx hub, and its doing just fine. Riding on a Rocky Mountain Altitude powerplay, which until recently with the launch of the new DJI motor was the most powerful EMTB motor out there. So the hub has to endure quite a bit. I did grease and oil the hub from the start because it was noisy (i figured shimano forgot to grease it or whatever...), but not with any special shimano kind of grease. I just used SRAM butter on outer teeth, and basic sewing machine oil on the inner teeth. It has been working flawlessly for me so far. Just yesterday i had to regrease it because over time it does start to make a bit more sound. But after regreasing / oiling its completely silent again. And i have to say, i like it very much for that reason. I would never go back to a noisy freehub again. After these 7000km the teeth all look like new and the plastic spacer shows no wear (it did came with the black one, not white).
@@Psi-du2lw That would make sense, the bike is from early 2022. Yeah with the inner teeth i mean those 45deg angled teeth that mesh in to each other and provide the clamping force of the ratcheting mechanism when you pedal forward. It is indeed next to that warning you mention. Though i think it says "do not grease inside" or something like that. Which is supposed to mean: dont grease the inside of the axle hole, otherwise the bearing race might slip and cause damage over time... You should still grease or oil the entire ratcheting mechanism. So that warning is very confusing!
@@_S13_ Got it. I'm very intrested in silent freehub myself, that's why I'm still planning to use Shimano freehubs despite being known as problematic. Later generation and greasing on the right spots should hopefully fix the issue. The warning "Do not oil, do not grease" is very confusing indeed! But of course it's make sense for that part to be greased. Thank you for taking time answering my questions!
My XT hub came with the white spacer. It crumbled and locked up freehub. Got the black spacer on warranty. Same problem but lasted longer. Have been running 1,5 year without the spacer now. But today the aluminum axle broke on a big jump. So when I got home I replaced it with the steel axle from an slx spare hub.
@@ZavyalovCycling looks fine the spacer is just a stupid anti rattle thing. Of cause it will wear out when sitting in between teeth transferring power. I just ordered a DT 350 hub instead. These hubs are embarrassing for Shimano compared to they older generations lasting for decades.
@@ZavyalovCyclingI have a brand new, unused XT M8110-B. I’m planning to to following: - Remove legs from plastic spacer, so they won’t eat connecting teeth. This way all the teeth connect same time, and thus pressure is more even. I believe that plastic spacer legs actually eat the teeth. They make grooves on teeth. So, cut em off. - Use Shimano Premium Grease on teeth. Maybe I should do a video about this project. 🤔 We’ll see how far I manage to go.
I have put about 2,000 mi on the most recent XTR hubs. Still going fine. A lot of that downhill and enduro. I have yet to have the freehub problem but it seems like by design it will happen eventually. You kind of wonder why Shimano gave this the green light or did not use something more durable like aluminum rather than a plastic spacer. The previous XTR hub, the last HG driver was an absolute tank just like all the other XTR hubs. I noticed when I picked up this new version they did feel lighter but also not quite as durable. I'm happy the bearings are still decent which is something that I blow up routinely on cartridge bearing hubs. I also learned long ago never to use lower tier Shimano hubs. If it does not say XTR or dura Ace, use something else. I guess time will tell how long this set that I have will go
First of all, Happy New Year! Let your XTR hub miraculously stay away from all this mess. My road bike has Dura Ace drivetrain (not the hubs though), and after 20+ thousand miles I have zero complaints. What is more, HG901-11 "dura ace" chain is the most durable chain I've tried. Unfortunately, this kind of experience of a single person does not say much. You might have heard about a recent recall of up to a million of road cranks including lots of Dura Ace ones. The problem has been finally admitted by Shimano after 10 years of complaints. Without a doubt, Shimano has made lots of truly reliable stuff through the decades. But do top tier Shimano lines of today guarantee anything special in comparison to lower tiers? Absolutely not! 😉
@@ZavyalovCycling that is a very solid point, the bonding issue on the epoxy used on many of those cranks. Then the hub issue you bring up. I hope Shimano addresses the hub problem. Their previous hubs have all been pretty reliable. The lower ones obviously not going as many miles or being as smooth but still they did their job. The cranks that looks like or at least they claim to have fixed from this point forward. The part I always found suspicious is they said ultegra and dura ace but xtr 9100 and 9120 / 9130 also use a bonded crank. There was no mention on what was different that I could find
Any update after a year? My experience so far: I have an XT hub with about 800 kilometers, noise free. I also xtr hub that started creaking in under 200 kilometers.
