Claiming warranty on Easton Havoc DH wheels on my third ride :(

Discussion in 'The Workshop' started by bing!, Jun 4, 2014.

  1. wheeler

    wheeler Member

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    As a owner of two sets of DT Swiss 240s hubs I can honestly say they are overrated. Good but not as great as everyone says.
     
  2. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    I know I'm sounding like a fanboy here, but what is it about your 240s that you dislike? I would say they are underrated and undervalued - they aren't the "must have" hubs you see on custom bike builds. Industry 9, Chris Bling and even Hope seem to get the attention both on and off the trail (ridiculously loud) as the "must have - look at me" product. Nobody brags about their 240s. They just work. They aren't ridiculously oversized or crazy loud and they don't come in an array of colors. I've had my set since 2007 with one Star ratchet change. Of course, i don't ride in wet conditions very often, so maybe that's where the bling brands out-perform the 240s. I like a simple product that performs better than industry standard with very little maintenance.
     
  3. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej Well-Known Member

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    I agree.....2 out of 4 bikes in the garage are running 240's. One set was new in 2006

    Only issue I have run into was when I first made the 36pt upgrade....we destroyed the star ratchets in both hubs...but they were bad parts to start with. The star ratchets were replaced with new 36pt and have been flawless in the 3 years since.

    They are light....they are relatively quiet. With 36pt Ratchets, they are fast enough. They are silly simple to service. They used to be more affordable. They are also convertible into just about any standard.

    They are not flashy, and they don't come in the all the custom colors, but that isn't a negative.
     
  4. socal_eric

    socal_eric New Member

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    I'm not sure which brand they're using but there are quite a few major bearing manufacturers that produce clutched, one-way bearings/sprags. With most bike component manufacturer and consumers placing an emphasis on weight, combined with increased frictional losses from drag on integral sprag bearings when freewheeling (probably would be most noticeable on a road bike trying to use the design), the various conventional free-hub systems probably work "good enough" and unlike an outsourced third-party bearing/sprag, if you own a design patent for a free-hub it makes for better marketing and a way to differentiate yourself from other big cycling component manufacturers.

    http://www.koyousa.com/brochures/pdfs/cat286ex.pdf

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprag_clutch

    http://www.skf.com/group/industry-s...ne/start-system/skf-one-way-clutch/index.html

    A little bit of a tangent since I linked to one of their bearings, I've been running an SKF ISIS-drive bottom bracket for a few years on my older bike and it's likely the best cartridge style bottom bracket ever built and one of the only ISIS style BBs that will last under severe use (drive side roller bearing, automotive grade wiper seals, oversized non-drive-side bearings, super precise machining, etc.). Just goes to show what could be possible if some of the larger bearing manufacturers decided it was worth the investment and effort to build specialty cycling components.
     
  5. Kriller134

    Kriller134 Member

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    I think Mr. Herzalot is a DT 240 fanboy. I think the reason why the 240s are overlooked is bc they're the same price as the CK hubs or I9 without the bling factor. If I could afford them, I'd go with the 240s, but I could only afford the loud hope hubs (they're black so I didn't go for the "look at me" factor).
     
  6. rojomas

    rojomas A.K.A The Oxx

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    Update

    Finally got ahold of someone at Easton. I can confirm that RaceFace has taken over. Warranties are dealt through RF.
     
  7. wheeler

    wheeler Member

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    we destroyed the star ratchets in both hubs...

    Me too....
     
  8. bing!

    bing! Active Member

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    I really dont have any experience with the 240s, but just so I can be a dick about it, 240s are for weight weenies, haha!

    p.s. I want them for my next wheelset :)
     
  9. wheeler

    wheeler Member

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    Poor Engagement
    Require more maintenance
    $$ for what you get

    Don't get me wrong....I like them. The reason bike shops LOVE them is because they are easy to service. Over my past 25 years of riding here are my most reliable rear hubs.

    1. Hadley (not one problem)
    2. White Industries (not one problem)
    3. Chris King (one broken axle)
    4. Shimano (not sexy but they work)
    5. DT Swiss (two stripped out star ratchets)

    Never owned Hope or I9
     
  10. Waldo

    Waldo Lebowski Urban Achiever

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    I upgraded my stock Giant wheels, which are made by DT and have Giant-branded DT 340 hubs - to the 36 pt ratchets. It was stupid-easy and one of the best bang-for-your-buck upgrades I've ever done. I've logged around 700 miles and over 100k feet of climbing since the upgrade, and they've been very good. I also like the sound - it's a soft buzzing, but nowhere near as loud as some other hubs. Hopefully my next wheelset will be a lighter & stiffer custom build, and I'll definitely consider the DT 240s.
     
  11. Waldo

    Waldo Lebowski Urban Achiever

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    Agreed on the White Industries. I had a White rear on my last bike and rode the heck out of it for several years with minimal service (might have been none). Nice engagement, smooth, and bulletproof. Don't know why they are so far under the radar for most people & shops.
     
  12. me and my bike

    me and my bike New Member

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    Nothing wrong with 240's but having ridden high engagment hubs for a bit everytime I go to a set of 240's I miss having the high points of engagement. Even with the 36t upgrade I feel a bit sluggish in the initial pedal strokes. Climbing tech climbs, I also much prefer to have an immediate reaction to my pedal when Im crawling up chunk. Do you need high points of enagement? No but it does feel better for me.
     
  13. mfoga

    mfoga Intense Whore

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    Shimano takes way more work than DT Swiss. I have seized a set. F any hub that had cup and cones.

    Ill take DT star ratchet hubs any day.
     
  14. irv_usc

    irv_usc Active Member

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    the only thing i want to change about my dt 350s (besides the weight) is to try the trek 54t star ratchets in there.
     
  15. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, like I said, I have had no reason not to be a fan, and mine were inexpensive. I got my EX1750 Wheelset in 2007 for $650 complete (they were retailing for $900 at the time). I just picked up a spare wheel DT 240s front, DT EX500 Rim, DT Comp spokes for $225. Can't complain about price.

    I'm clearly not as techy as Mo, since I haven't had a problem with the 7.5* engagement or whatever it is. And I haven't had the stripped Star ratchet experience that Wheeler has (once in 7 years). And I don't think I'm a weight weenie, since I run a Marzocchi 55 on an aluminum framed bike with a dropper post.
     
  16. Kriller134

    Kriller134 Member

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    I wish I had your hookup Chris:D
     
  17. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    You just have to ask the right person at the right time for the right product. I didn't use any connections, I just found a product the shop wants to move that's been sitting for a while and asked a person who has the authority to do so if they could do better on price (Adrenaline for Wheelset in '07, The Path for spare wheel last week).
     
  18. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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  19. BikeThePlanet

    BikeThePlanet Active Member

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    I don't know anything about what you guys are talking about. lol

    I looked at my El Mar wheels recently because I was looking to go tubeless. I have the stock wheels, XT hubs, on an '08 and have never done anything. I didn't know you were supposed to. How do you know if they need servicing? I just assumed as long as they were spinning, they were good. :) people were telling me get these hubs or this HB and I was thinking they can't hold up any better than these.

    Also, the stock tires where awesome. 2.55 Weirwolfs. That rubber has really held up.
     
  20. Fearless Fly

    Fearless Fly anachronistic and impulsi

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    Hadley hubs are the best available and they are local!
     

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