The DT Swiss hub and wheelset is a favorite with the cycling community. You see the used as a rear wheel base on many road bikes, and lately we have noticed it has been a popular choice for gravel bikes which we are seeing more and more of. Why? It is a great, all-purpose hub and wheel upgrade for people in the market for one.
DT Swiss has been one of the top manufacturers of bike wheels for over 27 years. They have produced several top-shelf bicycle wheels and components that increase speed, smoothness, and durability. Headquarter in, as you might guess, Switzerland, DT Swiss is a trusted brand for cyclists.
The DT Swiss 350 hub is available for both mountain bikes and road / tri (and gravel) bikes. For this review, we will err a bit on the road/gravel hub, but the features and engineering is similar in both.
Read on as we review the DT Swiss 350 hubs and how they size up to their competitors.
DT Swiss 350 Review
We give it two thumbs up.
The DT Swiss 350 (here on Amazon) has been a reliable choice for road bikers for over ten years. Each year, they seem to increase the overall performance while decreasing weight. The nice thing about the 350 wheel hubs is that they still have the signature DT ratchet inside, but now they are faster than ever.
Depending on your needs, the DT Swiss 350 hubs are offered in eight different models. All eight models are made with high-grade aluminum that gives durability and lightweight, but they vary in size and weight. On the road bike size, the hubs’ weight for the 350 is a light 108 grams, but if you need even lighter you can get a relative of the 350, the DT Swiss 180, at just 87 grams.
The 350 hub has a proven power transfer and light construction, making it a great choice for anyone looking to build their own wheelset from scratch. You will see the DT Swiss hubs used as the base for many custom-built wheelsets at local bike shops, a good sign that the hub is one that experienced bike mechanics reach for often. The nice thing about the 350 is that they can quickly swap from one freehub body to another. This means that a rider can easily change out the hubs and cassettes from bike to bike without using advanced tools or needing to be a bike mechanic (although it always helps).
The no-tool concept of the 350’s gives riders convenience when switching drivetrains. DT Swiss claims that these conversions can be made within seconds, but most riders will probably want to take a couple minutes to do it right and inspect their work.
What’s New in the DT 350?
As we stated above, the 350 hub wheels aren’t a completely new product to the DT Swiss lineup. Mainly, the DT Swiss made some refinements to the 350 series to make them lighter while still maintaining durability.
The 350’s seems to be taking a similar angular construction as DT Swiss’s elite 240 hubs to help shed grams. The difference is that the 350’s don’t come with the same high-end price tag, which makes them an excellent choice for mountain biking enthusiasts who want a premium hub at a lower price range.
There are some other relatively recent upgrades to be aware of in the 350’s. One of the most noticeable changes is the new end caps. This may not seem like an important upgrade, but the notched caps make them easy to pop off without using a tool. Having these caps gives you an advantage if you need to maintain your hubs or swap freehubs or axle standards. The caps are also compatible with older generations of the 350’s and 240 hubs.
The new generation of the 350’s claim to have twice the engagement upgrading them down to 10 degrees. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t adjust the hubs to your specific bike and style of riding. The hubs still have an adjustment range of 6.7 degrees to 20 degrees giving you plenty of engagement options.
DT Swiss 350 Options
As we mentioned, there are several options to choose from on the DT Swiss 350s. In fact, there are 52 different available models of the 350! You can find a variation that works for you, even if you are riding a mountain bike or fat bike.
You can get DT Swiss 350 hubs with the ability to run the straightpull spokes, the type that don’t have the J-bend built in to them. Because the J-bend is often a weak point in a spoke, eliminating it from the design can reduce the odds of breaking spokes while on the road. In our experience, this is an upgrade worth consider for those running gravel bikes, because on the gravel you tend to find yourself in more “spoke compromising” situations and tend to break more spokes than a typical road-rider does.
The Axle system can come in 5mm or 12mm, accommodating most of the new bike frames we are seeing on the market today — those with open dropouts or thru axles.
You can also customize based on if you are using disc or rim brakes.
Overall, the DT Swiss wheelsets and hubs will accommodate most of the bikes being made today, and pretty much everything we come across. The only thing we see it not fitting is an extremely customized, handcrafted cycle (in which case, if you are not building it to be compatible with commonly available components, we suggest you rethink).
Price Check
If you are sold on the new DT Swiss 350, then now all you need to do is get them ordered. You can find them here on Amazon, just be sure you order the right specs for your particular bike.
The 350’s claim to fame is that they are lightweight and just as durable as the DT Swiss 240’s, but at a lower price point.
This is usually a big difference when looking at the cost of the premium DT Swiss 240. When looking at wheels, do a quick price check on the different between the 240 and 350. If the 240 can be had for the same price or not much more, consider the upgrade. Find the 240 here.
How They Compare To Others
There are several road bike hubs on the market that will give you excellent points of engagement, durability, and speed, but how do they compare to the DT Swiss 350?
If you are looking for instant engagement and responsiveness, then the Industry Nine Hydra is a good choice. The North Carolina brand uses 115 tooth driver ring for 690 points of engagement with .52 degrees between each giving them unmatched engagement. Where the Industry Nine Hydra falls short is the price range is almost double that of the DT350.
Another good hub option is Project 321. They are similar to the DT Swiss 350 in the sense that they are easy to adjust. The Japanese EZO bearings make for a smooth ride, and the bearings preload screws maximize the lifespan of the hub. Lastly, the Project 321’s are made with magnetic pawls that are impressively fast, and the noise can be tuned louder or quieter to fit your preference.
In Conclusion: How Do They Stack Up?
DT Swiss did it again by making a high-performance wheel hub for the average and advanced rider. The DT Swiss 350 aren’t the almighty 240’s, but they are hard to beat when it comes to cost, performance, and durability. For people who own several bikes, the 350’s make for a cost-effective choice.
The DT350 also has an advantage when it comes to ease of installation. The no-tool design is simple to install and switch from the bike to bike as needed.
The bottom line is this: the DT Swiss 350 is perfect for the mountain bike rider looking for hubs with advanced performance that won’t break the bank.