I had the deore group set of the same version (that they discontinued because it was somehow even worse than the SLX ones) and I didn't know that it was broken so I rode it until it literally destroyed the entire hub. Took like 4 years though
I have this hub, it's been squeaking like this since yesterday, I'm pissed! because I have to take the bike to the service center now. I have some kind of SLX hub on my old bike, I bought the wheels used, and it's been working since 2018, and here's the new super hyper one and it's gone crazy... 😩
I have roasted countless bearings in the 240S and the 240EXP. Another bike on XTR hubs I have never had to touch, thousands of miles later. If there is some trick to keep the rear hub bearings in the 240s from getting crunchy I would love to know it. Enduro Parks and downhill seem to really speed them on their way to their death, whereas the XTR, those things can take a beating, still smooth
@@JoeVan Pressed sealed bearings assemblies vs Shimano old school single bearing cup and cone set up? I have had decades of trouble free XC service from minimally maintained XTR hubs. Not sure but think Campagnolo may also still be using cup and cone bearing set up for their hubs.
@@pastori70 so far so good, just pulled the free hub this season to regrease everything. Still haven't had to regrease the bearings. Rolls extremely fast, no creaking
I am a bit confused... Is this a problem with all Microspline hubs (e.g. DT Swiss 350/240 etc) or just the Shimano hubs? Thanks. PS Would be a bit of a problem for the road if the future road cassettes switch to Microspline from HG11...
Just the Shimano ones. SLX, XT, and XTR of 2019 gen. Microspline toothing is not a problem. The problem comes from freewheel arrangement inside these hubs. Even Shimano produces some Microspline models now without this problem.
I had a complete failure in the free-hub body of my 12sp SLX - lasted 2500+ miles, I went SLX after my XT 12sp failed. Replaced 12sp xt derailler and shifters too way too early too, SRAM 12sp NX is even better
Hi! For 99% I've been doing road cycling the last year. The new XT hub doesn't have enough mileage for a new video so far. Nevertheless, my advice is to avoid this gen of Shimano MTB hubs at all costs. If you already own one, just accept that it is a pain in ass or replace with another brand.
Absolutely agree! The tiny aluminum teeth wouldn’t stand a chance against stress and load that happen in the unit. Whatever plastic spacer you put to mitigate this.
How about this crazy idea. If one has creaking XT hub with worn out teeth… If we use strong glue to merge freehub body into the hub? Then there’s nothing moving, thus no creaking. Then just ride and when bearings get worn out, ditch the whole thing.
the design was overly complicated. and most importantly did not give user any other value added features other than problems. even my cheap china made hub does not fail in its entire service life.
@Maciej_Jan_Dlugosz Choice of material is part of design. and I am questioning how Shimano tested the hub considering so many user experience failure in just a month.
Ive been using them for decades. Made the mistake of buying a new xt hub without doing research. Its already making creaking and howling noises in less than 20 rides. Have had it apart twice already. Wish I would have gone dt.
@@johndef5075 I wonder how a big company like them, with far enough resources, technologic background, knowledge (probably) can let this major issue happen?
I'm currently working on a new build and I was looking at these hubs for my wheel set
I'm glad I watched your video first. My previous build is fitted with the previous xt hubs and they've been absolutely fine.
Thank you for the feedback. Right, the new ones are complete turnaround in terms of reliability!
Thank you! My 2022 Shimano slx freehub that came on my Specialized Turbo Levo Comp mtb failed at around 2,000 miles. I purchased the bike in Nov 2021 and at the time it had all Shimano components. It just started grinding and ate the metal gears. I had it replaced. Luckily I had bought a spare free hub when the bike was new, as during Covid it was impossible to find one. Specialized switched to Shram in January 2022 for their components. Now I know why.
My new bike came as “XT everything”, and it looked like a sign of reliability back then. What a wrong look 😂
Are you saying that you had first creaking at around 2000 miles? Or did you service it frequently and still it failed?
Thanks for this explanation! My new Giant MTB came with SLX components and started creaking within weeks of purchase, I had to take it back to the shop several times before they finally relented and replaced the hub. After another six months, it's started again and I notice the bike is 'ghost pedalling' when you push it forward, deja-vous all over again. From your experience it sounds as if the only true solution is to replace the hub with something other than Shimano.
