Has anyone assembled a Shimano XT 11 speed MTB cassette onto a DT Swiss hub – successfully?
I have never done this before so do not have any experience to call on but read the book and watched the video – what could possibly go wrong? Here is the problem.
The locking ring as supplied with the cassette is not a precision match so there is a certain amount of lateral movement just threading the lock ring on to the hub without the cassette until it is screwed right in.
The cassette has a very slight overhang of the hub which gives three maybe four turns to tight. Not using a torque wrench just a lock ring driver and quarter inch drive to tighten. Now unless I have developed super powers just tightening to what I estimate is the correct torque pulls the lock ring right off. First thought was stripped thread but all reassembles and managed to gently tighten to detect three slight grindy clicks and left it. Its all ‘assembled’ but right now don’t have confidence in it and rest of bike is not assembled so no chance to take it round the block.
Questions –
Is there a known problem with Shimano lock rings?
Is there a known problem with DT Swiss hubs?
Is there a known problem with Shimano/DTS combination?
Is there a preferred/recommended lock ring for use in this combination?
Suppliers assure me that cassette and hub are correct and will assemble.
How would I know if the hub is actually SRAM type and not Shimano and how would I physically check?
Off to a trusted bike shop on Monday but just wondered if anyone else has come across similar and how you fixed it?

The width of 10 speed and 11 speed mtg cassettes is the same I believe. The extra space required comes from the largest cogs overhanging the spoke flange.

It should fit. Could there be a spacers where it shouldn’t be?

I fitted one to a Mavic hub the other day with no problems at all and it replaced a 10speed sram cassette. I used all the spacers. I’ll take some pics later if I can.

Not much help sorry

If you’ve got 3 or 4 compete turns of thread going into the freehub and you are still popping it off something has stripped. IIRC there are only 5 full turns available before a standard lock ring bottoms out. The fact that it threads in and starts to click doesn’t mean it isn’t stripped……

Try putting a couple of sprockets on the freehub and seeing if you can tighten the lockring up without the cassette in place. (You can use those loose sprockets to get the lock ring back off later)

Oh, aluminum freehubs strip and/or crack relatively easily. I’ve done more than one just tightening up in a hurry.

SRAM Freehub just for ref, they are not easily confused

Got XT and XTR 11spd cassettes on DT 240s and 350 hubs here – no problems.

Have you fitted the locking without the cassette on the f/hub body to check whether the threads in the free hub are OK? Any damage should be visible in the f/hub as the aluminium is anodised black, so any change from stock should be clear.

Sounds like the threads are stripped.

It’s always worth cleaning behind the cassette and making sure there isn’t any muck/grit between the various loose cogs/spacers too as it doesn’t take much to create the conditions you are describing.

A SRAM XD freehub looks very different (see above) but the older style SRAM and Shimano cassettes are interchangeable.

Used the plastic fixture that holds all the rings together to slide straight on the hub. Assembly of cassette is as supplied.
Did try the lockring in the hub without cassette and unless it was screwed right in there was movement and it did seem a rather flimsy construction.
As I said never done this before so no experience to call on.

The only issue with cassettes on alu freehubs if you you don’t torque the lockrings up properly, then the cogs can move independently and then they don’t spread the load across the whole of the cassette.

That’s what causes freehubs to get chewed up.

Got a bit of an ear bashing from a DT Swiss engineer a few years back when I tried to complain about this, have used a torque wrench ever since and, as if by magic no more chewed freehubs.

Assuming you had a 10-speed cassette on there before, it should fit. Now, if you only had 9-speed, you’re in trouble…

Used the plastic fixture that holds all the rings together to slide straight on the hub

can’t make head or tail of what you mean by this…?

Assuming you had a 10-speed cassette on there before, it should fit. Now, if you only had 9-speed, you’re in trouble…

8/9/10 speed Shimano MTB freehubs are all the same width, the sprockets just got thinner and closer together. 7 speed was narrower.

Ive fitted loads of XT 11 spd to DT hubs. Only issue is that XT 11 spd cassette is very tight getting on. Plenty of grease/copperslip and a rubber mallet to make sure its on fully before the lockring is my advice.

I thought 10/11 speed freehubs needed a thin spacer at the spokes end to take up the difference in cassette widths. Ultegra wheelset came with one for 10 speed.

I thought 10/11 speed freehubs needed a thin spacer at the spokes end to take up the difference in cassette widths. Ultegra wheelset came with one for 10 speed.

8/9/10/11 MTB is all the same width, 11speed road is a bit different though, you can fit 10 speed road on 11 freehub (with spacer) but not 11speed road on 10speed road

Mavic hubs also often use a spacer, most models come with this, but it was also required for some 9 and 8 speed cassettes, Mavic are just differenty 🙂

Thread Hijack – So I can fit 11 speed cassette onto my current 9 speed MTB hub? Interested as I need to renew drivetrain and was thinking of going 1×11.

I know that road 10 speed and 11 speed are different and a 10 cassette needs a spacer behind to go on 11 hub. Whereas you can’t fit an 11 cassette onto a 10 hub.

Back to the OP – check for spacer on the freewheel, will only be 1mm ish thick.

Sounds a bit like a stripped thread though.

You state that the lockring was supplied with the cassette. Did you get one with the DT hub? I have a lockring on my road bike that rubs my frame, so I have to use a different one for clearance. Do you have another lockring to try?

And try it without the full cassette to see if it tightens all the way own. There should be no sideways play. Hence the thinking that it has a damaged thread.