Calm the back end of your eMTB on rough ground

On a full-suspension eMTB, chain tension pulls against the rear suspension every time it compresses over a square-edged hit. That's pedal kickback, and you feel it as harshness through the pedals. DT Swiss's DF HYB upgrade lets the freehub turn a set amount before it drives, so the chain stops fighting the suspension and the rear wheel is free to follow the ground. This is the eMTB version of Degrees of Freedom: 60-tooth ratchets and two settings, 0° or 10°, built around motor torque.

Highlights

• Made for eMTBs: the hybrid DF kit for DT Swiss Ratchet DEG hubs that run 60-tooth ratchets
• 0° or 10° of free rotation before engagement. DT Swiss limits the eMTB version to these two settings because of the higher torque.
• Less pedal-kickback harshness, and a rear suspension that works more freely through braking bumps and rocks
• Upgrades the hub you already ride: swap the threaded ring and two ratchets, no new wheel needed
• Adds no weight, and you change the setting without tools once it's fitted
• Includes the DT Swiss tool for the hub's threaded ring

How it works

The kit replaces the threaded ring and the two ratchets inside your Ratchet DEG freehub. The new ring sets how far the freehub can turn before the 60-tooth ratchets engage. At 0° you get standard engagement (a 6° step with 60 teeth), which suits technical climbs where you want drive the instant you push. At 10° the drivetrain is decoupled for that small window, so chain tension can't tug against the suspension as it moves.

Which setting?

Run 0° if fast engagement for steep, technical climbing matters most. Run 10° if you want a calmer, grippier rear end on rough descents. It's an easy change, so try both on your usual trails and keep the one that suits your bike. There's no 20° setting on the eMTB kit; that's only on the 90-tooth kit for non-eBike DEG hubs.

Compatibility & fit

This kit is for DT Swiss Ratchet DEG hubs with 60-tooth ratchets, the eMTB (hybrid) system. One example is the 350 Hybrid rear hub specced with the Ratchet DEG 60 freehub. Check your hub before you buy:

• Ratchet System 24 hubs, including the 350 Hybrid in its Ratchet System 24 version, aren't Ratchet DEG and won't take this kit.
• Ratchet EXP and EXP OS hubs don't take DF kits.
• Non-eBike DEG hubs (350 DEG with 72 teeth, 240 DEG with 90 teeth) take the 90-tooth DF kit with 0°, 10° and 20°. Choose the DEG DF Upgrade Kit (with tool) or the kit without the tool instead.
• If your hub's spec already lists DF HYB 0°/10°, the system was fitted at the factory and you don't need this kit.

Not sure which ratchet your hub has? Send us the hub or wheel details (the serial number on the hub helps) and we'll confirm before you buy.

Fitting

The tool for the threaded ring is in the box, so a confident home mechanic can fit the kit with the rear wheel out of the bike. Or bring the wheel to Tune Cycles. As Australia's DT Swiss wheel-building and service specialist, we'll fit the kit, set it to your riding and check the hub over while it's apart. Fitting is a separate service and the labour is quoted when you book, mobile across Sydney or at our Marrickville workshop.

New to Degrees of Freedom? Read our guide: what the DEG DF upgrade does to your ride.