DT Swiss has entered the anti-kickback chat with their all-new DEG DF – in all probability the best, lightest, and best answer to isolate suspension motion from chain stress and suggestions at your pedals. In contrast to spider-based anti-kickback programs, and even different hub-based options, the DT DF system is designed to drop into the wheelset you have already got in your bike – providing simply adjustable isolation angles. You see, it’s actually only a new star ratchet and ratchet ring combo that threads into any present outsized DEG hub. Effectively, we have now a number of DT Swiss wheels with DEG hubs, so we tried it out to see how it could remodel our path & enduro driving.
DT Swiss DEG DF: energetic anti-kickback in your present wheels
DT Swiss’ DEG DF anti-kickback answer is shockingly easy. By merely machining out a number of the enamel from the threaded metal ring that installs of their DEG rear hub after which machining away about 80% of the outer enamel on one in every of their ratchet rings, they supply user-selectable – 0°, 10° or 20° – freedom of motion earlier than their freehub engages.
DT describes DEG DF as “simply adjustable, low upkeep and including no weight” to let the rider tune hub engagement to how they journey.
It’s actually an anti-kickback answer that saves weight, provides no further components, and will be simply put in as an improve in lots of present wheels. However do you even want an anti-kickback machine in your bike?
Why does pedal kickback matter? And what about different energetic gadgets?
Lively anti-kickback gadgets have blown up lately – fueled largely by longer journey gravity bikes and the tiny profitable margins in downhill and enduro racing.
With lengthy journey usually comes lengthy chain development. And that implies that whenever you hit a bump, whereas standing you’ll really feel the bike sit back on the pedals because the hub pulls the chain again. In reality, your weight on the pedals and the ensuing stress within the chain prevents your suspension from shifting freely, with out resistance. Anti-kickback gadgets intention to isolate rear wheel motion from the rider (on the pedals) to permit your suspension to stay free to maneuver.
With the aim being free suspension motion like Aaron Gwin’s legendary chainless Leogang World Cup DH win.
Ochain has been a transparent chief with their machine in a proprietary spider, which does require a selected set up and dedication to the idea, plus including weight and a bit of additional complexity. Extra lately, e*13’s comparatively complicated Sidekick hub internals present a better set up, however once more, extra weight and an additional layer of small inside pawls to maintain working.
What do DEG & DF imply once more?
The naming is a bit of tough right here, however necessary for compatibility, so this deserves one other fast refresher. Ratchet DEG is DT Swiss’ latest introduction of quicker, extra-high hub Factors Of Engagement (POE) that got here with an outsized Star Ratchet ring – sustaining their benchmark power & sturdiness. DEG signifies decrease DEGgrees of hub engagement. It first launched solely on particular 240 DEG hubs final summer season with 90 POEs, really after getting teased as a part of the 180 DEG hubs contained in the XMC all-mountain or EXC enduro 1200-series carbon wheels half a yr earlier. Then, DT expanded to 350 DEG hubs this previous spring with 72 POEs. Each present DEG wheelset can simply be upgraded to DF internals.
Now, DF stands for Levels of Freedom. That’s signifies the mixture of quick DEG engagement with a number of, user-selectable levels of unrestricted freehub rotation to isolate chain stress from suspension motion. So sure, DEG DF form of stands for DEGrees Levels of Freedom, which is clearly clunky.
However let’s simply overlook about that and keep on with what issues, the way it works. So does it matter?
Driving Impressions
From the beginning, I’ve been fairly within the energetic anti-kickback machine idea. The enduro, all-mountain, and path bikes I sometimes journey do not likely undergo that a lot from pedal kickback. And I’m both too sluggish or not too fearful about saving seconds on my descents. However, I needed to see if I might discover a profit to separating drivetrain power from the suspension.
So, the easy DEG DF answer sounded nice. I had a number of wheelsets with DEG hubs already, because the restricted version colours dropped earlier within the yr, and this was the right alternative to check out anti-kickback in my native bikepark and yard trails.
Curiously, one in every of my first impressions was a rise in hub engagement noise. Many riders discuss how driving with an Ochain can quiet their bike. However, presumably the gap-toothed DT Swiss ratchet ring slaps in opposition to the DF Threadring because it engages and disengages, making further noise. Another programs use springs or elastomers to restrict motion at both ends. However the DT motion is totally unrestricted till its stops.
