The venerable 350 has been around for awhile now and it needs no introduction, yet a few words of praise are worth penning. Normally if I take the time to write a piece for my blog it would probably be about something special or maybe a bit exotic. Something for you to get really excited about.

Now I don’t think you’ll party for a week after reading about the virtues of the Taiwanese made lowly brother of the DT Swiss 240, but it still needs to be on your radar even if that’s a revelation.

Why? Well, where do I start?

When you’re contemplating a new custom set of wheels you are probably dreaming of buying the most expensive hubs that you can afford, and that’s not a bad approach because you’re hoping to get many years of use out of said dream wheels. This much I understand. But there are times when you might need that second set of wheels but the bank account is looking a little compromised. What to do? Where can I save some dough on that new set of gravel wheels that I wasn’t planning on telling the wife/hubby about.

In steps the DT Swiss 350 all dressed in black looking pretty fabulous. Now this is looking doable you say to yourself.

**A thru axle version with a centrelock disc brake interface that ships with an adaptor for an ISO 6 blot disc rotor if needed.**

So why is the 350 worthy of my attention as opposed to other budget hub options?

Let me explain.

Over the years the 350 has benefited from the gradual changes in its older brother the 240. As the 240 grew there was a trickle down effect to improve the 350.

The 240 is a wonderful hub that’s proven itself time and again in everything from the Tour de France to a 1000 other important races around the globe. Its a hub that just works perfectly, never lets you down and looks great in basic black.

On the other hand the 350 is not a world away from the more expensive and fabled 240.

The 350 is also available in several models and axle configurations. Both 6 bolt and centrelock disc brake interfaces are on offer and a standard road model for rim brakes is there as well. The centrelock version also ships with an adaptor that enables you to use a 6 bolt disc rotor if that’s what you have on hand. Now that’s clever!

This hub has models available for standard J-bend spokes or for straight pull, so suit yourself!

**The 350 is also available in a disc version for straight pull spokes.**

I must comment on the bearing quality. I am always amazed at the perfect buttery smooth spin that happens after I’ve completed a wheel with 350’s.

And those bearings stay that way for quite a long time if you look after them. Avoid silly maintenance moves like power washing your bike which invariably pushes water and silt straight into your bearings leading to premature wear.

The finish on these hubs is always this side of flawless. I have never seen one that had a flaw. Get out your magnifying glass and try to find one. You won’t!

The CNC workmanship on these hubs can’t be faulted either. In fact I will go on record and say that they are in no way inferior to the pricier 240.

In a nutshell you can’t go wrong with this lovely hub. No, it doesn’t give you the bragging rights that come with a set of custom Royce hubs with a gold nitride finish, but not everybody has that kind of money to spend on super fancy hubs. Nor will they outshine that set of solid titanium Gokiso hubs that will make you $10K poorer.

But you will be on a superb set of hubs that will go the distance and then some, be it for your road, gravel, cyclocross or MTB machine.

Truth be told, you could ride any event in the world on these and they wouldn’t stop you from being the top man on the podium. You just need the legs.

Cognoscenti Cycles always try to keep a few pairs in stock for the savvy buyer.

So, if your objective is to save a few dollars and still get a killer set of hand built wheels then take a long look at the 350’s. You’d be hard pressed to find any hub in this price range that ticks as many boxes as this one.

The DT Swiss 350 hub

Corey Mihailiuk