Hub Porn- Unique Non-Sealed Superbe Pro Track hubs

In my opinion, the Suntour Superbe Pro track hub was one of, if not the best track hub ever created- this goes for most modern hubs as well. It was a solid, well made, smooth spining hub that has yet to be rivaled.

Early Suntour Superbe Pro Hubs- Notice the logo markings and the lack of the word 'Pro"

Chris- a friend of mine, not willing to delve into the dark depths of tubular wheels recently asked me to remove the hubs (coincidentally) from my favorite tubular, Super Champion’s Arc en Ciel. Being a well versed cyclist, Chris wanted the hubs properly detensioned from the rims so as not to shock them and ruin them from another build.

As I was taking the hubs to task, I noticed they were a bit different than normal. First off, the decals did not state “Superbe Pro”, but rather just “Superbe”. I know that early SSP was just labeled Superbe, so that wasn’t too much of a surprise. But on close inspection I also noticed that the hub barrels carried the same stamp as the original ‘Superbe’ large flange hub (Campy clone, with cut-outs), furthermore, it carried the same gold decal not found on later SSP hubs.

Early 1st version Superbe High Flange Marking on Barrel

Newer Superbe Pro Barrel

The last odd thing was that these hubs were NOT sealed bearing as their later versions, but plain old dustcap, ball bearings and cones.

regular old non sealed bearings

Newer SSP Hub. Notice the sealed bearings and the addition of the word "Pro"

What this looked like to me is that Suntour took the old version of the Superbe hub, skipped the cutouts on the side and repurposed them as the new SSP. This wouldn’t suprise me as most people don’t realize that Suntour was a bit of a cottage industry and I’m sure they had to make due with the supplies on hand before ordering more. Of course, this is only a theory and others are welcome. Either way, they are a great looking  set of hubs.

Lastly. Take a look at this early SSP dealer catalog. Another version of the SSP hub that only read Superbe. These hubs also do not have the traditional ‘ring’ decal found on the outer flange and they also feature a bulge on the barrel ends reminiscent of early Superbe High Flange track.

Early dealer brochure. Click for bigger, check out the track hubs. Image courtesty of Yellow Jersey.