DT Swiss 350 Hub [Rider Review]

Hub engagement is something we love to talk about company wide, and a company that allows for engagement upgrades is DT Swiss. DT Swiss is known for their star ratchet system and how easy it is to change the points of engagement. See what our customer thinks of the DT Swiss 350 hubs.

Overview

The rear hub on my mountain bike had been giving me reliability issues (3 broken freehubs, and pawls were slipping) so I finally decided to quit buying replacement parts and swap to a new hub. I liked my DT Swiss EX 511 rim and it was in great condition so the most economical route was to buy a hub within my budget and have a LBS re-lace. I contemplated going top of the line with a Chris King hub for bearings that would last a lifetime, Onyx for a dead silent ride, or Industry 9 Hydras for the engagement, but in the end I went practical with DT Swiss for all around performance and durability.

I know my limits as an at home mechanic, so I took the hub, along with my rim, to a local bike shop to have a professional build the wheelset. However, one of the selling points of the DT350 hub is the ease of maintenance. With a small bit of DT grease and limited tools you can keep them running smooth for years to come. Getting access to the inner gear rings is simple & straightforward, and refreshing the grease helps keep the noise on trail to a minimum (something I like about Onyx hubs but am not willing to pay the premium). I’ve only had the hubs for a few months so I can’t comment on longevity of the bearings, but I consider those wearable parts and the harder you ride eventually they’ll need to be replaced.

So far I’ve had no issues with these hubs. The legendary DT Swiss durability is as advertised. I don’t perform much technical climbing or trials-style maneuvers so the 36t engagement is just fine for my riding, but I can see how some people may prefer higher engagement when every bit of pedal stroke matters. Good news is that DT Swiss offers a 54t upgrade kit to reduce the degrees of engagement at the cranks. I also appreciate the sound, or lack thereof, produced by the 36t engagement hub. When it was brand new it was almost dead silent among all the other trail noise. As I’ve ridden more miles and the grease has broken down, I can tell the noise has gotten progressively louder (not to fear, see my note on maintenance). My only comparison is to a Stans Neo hub with a 6-pawl system that came stock on my bike and that was a piece of garbage. I waited two broken freehubs too long to decide to try DT Swiss. Purchasing a bike component that allows more time on the trail and less time fixing broken pieces is an easy decision.

Final Thoughts

10/10 would recommend the DT Swiss 350 hub for anyone looking to upgrade from a subpar OEM offering or if you are looking to build a bombproof wheel on a budget. I had a great buying experience with Worldwide Cyclery. They were one of the few online retailers that carried this specific hub spacing/size and rotor mounting style, plus they offered the most competitive price. Be sure to check out their MTB podcast for a bonus discount. Shipping was quick and the order status updates provide a nice bit of comedy that you will not find with other retailers.