DT Swiss EXP hub: Beginner to Master maintenance

[@alfagtv100]

One of the best instructional videos I have seen. Outstanding work. Thanks very much. 👍

[@WowRixter]

I love my 240EXPs, and no need for a bell on my bike 😉 Another fantastic video Tobias! Thank you

[@mlee6050]

I'm looking to go 180exp with 54t I believe it is but also add a bell as I very rarely coast and hornit db140 for those car drivers to enjoy

[@bmeicx]

Very good video, thank you! Also solved my issue to go for the 350 or 240 because now I saw the internal construction

[@gearmonger8616]

Again, the most logical presentation of irrational content that I love.

[@Liqweed1337]

i upgraded from 36 to 54T and initially the ratchet sound was very quiet (but not ALL the time, just suddenly it lost almost all sound lol.) i removed the grease from one ratchet and left the other one with a LITTLE lube, that made the sound way louder. its not THAT big of a difference to upgrade from 36T to 54T but its definately worth it imo. its 9° less crankmovement required for a click! :) 54T is especially AWESOME for technical climbing

[@cmarnold78]

Thanks, I just about crapped myself changing my cassette when the whole thing came right off!

[@tom10crafted]

Super clear and neat, not to mention super quality! Thanks a lot for clear steps, as well as all the extra details!

[@vanguardcycles]

So nice to see somebody else using my favourite Scott shop towels!

[@brandonamos2532]

This is a great video which a number of months ago helped me change my ratchets. I now have an issue which I think it bearing related and your video gave me the confidence to hammer out the non drive side bearing. One bit of advice I would add is getting a larger adjustable spanner. I bought an 18” one and this made unscrewing the ratchet and also removing the brake disc very easy as leverage meant I didn’t have to put much effort into it.

[@MrSzwarz]

DT Swiss hubs and wheel, are the best to ride, maintenence, and quality for the money. Hassle fre and reliable, I have DT Swiss on my road bike riding off road and tarmac never had to true them for years!

[@Mr_Zzzeee]

Perfect video. Thank you.

[@MegaRobboz]

woo new rides of japan. Turn up the volume, full screen and normal speed. Noice

[@stijndeklerk]

I never managed to get that bearing underneath the ratchet. Now I know. Thx.

[@Snikkah]

Recently bought this hub, I am happy I bumped in to your video :D This will help me keep out from abusive bike mechanics (not all of course) changing the parts of the actual hub.

[@Themilkmanskid.]

Was going to ask how the NTN bearing works, but i found that quickly on a search. Anyway, it is hard to fathom everything that goes into the NTN bearings, how they work, and how they actually keep from falling apart. The engineering of all of it is amazing stuff!

[@moxerl]

It's a no-brainer to buy once there is a maintenance video by RoJ! Recently received my 240 EXP wheelset by LIghtBicycle and love it so far. Thanks for the great content, as always.

[@Aiden.K]

One of my fav Cycling channels

[@damo5219]

Perfect !!!. Thank you. New DT Swiss wheels/hubs are in the garage, awaiting a new tubeless valve stem. I bought them for the ease of replacing the bearings, as you've shown. Glad to see I wont need to buy a bearing press :-)

[@ridesofjapan]

Good to hear! With some regular "basic" maintenance, it will probably be years before you need to think about replacing bearings 👍

[@awildcyclistappears]

About the noisy hub... I totally understand your gripe with it, but at the same time you mentioned it couple times as well that it helps you with the wildlife. At the same time, you're in Japan and being urusai might make you be seen as bad gaijin ;) 240EXP owner btw - loving the noise, mainly because pedestrians aren't paying enough attention to their surroundings and sometimes the loud AF ratchet makes them jump out of the way. PS. I'm in countdown mode - gonna be cycling through Japan 2nd time in my life (29.04 - 05.06) in full bikepacking mode (with a bit of credit card travel when the weather goes to crap). Cheers, Tom

[@runbymmkk]

One note is to make sure you wear gloves when using the DT Swiss special grease. The grease is Teflon based and does not break down when in gets into your skin/body (read cancer causing).