Welcome! The ghost pedaling itself is not yet a sign of a failed free hub. But you are right with the conclusion - this SLX is likely to creak again and again. An easy and relatively cheap replacement could be Shimano FH-MT510 or 410. 510 shares almost the same shell with your SLX. Meaning you can even get away with your old spokes. 410's shell is a tiny bit different, but it seems the old spokes would suit fine as well. Both 410 and 510 have a pawl ratchet system without all these nasty plastic spacers. However, you might be hating Shimano already and prefer something different like Hope or DT Swiss. It's the best solution, but it'll be 4-5 more expensive in comparison to 410/510. Good luck anyway! 🤘
thanks for sharing the part number on the black spacer. My spacer on my XT hub failed today (white spacer). I'm in the United States and shimano USA has no stock available. I ordered a couple of them from the EU and paid a lot for shipping. Still much cheaper than a new hub. This is the hub's last chance. Next step is a rebuild with a DT Swiss 350.
Welcome, Francis! The old story, yeah! Sometimes even European retailers cannot help with a required Shimano part, and I have to go for Aliexpress 😂
I have the Shimano M8120 wheelset. I only ride trails and the creak started at about 40 hours. Replaced the yellow spacer with black one, and put special grease on it. After 20 hours it's creaking again. The bike is still in warranty, but I don't have time to waste. I'm buying the 410 ou 510 hub and try to relace with the same spokes. Plan B is DT Swiss 370, which is VERY expensive in my country.
Some people still believe (or want to believe) that the black spacer is a savior. Thanks for your experience, little by little we’ll debunk the black spacer myth either 😎
The 410 has the exact dimensions as the xt so that should be possible to reuse spokes. Saw a reddit thread where a mechanic said he removed all the individual teeth from the spacer but still used the remaining ring. Claimed it stopped creaking but was slightly louder. Im facing same problem.
My recently bought XT rear wheel lastet 80km without creaking, took it apart yesterday and found the black spacer you mention.
After regreasing it's quiet again. Hope it lasts for the coming season without to much maintenance, over the next winter I'll consider switching to another Hub.
How’s the hub holding up after you regressed it?
@@mattk192 startet creaking after a little over 100km again. Tend to ignore it until it gets worse and probably replace the hub or the Wheel set in winter.
@@nappsuelzeShimano mt410 has same hub dimension but uses sealed bearings. Slightly heavier but looks better designed. My xt is creaking after only a few months use also.
Just went out for a ride tonight , and sure enough this has now happened to me bits of plastic everywhere inside my hub , an hour of pulling it apart and putting back together, so annoying think I’ll be replacing hubs with Indy9 hydra
Sorry to hear, and welcome to “the club” 🤪
Reminds me of a saying I read lately--"newer is always better...even if it isn't...", or that's what they would like us to believe. I have two wheelsets with XTR 965 hubs. Never an issue with them...rock solid. From 2003-4-not sure.
“Built to last” now sounds like nightmare and suicide to a marketing dept of any “ambitious” company 😂 The best stuff shouldn’t last 😂
FWIW, im at 7000km on a slx hub, and its doing just fine. Riding on a Rocky Mountain Altitude powerplay, which until recently with the launch of the new DJI motor was the most powerful EMTB motor out there. So the hub has to endure quite a bit. I did grease and oil the hub from the start because it was noisy (i figured shimano forgot to grease it or whatever...), but not with any special shimano kind of grease. I just used SRAM butter on outer teeth, and basic sewing machine oil on the inner teeth. It has been working flawlessly for me so far. Just yesterday i had to regrease it because over time it does start to make a bit more sound. But after regreasing / oiling its completely silent again. And i have to say, i like it very much for that reason. I would never go back to a noisy freehub again. After these 7000km the teeth all look like new and the plastic spacer shows no wear (it did came with the black one, not white).
Could you tell me the serial code? It's the two big letter on a round sticker
@@Psi-du2lw The sticker says "swc TJ" Not sure if that helps?
@@_S13_ Thanks, yours is made in 2021.
Could you confirm what you meant by inner teeth? Is it the one that says "DO NOT DISASSEMBLY"?
@@Psi-du2lw That would make sense, the bike is from early 2022. Yeah with the inner teeth i mean those 45deg angled teeth that mesh in to each other and provide the clamping force of the ratcheting mechanism when you pedal forward. It is indeed next to that warning you mention. Though i think it says "do not grease inside" or something like that. Which is supposed to mean: dont grease the inside of the axle hole, otherwise the bearing race might slip and cause damage over time... You should still grease or oil the entire ratcheting mechanism. So that warning is very confusing!
