Submitted by
jarre74
a Cross Country Rider
from Europe
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2010
Strengths: Light(?). The fronthub is still working.
Weaknesses: Bearings and freewheels damaged after first summer rides. Rearhub shell cracked after 4000 miles. This rearhub has been my worst purchase ever, which I will regret a long time. Easy to service, yeah right... you will have to buy stupidly expensive toolset if you need to change the bearings. No customer support from DT Swiss.
Bottom Line:
Poorly engineered product, never should buy overpriced crap. No support from DT Swiss.
Similar Products Used: Shimano XT circa 1990 which lasted for ages until disc brakes come out. Ahh, technology.
Bike Setup: Ripley with as much old, bombproof components I accumulated over the years. (Sans DT Hub)
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Cow-lumbus, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2005
Strengths: Light, easy to service, great looking.
Weaknesses: Overpriced. Oh yeah, and I broke it.
Bottom Line:
First, to dismiss some users' gripes. 1) I don't know what people are talking about with delayed engagement when starting to pedal. The star-ratchet mechanism (NOT pawls) has I-don't-remember-how-many numerous teeth on it to ensure quick engagement, and I always got very quick engagement as soon as I pushed a pedal down. 2) Not that I needed to replace the bearings ever, but I did take apart the hub several times WITHOUT tools to clean it out, and re-lube the star ratchet (that keeps it from freezing up on you, fellas. It's called "maintenance".). If I needed to take the bearings out, it wouldn't be hard with a simple punch and hammer. I've done this with Bontrager, American Classic, Ritchey, etc hubs.
That said, I did manage to crack the rear hub, in the same fashion as a few others here said: down the drive-side flange and about 2/3 the way across to the other side. During a ride, I noticed the drivetrain "slipping", but not skipping, as I would climb moderate hills. When I climbed a steep one, the cranks would spin a full half-crank with no forward movement. I'd stop and walk up the hill, be very mad, and keep going. Twice I stopped and checked to see what was wrong, and somehow didn't see the huge crack through the hub. While this was all happening, the wheel was getting more and more out-of-true of course.
Good news is, I sent it back to DT, they sent me back a brand new updated 240S hub, free of charge! I guess since these cost twice as much as they should in the first place, they can afford to do so. Anyhow, rather than breaking another one, I bought a beefier hub, sold the replacement, and made $80 in the process!
Bottom line is, if you ride XC, race, or are easy on your stuff, these hubs ROCK. They're lighter and cheaper than Kings. What I didn't tell you is, I'm an aggressive rider, and these hubs were on my 6" travel AM/FR bike that I like to jump alot. (I was trying to lighten up that bike, wheels seemed like a good place at the time...) I do alot of urban assault riding, and drop off anything I think I can do. These hubs are NOT made for that.
Submitted by
Chris LaVoy
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2005
Strengths: Modest weight.
Weaknesses: Poorly engineered.
Bottom Line:
Cracked the rear hub from the drive-side flange to the center of the hub while climbing up hill. Judging from comments on this site and stories from other mountain biking buddies, this is a recurring problem for the Hugi 240. There are too many other reliable high quality hubs in this price range to justify purchasing this product.
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2005
Strengths: Lightweight, somewhat durable (only had it 6 months-no problems)
Weaknesses: Its Ugly, weak driveside.A bit expensive.
Bottom Line:
Ive been racing these hubs on my race wheelset for 6 months now. Absolutely no problems as far as function goes. They are holding up well. BUT.....I never thought Id be able to tell the difference between these and Cris King. I was dead wrong. The Hugis do not engauge nearly as well as the Kings. Sorry Hugi, Kings are far better at that. But Im not willing to pay that price after my 2nd kid. dont get me wrong, Hugi is a good hub, but deep down we all know nothing is better than a king hub. Ill just have to live with the little bit of spinning before engagement,I guess.
Similar Products Used: Cris King, Shimano XT, Hope.
Bike Setup: Stans Olympic rims and Hugi 240s hubs.
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Submitted by
B.W.
