Review: The DT Swiss EXC 1200 Spline Enduro Wheelset Might Be Too Light
DT Swiss's EXC 1200 wheels are aimed squarely at enduro riding and racing, with DT Swiss calling on its enduro racers' experience and input so that they can make a wheel fit enough for them while still being class leading in weight for people wanting to take it on long rides.
The discreet wheels definitely hide a lot of their development quietly behind their understated exterior. But their claims to give peace of mind on the downhills and enough breath for a chat on the way up needed thorough testing.
Over the course of the summer, autumn and unusually dry winter we've been riding the hell out of them to see if their intentions on paper can be backed up on the real world down and uphills.
The discreet wheels definitely hide a lot of their development quietly behind their understated exterior. But their claims to give peace of mind on the downhills and enough breath for a chat on the way up needed thorough testing.
Over the course of the summer, autumn and unusually dry winter we've been riding the hell out of them to see if their intentions on paper can be backed up on the real world down and uphills.
EXC 1200 Spline Details
Intended use: enduro
Wheel size: 27.5" and 29" (tested)
Axle & hub width: 15x110mm & 12x148mm
Rotor mount: Center Lock
Rim inner width: 30mm (29") & 35mm (27.5")
Weight (actual): 1697 grams (29")
Price: 2198 EUR or $2,735 USD
More info: DT Swiss
Intended use: enduro
Wheel size: 27.5" and 29" (tested)
Axle & hub width: 15x110mm & 12x148mm
Rotor mount: Center Lock
Rim inner width: 30mm (29") & 35mm (27.5")
Weight (actual): 1697 grams (29")
Price: 2198 EUR or $2,735 USD
More info: DT Swiss
DT Swiss's top tier 180 hubs are at the centre of the wheels.
It has their new Ratchet EXP system inside.
Details & Features
We took a more in-depth look at the wheels in our First Look. But here's a run-down of the details and features.
Starting at the centre of the system, the EXC 1200 wheels run on DT Swiss’s new 180 hubs with SINC ceramic bearings. Their updated Ratchet EXP freehub has options for SRAM’s XD or Shimano’s Microspline included, while you can purchase a standard Shimano freehub if needed.
28 Aerolite and Aero Comp bladed spokes link the hub to the rim in a 3-cross pattern. All the spokes, left and right, front and rear are 300mm long for the 29er version. So really only one type of spare spoke in your toolbox should be enough to keep you rolling if you encounter problems or damage.
Squorx nipples tie the spokes to the rim and DT Swiss build to the max possible spoke tension. It’s the individual engineering in the system pieces that add up to give them their desired level of flex and spring characteristics.
The carbon rims are pretty tastefully decorated.
Both front and rear use bladed spoke, all of the same length.
The rim is made from carbon fiber and features a hookless profile. There’s a 30mm inner width for the 29” wheels tested. The wheelset also comes in 27.5” with a 35mm inner width. DT don’t give out much information regarding the rim’s layup, fibers and resin, although they do say that they worked to find a resin that didn’t cause any galvanic corrosion between the composite rim and aluminium nipples.
Our tested 29” wheelset came in at 1697g for the pair taped up, with valves and XD freehub.
Installation & Setup
As the wheels come pre-taped and with the tubeless valves installed, all that’s left to do is mount the rotors, cassette and tires. Tool free end caps and freehub make freehub swaps and maintenance a doddle. And the fit is snug enough that even hefty cassettes don’t pop off the end caps and end up on the floor.
The hubs are center lock-only and use adaptors to bridge the gap to 6-bolt rotors. The familiar Shimano BB tool interface is used to tighten the center lock nut.
Tire installation is easy as it appears DT Swiss pay attention to the different bead diameters possible with different brands of tires and make sure their rim shapes allow easy installation while still providing a strong hold on the tires while riding hard.
Maxxis tires seated with a floor pump every time. Schwalbe tires would seat just as fine with a brand-new tire, but after a few rides and swaps sometimes the help of a compressor was needed.
Performance
DT Swiss’s claim for the EXC 1200 wheels is to be tough enough for everything the best in the sport can throw at them with the rim’s carbon structure being optimized for impact resistance. With that in mind I didn’t give the wheels an easy life. Their arrival was smack bang in the middle of the bike park season, giving me endless options to accrue copious amounts of descending time on the wheels.
Lots of people still have only the one bike and ride everything on it from all day pedals to days doing laps. And wheels aimed at enduro racing should be good for using in all terrains and eventualities that a 170mm travel bike can get into.
I of course tested them outside of the bike parks. While this region of Europe is often seen as just a mass of bike parks, there are ten-fold more riding spots dotted up every mountain that can serve up any manner of riding terrain and with the mountain weather, any condition too.
