All-City Go-Devil Front Hub Conversion: The Rim-Brake Exception

2026-10-25

All-City Go-Devil front hub conversion depends on which front hub you have. The Japanese rim-brake listing mentions swappable end caps, yet expressly says the hub cannot be converted to a thru axle. The Disc version has a different, positive conversion statement. Similar product names do not cancel that exception.

Blue and green All-City bicycle with both wheels visible in front of a white gazebo — All-City bicycle photographed by Mr.TinMD on 13 September 2020 beside a trail gazebo. CC BY 2.0; original photograph unchanged. Historical brand context only: the exact model and original equipment are unverified, and the photograph does not show or establish the component discussed here. Photograph source (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/50337876153/); license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).

All-City Go-Devil front hub conversion: read the whole paragraph

The rim-brake front hub is listed as QR by 100 mm, with press-fit QR end caps. Alongside the general swappable-end-cap wording, the specification explicitly excludes conversion to thru axle. Retain the exclusion when copying the description; stopping at the word swappable reverses the practical answer.

This is a statement about the identified Go-Devil hub, not a rule that every rim-brake hub behaves identically. It also does not identify an unmarked used hub from its colour. Establish the exact product before asking a supplier to interpret a loose pair of end caps.

The Disc listing describes another axle arrangement

The separately named Go-Devil Front Disc Hub lists QR by 100 mm, 12 by 100 mm and 15 by 100 mm configurations. Its specification says the 12 and 15 mm thru-axle end caps are included. It also identifies a six-bolt disc interface, unlike the rim-brake listing.

Do not turn those entries into instructions for installing the Disc caps on the other hub. A shared brand and nominal width are not proof that two internal axle assemblies accept the same parts. For a used Disc hub, ask which original caps actually remain with the wheel.

Decide what the wheel enquiry really requires

Name the actual hub and the fork’s required interface, and say whether the proposed work concerns an end cap, a hub replacement or a complete wheel. If the existing hub is the documented nonconvertible rim-brake version, a request for generic conversion caps leaves the central incompatibility unresolved.

Have the complete wheel proposal assessed by a competent wheel builder. This guide provides no improvised sleeves, machining or axle modification. Brake mounting, rim, spokes and the actual fork remain part of that assessment; a conversion statement for one hub is not approval of an entire bicycle alteration.

All-City Go-Devil front hub conversion FAQ

Do removable end caps prove this rim-brake hub accepts thru axles?

No. Its own listing explicitly says it cannot be converted to a thru axle.

Which listing names 12 and 15 mm thru-axle options?

The separate Go-Devil Front Disc Hub lists those 100 mm configurations and their included caps.

Can Disc end caps automatically be fitted to the rim-brake hub?

No. Shared naming and nominal width do not establish that the two axle assemblies use interchangeable parts.

Keep the exact hub identity with your notes. The brand background and All-City directory address the broader bicycle range.

Primary references: Go-Devil Front Hub rim-brake specification (https://ride2rock.jp/products/108207/); Go-Devil Front Disc Hub specification (https://ride2rock.jp/products/108373/).

Photograph credits and permissions

Photograph 1

Original title: Gazebo off the Northeast Branch Trail

Creator: Mr.TinMD; creator URI: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/

Original source URI: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/50337876153/

License / permission: CC BY 2.0 Generic

License / permission URI: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Modification notice: Original photograph retained unchanged.