Tech Tuesday: How & Why to Upgrade Your 3-Pawl DT Swiss Hub to a Star Ratchet

We put a lot of stock in the tiny unseen pieces of metal that make our bikes tick. Especially the ones that literally make our bikes tick; the freehub. The most popular approach to the freehub relies on pawls and springs. It's a concept that brands like Industry Nine and Project 321 have elevated to a high art. But the system inside most pawl-based hubs isn't nearly as precise, and they don't really have to be. If you just need the wheel to turn when you pedal, a basic set of pawls will do the trick. That's why, for years, it's been the go-to setup when price is a factor.


DT Swiss, possibly the most common name in high-end hubs, was founded in opposition to pawl designs. Back when they were called “Hügi,” all their hubs used what they called the Star Ratchet freehub. Two opposing toothy rings rotate against each other until you pedal, when they lock together, engaging all of those teeth at once. Instead of putting the drive load on just three points of contact (or sometimes two or one if you start to pedal at precisely the wrong moment), the Star Ratchet has 18 points of contact (or 36 or 54, depending on your preference). The individual Star Ratchet rings are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

But the hubs themselves are definitely not cheap when compared to the hubs getting specced on most mid-priced bikes. So, long ago DT Swiss introduced pawl-based hubs to secure some sweet OEM business, leaving many riders with DT hubs that aren't truly DT hubs. That's why, about a year and a half ago, DT introduced a way to replace the pawl mechanism in most entry-level DT hubs with a true Star Ratchet. The Ratchet LN Upgrade Kit comes complete with a freehub body, two 18-tooth ratchet rings, and the parts to make them work in your hub. It seemed like a pretty big deal, and deserved a little more attention and explanation. Because it turns out, it’s still not all that simple.


First, DT Swiss has made both three- and two-pawl hubs in the past, and the conversion kit will only work on three-pawl hubs. Both configurations have been used on the popular entry-level model, the 370, but not all 370s will be labeled, and none will tell you how many pawls they use until you get inside. Simple way to figure it out is, if it has a modern thru-axle, your hub is convertible. The only hubs that are two-pawl have a steel quick-release axle with old-school threaded cones and 17mm lock nuts. Basically, if there are no hex-nuts on the edges of your DT Swiss hub’s axle, you can convert to a Star Ratchet.

Depending on the configuration, prices range from about $100 to $115 for 18-tooth, alloy-body kits, and about $50 more for 36-tooth. 54-tooth ratchet rings need to be purchased separately. There are also steel-body kits, but for most riders, aluminum is fine. As for exactly which kit you’ll need, that’s based primarily on which cassette you’re using: a SRAM XD, Shimano Micro Spline, or original Shimano HG. There are also differences between DT's mountain, road, and "hybrid" (e-bike) hubs. Wherever you're purchasing the kit should be able to pick out the right one if you have your current hub.

The kit includes the entire ratcheting mechanism, including the ratchet rings, the springs that keep them engaged, and the threaded insert that the inboard ratchet ring slides on on when engaging and disengaging. The outboard ring slides inside an insert that is part of the freehub body itself, which comes with the kit. Removing the insert from the hub is where this can get a little tricky. It doesn’t come out easily. Every one of your pedal strokes since you first got your 3-pawl DT Swiss hub have been working to keep your insert tight. You may be fighting years of history as you loosen it. And of course, it takes a special tool to remove your three-pawl ratchet ring, and a different one to install the Star Ratchet ring.


But the problem is, these things are $80 each. So, the best approach is to simply let your local shop handle that part. DT Swiss covers how to do this, as well as changing the threaded inserts and installing the Star Ratchet system and new freehub body, in the video below.


If you bring your shop the wheel ready for the old insert to be threaded out and the new one threaded in, you’re likely to get in and out with minimal time and money invested. But that relies on your shop having these tools. If you live somewhere with any type of a mountain bike scene, most shops will be able to help you out, but if you’re not that lucky, you may be buying your own. Thankfully, you don’t need a tool that’s shop-quality.

At the time of writing this, there were a few decent-looking generic Star Ratchet ring installation tools for about a third the price of the DT version on Amazon, including this one. And an apparently compatible 3-pawl removal tool like this one. But according to the reviews, the generic 3-pawl ring removal tools are a little suspect. Some may require removing bearings, some may not fit at all. And these are far more crucial than the installation, which will eventually self-tighten. Either find a shop with the tools, take a risk on Amazon, or buy the real deal to remove the 3-pawl ring.

So, does this even add up if you’re buying your own tools? After all, you may be paying a little over $200 including the conversion kit. You could likely find a DT Swiss 350 hub complete for not much more than that. But that would involve rebuilding the wheel. And, while we’re on that slippery slope, you might as well just replace the wheel at that rate. But if you can do this without a significant tool investment, it is absolutely worth it. The reliability and the customization options alone will justify the price. The conversion kit takes what is arguably not a “real” DT wheel, and transforms it into a true high-end hoop. It is no longer a price-point, OEM-only part. It is now high-end. Fancy. Boutique even. All thanks to some unseen metal parts that make your bike tick, probably louder than it did before.