Thursday, January 3, 2013

DT Swiss star ratchet magic

How do you double the awesomeness of the already-awesome DT Swiss star ratchet freehub mechanism? Start with a stock DT Swiss hub...

...then  acquire a set of the 36t ratchets (below right; compare to the stock 18t ratchet)...


...then simply pull the end cap and freehub body off the hub shell (no tools required, no pawl springs to catch as it comes apart), drop the 18t tooth ratchets out, slide the 36t on, and pop everything back together.


And bingo! Just 30 seconds after you started, your DT hub has double the engagement and half the rotational dead space for faster hook-up when you get on the gas. Oh, but don't forget to flip the two coil springs around--the new ratchets are machined out in the center and the narrow end of the spring tends to slip into that empty space.

Easy!