Mike was noting the positives attributes of Maxi-Car hubs. Having worked at Bicyclesport in Toronto in the early 80's, when they were almost certainly the biggest retailer of such hubs in North America, I think some of the negatives of the Maxi-Car hubs should also be noted:
Maxi-Car were always very costly. So we are not comparing apples to apples. This notwithstanding that in the case of Bicyclesport, there was no middleman/importer who needed to get paid his/her share. Had MaxiCar been sold using the same sales channels as everybody else, the already high price would have become astronomical.
Maxicar hubs were comparatively heavy and were not available with their own Q/R skewers. Most that we sold were actually sold with solid axles (part of the heavier than average weight).
Mike mentions that MaxiCar hubs can be found that are still functioning after 5 decades of use. What is so special about this? I have owned countless hubs of many different brands that can say this. The rudimentary rear hub on my 1878 Rudge ordinary is still working perfectly more than 125 years later. The steel Bianchi hubs on my 1936 Bianchi roadster will be entering into their 8th decade of use next year with only 4 overhauls. They are still among the smoothest hubs that I have ever witnessed. The FB produced Bianchi hubs on my 1940 Folgore are on their 7th decade of life without problems. I have owned dozens of 3-piece Campagnolo hubs from the 1940's and 1950's. I doubt that anybody will claim them to be the paradigm of quality design, but rarely have I ever seen them to fail orwear out. Their seal is sufficiently functional that they are regularly still working efficiently after over 50 years. IMO, the MaxiCar hubs are a solution looking for a problem. They are an example of overengineering. Fortunately, the makers were able to find a niche market of consumers willing to cover the added costs.
Lastly, as far as durability goes, if you leave a MaxiCar hub stand without use, the grease will age just as fast as that in a conventional hub. I say this from experience as I have had to repack MaxiCar hubs that were reasonably new as the grease had dried out. My personal experience with traditional hubs is that grease generally loses its full efficiency before impurities let in through the 'seals' can sufficiently do any damage, so repacking generally happens first.
In conclusion, I have great respect for MaxiCar hubs and do place them among the very best hubs ever made, but I would never recommend that any of my friends ever purchase them. The bang for the buck is simply not there, nor do I find any other compelling reason to recommend them.
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ, USA