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DT Swiss DEG DF Upgrade Kit - An Integrated Anti-Kickback Device

DT Swiss DEG DF Upgrade Kit – Could This Be the Future of Hub Technology?

Pedal Kickback and devices have been gaining popularity in recent years to improve suspension feelings. When you think about what holds back your suspension performance, you probably don’t think about your rear hub. But what if a small change inside your hub could make your suspension work more freely and reduce pedal kickback? That’s the idea behind DT Swiss’ brand-new DEG DF Upgrade Kit, an easy to instal ratchet and drive ring upgrade kit to

“By allowing the freehub to rotate a specific range before engaging, the influence of the chain on the rear suspension is reduced, allowing the suspension to work freely.” – DT Swiss

What’s New?

The DEG DF Upgrade Kit introduces adjustable “Degrees of Freedom” into DT Swiss’ Ratchet DEG hubs. By adding a controlled amount of free rotation before engagement, the hub reduces the chain tension effect that normally causes pedal kickback on full suspension bikes.

The result? Your suspension moves more freely, especially in rough terrain, giving you a smoother and faster ride. Even better, the system is ultra-simple: no extra weight, no extra parts, and maintenance remains just as easy as a standard DT Ratchet hub.

Original DEG Ratchets & Drive Ring (Left) New DEG DF Ratchets & Drive Ring (Right)

Specs

Compatibility: Works with all Ratchet DEG hubs
Adjustability: Three selectable settings (0°, 10°, 20°)
Hybrid eMTB Version: 0° and 10° options with a 60T ratchet
Engagement:

Standard DEG DF: 90T ratchet / 4° engagement
Hybrid DF: 60T ratchet / 6° engagement

Weight Penalty: None compared to standard ratchet
Price: Starting at $176.20 USD / €129.90

Each kit includes: threadring, inner/outer ratchets, springs, and a tube of DT Swiss special grease. Available with or without the installation tool.

Differences & Adjustability

Unlike a traditional high-engagement hub that instantly transfers pedal input, the DF system lets the freehub rotate before it locks in. That range is your degree of freedom:

0° – Full engagement, no change (ideal for XC riders who want instant power transfer).
10° – Balanced reduction in pedal kickback (great for all-mountain riding).
20° – Maximum anti-kickback effect (perfect for enduro or downhill racing).

For eMTBs, torque loads are higher, so DT Swiss offers a Hybrid kit with 0° and 10° options only.

Words from DT Swiss when we asked what the difference would be between the DT DEG DF system and running a standard 350 ratchet kit in their 18t kit (20 degrees) or 36t (10 degrees) and this is their direct quote:

“The main difference between an 18T without DF technology and a 90T with 20° DF technology lies in randomness. Theoretically, 18T has 20° of free rotational movement. However, it is left to chance whether the teeth are 19.9° or 0.1° apart when you experience pedal kickback. In other words, with 18T, it is quite possible that you will experience pedal kickback much earlier. Purely statistically, you will experience a normal distribution of the different degrees. Accordingly, you have an average of 10° of free rotational movement available, but you have to accept 20° of backlash at any time.

With 90T and 20° DF technology, you have a possible free travel of 20°-24°, of which only 4° of the freehub system are randomly distributed and the 20° are always available to you.”

On-Trail Performance

The DEG DF kit is so easy to install, swap around, and test, you can do back to back runs and really feel the difference between 0, 10, and 20 degrees. We got the DF kit installed on some fresh wheels DT Swiss sent,which happen to be the new DT Swiss FR571 rims laced to 240 DEG hubs. Because the hubs were new, removing the drive ring was mega easy, but if you've ridden the hubs, the drive ring can simply take some brute force to break loose. So be careful.

Once in, as I said, swapping between settings is super easy. On the 10 degree mod,e you can tell right away the freeplay and pedal kick back freedom you have on the bike. The 20 degree setting expands that feeling. On the trail, the 10 degree setting feels quite natural, you can notice the feedback is a bit smoother and you dont notice the 10 degrees of engagement when you go to pedal again. The 20 degree setting is a mode you do notice, while the downhills and aggressive braking and harsh bumps are soaked up and your suspension has a ton of added small bump sensitivity, you do notice the engagement when you go to pedal again, which is met by a little harsher of engagement when the DF ring and ratched teeth both engage again. For this reason, I would say 20 degree is a bit more of the extreme setting and that I would really use then when riding bike park or some proper enduro or downhill riding. For most days, the 10 degree settings would feel great and give you the balance between quick engagement and aid with some pedal kick back on your bike.

In other words, the DF system allows your suspension to work the way your frame designer intended, without the chain tugging things out of balance, for riders who push hard on technical terrain, that can be a real advantage. Something I have not yet tried but will try soon is putting the DEG DF kit onto my Yeti ASR, a 115mm travel bike with a single pivot flex stay. It kinda sounds crazy but given there is no extra weight, I am curious what this could do to the small bump sensitivity of the ASR while having minimal draw backs, and when I am in a situation where fast engagement is more needed, I can easily pop it back into the 0 degree setting and have it back to normal how my trail wheelset is setup now.

Setup

Installing the DF Upgrade Kit is straightforward. With the right tool, you simply:

Unscrew the hub’s thread ring.
Swap in the new DF ratchets and springs.
Grease everything up.
Thread it back together.

If you want to change from 10° to 20° (or back to 0°), it’s just as simple as pulling off the wheel, pop the cassette/freehub body off, carefully swap the inner ratchet between 0, 10, or 20 settings, push on the freehub/endcap and put the wheel back on.

What’s Worldwide’s Takeaway?

The DT Swiss DEG DF Upgrade Kit is one of those clever little innovations that you might not realize you need until you try it. By giving riders a simple way to reduce pedal kickback without adding weight, complexity, or maintenance headaches, DT Swiss has created a product that could change how we think about hubs and suspension working together. For XC riders, the 0° setting still keeps things snappy. For enduro and downhill racers, the 20° option can free up your suspension and smooth out rough sections. And for eMTB riders, the hybrid kit ensures that torque loads don’t get in the way of performance.

This is one of the simplest, smartest, and most effective upgrades DT Swiss has ever offered, and it just might become a go-to for riders who want their suspension working at its full potential.