DT Swiss 350 vs Hope Pro 4

[Wayne pudding Mol]

2 hours ago, Sid the Sloth said:

Alternatively… does anyone know what the availability of XDR drivers for hopes is like? 

I have one for hope 4s still in the packaging - or try custombikes.co.za and see if they have

[Jono]

Thank you for the input everybody! ????

[MarcHD]

21 hours ago, Knersboy said:

Back to the original topic. I faced this choice not long ago, the decision was made for me when I got a set of 350s with the freehub I required (microspline) for cheap. If they were the same price I would go Hope, just because changing the bearings in DT rear hub is a pain and needs specific tools etc. Will be a long time before this bites me, but I know I will be cursing then.

I don’t let bike shops work on my bike, so I am gonna have to fork out for the tools. 

Great to hear, although as Andrew from Stoked Suspension mentioned, both need a specific tool and thankfully the rest is all tool free. We do offer the tool in question via our e-commerce site for home mechanics: https://getstokedonline.co.za/product/dt-swiss-assembly-disassembly-tool-for-ring-nut/

Enjoy your hub(s) and feel free to contact us should you have any questions about them

[MarcHD]

23 hours ago, droo said:

 

Necessary - maybe not. But I doubt it would hurt. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is, aside from an extra 20g in 275, but I'm sure Marc will be along shortly...

LOL, thanks Drew, you know me too well!

The HX series of rims (e-bike specific) have more material around the spoke wholes to further reduce the chances of nipples pulling through compared to the EX range (enduro specific) given the high loads experienced. 

As all DT rims ship with load dispersing washers and matching rear drive nipples this is already a rare occurrence, but DT prefer their customers to be safe than sorry.  

[MarcHD]

On 7/8/2021 at 1:17 PM, StevieG said:

I'm running the DT370's at the moment. Would the extra engagement of the 350's or 240's make a noticeable difference in climbing janky tech sections? It does feel like there's quite a bit of play when trying to ratchet over rocky sections, so wondering if it's worth spending extra on the upgrade

Well I can't speak for what your subjective experience will be with faster engagement, but the objective benefits are huge and widely documented.

DT have just launched an upgrade for the 370 hub (3pawl model) which allows you to upgrade it to a ratchet system and therefore increase the engagement (previously 3pawl DT hubs were not upgradeable)

....sadly though due to delays we will only be getting these in next year for all those on 1900 MTB and 1800 Road series wheels or 370 hubs. 

[Robbie Stewart]

49 minutes ago, MarcHD said:

LOL, thanks Drew, you know me too well!

The HX series of rims (e-bike specific) have more material around the spoke wholes to further reduce the chances of nipples pulling through compared to the EX range (enduro specific) given the high loads experienced. 

As all DT rims ship with load dispersing washers and matching rear drive nipples this is already a rare occurrence, but DT prefer their customers to be safe than sorry.  

So I queried the difference with a wheel builder who reckons the HX531 would be overkill for a bloke of my tendencies and size. I tend to play hard with my toys and I just have a niggling feeling that the HX531 would stand up better to my particular style of riding than the EX511 would, but he reckons nah I'm stressing too much. What say you? I push the scales at 120kg on a average day and I am drawn to jumping over things, or dropping of things, or riding over things such as roots and rocks at regular intervals. I would for instance happily spend an entire morning just at the Hoogekraal skills park riding everything apart from the lunatic line on the far right.

[MarcHD]

2 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

So I queried the difference with a wheel builder who reckons the HX531 would be overkill for a bloke of my tendencies and size. I tend to play hard with my toys and I just have a niggling feeling that the HX531 would stand up better to my particular style of riding than the EX511 would, but he reckons nah I'm stressing too much. What say you? I push the scales at 120kg on a average day and I am drawn to jumping over things, or dropping of things, or riding over things such as roots and rocks at regular intervals. I would for instance happily spend an entire morning just at the Hoogekraal skills park riding everything apart from the lunatic line on the far right.

Honestly, it's a difficult one to answer as it depends on so many factors. 

The EX 511 are strong enough for most riders out there and mine have survived some gut wrenching sounds from gapping into Contermanskloof rocks that would otherwise leave a lesser rim shattered and my ride over...

Equally as important as the rim you choose however, is the wheel builder doing the build for you as correct tensions, threadlock and proper destressing between the truing phases is mandatory. 

