Weight: 237g / Centre-Lock disc mount / 20mm axle / 32 or 36 hole
Contact: www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk

If you’re going to upgrade to a Pike or a Minute from a conventional fork, you’ll need a 20mm thru-axle front hub. You could spend £130 on a DT Swiss hub, but this new Shimano XT is a third of the price and only 30-40g heavier. It also comes as standard with Centre-Lock mount. This isn’t as light as a six-bolt system but the best thing about it is that you can remove the old rotor and fit a new one in about a minute. In addition, there’s little chance of stripping the lockring, unlike Torx head or Hope’s 4mm Allen key rotor bolts, which can strip if you sneeze on them.
We could go on about how this hub has angular contact bearings, double contact seals with an internal grease sleeve and ultra-smooth bearing races, but all we’ll say is, in our experience, front hubs rarely wear out or even get that graunchy. Meaning if you don’t regularly blast the seals with a jet wash, this hub could outlast the fork you’re fitting it to, making it fantastic value.

MBR RATING: 9/10