DT Swiss’s claim for the EXC 1200 wheels is to be tough enough for everything the best in the sport can throw at them with the rim’s carbon structure being optimized for impact resistance. With that in mind I didn’t give the wheels an easy life. Their arrival was smack bang in the middle of the bike park season, giving me endless options to accrue copious amounts of descending time on the wheels.
Lots of people still have only the one bike and ride everything on it from all day pedals to days doing laps. And wheels aimed at enduro racing should be good for using in all terrains and eventualities that a 170mm travel bike can get into.
I of course tested them outside of the bike parks. While this region of Europe is often seen as just a mass of bike parks, there are ten-fold more riding spots dotted up every mountain that can serve up any manner of riding terrain and with the mountain weather, any condition too.
Dan Roberts // Technical Editor
Age: 33
Location: Champéry, Switzerland
Height: 188cm (6'2”)
Weight: 75kg (165 lbs)
Industry affiliations / sponsors: Garage Bike Project, former engineer at Scott Sports
Instagram: @le_crusher
Test Locations: Champéry, Morgins, Bex, Leysin, Aosta, La Thuile, Val-d'Isère, Tignes, Thonon-les-Bains, Finale Ligure & Wales.
The ultra-low weight of the wheelset is definitely noticeable. It may not be front and center in the riding experience for everyone, but the ability to get the wheels up to speed and also moving the whole bike around was perceivably better than with heavier all aluminum options mounted to the same bike.
On straight, fast and rough sections of trail the wheels are devoid of any wild deflecting sensations as they either hit impacts square on or glance off the side of them. There too is neither a feeling that the wheel is magically finding its own path like the dancing hands of a French DH racer visualising his upcoming run. There’s enough of a directness to them to make it you who is in control of their direction while balancing that with enough energy absorption to stop them pinging any which way but the way you want.
In high G-force turning situations and compared back to the other 28 spoke aluminum wheels previously ridden they have a much more predictable feeling. No loading up and sudden releases of force ever occurred. A more gradual and progressive build and return of force lead the wheels to somewhat blending away and just going about their job. In the vert berms of Champéry and Morgins they never once gave that sudden release feeling despite the best efforts to take inside lines on the biggest turns and slap the last remaining feet of the wall shaped berm. Nor too did they show that trait in steep loamy turns the can almost fold you up into a small package on your bars.
In off-camber situations, where the wheels are constantly being bent and twisted from weird bike and body angles, they exhibited neither a too harsh nor too soft ride, enabling you to claw onto every last bit of grip while you cut across cambers. The wheels constantly felt like a very good balance of comfort and control in all situations I put them into.
The 36-tooth ratchet in the 180 rear hub was bang on. I wasn’t left asking for more engagement on technical climbs or anywhere for that matter. There is a 54-tooth available if that’s your thing, but more points of engagement do up the possibilities for pedal kickback to be a more prevalent feeling in your riding.
I come back to that idea of a good product just going about its job quietly in the background. The EXC 1200 wheelset did exactly this, until they didn’t. Read on.
Servicing
With the tool free end cap and freehub system cleaning and re-greasing the freehub system is a simple job, although cleaning the half of the ratchet system which is now fixed in the hub is a little trickier. But that’s nit picking. It’s advised to use the specific DT Swiss grease for the ratchet system but the small pot that is sold separately will probably last a lifetime for one person.
After six and a half months of testing the bearings are still running smoothly with riding in all conditions from bone dry and dusty to some of the most relentless Welsh mud that gets into places no other mud can. SINC bearings aren’t cheap to replace when they do wear out, but then neither is the wheelset.
There has been no need re-tension or true the wheels throughout the testing period. Sometimes with fresh wheels there will be a familiar ting noise generated when the wheel is properly loaded with a rider for the first time as all the components of the wheel find their final resting place. It usually then requires a round of re-tensioning and truing, but the fact this was never needed hints to DT Swiss’s skills in the wheel building. Although, with 28 spokes each spoke covers a greater segment of the rim when compared to 32 spokes, so when it comes to truing it can be a little harder to get the tensions balanced while having the wheel bang on straight.
Durability
By far the biggest issue we experienced was with the rim. After seven weeks of rigorous testing we were riding in Morgins, Switzerland, a bike park with its high speed, high G-force descents full of interesting rises and falls, some of which can be gapped with a good dose of speed and pull. Upon landing one of these natural gaps we encountered a sound as if someone had fired a gun. Looking down after rolling to a stop the tire was completely off and the rim showed serious signs of a failure. This particular gap in Morgins has claimed some other carbon fiber wheels from other big manufacturers.