[@MrJaycobsen]

Excellent video, I will save it for later when I will service my wheel sets. The last 2 wheelsets i bought have DT Swiss hubs, I bought them because i heard they were easy to service and you've confirmed that. Thanks for the detailed video.

[@lozetchells9164]

That's was awesome. Thanks for making that so informative and entertaining!

[@WorldinFastForward]

Thanks a lot for that superb video 😊❤. Unbelievable how easy that is even the upgrade process. Makes life and the regular maintenance so easy.

[@willarnot]

Well done amigo. Great info & demo. Exactly what I was after. Cheers

[@3Max]

Loved this video, perfect content design, very calm and clear descriptions, and great music. Thanks!

[@dancumberland6215]

Man what a great tutorial video!! Even includes the fuck ups we all make. I love this guy.

[@wsbygt]

Great tutorial and according to DT Swiss youtube channel, it´s Approved! It´s really easy to service the ratchet and for what I read and heard I would advise sticking to the original EXP180 34 ratchet. Slightly worst angle of engagement, sure, BUT way bigger contact surface between the teeth of the ratchets. Cheers RoJ, looking for the Ti~series!!

[@lucarusso7915]

Great swiss engineering 🤙🏼👍🏼

[@industryrule-4080]

I learned the hard way that the DT Swiss tools make the job of replacing all the bearings easier. I ended up purchasing a hub bearing Press which was less expensive. The DT Swiss bearings are so overpriced and I ended up buying the NTN 6802LLB bearings from an industrial supplier local to me. Also, a breaker bar significantly helped in removing the ratchet from the axle.

[@pastori70]

I want 240 Hybrid EXP for christmas! Finally found a good hub for my eMTB! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 I’ll get the eMTB version 240 Hybrid EXP OS.

[@gduqueg]

excelent my friend...thanks...regards from Venezuela !!!

[@Jinedan]

100% agree - this is why I have 350s on multiple bikes.

[@jamble7k]

same not tried an exp though

[@rider65]

Excellent tutorial

[@lenolenoleno]

Brilliant video as always. Would love to see a same video done for the older 240s hub (perhaps on your carbon XMC 1200 wheels) as these are the best bang for buck hubs to live with and would apply to a huge number of your viewers as it would work for 350 (updated to be essentially the old 240s) and 370 (updated to be the old 350 and now comes OEM on many bikes).

[@ridesofjapan]

For basic maintenance there’s already this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXSQZmCahNuZj6M Cheers!

[@lenolenoleno]

@@ridesofjapan Yeah remember that old gem. Was just keen to see full bearing replacements etc/I think it would be particularly useful for most people with DT hubs. Hey we just want more Rides of Japan content mate ;).

[@mlee6050]

@@ridesofjapan seeing you say put grease in before bearing, does it have to be grease? I been thinking on some stuff to apply anti seize instead

[@imperceptible2108]

Great content... Thanks.

[@tomahoks]

Love your vids, man.❤

[@im-on-youtube]

insane production on your videos! do you shoot and edit yourself or have a company doing this for you? stunning!

[@ridesofjapan]

Cheers mate! Everything is done in my little torture dungeon 🤫

[@dtroxx007]

Great tutorial, thanks!

[@TC-hl1ws]

9:05 This is the most difficult part of the disassembly. This nut is self tightening because when you stand and pedal your bike you are actually tightening this nut with extreme torque.

[@Crankmeister]

Many thanks forn sharing what's a super helpful video. :0)

[@mikemercado1957]

Excellent Video! Please make a video for front too.

[@larsvanhee1576]

Nice tutorial!

