DT Swiss 240 2020 + Straight Pull Rear Black Centerlock Disc Hub
The DT Swiss 240 EXP Straight Pull Rear Centerlock Disc Hub puts the current 240 freehub, Ratchet EXP 36, into a straight-pull shell. DT lists it at 201 grams in the 24-hole 12x142 road-disc version with a Shimano road body; the 28-hole 12x148 Boost version is the mountain bike shell. Both are on this listing, chosen by the axle in the configurator.
This is the straight-pull 240 rear; the J-bend 240 Centerlock rear is a separate listing. We build it to order in Georgia, with the freehub body and end caps your bike needs fitted before the wheel ships.
Design and construction
Ratchet EXP threads one ratchet ring into the shell and lets the other float on a single spring, which left room to move the drive-side bearing outward and widen the bearing spacing; DT credits that change with a 15% stiffer axle and longer bearing life. Both rings engage across every tooth at once, 36 teeth as standard, with a 54-tooth upgrade available in the configurator.
Straight-pull is about the spoke, not the shell. With no 90-degree bend at the head, the spoke carries its tension in a straight line from flange to rim, and the weak point a J-bend spoke has at its elbow is simply gone. The price of that is that the lacing is set by the flange geometry: the hub, not a pattern chart, decides it.
The straight-pull shell is DT's own layout for each width: the 24h road rear puts the flanges 33.6mm and 17.6mm from center with a 44.2mm drive-side flange, the 28h Boost shell moves them to 35.8 and 21.5mm, which is where Boost earns its stronger, more evenly tensioned wheel.
How it rides
A 240 EXP rear picks up quickly and quietly, with a muted buzz rather than a loud click, and it keeps doing so for years with nothing more than an occasional clean and grease of the ratchets.
Straight-pull spokes suit the rear wheel especially well: the drive side carries the highest tension in the wheel, and losing the spoke elbow removes the place a hard-used rear wheel usually breaks spokes.
Specifications
| Position | Rear |
|---|---|
| Brake | Centerlock disc |
| Spoke head | Straight pull |
| Freehub system | Ratchet EXP, 36 teeth (54 optional) |
| Versions | 24h with 12x142 thru-axle (road disc), 28h with 12x148 Boost thru-axle |
| Weight (DT Swiss) | 201g (24h 12x142, Shimano road body), 210g (28h Boost, Shimano MTB body) |
| Flange diameter | 37.3 / 44.2mm (24h), 35.9 / 42.8mm (28h Boost) |
| Center to flange | 33.6 / 17.6mm (24h), 35.8 / 21.5mm (28h Boost) |
| Freehub bodies | Shimano HG road or MTB, SRAM XD, SRAM XDR, Shimano Micro Spline, Campagnolo |
This version
What this listing covers: the 240 EXP straight-pull Centerlock rear in 24h for 12x142 road and gravel frames, or 28h for 12x148 Boost mountain bikes, with quick-release conversions for each. The freehub body is chosen in the configurator: Shimano HG road or MTB, SRAM XD or XDR, Shimano Micro Spline or Campagnolo.
Campagnolo is shown but closed while no EXP Campagnolo body is in stock at our distributors; it reopens itself when one is. The front to match is the 240 2020 + Straight Pull Front Centerlock.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The 12x142 version fits road, gravel and older mountain bike frames with a 142mm thru-axle; a 5x135 quick-release conversion is available. The Boost version fits 148mm frames, and 5x141 quick-release caps are offered.
It needs straight-pull spokes; Sapim Race and CX-Ray straight-pull are our usual choices. Choose gravel, road disc or mountain bike as the bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and shows only rims that match the drilling.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the DT Swiss 240 2020 + Straight Pull Rear Black Centerlock Disc Hub — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this hub pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc, mountain bike and fat bike builds.
How DT Swiss tests its hubs
DT Swiss hubs pass through the same Performance Test Center in Biel as its rims. DT Swiss states that its laboratory tests replicate what products endure in the field over the whole product life cycle, under an internal factory standard that ensures compliance with ISO 4210. Hub-relevant methods are the drum test, in which a wheel loaded to its permissible system weight spins on an obstacle-studded steel drum for a specified mileage, and a brake and drive torque test in which cyclic braking and driving torques are applied to the hub while the wheel is locked or driven at constant speed. DT Swiss publishes no bearing-life, salt-spray or water-ingress figures.
the torque test also verifies "the freewheel functionality and durability". DT Swiss states that Ratchet EXP is 15% stiffer and gives longer bearing life through its increased bearing distance, and that Ratchet DEG uses larger steel ratchets to spread load over a larger contact surface. Ratchet EXP units built since 2019 with a 0 or 9 in the middle of the production code are covered by a free-inspection notice for premature ratchet wear.
DT Swiss's videos
From DT Swiss
Certifications
- ISO 4210 / ASTM F 2043 — DT Swiss states its internal factory standard 'ensures compliance with the current international standards (e.g. ISO 4210)' and sets test parameters by ASTM F 2043 riding conditions (self-declared, no certificate published) (source)
- Warranty — 24 months legal warranty against material and manufacturing defects; ball bearings are wear parts and excluded (source)
- Service interval — Clean and re-grease every 12 months (normal use) or every 3 months (extreme conditions) (source)
Sources on DT Swiss's site:
- Performance test center | DT Swiss
- Ratchet EXP maintenance notice | DT Swiss
- FAQ | DT Swiss
- Warranty & Fair-Share | DT Swiss
- Ratchet EXP | DT Swiss
The figures, certificates and media above are DT Swiss's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the hub.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
The DT Swiss 240 EXP straight-pull Centerlock rear is DT Swiss's part; the wheel is ours. ProWheelBuilder is an independent builder in Georgia: every wheel is laced by hand to order, with straight-pull spokes cut for the measured rim and DT's published flange offsets, tension brought up in rounds and checked with a meter, stress relief, then a final true and dish check.
Pick the rim, spokes and nipples in the configurator; only straight-pull spokes are offered, anything that does not fit is struck through, and the price updates with each choice.
Warranty
DT Swiss's warranty. DT Swiss covers its products against material and manufacturing defects for 24 months from purchase, excluding wear parts such as bearings and tubeless tape. Carbon rims and carbon wheels bought new since 1 January 2020 carry an extended guarantee to the first owner against defects in material and workmanship, and DT Swiss runs a paid crash-replacement scheme on carbon wheels for up to ten years from purchase.
ProWheelBuilder. Any wheel we build on this part carries ProWheelBuilder's one-year warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Broken spokes are replaced for a year whatever the cause, and all wheel-side labor is included - truing, re-tensioning, rebuilding. Where the maker covers a failed rim or hub we handle that claim for you; where they decline, an eligible replacement comes at 25% off current retail. The customer covers shipping in both directions. Components supplied by the customer are not covered.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
240 Straight Pull Rear Centerlock questions
Do I need special spokes for a straight-pull hub?
Yes, straight-pull spokes only. Once this hub is in your build the configurator offers only straight-pull spoke brands, and we cut them to DT's published geometry for the hub.
Can I change the freehub body later?
Yes. Ratchet EXP bodies pull off by hand, so switching between HG, XD, XDR and Micro Spline is a few minutes' work with the right body. We fit the one you choose before the wheel ships.
Is the 54-tooth ratchet worth it?
On a mountain bike it shortens engagement from 10 to 6.7 degrees, which helps on technical climbs. On a road or gravel bike the standard 36 teeth is plenty and a little quieter.
Which lacing pattern does it use?
The straight-pull flange sets the spoke line, so the hub decides the pattern. The configurator shows the lacing step as Determined by hub.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
