[Closed] Genuine question - What's so great about DT 240 hubs?

They are light, it makes less difference at the hub but still worthwhile.

The main reason I like them is that, apart from the tricky centre bearing which doesn't need changing that often-I have a 2007 set still on the original bearing, is that servicing them is easy and they just go on and on, and on...Also when you spin a wheel, particularly the front, they show lower friction compared to a Hope hub for example.

I always thought the star-ratchet system was a far better design than having pawls.... better in my head - not by any objective measure.

The default 18 point ratchet is disappointingly slow, you have the option to 'upgrade' to 36 or to Bontrager's 54 point ones, but at an added cost.

The default 18 point ratchet is disappointingly slow

For whatever reason I find the pick up (and noise) on old Hopes far inferior after being on DT 350s. Can't see me going back from DT.

Maybe you have the 36 point ratchet installed - the old Hopes had 24 POE, the newish ones have 40 and the Pro 4 has 44.

Once I saw a DT hub dismantled I wanted one, the star ratchet is just such a neat system.

Couldn't comment on performance or any of that other inconsequential nonsense though 8)

They are very expensive
The flange spacing is usually rubbish
Alu freehub bodies are made of cheese
Pick-up is slow for off-road use

However, they are extremely reliable. I'm sure someone will chime-in about how they had 400 of them fail in one week. But on the whole, they just work. The ratchet is dead easy to service.

The main thing about them is that you cant really find a hub of the same weight that isn't one or all of the following:

Unreliable
Prone to breaking in half
Impossibly expensive

Alu freehub bodies are made of cheese

Not this again! Just tighten your cassette lockring to properly to 40nm (as is clearly says on the ring itself) and you won't have any problems using alloy freehubs.

Nothing wrong with them so long as you RTFM.

Used to mash alloy freehubs, had a whinge, was told to do them up properly, bought a torque wrench, no problems since, simple!

Lighter than Hope (but not by much).Cheaper than King.More reliable than i9/tune etc

Light, well sealed, and pretty much bombproof- the DH bike hub is functionally identical to the standard one despite the weight. Used to be, you could be fairly happy that if you got a set of oversize DTs today you could be using them til you bought a hoverbike. Then some **** noticed that and went "can't have that" but still.

[i]Far[/i] too expensive; but with the 350, various rovals and srams and bontys using the same internals, there's other ways to get the critical parts on your bike, and now with lots of 26er wheelsets being more or less abandoned they can be a ridiculously good used purchase. I'd never buy a new set, they're made of diamonds or something. But I own 4 240/240 related wheelsets and they're fantastic.

Downside; parts are expensive- you don't often need maintenance parts, but spacers etc are pricey- and changing the one innermost bearing is a **** of a job (all the rest are simple, and need done rarely so IMO it balances out pretty well)

Not this again! Just tighten your cassette lockring to properly to 40nm (as is clearly says on the ring itself) and you won't have any problems using alloy freehubs.

Good luck with that..........

A lot of freehubs (including DT actually) have a 30Nm torque on them, more than that and you'll pull the threads out of the freehub! I think from memory shimano recommend some huge range like 30-50Nm (which is somewhere between tight, and absolutely swinging off it, i.e. they don't really need a torque wrench to guess that big a range).

On that note, why don't they just put teeth on the sprockets to lock them together, cheaper than machining from 1 piece like XX, but would spread the load and stop them chewing freehubs.

On that note, why don't they just put teeth on the sprockets to lock them together, cheaper than machining from 1 piece like XX, but would spread the load and stop them chewing freehubs.

or just stop making freehub bodies out of Alu, it's really not appropriate except for proper weight-weenie parts, and even then steel inserts on the faces would do the trick.

TBH I think the alu freehub thing is mostly that some people get upset as soon as there's marks, but a freehub needs to be massively chewed before it's a problem. Many years of use with DT, in my experience. Maybe a little less from Hope but not bad. Steel freehub adds usually about 60g which isn't insignificant.

(OK, I use XT-and-up cassetes with carriers which helps but who buys a £200 lightweight rear hub and puts a deore cassette on it?)

Steel freehub adds usually about 60g which isn't insignificant.

to a 300g hub true, but to a wheel? wheel+tyre+cassette+rotor? a bike? and with the added durability as an offset benefit?

i'll take the 60g thanks 😉

The durability at that price and weight is unmatched. Anything else that runs on pawls is far too fragile and they are cheaper than King (and roll better).

Can you get steel freehubs for every brand, just some, or just Hope?

I've had one Hope freehub get chewed up and one that hasn't. The one that got chewed was on the road bike.

I suppose weight is the second criterion (after price) that people look at so if manufacturer A decides to use a steel freehub then they are immediately going to compare poorly to the hub from manufacturer B who uses an aluminium freehub.

Ive had loads of alloy freehubs get a bit chewed up. I also own a file. This has prevented it becoming an issue worth getting a steel freehub for.

amedias - Member

to a 300g hub true, but to a wheel? wheel+tyre+cassette+rotor? a bike? and with the added durability as an offset benefit?

230g hub btw. With weight, it's always where you draw the line- one 60g part isn't that big a deal but if you apply that same logic to everything it soon adds up. And really, what's the point of getting a lightweight hub and making it not lightweight?

The more important thing is the "added durability"- alu freehubs last so long it's basically irrelevant, most folks will replace a wheel before it gets that far anyway. But these are longlived hubs so maybe after 5 years regular use you find yourself wanting to replace it (not that it's worn out, just that it's getting a bit worn so maybe there's no point fitting new bearings in it...) and you buy a new one for £45 which comes with £10 worth of bearings... What other components will you add 60g to, to save £7 worth of maintenance a year?

it's the 18, but it just always seems to rest at engagement point whilst the hope on the other bike always seems not to be. just a perceived difference when I go back to the Hopes. The silence is beautiful too and the bearings have lasted fantastically