These new DT Swiss 350 Road hubs look a lot like the latest DT mountain bike 350s. That’s because they are pretty much the same thing, just adapted for road spacing and drivetrains. But let’s face it, the bike industry needs more high-quality, dependable components that aren’t necessarily fighting to be the lightest, fanciest, or most expensive. And while a set of DT Swiss hubs isn’t the cheapest option out there, the 350s are DT’s lowest-cost aftermarket hubset, and they just got a premium performance and reliability upgrade.
Want more premium, fancier tech? You can always opt for the newer, more expensive Ratchet EXP 180 & 240 hubs.
Let’s face it, this was a long time coming. DT Swiss already upgraded their 350 mountain bike hubs from 18-tooth to 36-tooth SL Star Ratchet engagement standard, almost two years back. In fact, complete alloy DT MTB wheels already had the new centerlock hubs even 9 months earlier. At the time they were only offered MTB standard sizes, so while you could get a centerlock & 6-bolt hubset for classic mountain bikes, modern Boost mountain bikes, or even fat bikes… if you had a rim brake bike, or just needed a 12mm thru-axle front hub… you were out of luck.
Until now…
So, what’s new?
Just like on the trail, DT Swiss 350 Road hubs are their everyday workhorse on road, gravel & cyclocross, too. So DT gives them the same upgrades to keep your wheels spinning longer. For the most part, the new 350 Road hub isn’t actually very new, rather a much more refined evolution of the long-proven 350s. This generation does seem to look a lot more like the higher-end 240s, just with simple black & white graphics and the proven Star Ratchet tech inside.
Starting off, they do get a bit more extensive machining than the old 350s, in order to shed a couple grams. In fact, the DT weight claim on the new 350 Road Classic hubset starts at 383g, making them lighter than the old pre-EXP 240 Classic hubset which started at 401g.
Inside, instead of upgrading to the newer Ratchet EXP internals, the 350s stay with tried-and-true Star Ratchets, but do get faster engagement with DT’s lightweight machined-out 36T SL steel ratchet rings inside.
The new 350 Road hubs also feature the same easy tool-free swaps from one freehub body to the next as the rest of DT’s premium hubs. That makes swapping two different cassette ranges for the same drivetrain easy without tools, or the same thing when swapping, for example from Shimano to SRAM cassettes when moving one wheelset from bike-to-bike, again without tools.
That also includes the new tool-free endcaps we first spotted on the top 180 EXP hubs. They get a subtle notched end profile that is easier to grasp with your hand so you won’t have to pull out my Unior Hub Genie every time you want to pop a cap off. OK, maybe that’s a shame. But they are still a really tight fit, so the Hub Genie is easier on my fingers.
Inside, those upgraded 36T SL Star Ratchet pairs double engagement, down to 10°. But of course, you can still always swap out different sets of Ratchet rings (for ~$50-120 / 40-95€) to get the engagement angle that’s right for you, your bike, and your style of riding. DT breaks down why the endless hunt for faster engagement isn’t always the perfect solution for everyone. And they offer 6.7-20° engagement options so decide.
DT Swiss 350 Road hubs – Options, pricing & availability
The real difference though between the latest DT Swiss 350 MTB hubs and these new 350 Road hubs comes down to more options.
Classic rim brake (l) & Straightpull rim brake (r)
The new DT 350 Road hubs come in both Classic medium flange hubs for traditional J-bend spokes and machined-down StraightPull hubs for straight-pull spokes.
Classic centerlock disc brake (l) & Straightpull centerlock disc brake (r)
Both versions come in a Centerlock-only disc brake version or traditional non-disc version for rim brake bikes. All four of those separate combinations appear to spin on the same sealed stainless steel bearing and oversized alloy axles, meaning all are compatible with either classic road QR axles (5×100/130mm) or modern 12mm thru-axles (12×100/142mm). Classic flange hubs are offered in 20, 24, 28 & 32-hole drilling, Straightpull hubs in just 20 & 24-holes.
Officially, all of the new 350 Road hubs are available with Shimano Road 11sp & SRAM XDR Ratchet freehub bodies and endcaps, but only the thru-axle versions are shown to be compatible with Campagnolo N3W Ratchet bodies. But based on the extensive Conversion database on all of DT’s current 240 & 350 road hubs, there should be a classic Campy option possible for all new 350 Road hubs.
The new DT Swiss 350 Road hubs are available starting today from your favorite wheel builders and DT retailers, with front hub pricing from $113 / 85€ and rear hub prices from $285 / 215€. That’s a noticeable increase from the old road 350s (at least a 30% bump for European buyers). But with material and energy cost inflation, these road 350 are even a bit more expensive than the MTB version was when they debuted in 2021.
I guess, snap ’em up now to build a bulletproof road or gravel wheelset, before they inflate even further. I’ve got a set laced into a set of GR531 alloy rims with AeroLite spokes & brass nipples, set up as a bulletproof gravel wheelset for bikepacking and adventure riding.
