Hello,

I watched some Youtube video's on how to service my DT Swiss Road Alloy 2.0 rear hub, since it was creaking. I took it apart, replaced the bearings and the freehub using an EXP ratchet tool. Then put back all the parts.
But... the problem I am facing now is that the freehub is not working as it should. As soon as I clamp down my wheel (even the slightest bit) using the clincher while it is turning, it causes the crank to move along. And if I hold the crankarms, the rear derailleur overstreches.
So if I put my bike upside down, mount the rear wheel without clamping it and start pedaling, the wheel will spin and when I stop pedaling, one can hear the ratchet rings make their typical noise, no force on the the cranck or rear derailleur, as it should be.
I also noticed that the axl was'nt turning as smooth as I would expect it to, even without installing the freehub.

What could be the cause of my problem and how to solve it? Is there any other information you need to be able to answer this question?

Thank you for your advice!

Peter G.

You obviously made a mistake. Whenever I put something back together and it doesn't work, the first thing I do is take it apart again and reassemble it in stages, testing as I go along. This helps me identify the stages I did correctly so I can drill down into what I did wrong. Testing partially rebuilt freehub shouldn't be difficult. I spins in one direction and ratchets down in the other.

Concur. Take it apart, verify you have all the parts in the correct orientation. Look at videos and parts diagrams.

where did you source the bearings from? did you verify that they're the correct dimensions?
also.. if even one seal or spacer or washer is out of position, the exact thing you're struggling with will occur...

and over-tightening the thru-axle or QR(if that's what your hub has) Will mash a spacer or two out of dimension...

check the spacer, spring, and ratchet spring washer in the Freehub first.

and Too Much Grease can cause what you mention too.. that usually causes excessive drag, but the freehub will still usually disengage with help... Too thick of grease does the same... was the grease a Freewheel type, or automotive axle grease from wherever?

an out-of-place part usually causes lockup when snugged into the frame...

Hello Guys,

Thanks alot for all the advice!

The bearings are the correct ones, I degreased everthing again and rebuild the wheel step by step as advised. I even remounted the old bearings and freehub to see if it made a difference.
Helas, every rebuild kept giving the same problem: when clamping the quickrelease, the freehub no longer disengages and therefore excerts power on the chain and crankset, when it shouldn't.

If anyone has an idea what else to do? If not, might have to search for a professional to have a look at it.

Peter MG

once again....
"Too Much Grease can cause what you mention too.. that usually causes excessive drag, but the freehub will still usually disengage with help... Too thick of grease does the same... was the grease a Freewheel type, or automotive axle grease from wherever?"

if no parts are showing damage, and you are certain everything is back together, in the proper orientation, then grease weight and amount are the only real possibles... it only takes a light coat of grease in a freehub ratchet mech.

there is one other thing i've seen in my 40 years of mechanic work... the bearings, if they went in a bit crooked to one side, can shear off a sliver of Aluminum and that sliver then gets between the bearing and it's seat in the Hub... careful measuring will detect a slightly askew bearing...

Or grease where you should have used oil. Mavic freehubs use oil.

But if it only seizes up when you clamp down on the quick release, I'm inclined to believe you assembled something incorectly.

Hello Maddog,

Today I degreased and did not put on any grease at all, to be sure that this cannot be the issue. The ratchet wheels can move freely.
Before that I used Gallic Pro grease, but now i ordered the DT Swiss special grease for hubs. It still has to arrive.

I cleaned out the "cups/seats" to be sure.

So Old bobcat is probably right, but where? The only thing I can do (tomorrow) is make a foto series to show what it is I do and the order of things.

Peter

PeterMG , is your hub a DT Swiss 240? There's also 350 and 180. The EXP are a little different inside.
Edit - can you post a link to an exploded diagram of your hub?

Did you overtighten the cassette? On a stand my freehub will pull the chain enough to spin the cranks, but that only started when I had to tighten a too loose cassette. If I grab the crank while it is doing this it freewheels just like you'd expect and I can't feel the push. I just need to loosen the lockring a bit, but not so much that the cassette creaks.

This should never cause the freehub to not spin. You either have a soft below the cassette that is deforming, like an o-ring; or you have a lockring that is going too far into the hub.

If your hub is locking up after you've serviced it would indicate that the spacer between free hub and hub is either missing or you have fitted the one in the free hub in the wrong place
If you have loaded it with grease, maybe but unlikely
Crooked bearings would potentially cause a problem

DT calls for light freehub grease, and that is what i've found in them.

it's a spring loaded ratchet face clutch setup, not pawls/splines.... SPRING Direction could be an issue... or possibly damage while replacing the bearings...even a bit crooked during re-install can create trouble. I would also make VERY certain the ratchets, and splines in the central and Freehub hubs are not galled/distorted... that can be an issue too... free movement is critical.. notchyness is the enemy of these type clutches...

this presenter is slow, but thorough... and i'd use the light freehub grease on the end cap o-ring too, avoiding possible mixing with the inner ratchet grease...

Hello,

I would say my hub is like a 350 hub. CSW RA 2.0 stands for Cube System Wheel Road Alloy, so it is a wheel build by DT Swiss for Cube bikes.

After watching the video below, I realised I did make a mistake. The first time i reassembled the wheel, i kind of squased the shim on the drive side of the hub. It got stuck between the bearing and the ratchet lock ring and deformed a bit, it led me to wrongly think that it did not belong there and left it out. Also i remounted the hub seal that sits on top of the lockring ( before I mounted it up-side-down). So, I straightened the shim, got it in the right way, sitting in the ratchet lock ring as shown in the video below (min 10 to 10' 30").

Helas, it did not solve the problem either.


Kontact What is "a soft"? And how can I prevent the lockring form going in too far into the hub, since it will thighten itself while riding?

Thanks to everyone giving advice.

Ps: Because I haven't made 10 posts yet, I am not allowed to link the youtube video. The title says: "Bearing service on DT star ratchet hub. How-to tutorial". by DT Swiss

"A soft 0-ring" or something similar.

I have to say, considering that you made multiple errors that you knew about - like discarding parts - it seems likely that you screwed up something else. Take it apart, use a parts diagram to verify what you have, start over again.

Did you maybe forget to add either the shim ring or the 15mm spacer?