All this being said, rims are not something you would want to replace too often so if the HX 531 offer that peace of mind then why not. From my point of view (and experience) however, you can't go wrong with EX 511

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

48 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

So I queried the difference with a wheel builder who reckons the HX531 would be overkill for a bloke of my tendencies and size. I tend to play hard with my toys and I just have a niggling feeling that the HX531 would stand up better to my particular style of riding than the EX511 would, but he reckons nah I'm stressing too much. What say you? I push the scales at 120kg on a average day and I am drawn to jumping over things, or dropping of things, or riding over things such as roots and rocks at regular intervals. I would for instance happily spend an entire morning just at the Hoogekraal skills park riding everything apart from the lunatic line on the far right.

There's your answer

[DieselnDust]

get the strongest rim you can find

[captain morgan]

Think the new stand flow ex even stonger

[MarcHD]

Morning guys, and hope everyone had a good weekend...

Not to hi-jack this post (hopefully your answers will help our friend Jono in his decision further) but for those who voted Hope over DT Swiss hubs, may I ask you reply with your reason why, out of those listed below?

You can message me directly if you prefer not to spam this thread, but I hope I'm not speaking out of turn when I say Jono wouldn't mind better understanding the decision for Hope over DT hubs...

 

Which of the following best describes your reason for voting Hope over DT Swiss hubs (assuming same price):

A) Faster engagement as standard

B) More Colour options

C) Availability

D) Familiarity/trust in the brand. 

 

 

 

[Thermophage]

A and B.

C and D I think are the same between Hope and DT, cannot fault either on that.

A - I honestly find it a bit of a slap in the face to the consumer to have to pay for an upgrade from 18t (unless I am mistaken) on the 350 to something like the 36. That from DT (clearly you okes have min control over that) should be an option at purchase...i.e. do you want your hub with 18, 36, 50xxx ratchet...same price. 

B - obviously that's just personal preference.

[MarcHD]

1 minute ago, Thermophage said:

A and B.

C and D I think are the same between Hope and DT, cannot fault either on that.

A - I honestly find it a bit of a slap in the face to the consumer to have to pay for an upgrade from 18t (unless I am mistaken) on the 350 to something like the 36. That from DT (clearly you okes have min control over that) should be an option at purchase...i.e. do you want your hub with 18, 36, 50xxx ratchet...same price. 

B - obviously that's just personal preference.

Thanks for the feedback. Luckily engagement will be less of an issue from next year when the new 350 hubs are available with 36T as standard (10 degrees engagement) 

 

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, MarcHD said:

Morning guys, and hope everyone had a good weekend...

Not to hi-jack this post (hopefully your answers will help our friend Jono in his decision further) but for those who voted Hope over DT Swiss hubs, may I ask you reply with your reason why, out of those listed below?

You can message me directly if you prefer not to spam this thread, but I hope I'm not speaking out of turn when I say Jono wouldn't mind better understanding the decision for Hope over DT hubs...

 

Which of the following best describes your reason for voting Hope over DT Swiss hubs (assuming same price):

A) Faster engagement as standard

B) More Colour options

C) Availability

D) Familiarity/trust in the brand. 

 

 

 

I would opt for Hope Pro 4 based on price as teh above 4 criteria aren;t really issues for me wrt to an MTB

A) faster engagement is not necessarily a good thing. How it feels depends on the bikes suspension design, specifically anti squat. High anto squat feels better with lower engagement. and vice versa.

B) Colour options, only really look good if the bike is clean and standing at a coffee shop. Most of the time my bike is covered in dirt. Color options for DTSwiss hubs would be nice e.g. the oil slick limited edition should be a standard option as should be silver and gold

C and D are not issues for me as both brands have been around a long time.

Price is the major differentiator as the Pro 4 and 350 are price about 20% apart

[ChUkKy]

On 7/8/2021 at 12:35 PM, BaGearA said:

The new stans flow mk4 would be my first choice. And its easy to get in 28h 

 

Spank or DT would be next but slightly more difficult to find in 28h

Ive cracked 3 Flow mk4 rear wheels on my singlespeed... the only Flow thats lasted on the rear wheel is the EX that I was given the last time round.

Personally not a fan of Stans wheels based on my experience with them.

[ChUkKy]

Just now, BaGearA said:

you cracked mk3 not mk4 

Thats correct... typo, my bad