a Cross Country Rider
from Silverthorne, CO
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2005
Strengths: light weight, smooth, fast action on the ratchet
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
not a single problem so far, i'm 205lbs and i'm not easy on gear, i've stripped out the drivetrain on several hubs, machine tech, white, and lx. so far not a problem, has handled many a drop and techy terrain, no problem. got them laced up with a pair of 819 disc rims, love them too. being a clydesdale, i am always worried about durability, but haven't had a reason to worry yet. if i brake them i'll update my review. since they are cheaper and lighter than king and survived a year of my abuse they get the full 5 chilis
Similar Products Used: xtr, xt, rolf, lx, machine tech, white
Bike Setup: "it's a sledgehammer" 2003 Intense Tracer, Fox Forx, xtr/sram drivetrain mix, race face deus cranks, a lot of other cool shiat
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Submitted by
tony
a Cross Country Rider
from san diego, ca
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2005
Strengths: *Longevity/durability *Weight *Cool freewheel sound *Quality construction
Weaknesses: *Price *Skewers not included
Bottom Line:
It amazes me how long these hubs have lasted. Through 3+ years of tortuous use in mud, sand, ice, water, etc., I have yet to replace the bearings. The front bearings are still silky smooth, but the rear bearings are getting rough and should be replaced, but after roughly 3000 offroad miles, it's amazing that these things remain so bulletproof. The initial price is steep, but well worth it and quality/longevity is par none. Hard to say anything bad about these things.......it makes my list of best mtb product I've bought in the last 15 years.
Only the King headset, XT/XTR skewers, and Shimano chainrings make my list of mtb components that have no equal. I suppose I can add the 240's to that list as well.
Submitted by
Kris
a Cross Country Rider
from Wyoming, USA
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2004
Strengths: Light weight, positive engagement, easy to disassemble and clean, smoothe rolling.
Weaknesses: I broke a rear hub about six months after purchase. It split through the drive side flange in two spots 180 degrees apart. In the middle of a clinb no less. Going along and the the hub freewheeled. I'm probably a little heavier than this was designed for though, so if your under 190 lbs. you probably won't have that problem. DT/Hugi USA warrantied the hub for me, I just had to rebuild the wheel.
Bottom Line:
DO NOT BUY this hubset if your a big guy.(190 Plus) These are nice hubs but just don't hold up to big guys. They are sensitive to quick release tension, so be as consistent as possible and DO NOT overtighten it. I think that's what made mine crack ultimately. Star Ratchet system is a simple and ingenious design. It's easy to take apart and clean, and I recommend you do so about every six months. More if wet or real dusty. Front hub has been flawless, zero problems. I get some flex to the point of rotor rub up front, but that's probably fork, not hub.
Similar Products Used: Chris King (Front only); Shimano XT, XTR; WTB Paradigm;(This was my first disc hubset)
Bike Setup: Dean Colonel, Hayes Mag plus, SID, XT/XTR, King Headset, Mavic 317's, Race Face Deus, Thomson, 959's
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Submitted by
rj laskin
a Cross Country Rider
from glen ridge, nj, usa
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2004
Strengths: simple no frills design. nice smooth movement. light weight
Weaknesses: durability
Bottom Line:
great weight and good performance. It could be that i ride extra hard.. I have broken seats, seat posts, frames, rims, spokes and even cranks, but i weigh only 140-150 lbs, so weight is not an issue.
The hubs have a frozen feeling, are locked up, and the prowlers are just not smooth. Its been 8 months of riding and i thought i would see at least a year. At least they survived the 6 month mark. Still to this day I must say White Industries has been my favorite. I got three good years from their hub before I had a play issue. Huegi makes a great hub for racing and for staying light, but for racking in the miles and beating on the bike.. they aren't the right choice.
Strengths: Light weight, simple service. Good factory support
Weaknesses: Durability. Noisier than I would like.
Bottom Line:
After one year of use, my rear hub failed last weekend. Cracked from the flange to the center of the hub. Never seen anything quite like that before. Fortunately, DT Swiss didn't waste any time and sent me a new hub (and spokes) within a few days, and I should be laced up and ready to go this weekend. Still, if I couldn't lace my own wheel, this would be an expensive experience.
I suppose these things happen, even to good products, and I should be glad that DT Swiss backed up their product. But I would still think twice before buying this hub again.
Similar Products Used: shimano, ringle, king, ritchey
Bike Setup: Maverick ML7.
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Submitted by
lloyd s
a Weekend Warrior
from los angeles, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2004
Strengths: lightweight, quiet, strong component for its designed use, easy to maintain and well,,,reliable worksmanship
Weaknesses: hmmm...after 100yrs probably
Bottom Line:
been with these hubs since i was doin this light cross country in singapore. transferred here in LA, well...riding conditions changed, thought these hubs will retire early. i was wrong, passed thru bad technical trails, abused...and charan!!! no play yet with my axle,,,it needs some love. give her twice or thrice a year routine maintenance using that "no tools" concept which a lot of ppl were confused previously. just follow what d manual says especially that DT Swiss special grease, which u can actually know which company makes it.
bottom line...every component needs TLC!!! no products will last long but with proper care and the knowledge to maintain,,,we can prolong their lives.
Bike Setup: intense 5.5EVP...with classified components, the best trailbike ever built!!!
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Submitted by
Bruce Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Austria and now - Iowa!
