DT Swiss ratchet system upgrade. Worth doing?

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burglarboycie
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by burglarboycie

I have a set of 350 straight pull hubs waiting to be built up and I came across the 36t star ratchet upgrade and then the Bontrager 54t one. Has anyone carried out this modification? Is it worth while?

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I did this on a DT 190 hub. Think it was going to the 36 tooth ratchet, 54 wasn't around then. Did it on my girlfriends bike mostly looking for a different sound, the existing ratchet sounded more "tractor" like than a nice buzz. To our ears at least the noise was even more annoying on the 36t so went back to the tractor sound. As far as quicker engagement goes, meh... Didn't seem to be a big deal. So, to answer your question, for me at least... wasn't worth it.
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hmai18
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by hmai18

For road, no. I have the 54T ring on my 'cross wheels and it's great for off-roading when you need to manage your pedal position, but the wheels have noticeably more drag than the 18T ratchets on my road wheels.

Put a baseball card in your spokes instead if you want the angry buzz.

junchen
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by junchen

Would suggest the 36T instead of 54T. More buzzing sound than the 18t , but less drag than the 54t. I recall that some bontrager wheels comes with 36t from factory.......

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perwjensen
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by perwjensen

The 54T is more for MTB, but when big power is exerted then 36T is max. If you're not a incredibly strong sprinter then 54T is OK. From there it's a matter of sound it seems.

burglarboycie
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by burglarboycie

Thanks for the replies guys. I may opt for the 36t then. What did you all use in the way of grease? DT claim it's only advisable to use their own specific grease (but I suppose they would say that) other people who have done the upgrade say it's too thick, I've even heard of people using Finish Line chain lube!

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

If more ratchets equals faster shifting is correct?
I can tell you, riding road it does not matter "that much" compared to slower engagement.
Because it's fast enugh for most.
But if you ride trails or really evil gravel on low gears and you may rely on quick shifts in slow speed, it's great!
This you would notice if you rode a gravel/ cx bike.
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spookyload
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by spookyload

I run 54 tooth on my cross bike, and 18 on my MTB. The 54 tooth really doesn't like crud. If you don like to clean and re-grease star ratchets, then 54 isn't for you.

burglarboycie
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by burglarboycie

I don't mind carrying out some maintenance, plus I only ride my Supersix (the bike these wheels are going on) in fair weather anyway. Still think I will go for the 36t as availability and price are both more favourable than the 54t

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otoman
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by otoman

yeah, every day I ride my DT Swiss hubs with standard star ratchet, I think to myself, "GAH! I am so SLOW because of the fewer engagement points!!" :lol:

"Worth it" is such a subjective analysis but my question to you would be, what problem are you solving by "upgrading" the star ratchet system? :noidea:

The math on 36t to 54t works out to engaging 3.33 degrees sooner. Baby, baby not worth it...
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spookyload
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by spookyload

They do sound cool though. One guy I was riding with asked me if my rotor was rubbing when I coasted.

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nickf
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by nickf

I originally got the 54t for my road wheels but I couldn't stand the noise. On road they are useless, other then the noise I couldn't tell a difference between them and the original 18t. I moved the 54s to my mountain bike. Off-road the quick engagement is nice.

junchen
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by junchen

My local wheel builder tells me the original dt grease is a bit draggy n recommends using krytox. That is not cheap though.

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Valbrona
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by Valbrona

Ratchet rings aren't an 'upgrade', as per the title thread ... they are just different.

I have never used grease on rear hub ratchets. I always remove the grease and use a heavy oil.

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SuperflyRick
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by SuperflyRick

If it was a mountainbike, i would do it. On a road bike i can not see the big advantage

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