Given my perhaps shallow preoccupation with beauty in vintage bicycles let
me say that high flange hubs are about all that I ride on in vintage bikes.
I have put them on many bikes that came with low flange hubs. I have not
been able to do anything resembling a scientific comparison, perhaps a
blind A/B test of identically equipped identical bikes differing only in hub
flange size. I have to say that I don't really notice any deterioration in
ride, to the best of my rather subjective judgment, when riding on high
flange hubs. I am suspecting that the differences I keep hearing about is
more theoretical than real world.
Can anyone out there weigh in with a more scientific slant or experience
than mine? I'm sure with the tremendous amount of experience on the list
there muse be several folks who can say to us for sure that there really is
a difference to be felt when going from one hub to another.
Meanwhile I will keep collecting (hoarding?) all the beautiful high flange
hubs that come my way for a reasonable price and suffering the ride of the
damned on them (at least in theory). Unloved high flange hubs may find a
home here in Lansing in my stash...I'll even pay the postage, folks.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi