Are Onyx Vesper hubs strong enough? Long-term beatdown and review.

I've been bikepacking with Onyx Vesper hubs for well over a year. Are they worth the money? Are they worth the weight? Do they get the thumbs up? Join me for this long-term review and deep-dive into the company and inner workings of a silent sprag clutch hub system.

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[markowsley]

Vespers are on my wish list. I hate noisy hubs and love the silence of the Vespers. As a heavier rider extra weight on components is a non issue to me. I can save weight for no cost just by laying off the donuts 😎

[christophrohland]

I migrated all three MTBs from Enduro down to "DownCountry" since 2020. No flaws so far. And I love the silence and the ability to hear the interaction of the bike with the trail.

[rppphrx]

IAM 6FT 199 POUNDS AND RIDE A SINGLE SPEED RIGID AND PUSH A BIG GEAR 48X20 SO I WENT WITH THE CLASSIC 30 PERCENT MORE SPRAGS. THOSE R 1/2 POUND LIGHTER AS A SET. I HAD MINE 3 YEARS NOT ONE PROBLEM

[pavelg]

Perfect timing. I am building a Pinion frame for a bikepacking rig, and deciding on which parts to spend and on which to save. Getting Onyx in the back.

Particularly for bikes with Pinion, Oxyx' instant engagement is also a huge plus because it counteracts Pinions slight squash. With gates carbon belt drive, the system will be even quieter than with a chain and virtually maintenance free.

[ticklefritz]

Most excellent review! I love my Onyx hubs. After rolling with Onyx, there's no going back.

[jamese]

I love Onyx! I'm a wheel building enthusiast too. I've built wheels for my touring bike, gravel bike and MTB with Onyx hubs. The bearings are more widely spaced than pawl driven hubs (especially on the Classic model) and the power transfer occurs deep within the hub body. It seems to me that these attributes would make them stronger than other hubs. Anyway, they have always been reliable in my experience. I'm glad you're enjoying them too. Thanks for the video.

[shawnbruns]

I had to rebuild my Vesper after only 2 seasons. I'm not overly heavy but I do ride aggressively (steep, rocky, super fast, lots of drops) and I don't think this hub is cut out for that. So if you're like me, maybe consider the Onyx Classic hub. My Vesper is getting put on a set of lighter carbon rims for a dedicated XC/light trail set up.

[ccbredeson]

I have Onyx Classic MTB hubs and Onyx Fat bike hubs. One great thing about their hubs is that they don't freeze up in the winter.

[michaelpearce]

I have a touring/road wheel set built around these hubs because at the time few hub manufactures were compatible with Ekar 13. I love the silence and engagement tho overkill for the application.

[Seebema]

Mechanic in Washington state here. I've seen multiple vespers rear hubs get absolutely destroyed in this climate, especially if you don't keep up on general maintenance. High performance comes with high maintenance. Still better than hydras

If you do need to replace clutch internals, you basically have to send the hubs to Onyx as pressing in the new internals requires extremely high precision and you will void your warranty. For some that's totally fine, personally the performance is not worth the cost or headache.

Would highly recommend the classic hub over the vesper as it has their Full Sprag internals vs the Vespers Half Sprag internals.

[boblatkey]

I absolutely love my Onyx Vesper hubs. It really is fun to ride with pride knowing that you hand built your own wheels. I also have a super long road that I have been coasting down ever since I was a kid and I honestly believe these are the fastest hubs I have ever had. When I coast down this long hill with my friends, here I come, and I coast by everybody! I also cannot understand why people like noisy hubs. Once you try a silent hub you will never go back.

[ericpmoss]

@DirtyTeethMTB I just purchased a K-O-M Xeno hub for my weirdo bike, as they have a trials version that has symmetric flanges. It also has a totally new arrangement of driver and multiple axles. Coolest thing I've ever seen, and supposedly they can get other kinds of drivers slotted in. I think they are very worth checking out on the noisy free hub side of things.

[troyesch]

I live near Onyx hubs in Minnesota so I went there to match color of hubs for my bike. I discovered they build wheels too. So I had them build me up a set with we are one rims and berd spikes. They are AMAZING! Also met the owner Jim and got a tour of their operation. Jim’s a great guy and runs a top notch company!

[ZenEndurance]

I've found for MTB racing or riding on trails with plenty of people, noisy hubs are better because it lets them know there's somebody behind them having to coast because they're too slow, without being rude about it. I had a bike with a really quiet hub and it was annoying how much I had to ask people to move, which some people find rude. BUT, it was truly a joy when bike commuting or just out for a Zen ride. My current mtb hub has terrible engagement and that sucks - having to spin the cranks a third of a rotation or something. Definitely makes riding more difficult and I won't be getting those hubs on my next wheels for sure.

[michelvanm]

Appreciate the information and the way you delivered this video.

[meredithpinony]

Onyx are my fav’s…..my singlespeed with vesper rear in pine straw sounds like cross country skiing…..I’ve got six wheel sets with Onyx and will never go back to

[hardmtnbiker]

I’m a fan of ONYX and have the Classic SS specific hub on my SS mountain bike. I’m getting a set of Berd spokes Vespers next. Honestly the best thing going for XC and gravel bikes

[ronlind]

Great video! Very thorough and detailed explanation and review of your Onyx hubs. Currently been riding Industry 9's... but would certainly try the Onyx hubs on a new wheelset sometime in the future...

[JRd]

Never realised I needed these in my life until now 🤫🤤

[edmnd]

I love my silent Vespers. That instant engagement is awesome.
The weight penalty is worth it.