DT ratchet teeth 54T vs 36T vs stock 18T for ebike

[Barto]

Isn't Hybrid ratched 24T only?

Just read the entire thread as it is exactly the predicament I'm in and like any good entertainment it ends with a cliffhanger... Looking forward to the answer to your question.

 

[volts]

Have been running 54t exp ratchet for 2 years now without problems (after initial callback replacement ratchet).
Clean and service it every 2 months, takes 10 minutes.
About 5k ebike km done on it.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

I'm using a 24T ratchet on my DTSwiss HX1700 wheelset with a 12 sp XD driver. This is what the wheel manufacturer recommends for e-bikes to limit wear and tear dus to the additional torque over analogs. On eMTBs I wouldn't go higher than 24T.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

When I was looking into swapping the ratchets from 24 to 54, I read the knock off ratchets when serviced show darkening of the grease, indicating metal wear.
I stuck with the official DT Swiss ratchets for this reason alone.

Yes I stuck with the more expensive DT Swiss 54t and have been using that one for about a year now and like it's quicker engagement.

 

[Pyr0]

No issues (yet) with the set of 54's I fitted around July 2021.
It's not like i've kept up with servicing them at regular intervals either, i forget all the time..
They'll probably start slipping on the commute home now i've said that lol

 

[Barto]

Is anyone able to confirm if the hybrid ratchet (24T) is made differently to the 36 for example? I'm a big guy on an ebike and want to find the sweet spot between reliability and sound.

 

[Tony4wd]

On r2-bike.com the 24 tooth is listed as being steel and about 60 grams heavier than the 36 tooth

 

[Barto]

On r2-bike.com the 24 tooth is listed as being steel and about 60 grams heavier than the 36 tooth which is alloy and hollowed out.

Yeah right, thanks mate

 

[salko]

On r2-bike.com the 24 tooth is listed as being steel and about 60 grams heavier than the 36 tooth which is alloy and hollowed out.

All ratchet rings are steel, alloy could not withstand the forces ... And 36T-54T ratchets have inner groove to keep weight down ...

 

[Barto]

All ratchet rings are steel, alloy could not withstand the forces ... And 36T-54T ratchets have inner groove to keep weight down ...

What would the reason be that dt recommend staying with the 24t on an ebike? The groove? The smaller teeth given there are more or them?

 

[salko]

18T has a fewer bigger teeth with slower engagement while 54T has a lot of smaller teeth with fast engagement. 24T seems to be a good compromise having reasonable fast engagement with still quite big teeth ... Bigger teeth meaning ratchet will move considerably more towards each other while engaging which makes a more reliable and strong connection.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

24T seems to be a good compromise having reasonable fast engagement with still quite big teeth

That's one of the reasons DT Swiss chose the 24T Ratchet on their hybrid 350 hub system and HX1700 wheelset, which were designed for eMTB use.

 

[lockin]

Anyone with 18T Ratchet know that there is not so small lag before you start pedal and when the bike starts to ride. On mine got 36T and I would never go back to 18T even for they paid me

 

[Mikerb]

If you want to learn a bout the pros and cons of more or less ratchet teeth check out the DT Swiss Website.

Engagement angle technology | DT Swiss

www.dtswiss.com

 

[SummerMadness]

Seems to me, they don't want e bikers buying anything more than 24t due to warranty. But from what I am reading, plenty on here using 36 or 52 without issue. 36 is a pretty good sweet spot which allows for twice as quick engagement as the 18 tooth, will allow for a bit of kickback and will probably survive a few years

 

[jimbob]

For the naive amongst us, what are the benefits of a ratchet setup over one with pawls?

 

[salko]

More points of contact, stronger, more reliable, easy and less maintenence ....

 

[sstenzz]

I'm never going back to pawls.

 

[volts]

I think prawls work just fine but ratchet is more simple and easy to maintain with fewer parts.
It doesn't have more points of contact per se, it depends on the hub and type of ratchet. They come in i few different varieties and the most teeth I have seen is 54t and a prawl style hun from industry 9 has way more points of engagement than a dt hub with 54t.

 

[paquo]

Anyone with 18T Ratchet know that there is not so small lag before you start pedal and when the bike starts to ride. On mine got 36T and I would never go back to 18T even for they paid me

my biggest complaint about my new bike was the ridiculous lag of the dt hybrid hub. At first i planned on upgrading it to the higher poe of the 36t but found that was not as easy as the original dt hub where all you had to do was switch the ratchets. No , this involved all kinds of proprietary tools etc so i used the money instead toward a I9 Hydra Enduro wheel with 600 poe and basically no lag. I switch back and forth between the 2 and the dt works better for street/fire road

 

[Barto]

So in your opinion (anyone), is it worth moving up to a 36t on my DT350 hybrid 24T with all things considered?

 

[lockin]

So in your opinion (anyone), is it worth moving up to a 36t on my dt350 hybrid with all things considered?

From 18T to 36T definitely yes. From 24T to 36T no idea since I never had 24T. But with 36T there is no lag and this is how you should pick the right one for U.

 

[Th3bill]

So in your opinion (anyone), is it worth moving up to a 36t on my DT350 hybrid 24T with all things considered?

Well, I just ordered the parts for this swap, so I'll let you know once I get my bike back from the shop...first update of the EP800 motor failed at 42% and bricked it, so I'm waiting for local shop to get adapter for sd300 cable.