[@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy]

How many miles would you guess you rode before servicing the hubs? I was a bike mechanic in the early 90's, and while I serviced hubs occasionally then (Packing loose ball bearings in grease on really old bikes), I never have actually serviced any of my own hubs, lol. One of my bikes feels a bit gritty and could use a service, but it's the loose ball/cones type with the notoriously bad/soft-metal Formula hubs that Trek put on their Bontrager wheels for years. It's also the funky QR 141 Boost spacing, so my options are slim to get a proper sealed bearing hub on it without more cost than the bike is worth.

[@mbuwalda]

Superb Video! Could you also do a tutorial on how to do this service on the front hub?

[@fotografamos4083]

The hubs on my el-cheapo Mavic Aksium disk wheelset, although a pain in the arse because of corrosion, are as easy to maintain as these DTSwiss.

[@NelsonSherry]

Awesome video, by the way!

[@Saladh_Olivier]

Thank you!

[@Gufolicious]

Perfection.

[@cccpkingu]

Good guide. Would be even better with a tally of the parts in its own overlay.

[@vojtechrec7398]

Thanks very good video❤

[@Mr4headCS]

Hi. I watched this to see if you do it the same way as I do :-). As you are one that likes a quiet hub, I thought I'd share a tip, I got from an engineer at Tune (the german brand that makes neat stuff for bikes): I had some issues with a Tune Mag rear hub. He advised me to use "Molykote Longterm 2 Plus Extreme Pressure Bearing Grease". I used that stuff in de DT Swiss 240 EXP and got the hub virtually silent. With use the noise came back a little, but no where near as much as with the DT Swiss grease. Give it a try and let me know if you do. Cheers

[@aleksejmedia844]

nice! thank you

[@koenvercammen2259]

@11:40 it is useless too keep the bearing sticking out. It goes under the assumption that the bearing gets equal with the mounting face while turning the rathcet in. The spacing on the axle however is 0.6mm larger than the spacing in the hubshell for the bearings, so you push the driveside bearing back further while tapping in the non drive side (you have +/-0.3mm in the rachet house). The result is that the hubshell can move on the outside of the bearings when there is enough side force while riding (not by hand) by at least by 0.6mm. Their is not thought how the hub is build in their manual while writing it I think.

[@ErikSchuinder]

Great video tutorial (watched till the end)! 🔥🔥👏🏻 Follow-up question: how much different would the steps, and tools used, be for a DT Swiss GR 1600 Spline (with DT Swiss 350 hub, ratchet) wheel? Maybe you already have a video on that (I could not find it)? With kind regards, Erik

[@ridesofjapan]

For the old style ratchets, I made cleaning video years ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXSQZmCahNuZj6Msi=5bWOMo29RgJOp1iQ That dose not cover the bearing swap though. Sorry!

[@abalem]

I thought the subject was "meh... " personally, until I found myself comparing DT 240 exp to other hubs today, and I remembered your video. Now it's like a gift from heavens ! ^^ By the way, what are the advantages of going to 54T, besides making the whole thing a lot louder ?

[@ridesofjapan]

To me, absolutely nothing ;)

[@olivert.2968]

Great video and easy to do on the rear hub.Did I miss something or how do you do the maintenance on the front hub?

[@ridesofjapan]

Basic front maintenance is just pulling out the end caps, giving it all a clean and pop them back together. Bearings rarely need replacing as they are not subject to either the same forces or same amount of grime as the rear. My front bearings has not yet required any replacement 3-4year in. But disassembly is similar to the rear in that you knock out one bearing with the axle itself. Dt Swiss has a few specific tools for the front as well depending on axle size etc. you can check the service manual here: www.dtswiss.com/pmt/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/10/00/00/04/01/1/MAN_HXD10000004011S_WEB_EN_001.pdf

[@manuelcobian2355]

Hi thanks you so much for the video, help me 100%,how can I do the service to the front wheel?God bless you I'm from San Diego California

[@NelsonSherry]

Quick thought: Why not remove the ratchet ring before knocking the left-hand bearing out to avoid all the tool instability issues?

