best ftreehub system that aren't pawls?

No experience of the CK hubs but have the DT Swiss system on 2 rear wheels and it's been flawless. Not that I ever found pawls to be a major issue to maintain. 

I'd say the ratchet ring system (DT swiss and the various copies) is marginally easier than pawls for a minor serice as there's fewer small parts to deal with. Be aware though that changing the bearings can be a bit of an epic as there's a lockring thing in the way that is often very tight and requires a special tool. 

Can recommend DT Swiss. My oldest still operating hub is about 12 years old. Still works fine with no bearing change. Dead easy to maintaing the ratchet rings. I do that about once every 6 months.

I'd still love a set of CK hubs (or i9), but just can't justify the expense.

want to get away from pawls completely though

It's a strange hill to die on (speaking as someone in constant pursuit of low/easy maintenance biking, who currently has a set of 18 year old Pro 2 hubs on my bike).

You'd have to throw Mavic hubs into the mix, I would've thought. Define 'best.'

DT FTW! 

Hope 6 pawl on my pro5s are nowhere as reliable, just like most Hope products IMO. 

The CK Ring drive system is quite simply flawless and largely maintenance free.  You just pull the axle out, remove the freehub and then wipe and regrease (with ring lube...) the drive.  The only time if ever had a fault was where one froze... but it was -18 and a quick slap had it moving again.  Regreased when I got home and it's been fine for 15y, but also probably never as cold again.  

EDIT - I have 10+ sets of CKs and have probably had 30 so this isn't an isolated sample - my oldest set is 20+ years and my most leggy have now done almost 50k km in all weather conditions save a sandstorm.  Never needed to replace a bearing in all teat time, too.  Get them through the C2W scheme if you have that option.    

I love my Onyx Vesper with their sprag clutch. Not cheap, not light but instant engagement and a very nice soft pick up.

Syntace are really good.

Money no object? Don’t need it urgently? K-O-M have a spragg rear hub in development. Silent. Infinite points of engagement. No pawls. 

I'd go for DT 350 or 240s. IME it's a great system and the ratchets are made of the right material for the job, not sure if the copies live up to the originals there. I like the standard engagement versions with a bit more depth to the teeth. I've not owned CK hubs to compare but always hear good things about them. 

Posted by: racefaceec90

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thinking between the chris king and dt swiss systems

I have both.

I'd go with the King if you can afford them. I can't any more but glad I could when I bought them and they've worked out as a good buy if you go on price per year of use.

Have a pair of King hubs that are 15+ years old and still going strong on nothing more than an occasional*  grease of the drive. Bearings are still smooth and play free as they can be adjusted quickly and easily with one hex wrench.

Have a few DT hubs that are only a couple of years old that I've had to change bearings in. Main hub body bearings and freehub bearings.

*maybe three times in 15+ years.

thanks for the replies everyone 🙂

the reason i don't want pawls anymore is that i have had issues with them slipping over the years more than once on various hubs. one time i was crossing a road with a car coming towards us  (at some distance i must add and the pawls slipped so had to do an emergency foot push to try to get to pavement). 

also  just want to try another system tbh to see what it is like (and lusting after chris king hubs too lol for years now).

am currently in the process of upgrading my ti ht which is another reason also i plan on blinging it up as it's a 27.5" but still a great frame (as funds allow).

I have a wheel I'm still using that has a DT Hugi 240 rear hub from I think about 1999. It's not just going strong, it even has parts compatibility with the later 240s and with the 350 classic (the front is retired because they pre-date through axles and it could only do 9mm, but luckily the rear could take a 12mm axle, it even has an XD freehub on it)

The sheer length that design lasted with minimal changes really shows how ridiculously good it was, I honestly reckon part of the reason for the switch to boost was to finally kill off top end indestructible hubs with infinite lifespans like this and CK, the bike industry is like leonardo dicaprio. 

And yes even on this very old Hugi all the way to the last standard 240 ever made the centre bearing is a pain in the cock to replace it but on the other hand it doesn't need done much. Ironic that the DT tool sucks so badly because it's also incredibly old and dates back before normal people owned impact guns or could buy a long breaker for a tenner.

Haven't used a 240 EXP, it looks like a good upgrade, maybe I'll get one if I ever manage to wear out an old one. 

For MTB use, the newer DT DEG hubs are an option worth looking at, with the 72 tooth version that comes on the 350's the ratchets themselves are twice the size but have the same size teeth as the classic 36 tooth ratchets so reliability should be similar

The fact you don't need to remove the ring nut to extract the drive side bearing is a bonus. The servicing video is filmed in real time and he has the hub down to a bare hub shell in about 2 minutes with just the axle guide as a 'specialist' tool and anyone with a bearing press will probably have something to hand that can keep the axle centred.  

 You can also install the new DEF DF kit into these hubs if pedal kickback is a concern. 

Posted by: Onzadog

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I love my Onyx Vesper with their sprag clutch. Not cheap, not light but instant engagement and a very nice soft pick up.

+1 - unlikely to ever be an XC hub due to the weight but wonderful things to ride.