[Murf524]

:mad:I'm lazy and haven't searched the forum but I'm looking to replace the hub on our Comotion Speedster. I bought a used 2004? with approximately 1500 miles on it. The wheelset is a 40H Velocity Dyad laced to a DT/Hugi hub. My wife and I were climbing a hill last night when the rear hub failed. The failure was internal if you put any pressure on the pedals the cranks just spin without moving you foward. We are a 400+ pound gear-mashing tandem team. We participate in weekly and weekday group rides of 40 - 80 miles. Do any of y'all have a recommendation for a replacement hub? I've looked at....
DT Swiss 540
Phil Wood
Chris King
Do you really get that much more bang for the buck or is it bragging rights? Thanks for your input.

BTW: We live in Northwest Florida so it's not as if it was a "real" hill we were climbing.

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[TandemGeek]

The DT/Swiss hub may be salvagable. You may want to contact an authorized DT/Swiss retailer, their tech support folks, or the folks at Co-Motion. You'll find additional info here in the Archives as well.

However, noting that the DT/Swiss hubs still seem to be somewhat sensitive to routine maintenance and relubrication, if you're looking for a best-value replacement hub consider a Shimano HF08 model or a White Industries tandem hub.

[RickinFl]

You may have blown up the star ratchet, and they definitely can be replaced, and easily at that.

Take the wheel off the bike and take the skewer out. Lay the wheel down with the cassette facing up. Using both hands and a rag, lift up smartly on the back side of the cassette (someone may need to hold the wheel down for you, but I find that if I curl my fingers up with the knuckles resting against the spokes, the whole thing just lifts off).

This will expose the entire guts of the ratchet mecahnism and you can take stock of the situation- there'll basically be the two star ratchets, a spring or two and a large washer. Be careful to observe the orientation of the parts because they can go back in incorrectly with the result that you could find yourself riding fixed gear which will be disastrous for the rest of the drive chain. Somewhere on the DT Swiss website are pictures showing how this is all done.

I'd say that if you've broken a ratchet or stripped the teeth between the rachets, you can get replacements and be good to go. On the other hand, if you've blown up the splines that engage the rachets in the body of the hub itself, a new hub is in order. If the same splines in the part that mounts the cassette are the only ones stripped, that part can be replaced, but I'd say a new hub assembly would be a good idea.

I carry a spare pair of star ratchets with me (greased and ready to install) because this procedure can easily be done in the field if necessary in probably 15 minutes or less.

Also, it's a good idea to clean and regrease the ratchets at the end of each season.

Rick