[@ridesofjapan]

It would be more "unstable" to knock the non-drive side out if I already had removed the ratchet first. But of course, if you only want to get the ratchet out, no need to do the non-drive side 👍

[@paulbijen]

Or just loosen the ratchet ring with an impact (only loose but keep it mostly in), knock out the non drive side bearing and then remove the ratchet ring by hand. The axle should be kept in place by the bearings (sideways) and there shouldn’t be any tension or impacts on other parts… Or am I missing something?

[@juiceofsapho]

It is interesting that completely silent freewheel hub mechanism is used in conventional bicycles, but for some reason the annoying, noisy and inneficient one is used for most geared bicycles. I never understood the reason for this.

[@timothymcteague8437]

Be careful not to add too much DT grease. I put a lot on in hopes of quieting things down. It ended up spinning and not engaging. Sort of like the initial recall issue they had. Once I cleaned it out and used just a light smear things worked fine. I love the simplicity but miss the quietness of my Campy and WI hubs.

[@tomasp3394]

Unless you have literally drown it in grease and it had nowhere to go the problem is bad grease type rather than amount. Heavy lithium ball bearing grease can clog up cogs pretty easily, low friction silicone grease make it possible for cogs to swim in grease and still engage just fine while damping the sound.

[@andrewlucas246]

yep- the hubs need a light grease to run optimally, most normal bike greases will cause spinning as described. There is plenty of room for freewheel sound tuning via grease choice, though unfortunately mostly in the louder direction.

[@martinfarrell1112]

Made quick revisit to this masterpiece of a maintenance video. I have a set of DT GRC 1400 Spline wheelset with EXP. I cant recall it having the spacer on the hubshell side. But I might also have lost it. Is this a problem?

[@ridesofjapan]

You mean in the freehub body? I’ve never tried using it without so couldn’t give you an answer I’m afraid.

[@witepa]

I’m curious to know the other greases you’ve experimented with to quiet down the noise.

[@TheKMov]

Very detailed video as always. I’m wondering where to buy original NTN bearing in Japan?

[@tomahoks]

NTN bearings, HAMBINI approves. LOL

[@Evaldasd]

Loving your videos 🤓 are the live streams ever coming back again?

[@ridesofjapan]

Cheers! Not sure I have anything worth sharing in a live steam that I couldn’t do better as a video… but you never know :)

[@mediocrecyclist]

I really did enjoy those livestreams. Good people talking about bikes is always welcomed 👌

[@gen-X-trader]

do you have a favorite bearing? i'm not sure those 1526 bearings in the rear 240exp are really that great and none of the normal industrial companies like SFK , NSK or NTN make that size. also LOL on the ring tool and the axle. i made the same mistake and killed a tool not having the axle installed my 1st time too. works MUCH better with the axle installed. also have found some permatex anti seize to be useful on the threads. the copper version makes disassembly the next time even easier. the first time it felt like i was applying north of 100ft/lbs to break it free

[@Adonis-qj1nq]

Good video, thanks for the tutorial! Out of curiosity, where did you buy the tool you called the drift to punch out the bearing from the free hub? Can you provide the part number so I know to buy proper tool?

[@ridesofjapan]

It’s a generic punch bought at a hardware store. Nothing bike specific or bearing specific.

[@Adonis-qj1nq]

@@ridesofjapan ah ok, thanks. Also does the same kit work for servicing the front wheel?

[@ridesofjapan]

@@Adonis-qj1nq There's different tools depending on hub model. You can check the technical manual here www.dtswiss.com/pmt/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/10/00/00/04/01/1/MAN_HXD10000004011S_WEB_EN_001.pdf

[@robelliott1428]

Can you recommend the best type of brush for applying the Special grease to ratchet and components.. i.e. horse hair or nylon or plumbers dope brush for example?

[@ДмитроПилипенко-э5г]

Comment in support of the channel✋

[@charlesmartins218]

Parabéns pelo video, mas a dt swiss dificultou muito a manutenção do cubo. O modelo anterior tinha a manutenção mais simples.