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2004
Strengths: Light weight, sleek looking and nearly silent sounding. Instant engagement on the rear hub which makes those nail biting steep rock and root climbs seem to go on much easier. 2 years of constant riding through a lot of muddy and wet riding conditions (in Austria) have proven to me that these high end hubs were well worth the investment. My thanks to Mike T. on helping so many of us here that participate at Mt.BikeReview.com be able to maintain these hubs with basic cleaning and grease application. Due to all the mud/wet conditions that I have been riding in, I did the maintenance as a measure of prevention. The hubs are working as well today as they were when I first got them 2 years ago.
Weaknesses: None for the set that I have.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is "would I buy a set of these hubs again?" The answer to that question is yes.
My 2002 Trek 8000 came with the stock Bontrager hubs and wheels. The riding conditions in Austria due to rain and all the mud caused severe rim wear-through with my rim brakes and I had a rim fail soon after I purchased the bike. The LBS cut me a pretty good deal to swap over to disc and had their racing team wheel builder lace the Hügi 240 Disc hubs to some Mavic 317 rims for me at a very reasonable price. At the time, I knew nothing about disc hubs (or brakes) and the Hügi's came highly recommended from the LBS. It was one of the best investments to date for me. That first ride when I felt the engagement of the rear hub was a real pleasure that continues to this day.
The Chris Kings of Europe? Yes. DT Swiss/Hügi pretty much rules the mountain biking scene in Austria, Switzerland and Germany - so I can't say anything outside of "now I understand why". It's a quality product. These are great hubs and well worth the investment as well as worth taking care of through regular maintenance. I hope to get many more miles/years of use out of these hubs (I'll be following Mike T's advice). I think anyone considering high end disc hubs should at least consider taking a look at these when making a choice.
Similar Products Used: The only other disc hub products I have used are the Mavic disc hubs on my SpeedCity's.
Bike Setup: Stock 2002 Trek 8000 upgraded to Hügi 240 Disc Hubs with Avid 185mm mechanical disc brakes.
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Submitted by
Ernest Lam
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong SAR
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2004
Strengths: The weight, lightweight, the lightness of its weight, and how light it is... Super smooth when not pedalling, I mean smoooooootth... And very silent when not pedalling, not giving the sound like CKs which make me headache.
Weaknesses: It's way too light to trust! You will be a careful rider when first riding them.
Bottom Line:
First of all, I'm reviewing on the 240s, the top-end of DT, even higher grade than the Hugi240, but there's not such product category here, so I come here.
I've these laced to Mavic XM819 with DT competition. I choose the competition since I want a really tough wheel which will not flex at all for my XC riding, and the competition was doing more than that. The weight gain was not any issue to me, coz the hub made it all up!
These hubs are the real deal, been riding on them for 3 weeks now, over 200km. And they hold up the job very well, fine engagement, super smooth rolling when not pedalling, and they are very silent! I only notice they make sound when I pay some attention to find the noise!
They survive for a few dozens of 2-3 foot drops, I mean drops from some high pavements to hard surface concrete fire roads, so I am pretty sure they can take the abuse of some 4-5 foot drops in the wild.
Will come up again when I have pay some more time on it, probally 2 months later or sooner IF, I mean IF, there is any problem. For now, more than 5 flamming for both value and performance, coz you can't pay more to have even better products than these, they're already the best!
Similar Products Used: American Classic Disc. Funn DH disc. Ringle disc.
Bike Setup: Wheels are XM819 with DT competition on these hubs(240s). 2004 Small size Blur with 2004XT. Hayes HFX-9XC oil disc. Thomson stem and post. Fox F100X. Eggbeater.
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Submitted by
Julian Fox
a Racer
from Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2003
Strengths: Light weight, the sound turns heads
Weaknesses: They may be the lightest, but they are definitely not the most durable... 1 year of racing and the rear hub is worthless
Bottom Line:
I bought these hubs second hand in excellent condition... therefore no warranty... after a year of riding and racing and regular servicing the rear was destroyed... Hugi specialists said it was the worst they had ever seen and quoted $300 Aus for a reco... have moved to a more durable Hope hub. I wouldn't recommend these hubs if you want durability
Strengths: simple,simple,simple. only one special tool required (newer models).
Weaknesses: ? hum ? mud ,water ,cold weather, Lack of maintenance.But that's all the same with any products.Hey!even a hummer can take so much mud and crap.Best advice with high end hub's is to take them appart before using them,so you can understand them,and won't get surprises 3 years down the line when you think they need servicing,or order a tool.
Bottom Line:
Never seen anything work well after going through mud and whatever crap and hosing it down and leaving it to dry.If you can't do it yourself take it to your shop and stop "bit*cing" about products if you don't understand them,otherwise start playing BINGO.
