Tech corner – removing dt swiss end caps (screw-in variety)

Proud owner of 20mm 240 oversize hubbed front wheel, need to convert it to 15mm.

First end cap comes off easy with a 22mm cone spanner/ vice combo, but then then you’re just left with the axle and no way to secure it to take off the other one.

Any good bodges for this?

If you have a 20mm maxle, then put it inside the hub and tighten it up to clamp the axle from the inside, this should allow you to undo it.

I figured that would be the simplest way – sadly don’t have one. Could I increase the diameter of a 15mm one with tape to get a similar effect?

I’ve had to do this a couple of times and it’s a bit of a ballache.  DT provide a kit to remove the endcaps but i’ve managed to bodge it myself.

Once you’ve removed the first endcap, you need to knock the axle out and then hold it in a vice in order to undo the other endcap.  The DT kit includes a leather strap to use to wrap around the axle and then clamp into the vice to hold it.  I cut a length of old leather belt and did the same thing which worked pretty well.

Cheers. Bit of a PITA by the looks of it but hopefully I won’t have to do it again for a while.

Just another note..  Be gentle with the 15mm endcaps when you are tightening them up, the flats are nowhere near as secure as the 20mm ones and seem to be made of some kind of low grade cheese, so they will round off very easily, I tend to just snug them up gently with a touch of light threadlock to stop them from coming loose.