[@Wiroe]

16:51 on the non-EXP version of the ratchet hubs this ring will be removed when you remove the threaded ring

[@sinill17]

I enjoyed watching it. When I clean... I use...What kind of alcohol is it????? ^^::

[@ridesofjapan]

Just use some kind of degreaser.

[@edumm-jv5cq]

Hello. I think your video is very good, thank you. I have tried to disassemble the thread that carries the integrated bearing, but it is very strong, I have not been able to unscrew it. Any trick or help? It is a Dt Swiss 180 Exp for MTB.

[@edumm-jv5cq]

Is it necessary to remove the black rubber ring on top of it?

[@ridesofjapan]

If it’s really stubborn, I think using the vise method, grabbing the tires and using the whole wheel for momentum is the best way. Often requires more force than you think. And remember counter-clockwise :)

[@NC-nc9jf]

I wanted to replace my old DT Swiss 370 bearings to a hybrid bearings. How many bearings do i need to get for the front and rear? And what size and model? Thanks

[@christocan4710]

When I changed the bearings on a DT Swiss Hub (broken after less than a year) I used the hard side of the hammer and all the force i got. Only then it moved by fractions of a millimeter. Of course not much help from DT Swiss. Quality!

[@HarishChouhan]

Mate, do you have a video of your wheel specs that you got from Lightbicycles? Going to order a set of wheels from them but not sure about the 36T or 54T options for the 240 hubs.

[@ridesofjapan]

The wheels in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4KYamODg7mtbK8si=rimgnFCzijhuTS-t Light bicycle wheelset: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppCvqneeabx0f7Msi=f3wfsYodPgZGzHWA

[@robsthedon]

😎

[@keithc5729]

Can I buy an 18 tooth fixed star ratchet? I like quiet freehubs.

[@123moof]

Wait… I was fully expecting you to at least weigh the Very Light Grease?! Bonus points if you had weighed all the tools.

[@christopherhood9241]

suprt production - great to see your wheels are not plastered with manufactors advertising.

[@wsbygt]

Any update on the bearings? Are they as good as the oem parts? Cheers!

[@ridesofjapan]

No problems

[@kilpakkillo8440]

Hello, the red washer goes right through the hub and stops against the bearing? Is there a gap between the bearing and the toothing? It happens to me that the red washer moves laterally and the ratchet jumps when pedaling, could that be the problem

[@hauglien]

So, does anybody know if the Mavic iD360 should be treated another way? I have had some issues with sub-zero temperatures, so I guess I need to ensure that the lubricant is frost free.

[@rmania247]

anyone else disappointed we didn't get a little freehub soundcheck after all that?

[@falcoperegrinus82]

Are all DT Swiss hubs serviceable without special tools? Because for the life of me, I cannot pull my casette off the hub.

[@ridesofjapan]

Star Ratchet hubs should come right off with a good tug. I’ve read about people putting the end caps in a vice and pulling the wheel straight up. But I’d be careful to not squeeze the end cap to hard in a vice. Older pawl based hubs like the old 350 might be different( I have no experience with those personally.)

[@peterv3198]

Have you ever considered onyx hubs for silent coasting?

[@ridesofjapan]

Too heavy 😉

[@peterv3198]

@@ridesofjapan Lol always sacrifices

[@yonglingng5640]

There's an alternative: Foss (Taiwan).

[@kidShibuya]

My local bike shop in Japan after an unrelated service told me they found that all the grease in my hub had gone bad and turned red, so they did me a favour and replaced it....

[@user-nn4wj8gk9s]

How much end float should you expect in the free hub ?

[@docmccoy9813]

After using the Carbon Ti X hubs, what's your opinion against the DTs 240

[@ridesofjapan]

I have yet to do any maintenance on the x hub, so can’t comment on that. As for riding, they are both loud as crap… but no obvious problems otherwise. Carbon Ti has the 6bolt option that I prefer. Don’t remember if the 6bolt are an option on the new exp road hubs or not. Xhub smokes the 240 on weight, But by reputation and spare part availability the DT Swiss is pretty hard to beat.

