DT Spline 23 11s - Freehubs still unfit for purpose?

[MattSoutherden]

After the chainstay rusted through on my old commuter, I'm considering getting a Canyon Inflite 9s. The spec is amazing for the price, with Full Ultegra 11s + hydro disks. But I'm a bit worried about the DT Swiss wheels.

I used to ride a set of RR1450s with 240 hubs, and the freehub body was made out of butter. They were by far the worst I have ever used with respect to the cogs gouging.

Does the same problem still exist with DT 11s?

I ended up using Sram 1090 cassettes on my best bike, but an 1190 is £200 which seems a little excessive for a commuter/trainer.

Can you still get AC clips? (in the UK) Do they come for 11 speed?

[mattr]

Just use some thin piano (or similar) wire.

I've heard of flattened out staples being used in the past

[jeffy]

After the chainstay rusted through on my old commuter, I'm considering getting a Canyon Inflite 9s. The spec is amazing for the price, with Full Ultegra 11s + hydro disks. But I'm a bit worried about the DT Swiss wheels.

I used to ride a set of RR1450s with 240 hubs, and the freehub body was made out of butter. They were by far the worst I have ever used with respect to the cogs gouging.

Does the same problem still exist with DT 11s?

i understand all of the above - forgive my stupidity - but i was looking for thoughts and reviews re: dtswiss wheel sets and i found this thread -
but i don't really understand the last parts of these posts

I ended up using Sram 1090 cassettes on my best bike, but an 1190 is £200 which seems a little excessive for a commuter/trainer.

Can you still get AC clips? (in the UK) Do they come for 11 speed?

no idea how this relates to the initial part : (

Just use some thin piano (or similar) wire.

I've heard of flattened out staples being used in the past

or how this is a solution to the above.

would greatly appreciate an explanation

[mattr]

Cassettes with individual sprockets can cut through aluminium freehub bodies during normal use. Hope, dt swiss and American classic (AC) are better known for this.
Using cassettes with an aluminium spider (dura ace, sram 1090 etc) spreads the load and minimises or eliminates gouging.
ACs solution was to use steel reinforcement on the freehub to prevent gouging, they were available aftermarket and could be fitted to many other brands hubs.

[jeffy]

Cassettes with individual sprockets can cut through aluminium freehub bodies during normal use. Hope, dt swiss and American classic (AC) are better known for this.
Using cassettes with an aluminium spider (dura ace, sram 1090 etc) spreads the load and minimises or eliminates gouging.
ACs solution was to use steel reinforcement on the freehub to prevent gouging, they were available aftermarket and could be fitted to many other brands hubs.

thanks for the explanation. I had heard of this issue before, just not described the way OP did.

Would it not be cheaper to use a lower series cassette and replace the freehub?

[mattr]

Not really, lower series cassettes are heavy. Can actually cut right through the splines given long enough.
Makes them an utter sod to remove.
Some freehubs run to $100+ as well.

[MattSoutherden]

mattr - thanks.

jeffy - DT freehubs are about £55. I can chew one up such that the shifting goes off in a couple of months. I'm 77Kg, and most of my training is on my commute, and as such generally revolves around short hill repeats (which is hi torque on the drivetrain)

[bm0p700f]

Novatec do freehubs with a steel spline, Miche freehubs don't gouge and they are alloy, Shimano DA, Royce and White Indutries use Ti freehubs which don't gouge. The best solution is to use a campagnolo freehub as the splines are deeper.

Some rider even ones that put out watts don't gauge alloy freehubs and yet some do. QC cannot be that variable so the only other variable is the rider.

So your best solution if gouging is a issue for you is to use a different hub as one DT Swiss freehub is much like another.

[mattr]

Depends on the grade of aluminium doesn't it.
The harder grades, that don't gouge are also harder (and more expensive) to machine.

There is also the variability in the height of the spline (either tolerances, or by design) i know that some wheels i have, you have to be *really* precise when lining the cassette up, as a fraction off means they either won't go on, or will jam up half way down the body, and need a wiggle to free up. So you are spreading the load over the full face of both halves of the spline.
Others you just throw the cassette on as there's loads of clearance.

The worst one i've seen there was very nearly enough slop in the system that the sprockets could be moved far enough off centre that the spline would fail to engage (a steel DT freehub for what it's worth). Not actually ever an issue in use, as once it's all tightened up and snugged down, it worked fine.