DT Swiss has announced new 240 and 350 Hybrid hubs designed specifically for electric mountain bikes.
The hubs feature larger flanges and a steel freehub body, with the 240 Hybrid using a new Ratchet EXP OS freehub body with larger bearings. All of these developments have been designed to withstand the greater forces generated by electric mountain bikes and increase durability.
A front 240 Hybrid hub will retail for £169.99 / $242.90 / €177.90 / AU$299, with the rear £319.99 / $459.90 / €335.90 / AU$549.
The 350 Hybrid hub is cheaper at £89.99 / $116.90 / €92.90 / AU$189 for the front and £219.99 / $297.90 / €229.90 / AU$399 for the rear.
A tougher build
DT Swiss has revised the hub shell, increasing the size of the flanges both in their diameter and thickness for improved stiffness.
Both 240 and 350 Hybrid hubs are designed specifically to accept DT Swiss 2.34mm spokes, which the brand says offer greater resistance to acceleration and braking over a thinner-diameter option.
DT Swiss has also made some adaptations to its revered Ratchet EXP freehub system for the new hubs.
While the 350 Hybrid relies on a standard Ratchet system, the 240 uses DT Swiss’ new Ratchet EXP OS. Both freehub bodies are constructed from steel rather than the aluminium used on its non-Hybrid hubs.
The Ratchet EXP OS features bigger 17x28x7mm bearings than the 15x26x7mm examples found in the conventional Ratchet EXP system.
The brand says this results in greater hub stiffness, less movement of the axle and therefore less stress on the bearings, increasing their durability.
These new bearings not only feature more balls inside but the balls are also larger than the previous Hybrid hub generation.
The steel Star Ratchet uses 30 rather than 24 teeth to account for the additional free movement of the cranks due to the motor.
DT Swiss has also revised the axle the bearings spin on, with a larger wall thickness and reinforcement where the bearing installs onto it, which the brand says is to cope with the higher bending loads.
The driveside bearing sits behind an M30 threaded ring on a standard Ratchet EXP freehub, which needs to be removed to access the bearing.
The Ratchet EXP OS system uses a slightly longer M32 threaded ring, to cope with the forces transmitting from the freehub body to the hub shell.
The axle is 18 per cent stiffer compared to the previous Hybrid MTB axle, according to DT Swiss.
Claimed wheel weights
The 240 Hybrid is claimed to weigh 156g front and 290g rear, with the 350 Hybrid not far behind at 174g front and 302g rear.
While the 240 Hybrid hub is only available in 32 holes, the 350 Hybrid is available in both 32- and 36-hole options.
The hubs come in Center Lock or 6-bolt disc brake rotor variants in Shimano HG, Shimano Micro Spline or SRAM XD freehub body options.