[@docmccoy9813]

@@ridesofjapan Thanks a lot for your feedback.

[@danielbum912]

GRAM Master though

[@al-du6lb]

Were you happy with the ultra low friction 6806 llb bearing for your bb30, or should I go for the llu/2rs seals?

[@ridesofjapan]

I didn’t use ultra low friction llb, I put llu in the freehub body. But I’d probably use the original llb+llu combo if I could.

[@al-du6lb]

@@ridesofjapan I heard you say that for the freehub, but what about the older video you did for your bottom bracket?

[@ridesofjapan]

@@al-du6lb had no problems for the rest of the time I had the frame. (Sold now) Personally, unless I’m doing some kind of time trial race… witch I’ll never do, I’d probably put LLB sealed bearing in a bottom bracket…. I like to wash my bike pretty aggressively ;)

[@al-du6lb]

@@ridesofjapan Thank you. That's exactly what I was thinking, but like you I was curious. I think i'll go LLB, and I'll definitely use your amazon link for the bb press.

[@ridesofjapan]

@@al-du6lb cheers!

[@3niknicholson]

What is the function of the spacer?

[@whoareyou99515]

can i know what type of scott toilet paper you using for cleaning?

[@ridesofjapan]

Sorry, I was not really clear in the video. but It's not toilet paper, it's their "shop towels" amzn.to/3EOrZNf

[@abalem]

How would you compare them to Carbon-t X-hub ?

[@ridesofjapan]

Have not used my x-hub yet so can’t really say much. But in terms of complexity the exp hub is still easier to deal with.

[@mac16a]

So it's like a freewheel hub but more expensive

[@elhoffman8290]

It would appear that Giant branded hubs are just rebranded DT Swiss. Can anyone confirm this?

[@ridesofjapan]

Many brands use dt Swiss internals, but if its the old ratchet or the new exp version it’s hard say until you open them up, and depending on model year it can change. So it really hard to say all giant branded hubs have the same dt Swiss internals.

[@bengt_axle]

What is the preferred bearing in Japan? NTN?

[@ridesofjapan]

Ntn is Japanese, so it’s easy to get your hands on.

[@dinunclv]

Will doing this not damage the bearings?

[@ridesofjapan]

In theory you can damage bearings when removing them by tapping the inner bearing race, that's why you generally only remove them when they need to be replaced. When installing new bearings you do it by the outer race which doesn't put any stress on the bearing balls or carriers. But if you use wrong tools or are installing them carelessly by tapping the inner race, then yes in theory you can still damage the bearings.

[@dinunclv]

@@ridesofjapan should i just try to clean and regrease then without taking them out? They are probably still good and I do not want to damage them.

[@ridesofjapan]

If you think they are still good and don’t feel “crunchy” there’s no need to clean and re-grease them in my opinion. If they feel crunchy but you still want to try and “save” them, I’d first see if you can remove the seal with the bearing in place and give it a good clean and re-grease. If that is impossible, try and remove them as carefully as you can. If they somehow get damaged by you removing them it’s not the end of the world, a new bearing is not that expensive. I’ve yet to damage a bearing by carefully removing them and I’ve reinstalled bearing I removed without issues. But I can not guarantee that this will always be the case.

[@mikemercado1957]

8:29 Does it need 2x each of bearings? 6802 and 1526 ?

[@ridesofjapan]

2x 6802 for the freehub body. One of each on the hub itself. Check the description for bearing dimensions/part numbers, note that they differ between 240exp and 180exp hubs on the non-drive side

[@mikemercado1957]

@@ridesofjapan Oh didnt see that. Thanks! Do you have the fronts too? My hubs are built in Xentis Mark1 road wheels. I just read its using DT 240 but not aware there are many 240 models. Mine is a standard old school 2006 hub.

[@ridesofjapan]

If it’s 2006 model, definitely need to look that up… probably very different bearing specs.

[@mortlow6688]

240's on 2 bikes , no Problems at all...