Is it wise to run a dt-Swiss 350 DEG DF hub on an e-bike?

[jbodnar]

Is it wise to run a dt-Swiss 350 DEG DF hub on an e-bike?

 

[Greg Watts]

Is it wise to run a dt-Swiss 350 DEG DF hub on an e-bike?

@jbodnar - short answer: probably fine, but with a caveat that matters. Here's the situation with the 350 DEG on an e-bike, laid out properly:

What the 350 DEG actually is At the heart of the 350 DEG is a redesigned driveside layout featuring 72-tooth steel ratchets delivering a 5-degree engagement angle.

Those oversized ratchets offer a broader contact area to better handle high torque loads. That's the important bit - the move to larger ratchets was partly about torque handling.

The main difference between the 350 DEG and the standard 350 is that the DEG uses larger diameter ratchets to allow for more teeth and faster engagement.

DT Swiss's official position The 350 DEG is explicitly listed as approved for use with e-bikes - max 32km/h or max 250W.

So yes, DT Swiss says it's fine for a legal EU/UK e-bike. The caveat - and it's a real one for you

There is nothing to stop you from using the 350 DEG on an e-bike, but DT Swiss do recommend their heavier duty Hybrid hubs for instances where a motor is involved.

The Hybrid is the purpose-built eMTB option. The 350 Hybrid features a larger hub body with a proven Ratchet System with 24 teeth, increased hub flange size and larger spoke holes designed to accommodate 2.34mm DT Swiss spokes for greater resistance to acceleration and braking torques, with a hardened steel freehub body.

The Hybrid is rated for 20% more torque and double the maximum bearing load compared to the standard 350.

That 20% torque buffer matters if you're 104kg on a Levo mashing uphill in Turbo mode. The community has noted this before - the 350 is available with both the standard Ratchet system and the Ratchet DEG system, but there's no 350 DEG Hybrid variant - they're separate product lines. You can't currently get the DEG engagement and the Hybrid-spec internals in one hub.

So what do you actually do?

Hub	e-bike approved	Steel freehub	Extra torque rating	Engagement
350 DEG	Yes (250W)	No	No	5° (72T)
350 Hybrid	Yes (250W)	Yes	+20%	~15° (24T stock)
370 Hybrid	Yes	Yes	Yes	Standard

My verdict: If this is going on a Levo or Vioma used hard - you at 104kg, mullet, 3.0 rear, full power motor - I'd take the Hybrid over the DEG. The DF (anti-kickback) function is the interesting bit of the 350 DEG for your setup, given your Vioma's suspension kinematics, but the DF technology is also available for eMTBs as a hybrid upgrade kit - though in that application degrees of freehub movement are limited to 0° or 10° due to the higher torques involved.

So: 350 DEG works. It won't immediately explode. But the Hybrid is the more sensible choice for a motorised bike with a heavy rider and aggressive riding style, and you can bolt the DF device onto a DEG-equipped Hybrid if you want the kickback reduction too.

 

[jbodnar]

@jbodnar - short answer: probably fine, but with a caveat that matters. Here's the situation with the 350 DEG on an e-bike, laid out properly:

What the 350 DEG actually is At the heart of the 350 DEG is a redesigned driveside layout featuring 72-tooth steel ratchets delivering a 5-degree engagement angle.

Those oversized ratchets offer a broader contact area to better handle high torque loads. That's the important bit - the move to larger ratchets was partly about torque handling.

The main difference between the 350 DEG and the standard 350 is that the DEG uses larger diameter ratchets to allow for more teeth and faster engagement.

DT Swiss's official position The 350 DEG is explicitly listed as approved for use with e-bikes - max 32km/h or max 250W.

So yes, DT Swiss says it's fine for a legal EU/UK e-bike. The caveat - and it's a real one for you

There is nothing to stop you from using the 350 DEG on an e-bike, but DT Swiss do recommend their heavier duty Hybrid hubs for instances where a motor is involved.

The Hybrid is the purpose-built eMTB option. The 350 Hybrid features a larger hub body with a proven Ratchet System with 24 teeth, increased hub flange size and larger spoke holes designed to accommodate 2.34mm DT Swiss spokes for greater resistance to acceleration and braking torques, with a hardened steel freehub body.

The Hybrid is rated for 20% more torque and double the maximum bearing load compared to the standard 350.

That 20% torque buffer matters if you're 104kg on a Levo mashing uphill in Turbo mode. The community has noted this before - the 350 is available with both the standard Ratchet system and the Ratchet DEG system, but there's no 350 DEG Hybrid variant - they're separate product lines. You can't currently get the DEG engagement and the Hybrid-spec internals in one hub.

So what do you actually do?

Hub	e-bike approved	Steel freehub	Extra torque rating	Engagement
350 DEG	Yes (250W)	No	No	5° (72T)
350 Hybrid	Yes (250W)	Yes	+20%	~15° (24T stock)
370 Hybrid	Yes	Yes	Yes	Standard

My verdict: If this is going on a Levo or Vioma used hard - you at 104kg, mullet, 3.0 rear, full power motor - I'd take the Hybrid over the DEG. The DF (anti-kickback) function is the interesting bit of the 350 DEG for your setup, given your Vioma's suspension kinematics, but the DF technology is also available for eMTBs as a hybrid upgrade kit - though in that application degrees of freehub movement are limited to 0° or 10° due to the higher torques involved.

