FAQ
Freehub does not turn correctly
Q: I changed the free hub body and the new freehub body turns hard, what is wrong?
A: When replacing the freehub body, customers make the mistake of not removing the old free hub body seal, and after inserting a new freehub body with a seal, there are 2 seals in the hub, which makes the freehub body not rotate easily.
A: An incorrect or missing inner spacer will cause the freehub body will not rotate.
Q: What spare parts do I need to service my hubs?
A: To provide the correct spare parts for your hubs, I need to know the model name and number or serial number of each hub.
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Q: I have an unbranded hub and was told by the seller it should be a Novatec model, but I don’t know which one. Can you help me with its identification?
A: Please check if there is a production code (serial number) printed on the hub shell. It is a 12-digit code. This code should be provided to Novatec EU personnel so that they can check the serial number in the factory system for the full spec of your hub. This is an easy and fast way how to identify your hub. This picture below shows the serial number location (sometimes this code can be found in different place, for example on the flange):
In cases when production code is nowhere to be found, especially on older hubs or customized hubs, there is another option available. The identification can be made based on pictures that you provide. So, in this phase, you need to take some clear detailed pictures of your hub from different angles. Based on the shape of your hub and other important details like cassette body type, side caps shape, and axle type can Novatec determine which model you may have. In most cases, Novatec EU should be able to tell you which hub model you have and offer you the right spare parts for it if needed. But there is also the possibility that you don’t have a Novatec hub so you’ll have to contact some other hub manufacturers. Often happens that some hubs (branded or unbranded) were produced in the same factory as Novatec hubs (in Joy Industrial CO Ltd.), but there is a big chance that those hubs have been modified/customized per customer’s need. That would mean that hubs look very similar to Novatec models but construction is different. For this reason, you can never be sure that the spare parts you order from Novatec EU will fit your hub as expected. That's why we at Novatec EU can guarantee that only hubs with the Novatec logo (or at least those with the Novatec production code imprinted on them) will get the correct spare parts supplied from the EU warehouse.
Boost 12x148mm versus Non-Boost 12x142mm
Q: Can I convert my boost hub 12x148mm to non-boost 12x142mm?
A: No, it is not possible to convert a boost hub to a non-boost hub by changing the axle or side caps.
Using an additional spacer will cause either a mismatch of the disc with the caliper or will convert the bicycle from a one-track vehicle to a two-track vehicle.
Q: Is the Shimano HG 9 freehub body from your e-shop suitable for my Shimano MTB 11-speed cassette?
A: Yes, it is. The Shimano HG 9 freehub body is designed for the Shimano 8/9/10-speed ROAD cassette and for the Shimano 8/9/10/11-speed MTB cassette
A: The Shimano HG 11 freehub body is designed for the Shimano 11-speed ROAD cassette and for the Shimano 8/9/10/11-speed ROAD and MTB cassette thanks to 1.5mm spacer that comes with it.
A: The 9-speed spacer should be used on Shimano HG 11-speed freehub bodies when used with Shimano 8/9/10 speed ROAD cassette and with Shimano 8/9/10/11-speed MTB cassette. In other words, using the spacer is converting Shimano HG 11 into Shimano HG 9 speed type of cassette body. Remove the spacer only when fitting with the Shimano 11-speed ROAD cassette.
Q: I have a damaged freehub body on D162SB-SL-B12 or D162SB-SL-X12, which freehub body is compatible?
A: D162SB-SL-B12 or D162SB-SL-X12 has the original freehub body + axle as a set (as one piece), it is necessary to replace the freehub body and the axle as well. Freehub body is F type 3 pawls ( 5 pawls freehub body is discontinued ).
Q: What does ABG feature mean?
A: ABG feature is a very important protection of Novatec cassette bodies, protecting against damage caused by cassettes. ABG stands for Anti Bite Guard and it is a piece of steel spline fitted on the cassette body, is strong enough to significantly reduce or completely remove the problem with bitten/damaged freehubs by cassette.
Q: What does 3 in 1 System mean?
A: This system also deals with cassette body swapping however, hubs supporting this system require relocating the washer from one side of the hub to another (for example from the left to the right side when changing from Shim to Campy). It means that all parts required for cassette body exchange are already there, as part of the hub, you just need to relocate the washer. Even the side caps remain the same, no need to get different ones. Examples of such hubs are FS522SB, F172SB, F372SB, F162SB, or F482SB, etc. PDF instruction file in the Documents section below clearly explains swapping from Shim to Campy for hub F372SB so please check it out for better understanding. There is also a video instruction below on this topic for hub model D482SB-SL so don’t miss it out.
: Instruction Novatec F482SB-SL Easy3in1 to Campy
Q: Can you provide me with the correct spoke lengths if I tell you the hub and rim model?
A: Novatec EU is not providing spoke length calculation service. We can provide a drawing of your hub model and a link for spoke length calculation.
https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/spokecalc/
Side caps Pressed In or Threaded?
