Before I forget, which will get Mike all testy at me, the DT hub news in this post won't be relevant for deliveries from the current pre-order that closes today, but it should be relevant for the next one.
DT Swiss hubs are a staple of the custom wheel builder's component lineup, but we've not embraced them as much as some have. A few notable colleagues share our position, but let's jump in with A's question.
Q: Wondering pricing on HED Belgium_ 24/28 rim brake wheel set with DT 240. Not sure why it is not you pages for those hub options. Otherwise was going to go with King hubs, can you get them in Navy? I'm currently at 185lbs, looking to get down to 170-175, hopefully lower. Let me know what you recommend.
A: Hi A - A DT240 build would be $1221 with the standard CX Ray/brass nipple build.
The equivalent Chris King build is $1234. We can absolutely get Kings in navy.
DT will switch to an updated 240 hub in late July/August, so stock of existing 240 hubs is getting a bit thin. The new ("EXP") hubs will be $15 more per set than the current ones.
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That's not really a super instructive or compelling Q&A, but it's a good jumping off point.
DT240s are definitely a "reference hub." They've been out there since forever (one of my earlier builds for myself was with them, in 2008 if I recall, and they were for sure old stand-bys by then. If you wanted to quickly scan a wheel builder's price structure you might look at their DT240 with X rims and Y spokes to get a flavor. They're known as a reliable hub, light enough but not weight weenie, quite durable, interesting drive mechanism, etc. Their geometry is ok, not exceptional, and in the unlikely event that you blow up the drive side hub shell bearing you're in for an adventure to replace it. We've seen a couple of flange breaks in second hand experience, but they're not generally flimsy.
The problem is really the price. As you see above, the price is kind of in line with Chris Kings. You can get WI or I9 hubs for significantly shorter money, and we think the WI and I9 hubs have some compelling cases to be made for them (which we have gone into here and here) among other places.
DT350s are a nice alternative, and significantly less expensive than 240s while sharing basically all of the important features while having a slightly heavier (but more durable, too) hub shell. For discs, for the price, I think Aivees are an awfully nice choice for a value-oriented hub and give little to nothing away to the DTs. But DT has a much much bigger reputation than Aivee.
There used to be pricing out there that some wheel builders got from DT that was quite not expensive. That appears to have mostly gone away, as they've corralled builders into buying from distributors, which is how we do it. But if you're an OEM, you can use their internals with a hub shell that's distinctly yours and roll with it. They have a huge program with that, that also includes their pawl-driven hubs, which are a considerable step down in quality from the ratchet driven ones. DT is almost certainly the most popular "branded" OEM hub set.
For the first time that I know, DT is updating the 240 hubs, to a new model they call the EXP. This is the news that would be relevant to the next pre-order but not to this month's
that closes today.
CyclingTips has the full story here, and it's worth a read. I think the title is a bit of a misfire but CyclingTips is a pretty good news site.
Enjoy your Monday.
2 comments
But I’m too deep in the endcap game to turn back now! 240’s 4 -life bro
Thank you for the great info – always a good read
Cheers