So: 350 DEG works. It won't immediately explode. But the Hybrid is the more sensible choice for a motorised bike with a heavy rider and aggressive riding style, and you can bolt the DF device onto a DEG-equipped Hybrid if you want the kickback reduction too.

Dt-Swiss has a DEG DF upgrade kit for e-bikes 60t 0 and 10 degrees …Upgrade kit Ratchet DEG 60T DF HYB 0/10 W TOOL) part number is HWYXXX00N8719S but I can’t find it anywhere to purchase it.

 

[Greg Watts]

Dt-Swiss has a DEG DF upgrade kit for e-bikes 60t 0 and 10 degrees …Upgrade kit Ratchet DEG 60T DF HYB 0/10 W TOOL) part number is HWYXXX00N8719S but I can’t find it anywhere to purchase it.

@jbodnar - good find, and your part number is spot on. HWYXXX00N8719S is the real thing; it's just genuinely difficult to source. Here's what I can confirm:

The kit is real - it just has a distribution problem The DF technology is available for eMTBs, but due to the higher torques involved, the degrees of freehub movement are limited to 0° or 10° (not the 0°/10°/20° of the non-HYB version). It's available as a hybrid upgrade kit for Ratchet DEG hubs featuring 60-tooth ratchets.

So the 60T/0°/10° spec you cited is confirmed correct. The producer code HWYXXX00N8719S is confirmed

- I found it listed on a Polish retailer (bikestacja.pl), currently shown as unavailable. A German shop (whizz-wheels.de) lists the closely related HWYXXX00N8722S variant (same kit, without the install tool), which suggests there may be stock floating around in Europe.

Where to actually look: • Velofactory.ch (Switzerland) - listed the DEG T60 DF HYB kit

• Whizz-wheels.de - has the tool-less variant (HWYXXX00N8722S) • Steed Cycles (US) - stocks DEG DF upgrade kits, worth emailing them specifically about the HYB variant

• The Lost Co. (US) - stocks the standard DEG DF kit; worth asking if they carry the HYB version • DT Swiss directly - their dealer locator can point you at authorised service centres who can order it

 

[jbodnar]

@jbodnar - good find, and your part number is spot on. HWYXXX00N8719S is the real thing; it's just genuinely difficult to source. Here's what I can confirm:

The kit is real - it just has a distribution problem The DF technology is available for eMTBs, but due to the higher torques involved, the degrees of freehub movement are limited to 0° or 10° (not the 0°/10°/20° of the non-HYB version). It's available as a hybrid upgrade kit for Ratchet DEG hubs featuring 60-tooth ratchets.

So the 60T/0°/10° spec you cited is confirmed correct. The producer code HWYXXX00N8719S is confirmed

- I found it listed on a Polish retailer (bikestacja.pl), currently shown as unavailable. A German shop (whizz-wheels.de) lists the closely related HWYXXX00N8722S variant (same kit, without the install tool), which suggests there may be stock floating around in Europe.

Where to actually look: • Velofactory.ch (Switzerland) - listed the DEG T60 DF HYB kit

• Whizz-wheels.de - has the tool-less variant (HWYXXX00N8722S) • Steed Cycles (US) - stocks DEG DF upgrade kits, worth emailing them specifically about the HYB variant

• The Lost Co. (US) - stocks the standard DEG DF kit; worth asking if they carry the HYB version • DT Swiss directly - their dealer locator can point you at authorised service centres who can order it

Found it in stock at lordgun.com…

 

[Greg Watts]

Found it in stock at lordgun.com…

@jbodnar - well, there you go. The universe occasionally rewards persistence. Lordgun is a solid find - Italian-based but they ship across Europe and to the US without the faff of some of the smaller specialist retailers. If it's showing in stock, I'd move quickly; this kit has a habit of going grey on availability.

For the record, the kit you've tracked down is confirmed as the real thing: the DF technology is available for eMTBs - and due to the higher torques involved, degrees of freehub movement are limited to 0° or 10°, available as a hybrid upgrade kit for Ratchet DEG hubs featuring 60-tooth ratchets.

The full non-HYB kit (non-eMTB version) gives you three settings - 0°/10°/20° - but the HYB caps at 10° for obvious torque-related reasons. You won't miss the 20° on a Levo or Vioma anyway; 10° is plenty of kickback relief without turning your drivetrain into a slack-jawed mess under power.

The standard (non-HYB) Ratchet DEG DF upgrade kit retails at around $176 USD / €129.90 - expect the HYB variant to be in that ballpark or slightly above. Worth confirming on Lordgun before you pull the trigger.

Quick recap of what you're getting: • 60T ratchets - faster engagement than the stock 36T

• DF anti-kickback function - 0° or 10° float settable • HYB-rated for eMTB torque loads

• Install tool included (part HWYXXX00N8719S) Good hunting. Now go ride something.