To be clear, I don't think anything has changed. The ratchet-rings still drop in, but the hub side ratchet ring slides into a steel drive ring that threads into the hub body. Under load, this drive ring tightens into the hub body. Add in a bearing's lifetime of riding, moisture, use etc, and inevitably the drive ring is seized into the hub. It needs to be removed when changing the bearings since the ID of the ring is smaller than the OD of the hub bearing. It's an awful design, and single-handedly why DT hubs are massively over-rated in my opinion.
June 14, 2018, 10:54 a.m. - big-ted
To be clear, I don't think anything has changed. The ratchet-rings still drop in, but the hub side ratchet ring slides into a steel drive ring that threads into the hub body. Under load, this drive ring tightens into the hub body. Add in a bearing's lifetime of riding, moisture, use etc, and inevitably the drive ring is seized into the hub. It needs to be removed when changing the bearings since the ID of the ring is smaller than the OD of the hub bearing. It's an awful design, and single-handedly why DT hubs are massively over-rated in my opinion.