Worth warrantying a Bontrager Line Comp hub?

[NuMexJoe]

I spun the ratchet inside the hub shell today on my Bontrager Line 30 Comp rear wheel. Turns out it's still under warranty, but of course the warranty doesn't cover labor of rebuilding the wheel. I can rebuild it, as the rim is still good (used Tannus since new), but I'm wondering if I should buy something beefier so I'm not doing this again before long. FWIW, it's on a Trek Rail ebike, it's microspline, and I've done this before to a Hope Pro2 (which was a warranty hub for the Pro2 shell that split longitudinally). Also, no Trek LBS here. I bought it out of state since no one had my size Rail in either NM or CO. What say the mags?

[toast2266]

If they're going to give you a new hub for free, you might as well take it. Whether it's worth it to rebuild the wheel and keep riding that hub is a separate question. Personally, if I was on hub number 3, I'd rebuild with something burlier and sell the warrantied hub.

[El Chupacabra]

I think I have that same Bontrager hub on one bike, but it's not an ebike, so pretty different loads. If your hub is a 3-pawl one, Trek sells the pawls and springs for about $25 - you just add them to the hub for a total of 6 pawls (there are 3 open spots on the 3-pawl one). It doubles the POE too. I don't know if it would make it any stronger.

[NuMexJoe]

Good point, toast. I guess I'll just get a new one and sell it. In the interim, I guess I'll start shopping. BTW, the failed Pro2s were from years ago on my Transition Covert, and the Pro4s I have on my Smash have been flawless.
El Chup, I'd read about that upgrade path, but I don't see that having done so with this hub would have changed the failure mode. Thank you both!

[Laps]

I broke 2 bonty hubs the same way on my fatbike, warrantied both times. 3rd time it broke I had the lbs rebuild. 4th time I had the lbs switch it out with a dt swiss hub. No problems since then.


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[waxman]

Trek dealer here, for whatever reason (uh, maybe the climbing) we "break" hubs in Fernie like its going out of style. Our rep says per capita we have more hub issues than anywhere in NA.
From memory we usually get complete wheels? I'd have to confirm with bike mechanics.

[NuMexJoe]

I broke 2 bonty hubs the same way on my fatbike, warrantied both times. 3rd time it broke I had the lbs rebuild. 4th time I had the lbs switch it out with a dt swiss hub. No problems since then.


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That seals it; thanks, Laps! Gonna look for something more stout than the Bonty hub.

[NuMexJoe]

Trek dealer here, for whatever reason (uh, maybe the climbing) we "break" hubs in Fernie like its going out of style. Our rep says per capita we have more hub issues than anywhere in NA.
From memory we usually get complete wheels? I'd have to confirm with bike mechanics.

That'd be sweet if Trek sends a complete wheel. I'm gonna be up in Salida early next week, and Absolute is a Trek dealer. I'll bring it in and see what they say.

[Laps]

Glad to help. My local trek dealer recommended I ride it til it blew up and then replace when out of warranty. He knows his shit.


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[NuMexJoe]

Thought I'd close the loop on this. Waxman nailed it; I got a complete wheel. Picked it up from Absolute this AM ($40 charge to process the warranty for me, but fair since I didn't buy the bike from them), along with my old wheel. I'll sell the warranty wheel on PB, and re-use the old rim laced to a $90 Deore microspline hub my LBS in Los Alamos ordered for me (shout-out to them, Beanie's Bike Shop, since while I knew Shimano made such a creature - it was featured in pre-built wheelsets offered on Euro websites - I couldn't find the hub for sale stateside. Rhi worked her magic and sourced one for me).