DT’s top end gear gets the glory, but this tight, all-round set is a great way to get Swiss quality at an affordable price.
They’re average in terms of weight at 804g front and 1022g rear, despite having only 28 spokes each, and they really stood out in terms of stiffness when we got aggressive with them. There’s no disturbing flex or drunken staggering when you put the boot in through off-camber terrain, random rubble or hard corners.
They took big drops without a hint of wobble and even our biggest riders couldn’t make them stumble. The 24mm rim gives decent support for up to 2.35in tyres.
Style-wise, they look more expensive than they are, coming with smart, padded wheel bags to help keep your car boot/back room/understairs cupboard tidy.
Plastic rim tape and a special Prolock spoke key are also provided for your maintenance/fettling needs.
Conventional DT Comp spokes can be replaced easily if you snap or bend one and, best of all, the Centerlock hubs come with adaptors for six bolt rotors, so you can run any brake you want.
On the downside, the two pawl internals don’t hook up as fast as some freehubs (including DT Swiss’s own Star Ratchet system), although they’ve proved reliable through a winter of use.
The quick-release levers are okay, but far from outstanding.
A lack of axle interchangeability may also be an issue if you’re looking at next year’s new 20mm/15mm thru-axle fork options.
