DT Swiss revamps wheel and suspension range for 2015

DT Swiss unleashed a mountain of new road and mountain bike wheelsets at this year's Eurobike show, plus a wholly redesigned damper for its suspension range. Road disc brake and thru-axle devotees will find plenty to like in 2015, and there's even a new fat bike wheelset coming in the spring.

DT Swiss gets fat

First and foremost are the new DT Swiss BR 2250 Classic fat bike wheels, which the company isn't actually officially launching just yet. Instead, they were hidden away on Canyon's new Dude carbon fat bike. DT Swiss isn't releasing any details at the moment but we do know that they feature 76mm-wide (internal width) aluminium rims with huge cutouts and offset spoke drilling.

DT Swiss will officially launch the new BR 2250 Classic fat bike wheels later this spring

The matching Big Ride hubs look to be extended-length variations of the long-running DT Swiss 240s, complete with the proven Star Ratchet driver system and options for thru-axle fitments.

Given DT Swiss's usual naming conventions, claimed weight should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,250g for the pair.

Road discs, 11-speed compatibility, and thru-axles, oh my!

Current options for riders seeking tubeless-ready road wheels that work with 11-speed cassettes, disc brakes, and thru-axles are relatively few and far between but DT Swiss will add several choices for 2015.

Topping the collection is the RC 28 Spline C db, which features 15mm-wide (internal width) and 28mm-deep carbon clincher rims, straight-pull stainless steel spokes, and a 1,325g claimed weight. There's also a 38mm-deep version in clincher (1,455g) and tubular (1,325g) flavours, and all three are built around the DT Swiss Star Ratchet driver system.

Road wheels that combine tubeless rims, 11-speed compatibility, thru-axles, and disc brakes are few and far between but there will be more options in 2015

On the aluminium side, there's the new R 23 Spline db and R 24 Spline db, both featuring 18mm-wide (internal width), 23mm-deep rims and alloy hubs with conventional pawl-type drivers. Claimed weight on the R 23 Spline db is 1,655g while the heavier spokes and rims on the R 24 Spline db add another 120g for the set.

There are several new rim brake models, too, including the R 20 DICUT aluminium clinchers (1,533g) with lightweight 16mm-wide (internal width), 21mm-deep rims suitable for rough roads and climbing, Star Ratchet hub internals, and the slick-looking DT Swiss DICUT hub design. Also new are the R 23 Spline (1,605g) and R 24 Spline (1,725g) – essentially the rim brake analogues of the disc brake models described earlier.

Standard rim brake road wheels are alive and well. DT Swiss has a lot of new models for 2015

Finally, time trial racers and triathletes get the new RRC 2.0 Disc DICUT rear tubular carbon disc wheel with a 20mm width, straight sides, Star Ratchet internals, and a Lightweight-like construction that uses tensioned strips of carbon fibre. Claimed weight is just 780g.

New mountain bike wheels

More generous rim widths make their way into much of the new 2015 DT Swiss mountain bike wheel range, topped by the generous 25mm internal width on the EX 1501 Spline One (1,650-1,810g) and EX 1700 Spline Two (1,840-1,910g), both built around Star Ratchet rear hubs and straight-pull spokes. DT Swiss sticks to the more common six-bolt rotor interface on the EX 1501 Spline One but the EX 1700 Spline Two will use Center Lock instead.

DT Swiss has new mountain bike wheels in a range of widths to suit your fancy

Trail riders who put a greater emphasis on reducing weight than rim width can turn to the XM 1501 Spline One and M 1700 Spline Two wheels instead, which use the same hubs but downsized 22.5mm-wide rims instead, which drops 115-140g depending on size.

Race-oriented wheels include the XR 1501 Spline One (1,400-1,510g) with 20mm-wide aluminium rims and the XRC 1250 Spline (1,360-1,470g) with 21.5mm-wide carbon fibre rims.

Spline hubs feature straight-pull spokes

Finally, there's been a running change on the graphics of the Gravity wheels we showed you a few weeks ago. Given that FSA already uses that label for an entire range of componentry, DT Swiss will instead rebadge these as the FR 950 Classic.

Simplified suspension

DT Swiss has been busy on the suspension front, too, with all-new dampers that use a simpler two- or three-position user interface.

The OPM OL fork uses a basic open/locked manual or remotely operated damper along with a hollow-forged aluminium crown and one-piece magnesium lower legs. DT Swiss will offer the OPM OL in 26, 27.5, and 29in varieties with travel ranging between 100 and 150mm. Claimed weights start at 1,570g and top out at 1,690g, including the RWS thru-axle skewer.

New dampers feature two- or three-position compression adjusters

Topping the fork range is the OPM ODL, which uses the same chassis but with a three-position switch analogous to systems currently used by RockShox and Fox. Similarly, the 'Open' position is the lightest setting for full travel on bumpy terrain; the 'Drive' position firms up the compression damping for less movement; and the 'Lock' position closes off the oil ports for riding on smooth roads.

As with the OPM OL, the OPM ODL will be available for 26, 27.5, and 29in wheel sizes with travel ranging from 100 to 150mm. Claimed weights are identical, too.

The simplified system will make its way into three rear shocks, too, including the aluminium bodied M 212 with the two-position OL system, and the X 313 with the three-position ODL damper. Weight weenies can once again find a carbon air can in the ultralight X 313.

Go light - or lighter!