Ceramic bearings reduce rolling resistance inside the freehub body where the cartridge bearings spin under cassette rotation and pedaling loads. Silicon nitride ceramic balls run smoother than steel at the microscopic level, generating less friction heat and requiring less energy to maintain rotation. DT Swiss reserves ceramic bearings for their 180 series hubs, positioning them as the performance upgrade over the steel bearing versions found in 240 series hubs. This freehub body converts 180 series Ratchet EXP hubs to SRAM XDR road cassette compatibility while maintaining the reduced friction characteristics that ceramic bearings deliver.

The Ratchet EXP design integrates the ratchet mechanism with the threaded ring, reducing component count and system weight compared to Classic Ratchet configurations. A single cylindrical spring replaces the two conical springs used in earlier systems, which positions the driveside bearing further outboard for increased bearing spacing. That extended spacing improves hub stiffness while the integrated ratchet design speeds engagement precision. The XDR interface extends 1.85mm longer than XD mountain bike standard, matching the geometry requirements that SRAM developed specifically for 11-speed and 12-speed road cassettes. If you're running Force AXS or Red AXS groupsets on 180 series wheels, this is the correct freehub body specification.

Installation requires no special tools beyond what you already use for cassette removal. Remove your cassette and compression ring, slide the existing freehub body off the hub shell, then slide this replacement body on and thread it into position. The matte black finish identifies this as a Ratchet EXP component rather than the gloss finish used on Classic Ratchet bodies. Aluminum construction keeps weight at 44 grams including the drive-side end cap for 12x142mm configurations. The same end caps work across 142mm and 148mm spacing since DT Swiss uses consistent interfaces within axle diameter families.... Read More