The special sauce, indeed!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

36

Height

5` 10"

Weight

155 lbs

I see many comments slinging their way around on this thread, so let me give you my smack. I ride road and I ride Campagnolo and of course a DT Swiss hub on my Lightweights and let me say that while I moved from the stock 18T up to the 36T it is quite an improvement when instant engagement means everything -- however, I wish I would have gone to the 54T. Even though the difference, ratio-wise, is little more than a hairs-difference, I still need it. As far as noise in concerned, that depends on your frame -- I run Lightweight carbon wheels on a magnesium frame, and yes, it does sound like a rage of bees swarming, the frame helps with this echo though. Bottom line, IMO, if you're going to make the move go straight up 54T and break down with the extra few bucks -- you won't be sorry. Cheers!

Cyclingmasterseller

Great addition to my wheels-45t upgrade

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Was quite surprised by how much difference this made on my wheel. A lot more snappy when changing climbing cadence and quite more engagement while spinning above 95RPM or so.

Abdelrahman E.

Nice addition to your gravel/trail setup

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

36T

Height

5` 11"

Weight

195 lbs

I have 2 sets of wheels for my 2016 Specialized Diverge Pro. One setup for the road and the 2nd for trails/gravel. Put this in the gravel wheels. Will you notice the 9g savings in rotating weight? Hell no. Will you notice the faster engagement and the change in tone sound wise. YES. I like it! I always prefer the ratchet design over the pawl designs with the “angry bees” annoyance. Your call if it is worth the rather steep price. Now I have the “official” DT Swiss grease. Ha! Any different that the white lithium grease I’ve been using? Who knows? I’m enjoying the switch!

Walter M.

Just what I hoped, and quieter!

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

First of all, I bought this is for road use. I figured the 36 tooth would be a reasonable upgrade, though no doubt if I were doing a mountain bike now I'd go with the 54. Installation was simple, I kept the grease to a minimum, and I'm very impressed. The reduction of the engagement angle by half (10 vs. 20 degrees) is very nice - really makes the bike feel much more responsive and quicker. I really notice it on fast group rides when responding to accelerations, etc. But the big surprise is the lack of noise. Based on other reviews I was expecting more of an 'angry bees' wail, but it's actually pretty quiet. It's a 'full' sound due to the no. of teeth, but it sounds really good. All in all, a very good option for an existing product. You take pedaling for granted, but this is a meaningful improvement in efficiency. It's not quite a 'like a new bike' feel, but it is a major performance upgrade, sort of like a brand new chain, but on steroids.

Jim L.

cant go wrong

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Def not needed on easy XC type trails but if you hit tech, slow switch backs or any tight sections (rocks) where you need to stall or back pedal some, the 54 is awesome. Been running the same set for 1.5yrs no issues on the 350 hub.

Larry Laffer

DT Swiss 54 T star ratchet upgrade

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

awesome and well worth upgrade. engagement is instantanous...specially on chunky uphill climb

roberto C.

Awesome!

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Almost no slack and instant gratification when pedaling in the technical rock gardens of Colorado.

Kris K

get it if you have dt swiss hubs

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

great upgrade to a great hub that had below par engagement. I added to dt swiss 240 hubs on a road and mtb and don't know why I didn't years ago.

Kyle Br

More Power

Familiarity:

I gave it as a gift but have feedback to share

Upgraded after trying the stock ratchet on the dt swiss 350, made the hub almost as good as my i9 hub. Highly recommend to upgrade if you do technical climbs and want instant power to the wheel. The noise level after the upgrade is more noticeable, hikers seem to hear me coming without using my bell as often. I will always make this upgrade to any dt swiss hub that I own.

Thearith Chhim

Get the engagement!

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Ever wonder ... "how long do I have to pedal for my hubs to engage?".... well if you upgrade with this kit you won't have time to wonder that anymore! Upgrade your ratchets!

JT Nebeker

Faster Engagement

This kit does exactly what it's meant to. Pushes you up to near instant engagement on your rear hub. I got this for a change over to single speed and I'm glad I did.

Shawn Craig

54t Upgrade is Awesome

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Upgraded from the 18t version. It was super simple and I love the way DT hubs are easy to service. Took maybe 5 minutes. The engagement is really fast and of course it also sounds awesome.

Jay H

Gotta Have

Swapped these out on my Enves for both my Blur 3 and Hightower. Really nice to have some extra engagement out on the trail.

Jason True

So Much Engagement!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

You don't know what your missing until you try out a hub with high engagement. It is so worth it. This guy is easy to install, bomb proof, and pretty noisy. Highly recommended if you have DT wheels with the other star ratchets

James Pramick

Check what you have before ordering.

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Didn't have engagement issues with my 5010 but though the 36t upgrade may be worthwhile. Got the existing ratchet rings off and low and behold the 5010 already had 36t installed instead of 18t rings. As for how much better the 36t is over the 18t I can't say. I can say 36t engagement is really good. Guess I already have a replacement set if ever needed. Lastly, installation is a breeze, clean you drivetrain then go watch a video on you-tube on how to do it. You can do the job without tools in 15 minutes.

NC Bob

Easy and Makes a Difference

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I swapped an 18T on my Yeti SB5,5 for a 54T and am mega happy with the faster engagement. This is super easy to install. No tools required if you have a quick release axle. Just make sure to go easy on the grease. Too much grease is a bad thing. And with the finer teeth on the 54T, too much grease can cause the teeth to wear out faster. For applying grease, try finding a small/fine paint brush to get an even coating of it in the hard to get to parts.

Jared Downs

highly recommend it!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

if you are struggling to ride over technical terrain because you have too much play in your pedal stroke... Buy the upgrade. its something that takes two mins to install and will make life much easier.

Mark Eichner

Upgraded Response

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

If you ride a DT Swiss hub, I would recommend purchasing this upgrade kit for better freehub engagement. It will really help for a better riding experience through the techy stuff.

Nick Johnson

Easy Upgrade

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Really easy to install and increases your pedaling engagement. It's very evident once you install it but you really feel the benefits it on uneven rocky climbing sections. Much easier to just but this part than upgrade an entire hub.

Nick Chan

Must Have

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

A very quick and easy upgrade for much quicker engagement. No brainer upgrade.

Travis Bivins

54t compatible for Road Bike Wheelset. DT Swiss 48”Dicut.?

Edwin B.

Will this work with the 157mm Superboost version of the DT Swiss 350 Hub?

hideo1450127-0

Will the upgrade kit work for Roval wheels which use DT Swis internals

Jason T.

Will these work on DT Swiss 370 Hubs that come on the 1900 spline wheel set?

charlie M.

How's durability and maintenance on 54T vs 36T? I heard maintenance goes up as teeth go up. True?

Josh H.