@@_S13_ Got it. I'm very intrested in silent freehub myself, that's why I'm still planning to use Shimano freehubs despite being known as problematic.
Later generation and greasing on the right spots should hopefully fix the issue.
The warning "Do not oil, do not grease" is very confusing indeed! But of course it's make sense for that part to be greased.
Thank you for taking time answering my questions!
I have a same problem with mine hub. But ots making noise only when pedaling with some force. Is that the problem?
This sounds like the very beginning of the creaking issue. With more mileage you are likely to notice it more and more.
My XT hub came with the white spacer. It crumbled and locked up freehub. Got the black spacer on warranty. Same problem but lasted longer. Have been running 1,5 year without the spacer now. But today the aluminum axle broke on a big jump. So when I got home I replaced it with the steel axle from an slx spare hub.
Super curious to see the connecting teeth after these 1.5 years without a spacer 🤪 Must look like hell 😀
@@ZavyalovCycling looks fine the spacer is just a stupid anti rattle thing. Of cause it will wear out when sitting in between teeth transferring power.
I just ordered a DT 350 hub instead.
These hubs are embarrassing for Shimano compared to they older generations lasting for decades.
@@ZavyalovCyclingI have a brand new, unused XT M8110-B. I’m planning to to following:
- Remove legs from plastic spacer, so they won’t eat connecting teeth. This way all the teeth connect same time, and thus pressure is more even. I believe that plastic spacer legs actually eat the teeth. They make grooves on teeth. So, cut em off.
- Use Shimano Premium Grease on teeth.
Maybe I should do a video about this project. 🤔 We’ll see how far I manage to go.
@@pastori70update?
Is it problem only with shimano hubs ? I want to buy Novatec d902sb microspline, I hope it has different construction
I have put about 2,000 mi on the most recent XTR hubs. Still going fine. A lot of that downhill and enduro. I have yet to have the freehub problem but it seems like by design it will happen eventually. You kind of wonder why Shimano gave this the green light or did not use something more durable like aluminum rather than a plastic spacer. The previous XTR hub, the last HG driver was an absolute tank just like all the other XTR hubs. I noticed when I picked up this new version they did feel lighter but also not quite as durable. I'm happy the bearings are still decent which is something that I blow up routinely on cartridge bearing hubs. I also learned long ago never to use lower tier Shimano hubs. If it does not say XTR or dura Ace, use something else. I guess time will tell how long this set that I have will go
First of all, Happy New Year! Let your XTR hub miraculously stay away from all this mess. My road bike has Dura Ace drivetrain (not the hubs though), and after 20+ thousand miles I have zero complaints. What is more, HG901-11 "dura ace" chain is the most durable chain I've tried. Unfortunately, this kind of experience of a single person does not say much. You might have heard about a recent recall of up to a million of road cranks including lots of Dura Ace ones. The problem has been finally admitted by Shimano after 10 years of complaints. Without a doubt, Shimano has made lots of truly reliable stuff through the decades. But do top tier Shimano lines of today guarantee anything special in comparison to lower tiers? Absolutely not! 😉
@@ZavyalovCycling that is a very solid point, the bonding issue on the epoxy used on many of those cranks. Then the hub issue you bring up. I hope Shimano addresses the hub problem. Their previous hubs have all been pretty reliable. The lower ones obviously not going as many miles or being as smooth but still they did their job. The cranks that looks like or at least they claim to have fixed from this point forward. The part I always found suspicious is they said ultegra and dura ace but xtr 9100 and 9120 / 9130 also use a bonded crank. There was no mention on what was different that I could find
Any update after a year?
My experience so far: I have an XT hub with about 800 kilometers, noise free. I also xtr hub that started creaking in under 200 kilometers.
I had the deore group set of the same version (that they discontinued because it was somehow even worse than the SLX ones) and I didn't know that it was broken so I rode it until it literally destroyed the entire hub. Took like 4 years though
Hello, I have the Shimano FH-MT401 Center-Lock Rear Hub 135mm and my question is, is this freehub affected too?
