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Dt Swiss 54t ratchet upgrade -my experience

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#21 ·
There is a fake upgrade option?

I just upgraded my geared wheel set with the 54t ratchet. Super simple and I actually want to ride my geared bike now unlike when I had my 15* engagement AC hubs on it. 20* engagement was a complete non-starter. Honestly, I'm not sure why DT doesn't fit at least the 190's with the better ratchet. Maybe put the 54t in the 190's, the 36t in the 240's, and the LB 18t ratchet in the 350's.
 
#22 ·
NH Mtbiker said:
Has anyone found the 54T upgrade for under $95 anywhere? Thats seems quite high seeing my entire rear Spline2 wheel was under $150. These should be closer to 50 bucks for what it is imho. :madman:
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Keep an eye on Art's as they have been having discount codes on Tues and Thursdays only....they only have the 36t but the 25% off worked on them.

I recently bought the 54t for $80 at Jenson and while still over priced I am enjoying them. I was a fan of my Hadleys and wanted I9s but the 102 poe sounded very annoying to me. Now that I am running the 54t my Hadleys are annoying lol. I like the DTs as they are mellow but still loud enough to alert hikers and other bikers.
 
#23 ·
solo-x said:
There is a fake upgrade option?

I just upgraded my geared wheel set with the 54t ratchet. Super simple and I actually want to ride my geared bike now unlike when I had my 15* engagement AC hubs on it. 20* engagement was a complete non-starter. Honestly, I'm not sure why DT doesn't fit at least the 190's with the better ratchet. Maybe put the 54t in the 190's, the 36t in the 240's, and the LB 18t ratchet couple in the 350's.
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It was a couple of pages back with mixed results. And 48T, not 54.

http://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/48t-star-ratchet-%2460-ebay-dt-swiss-240-350-a-940469.html#post12700235
 
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#24 ·
yeti575inCA said:
I have 2 sets of DT Swiss hubs 240s and 350 both with 36T. I recently upgraded to 54T. Its well worth it. I was a bit skeptical it would make or feel a difference.

Easiest install and money well spent. Noticed climbing was easier and allowed me to stay in a higher gear on my familiar local trails.

Plus now I can make noise like those guys on CK hubs and I9's lol
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So is the 54t upgrade noisy? The reason I went with DT Swiss is because they are quiet. Is the 36 tooth upgrade noisy?
 
#33 ·
How much do you ride? I don't think I've ever really worn out any of my wheel bearings...including the ones on my road wheels which have some 6k miles on them.

I've got a set of DT 350's and the bearings are pretty smooth. I mean my wheels can spin for a fairly long time when I spin them on the stand.
 
#34 ·
I avg 40-60miles week on the trail in socal's dusty dry sandy conditions. I probably just need to clean the bearings. It doesnt spin for that long but i dont hear any grinding. I was just wondering what ppl have done

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#35 ·
jacksonlui said:
I avg 40-60miles week on the trail in socal's dusty dry sandy conditions. I probably just need to clean the bearings. It doesnt spin for that long but i dont hear any grinding. I was just wondering what ppl have done
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depending on how much your current bearings are dragging they could be shot, or at least need servicing.

the stock bearings are good quality bearings and are known to be durable and spin really well. if you're going to replace them because yours are shot i would stick with the stock bearings.

if you want to "upgrade" you can move up the ABEC scale. I recently replaced the bearings in my hubs (not 350's) with ABEC 5. they're made to higher tolerances so supposed to be higher quality, last longer, spin better. you can go higher up the scale, ABEC 7,9,etc. but the higher you go the less improvement you get and the higher the cost. based on my research you quickly reach a point of diminishing returns. ABEC 5 is a good jump in tolerances and only a marginal cost increase, sweet spot for me. instead of $6-8 for the stock bearings I think i paid $12 ish?

ceramics are stupid expensive and not worth the cost IMO.
 
#36 ·
There are several things you can look at. Consider servicing your bearings with a lighter grease. I like Buzzy's Slick Honey as a dependable, lighter lubricant. There can be a trade off here that can mean increased service intervals, but with a lower coefficient of friction. Another consideration, (at least for the rear wheel) is the frequency and type of lubricant being used on the freehub or star ratchet. In the summer, I use Dumonde Tech freehub grease, but in winter the Dumonde freehub oil. The oil is lighter and can offer reduced friction and greater free-spin.

I have ceramics in my BB, and have been very happy with them, but for me personally, I'm not sure the price can be completely justified in all applications.
 
#39 ·
There was a theory on the fatbike forum that the excessively long axles combined with the high teeth count could cause a situation where while coasting and then laying down the power, hub flex would cause the teeth to engage in one spot on the hub, putting all the force there, and with so little material behind the teeth, it could possibly break. This was thought to be the worst when "re-engaging" the hub during high torque pedaling.

I have broken the teeth in DT hubs (350) a couple times. They held up better than most hubs for me, but nothing is perfect. Can't say that it had anything to do with the teeth count though (don't remember what I was running back then). I'm not sure if high teeth count would be worse or better, but the flex thing makes a little sense. The CK ring-drive system is a better implementation of the same basic idea that DT uses, although it's a bit heavier.
 
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#40 ·
Thx for the advice on the bearings. I didnt know you can use slick honey on the ratchets. I thought maybe it might be too thin. I used the red lube that came with the 54T ratchet upgrade which was quite a bit thicker.

I personally like high poe. There is a rocky section where i need to ratchet a little to get through and it helps when you want to restart on an uphill. For me its a nice to have but certainly not a deal breaker. Many ppl complain about the drag of high poe hubs and the noise. I dont mind rhe noise but the drag while coasting would be something you give up for higher poe.

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