Q: What side caps do I need, pressed in or threaded type?
A: To make a correct decision, you need to remove your side caps. The picture below shows the threaded and pressed-in type of hubs. You can see the thread on the right-hand side picture:
Q: I need a free hub body for D712SB, which type is correct?
A: Hub model D712SB can have 2 types of Shimano freehub body. The older version has B1 type of freehub body. The latest version has B2 type of freehub body. Both versions have the same side caps. The difference is in sealing seat dimensions on the axle and matching hole diameter in the seal. The inner diameter of the older B1-type freehub sealing is 19mm and B2 freehub sealing is 17.3mm.
Riders weight limit for Novatec wheels
Q: What is the rider’s weight limit for Novatec wheels, I cannot find this info in your catalogs?
A: It depends on which Novatec wheelset you have in mind.
For Road wheels, there is a maximum limit of 80-90 kg.
MTB wheels can be ridden by riders of a max of 110-120 kg.
Q: I need to replace the cracked ratchet ring on my Novatec hub so I want to know how to do it.
A: Novatec hubs use 2 types of ratchet rings. Threaded type or press-in type. On the picture below you can see them both, press in type on the right-hand side and threaded type on the left-hand side of the picture.
Now you should check which type of ratchet ring you have and let Novatec EU staff know this information. When asking for new rings (or any other spare parts) I recommend always specifying the hub model name and number so that we know exactly how many teeth your ratchet ring has, then we can offer you the correct one.
there are the following available ratchet rings used in Novatec hubs:
- 24 teeth: used in old hubs
- 27 teeth: used in recent hubs
- 33 teeth: used in new hub model D462SB and D162SB
- 42 teeth: used in Novatec MTB wheels (hub XD642SB, XDH42SB, D542SB, DH42SB)
- 60 teeth: used in high-end Factor hub (XD602SB)
A ratchet ring removal tools for the threaded type of ratchet ring looks like this:
A ratchet ring removal tools for press-in type ratchet rings looks like this:
A ratchet ring installation tools for press-in type ratchet rings looks like this:
The number of teeth determine also the Angle of Engagement. For 27 teeth you can calculate the angle like this: 360 degrees divided by teeth count.
360 / 27 = 13.33 degrees
The similar analogy you'll use for any other number of teeth on the ratchet ring (24T, 33T etc.).
The number of teeth indicates also the Point of Engagement parameter so for 33 teeth there are 33 POI (provided all pawls engage simultaneously).
If the cassette body has 6 pawls that engage the first 3 of them then another 3, so not all 6 at the same time, POI doubles and the angle of engagement goes to half. The math looks like this for 27teeth:
360 / 27 / 2 = 6.67 degrees
Q: How can I order Novatec products from a non-EU country?
A: We can dispatch your order to an EU country (to friends, relatives, etc.) and they’ll forward it to you as a gift.
It means your details will be used as a billing address and the delivery address will be the one in the EU country (your friend for example).
Please let me know if the above option is suitable for you. If yes, let us know the EU delivery address.
Another option is: that you pay for your order, we pack it up for you and you send your courier/forwarder to collect it and deliver it to you. They must arrange customs clearance and send us export custom-clearance documents for our accounting purposes.
Q: Please can you explain what mean hub description?
A: First positions are always taken by hub name (model name), in this case, it is hub D792SB. Some other examples would be FS522SB, D791SB, XD602SB, etc.
After this model name there can be the following letters or combination of letters and numbers:
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/A - means that this hub comes with Japanese EZO bearings (if there is not /A it means that the hub has Chinese/Taiwanese NBK bearings)
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/AB - this means there is 1x EZO bearing and 3x NBK bearings
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-AA - means Alloy axle and Alloy cassette body with 3 pawls in this hub
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-A4A - means Alloy axle and Alloy cassette body with 4 pawls
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-A5A - same analogy, Alloy axle and Alloy cassette body with 5 pawls
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-SS - means Steel axle and Steel cassette body with 3 pawls. You can see all kinds of combinations like -SA, - S5S, -S4S, A4S, etc. where letters represent the material (Alloy or Steel) and the number indicates the number of pawls.
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-SL - stands for Super Light hub
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-HL - stands for High-Low flange and it means that the flanges on this hub have different sizes, they're not the same
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-ABG - means that the freehub body comes with A.B.G. feature (Anti Bite Guard), which is a steel plate on the freehub protecting it from bites caused by the cassette
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-B12 - means this is a Boost rear hub for 12x148mm frame spacing
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-B15 - indicates that it is a Boost front hub for 15x110mm fork spacing. You can see sometimes also B5 or B20, which is again a Boost hub for 5mm QR or 20mm through axle, you get the idea.
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-XD - stands for SRAM XD driver so it means the hub comes with XD driver. If there is no XD in the description it automatically means that the hub comes with Shimano freehub.