No, yours is completely different design inside
I have this hub, it's been squeaking like this since yesterday, I'm pissed! because I have to take the bike to the service center now. I have some kind of SLX hub on my old bike, I bought the wheels used, and it's been working since 2018, and here's the new super hyper one and it's gone crazy... 😩
CEO at Shimano told me to throw all its products in the trash and buy DT Swiss instead and I did, I’m so happy.
I have roasted countless bearings in the 240S and the 240EXP. Another bike on XTR hubs I have never had to touch, thousands of miles later. If there is some trick to keep the rear hub bearings in the 240s from getting crunchy I would love to know it. Enduro Parks and downhill seem to really speed them on their way to their death, whereas the XTR, those things can take a beating, still smooth
@@JoeVan Pressed sealed bearings assemblies vs Shimano old school single bearing cup and cone set up?
I have had decades of trouble free XC service from minimally maintained XTR hubs.
Not sure but think Campagnolo may also still be using cup and cone bearing set up for their hubs.
@@JoeVanare you saying that you have used the XTR hub and have no problems with it? No creaking?
@@pastori70 so far so good, just pulled the free hub this season to regrease everything. Still haven't had to regrease the bearings. Rolls extremely fast, no creaking
@@JoeVan Well that is good! And you’re running this new XTR hub which has a plastic spacer?
I am a bit confused... Is this a problem with all Microspline hubs (e.g. DT Swiss 350/240 etc) or just the Shimano hubs? Thanks. PS Would be a bit of a problem for the road if the future road cassettes switch to Microspline from HG11...
Just the Shimano ones. SLX, XT, and XTR of 2019 gen. Microspline toothing is not a problem. The problem comes from freewheel arrangement inside these hubs. Even Shimano produces some Microspline models now without this problem.
I had a complete failure in the free-hub body of my 12sp SLX - lasted 2500+ miles, I went SLX after my XT 12sp failed. Replaced 12sp xt derailler and shifters too way too early too, SRAM 12sp NX is even better
Any update on the hub, it's dead or still going?
Hi! For 99% I've been doing road cycling the last year. The new XT hub doesn't have enough mileage for a new video so far. Nevertheless, my advice is to avoid this gen of Shimano MTB hubs at all costs. If you already own one, just accept that it is a pain in ass or replace with another brand.
So all microspline hubs suffer from this problem?
Have play in my shimano FH-MT510 went to a shop he said they are seeing lots of these. Switching to DT Swiss and not buying shimano anymore.
Pity! Both 410 and 510 looked simple and solid on exploded view diagrams.
This probably happens when you use soft aluminium for heavily loaded gears that also are tiny
Absolutely agree! The tiny aluminum teeth wouldn’t stand a chance against stress and load that happen in the unit. Whatever plastic spacer you put to mitigate this.
Is Shimano Deore hub (FH-MT410-B) free from this problem?
Right, though visually similar, it has completely different inner design.
@@ZavyalovCycling Ok, thanks!
How about this crazy idea. If one has creaking XT hub with worn out teeth… If we use strong glue to merge freehub body into the hub? Then there’s nothing moving, thus no creaking.
Then just ride and when bearings get worn out, ditch the whole thing.
Because they are absolutely shite! I had 3 in 3 months. I would never use them again
And I was wondering who kept taking the hubs from the shelves 😂
Mine has completely collapsed
now in my old days i started to destroy old hubs from last century, these new would last probably one uphill ride
Things don’t necessarily get better with time, true 😂
Todo esto para pasar a un piñon de 10 dientes y 12 velocidades es innecesario. 🙄😵
ты в тайланде?
the design was overly complicated. and most importantly did not give user any other value added features other than problems. even my cheap china made hub does not fail in its entire service life.
@Maciej_Jan_Dlugosz Choice of material is part of design. and I am questioning how Shimano tested the hub considering so many user experience failure in just a month.
Same shitty problem here 😢
Never had Shimano hub. Never even thought about it.
Ive been using them for decades. Made the mistake of buying a new xt hub without doing research. Its already making creaking and howling noises in less than 20 rides. Have had it apart twice already. Wish I would have gone dt.
@@johndef5075 I wonder how a big company like them, with far enough resources, technologic background, knowledge (probably) can let this major issue happen?
So what should we buy then 😂
This issue prompted me to try Hope hubs on an alternate wheel set. Not a single issue. Several times more expensive though 😉
They don't fail on me ... not on my bike.
This free hub can't last forever in the same time
Ffs I've done 5000km....
my 20$ alivio hub has 10 000 km and works fine))