# Another one bites the dust...



## Trails4Two (May 12, 2008)

Two years ago we blew up our White Ind. hub (destroyed prawls and cracked drive ring) we
decided to try the much-touted DT Swiss 540 tandem hub. It worked smoothly for
until today when it gave out on a steep hill. The star-ratchet rings
lots metal off the tips so that they wouldn't engage under pressure. Granted,
if I were carrying a spare pair of ratchets (very easy to do) it would have been
a 10 min trailside fix - but I wasn't. We ended up with a 6 mile hike/coast to
get out. I'll report back after I drop by DT on Monday. 

It's odd because we're not a particularly strong team, but I guess we do ride in an area that has some bike-stressful trails.


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## PMK (Oct 12, 2004)

I'm not saying the problem was related to this, but could be. The one DT we "slipped" was in need of routine service. It was on our first tandem. A few bucks worth of drive rings and back in business.

That hub taught me to keep the drive rings clean and lubricated with routine maintenance.

As you know by the 10 minute comment, these hubs are beyond easy to work on and maintain.

From a design standpoint, I have never seen a more robust drive / freewheel design.

PK


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## Trails4Two (May 12, 2008)

Maintenance could be a factor. I hadn't cleaned/lubed since last Summer. When I opened it up on the trail there was still grease, but it had gone black. It could have caused the rings to not fully engage. Something like that would explain how we ripped the very tips off of the teeth. When I pulled the star rings I could tell they had been damaged. I still like the design very much. I have now learned about maintenance schedule and spare parts for the DT hub. I love that I could have easily fixed it on the trail if I had been carrying the parts. (Ironically, the warranty manager at DT was at my house the day before the break, and he checked the hub on my single bike...)


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## PMK (Oct 12, 2004)

Trails4Two said:


> Maintenance could be a factor. I hadn't cleaned/lubed since last Summer. When I opened it up on the trail there was still grease, but it had gone black. It could have caused the rings to not fully engage. Something like that would explain how we ripped the very tips off of the teeth. When I pulled the star rings I could tell they had been damaged. I still like the design very much. I have now learned about maintenance schedule and spare parts for the DT hub. I love that I could have easily fixed it on the trail if I had been carrying the parts. (Ironically, the warranty manager at DT was at my house the day before the break, and he checked the hub on my single bike...)


I decided with our Fandango (540 rear hub) to remove the right side axle ends retaining "O"ring. This made for an entirely tools free disassembly of the freehub. The QR will hold it together.

I have run the DT approved Molykote in and also Phil Wood oil in our hubs. The oil provides less drag for engaging the drive rings. It does however require more routine service. While needing more service, the oil is much easier to clean and reapply.

The grease works well also, we run that in our Co-Motion.

If the maintenance may have been the cause, that is an easy and inexpensive fix. If the freehub slipped due to a riding technique of a series of quick cycle(s) of a backpedal followed by a hard forward pedal, possibly there was not enough time for the engagement to happen.

FWIW, if you had opened the hub on the trail, ( I read you did open it) cleaned it as best you could, and rode out ensuring the hub engaged before a large effort it may have gotten you home. The drive rings we slipped, merely rounded of the tops of the ratchet. With caution and a second longer to ensure engagement they still would "lock up" and provide drive.

BTW, can you ask your friend if DT has gotten more stock on 145mm axles for the Tandem TD hubs. I should get a spare for the Co-Mo.

PK


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## tsetsaf (Oct 20, 2009)

We blew up 2 DT hubs in our first 1000 miles of riding. Upgraded to a steel internal Chris King that has literally been bullet proof for 6k hard mountain bike miles.


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