As you journey standing on the pedals, the ahead rotation on the rear hub continuously resets the ring within the freehub ahead. After which, every pedal enter disengages that connection. The sound isn’t tremendous loud. However there may be an audible ‘clack’, which really appears to verify all the things is working as meant.
In actual follow, at first, I couldn’t actually inform an enormous distinction vs. a slower-engaging hub. And I initially didn’t need to journey within the 20° place anytime once I anticipated any uphill pedaling – and even sluggish technical descending the place I might need to ratchet my pedals to get by chunky terrain.
However that is the place DT’s DEG DF system actually began to shine.
It’s so simple to vary settings, that I started to only flip it within the carry line after every back-to-back lap on the bikepark. The entire course of is tool-free – simply pull the cassette away from the hub shell, realign the gap-toothed inside DEG DF ratchet ring – and stick it again collectively. With follow, I might change settings in about 2 minutes. Generally even faster if I obtained fortunate with lining all the things again up and never needing to completely take away the cassette.
Plus, it was simple to set it again to zero for the very same fast-engaging journey as should you didn’t have DEG DF to start out with.
However does it really assist?
Finally, I believe that I observed an enchancment in grip and suspension really feel most on a quick, rooted DH monitor I rode a number of occasions. There, the 20° setting did appear to work effectively, smoothing all the things out.
However actually, for many path driving, I settled on the center 10° setting. A variety of occasions, I don’t discover that it’s there, and solely when the monitor will get particularly tough does it appear to shine. But, I nonetheless really feel just like the idea works effectively. It offers you extra adjustability and the power to tweak your journey really feel – particularly necessary in case your bike already suffers extra from pedal kickback, or if you’re driving a mid-travel bike on particularly quick & tough tracks.
And actually, there’s no simpler and cheaper method to check out an energetic anti-kickback machine than simply swapping in a brand new rear wheel. For instance, I can swap one wheel to a number of bikes to see which of them it helps most – and even lend a buddy a DEG DF wheel to see if energetic anti-kickback would possibly reshape their driving. Further bonus if you have already got a wheel with a DEG hub, as then it’s an actual no-brainer, if solely to try it out for your self.
I’m gonna maintain driving with it, maintain attempting completely different settings on completely different trails, and on in all probability each bike that comes by my workshop. And I’m assured that I’ll proceed to understand the tunability.
DT Swiss DEG DF – Pricing, availability & choices
DEG DF is all about making the anti-kickback idea accessible to extra riders to strive. So, as a substitute of launching this in any rideable product, DT is providing it first as an improve package. Meaning, anybody with a present DT Swiss DEG rear hub – 180 DEG, 240DEG, or 350DEG – should purchase this and improve themselves.
It actually took me simply 5 minutes to improve my present 350 hub.
Two sorts of improve kits can be found. The primary are $176 / 130€ kits that embody all the things you want for the swap. The DEG DF Threadring, the 90 POE DEG DF Inside Ratchet, an identical 90-tooth DEG Outer Ratchet, the two springs, a small tube of crimson ratchet grease, and the particular Threadring Removing Software. Or if in case you have a number of hubs to improve, or need to have your native store do the improve, a second package with out the device can be out there. (Only for comparability, upgrading your 72 POE 350 hub to the 90 POE degree of 180 & 240 hubs is already 100€, making this look like a killer deal.)
Two upgrades are provided. There’s the usual 90-tooth / 4° DEG DF with 0°/10°/20° adjustability. And an eMTB-specific DEG DF that’s decreased to 60-tooth / 6° engagement and solely 0°/10° adjustability to raised deal with larger ebike torque. DT means that light-assist ebikes within the 50-60Nm vary might in all probability use the usual model. However full energy ebikes over 85Nm undoubtedly require a Hybrid hub system answer.
All DT Swiss DEG DF improve kits can be found now, by your native sellers. And “all future DEG hubs may very well be outfitted with DEG DF“. It seems like this may very well be a typical possibility for brand new DT hub and wheel releases sooner or later.
DTSwiss.com
