What do we have here? is it a lighter, better looking, easier to maintain 350 hub with improved technology? well the answer is yes, but thankfully, it's a bombproof re-embodiment of this much loved 'so called' entry-level DT Swiss hub.
But what makes the new 350 hubs superior to anything else out there at a similar price point I hear you ask? Well, let’s dig a little deeper and find out why the 350 hub is the first choice ‘go to’ hub for the majority of our Master wheel builders and let’s discover why the cycle industry’s leading experts and reviewers rate the new 350 hubs so highly, oh and of course, why we chose to offer it with our cutting-edge wheel systems, and why we simply love the new 350 so much!
Looking for super-cool looks, reliability, and high performance, with great value thrown into the mix too, well sounds like an unbeatable offer to us, and that’s exactly what you get with the new version of the legendary DT Swiss 350 hub.
The old 350 was always known for its simplicity of design, coupled with a no-nonsense approach to technology; let’s make that a little simpler to understand – well-built body, bigger sealed bearings, and the famous Star ratchet system, with 18 teeth of engagement. A solid, dependable investment but heavier and not as beautiful as the leading 180 Ceramic and 240 EXP hubs, but to be fair to the old 350 hubs, they would spin on and on, day after day hassle-free to the delight of those riders who owned them.
A dilemma for DT Swiss, they wanted to improve a much-loved hub but not lose the simplicity of design and value that appealed to buyers. So, what could they improve on? Well, many riders who have experienced DT Swiss hubs will be pleased to know they have not replaced the innovative twin ratchet system but improved on it with the new hollow ‘SL’ plates upgraded to 36 teeth, same as the 180 and 240 hubs, creating an engagement angle of 10-degrees for faster engagement whilst reducing the weight of the drive mechanism, a plus we say!
The DT Swiss Star Ratchet System – The technology and a reason to choose it.
When we first set out to create our leading-edge wheel systems, we realised our unique buying and build model gave us a great opportunity to learn from our Master wheel builders and their many years of professional wheel building and maintenance experience. We were given a great opportunity to understand what their first-choice wheel components would be, their reasons for choosing, and why they chose some over others, and just as important, why they stay well clear of many brands. The feedback from their real-world experiences meant there was only one serious choice for us when it came to hubs, and that was DT Swiss, and one of the main reasons for this was their ingenious ratchet system.
Most hub manufacturers use the Pawl system to drive the freehub. This means very small metal levers (pawls) pushed out by springs to engage with an outer tooth ring. This system has many problems as the pawls and springs are susceptible to dirt, water, and grit, and normally only 2 or 3 pawls engage creating uneven high-stress points leading to higher maintenance required and a shorter lifespan.
DT Swiss uses a patented Ratchet system consisting of two hardened steel tooth plates simultaneously making solid engagement when pedalling. The driving force creates little to no stress as the force is evenly distributed across the whole of the two plates' faces, with every tooth engaging producing a more reliable power transmission. The hubs also have a sealed design requiring less maintenance, with no ingress of water and grit, and have the best reliability record of any hub in the world.
The new 350 sharing technologies with siblings 240 and 180.
Many wheel brands use cheaper hubs, with outdated pawl and spring systems, smaller low-quality bearings, and inferior shell and axle materials. All of the DT Swiss hubs we use incorporate their ratchet system, with their leading pre-loaded sealed steel, or ceramic bearings, creating durable play-free hubs without the need for bearing play adjustment.
The new 350 Road hubs also feature the same easy tool-free swaps from one freehub body to the next as the rest of DT's hubs. That makes swapping two different cassette ranges for the same drivetrain easy without tools, or the same thing when swapping for example from Shimano to SRAM cassettes when moving one wheelset from bike to bike, again without tools.
All versions of the new 350 have a matte black and white finish with a waterslide logo (not stickers) sharing the 240 and 180 high-quality looks with better resistance to chemical cleaners and abrasion.
Yes, thank you for the wait, here's the important bit!
The updated 350 has reengineered hubs and axles with more machining similar to the 240 and 180 leading to a further weight reduction of around 42g. A set (front & rear) of 350 Disc brake straight-pull hubs comes in at 361g, with the 240’s set at 305g and the ultra-light ceramic 180’s set weighing just 280g.
Without a doubt, the new 350 hubs are a massive improvement on what was an already great hub, and this is why we love the new 350 and working with the best manufacturers like DT Swiss. They help us create our world-leading wheel systems, raising the bar on performance, and our unique wheel build, and service experience. You can choose the new 350 hub on all our road, gravel and cyclocross wheels.
Thank you for reading
Team Aeroc