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-11S - means 11speed freehub body and please note it is always for Shimano HG body (this hub can take Shim 8/9/10/11s cassette).
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-S11 - means 11speed freehub body and please note it is always for SRAM XD driver
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-MS - means freehub body is Shimano Microspline
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-20 - means that the hub is ready for 20mm through the axle. Sometimes there can be -15 or -12 which again means 15mm or 12mm through axle.
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-CL - stands for Centre Lock hub. If CL is not mentioned in the description it means automatically that the hub has 6 bolt disc mount.
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-X12 -says that rear hub is for X12 (12x142mm) through axle (142mm frame spacing)
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-BO - stands for Bolt On type of dirt jump hub model
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-9T - means the number of teeth on the drive unit or sprocket for dirt jump and BMX hubs. It can be also 11T (11 teeth).
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-14H - means type of axle (axle M14 hollow) for dirtjump and BMX hubs
To have all abbreviations covered let's mention also SB, CB or SBT in the model name, for instance, F482SB, D411CB, or A165SBT. Moreover, the model name starts with the letter F, D, or A, sometimes XD so this is the explanation:
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A - represents non-disc Front hub, mostly road hubs (example: A291SB, A141SB, A171SB, etc.)
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AS - represents non-disc Front hub for Straight pull spokes (example: AS511SB, FS622SB)
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AH - represents a non-disc Front hub meant for Downhill (example: AH41SB-20)
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F- represents non-disc Rear hub (example: F482SB, F192SB, F162SB, etc.)
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FS - represents non-disc Rear hub for Straight pull spokes (example: FS522SB, FS502SB)
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D - represents disc, both Font and Rear hub (example: D791SB, D792SB, D462SB, D642SB, etc.)
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DS - represents disc, both Font and Rear hub for Straight pull hubs (example: DS51SB, DS52SB, DS11SB, DS12SB, etc.). Please note it's not a rule that the letter S is always in the name of the straight pull hub (for example D411SB, and D412SB are straight pull hubs)
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DH - represents disc, both Font and Rear hub for Downhill hubs (example: DH61SB, DH42SB, DH82SB, etc). But also D541SB-20 can be used as the front Downhill hub despite not having the letter H in its name
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XD - represents disc, both Font and Rear hub, but the letter X means that the hub was in the past or still is in the present days dedicated for Novatec wheels only (example: XD641SB, XD642SB, XDS641, XDS642SB, XD611SB, XD612SB)
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SB - stands for Sealed Bearing so all hubs with ball-sealed bearings have this in their name (example: A291SB, A141SB, F482SB, D791SB, D792SB etc.)
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CB - this is how carbon hubs with sealed bearings are being marked (for example: D411CB, D412CB, AS61CB, FS62CB, etc.)
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SBT - this is how hubs with sealed bearings and Threaded axles are being marked (example: D252SBT, D236SBT, A185SBT, A186SBT, etc.)
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GCC - this is how entry-level loose ball hubs (mostly Joytech brand) are marked. You can see also RCC, DSE, TSE types which are all loose ball hubs with the only difference being in the quality of materials used on cups and cones and also in the type of sealing used on those hubs. (example: D341GSS, D342GSS, D041RCC, 801TSE, 802TSE etc.
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Cassette bodies use markings such as:
- Shim.9 - means this freehub is suitable for the Shimano 8/9/10-speed ROAD cassette and Shimano 8/9/10/11-speed MTB cassette.
- Shim.10 - means this freehub is meant for Shimano 10-speed cassette only.
- Shim.11 - means this is suitable for 8/9/10/11-speed ROAD cassette and 8/9/10/11-speed MTB cassette. Whenever using less than 11s Road cassette please use also the spacer (ring) that comes with this type of cassette body.
- SRAM XD - this driver can take 11 and 12-speed SRAM XD cassettes.
Q: What will the delivery price and time for my order?
A: We have a choice of 2 ways of delivering orders, GLS courier, is a faster and more expensive way of delivering the order, it takes approximately 3-7 working days, and we cannot influence any delays. The second option is Slovak Post, it is a cheaper but also slower delivery option, it takes 3-14 working days, we cannot influence any delay.
A: You can see the price for the order after adding the product to the basket a next, you choose which delivery method suits you best.
Q: Which brake pads for carbon wheels?
A: Recommended brake pads
Carbon-specific brake pads are much softer than normal brake pads and do not wear in the rim. Barake brake pads are made from a special full carbon compound. It is very important that you only use carbon-specific brake pads on these rims. The brake pads are considered worn when the grooves are no longer visible.
You must use the Shimano, Reynolds brake pads with your Novatec rims. Please note that SwissStop yellow king are not compatible.
Campagnolo N3W 13 speed compatibility
Q: On which cassette can I use the 13-speed Campagnolo N3W freehub body?
A: With the N3W adapter, you can use a 10-, 11- or 12-speed cassette, but you will need longer N3W Campagnolo lock ring.
