DT Swiss has an enviable reputation in the world of mountain bike wheels.
Although the Swiss cycling component brand started as a spoke supplier, it has successfully expanded the product offering into rims and hubs. For mountain bikers who desire lightweight hubs, with excellent engagement and low-friction, the DT Swiss 240 range has long been a benchmark.
The company’s star ratchet system has a proven standing for durability as it spreads engagement loads across all the 36-teeth, lowering overall wear.
For the 2020 riding season, DT Swiss has further improved its vaunted 240 mountain bike hubs by simplifying the ratchet system. This is a broadly similar mechanical EXP upgrade to what the company applied to its 180-series hubs, in early 2019.
Weight ratings for these new 240 hubs are 104g (front) and 199g (rear), thanks in part to lower mechanical component count, inside the hub mechanism. DT Swiss engineers have also managed to configure a new bearing placement, offset to the rear hub’s drive side, which calculates to a 15 per cent stiffness gain for the new EXP specification 240.
The new DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs are available in an array of sizes and standards, to ensure ease of convergence, with any mountain bike frame or fork. Both centre-lock and six-bolt brake options are available, as are J-bend and straight-pull spoke attachments, although the latter only comes with a 28h spoke option.
Front axle sizes spread across 15x100- and 110mm, whilst enduro and downhill rides will be heartened by the presence of a 20x110mm option. Cannondale’s latest Lefty Ocho fork is also accommodated.
For the rear axle, DT Swiss can supply the 240 EXP in 142mm, 148mm, 150mm and 157mm spacing. SRAM XD and both Shimano standard and Microspline drivers are can be slotted onto the hub’s drive side.
Although DT Swiss has improved the performance of its 240-series, there has been no sacrifice to the home-mechanic serviceability. The new 240 EXP’s ratchet system can be accessed, removed and replaced without requiring any propriety tooling.
Mountain bikers who require rapid engagement during technical climbs can upgrade the 240 EXP to a 54-tooth ratchet.
Pricing for these new DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs start at £159.99 up front, and £314.99 at the rear.