Trying not to speculate if a different material would have suffered the same fate, the only thing that can be said is that the amount of energy needed to do this to the wheel and make that amount of noise was not matching the feeling from riding.
Upon further inspection the rim had completely failed all the way through and had essentially shunted the two sides of the failure back together with such force that they were inseparable. The rim was now quite a few millimeters smaller in diameter and as a result all spokes were completely de-tensioned.
We went back to DT Swiss with the failed wheel for them to take a closer look at and see if they could find more answers. We also picked up a replacement rear wheel to continue the testing. Since then we’ve had another three and a half months of testing and the wheels are still going strong, exhibiting the same level of performance that we were encountering before we had our rim issue.
Testing was carried out exclusively with DH casing tires, so no flimsy sidewall business to make the rim’s encounter the ground more often. It’s hard to definitively say if a tire insert would have helped, but something like Cushcore would for sure have helped dissipate some of the energy.
DT Swiss could only suggest that perhaps the failure had come about from a smaller, less visible failure being subjected to the force of the landing. Somewhat a case of right place right timing but a disappointing situation nonetheless.
Other Issues
After the second day of testing we had some noisy spokes. With the brake on and rocking the bike back and forth the flat bladed spokes would rub against each other where they cross. The resulting noise wasn’t the most confidence inspiring when you’re anchoring up hard down a track, as it was audible while riding. It would disappear after washing the bike only to reappear once the bike was dry and especially when covered in dust.
The original plastic valve nut strips the thread easily.
The plastic valve nut is super light, but not the most robust. The plastic threads are very easy to strip and so was swapped out for the aluminum nut found on other DT Swiss tubeless valves. The aluminum version with its accompanying o-ring seal has worked flawlessly without damaging the rim where it contacts it.
The center lock nuts of previous DT Swiss wheels would tighten directly against the disc rotor. After DT experienced some cases where the nut would loosen, they now include a ridged metallic spacer to go between the nut and disc to aid in the amount of locking of the system. However, with this spacer installed the nut stuck out far enough that it would hit the fork leg, meaning the wheel wouldn’t spin without chewing a chunk out of the fork leg. This was with a Hope 6 bolt floating rotor and Öhlins RXF36 m.2 fork. Perhaps with other combinations this wouldn’t be a problem, but we couldn’t try out every eventuality. For the entire test I ran without the additional spacer and have experienced no issues with the center lock nut coming loose.
DT Swiss's Response
 | Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your recent experience with our new EXC 1200 and we are sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you. Based on your report, we have carefully examined the damaged wheel and could not find any abnormality in the carbon layout. As you know, such abnormalities could indicate possible deviations within the manufacturing process, but in our examination, we did not find any such concerns. During the R&D phase DT Swiss invests a lot of time in intense riding and lab tests in order to meet our demands and expectations. Always having the required field of application in mind, we developed a competitive wheel for its ASTM classification. But not every situation on the trail can be reproduced in the lab or simulated in the field, even though our investments in our process does greatly reduce such potential concerns. We strive to make our products as reliable as possible. For us development is an ongoing process and in order to continuously improve our products, we take feedback seriously and incorporate it in our development process, which we will endeavor to do based on the information received in your report. As riders we know what it means not being able to do what you love most. With our DT Swiss Service Centers, we handle issues like yours in the same way as we did with you. We would like to see our customers back on the bike as soon as possible, therefore we handle carbon claims in a very accommodating way. Simultaneously we are working on a long-term solution which is fair for all parties – for our customers, dealers, distributors, and finally also the environment. Detailed information will be communicated within this year. |
Pros
+ Great ride feeling - comfortable & controlled.
+ A good chunk lighter than the competition.
+ Brilliantly reliable & serviceable hubs.
Cons
- Rim had a catastrophic failure.
- Noisy spokes under hard braking.
- Not inexpensive. At all.
Pinkbike's Take
| It’s a shame that the EXC 1200 rim suffered a failure while testing. The wheels are incredibly light, their ride feel is a brilliant balance of comfort and control, and they have some of the most reliable and serviceable hubs at their center. The replacement rim has held up well, so assuming our failure was an outlier, the wheels could be a lightweight option for people who don’t frequent full on downhill tracks and have a smoother, lighter style on the bike. But with their intended purpose firmly aimed at enduro racing and aggressive riding, it becomes harder to recommend the EXC 1200 wheelset to hard-charging riders, especially given its premium price. |
Action photos by: Gaëtan Rey
Author Info:
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...This was the rim telling you it wanted to be released back into it's natural 26" habitat
Obviously you haven’t raced an Enduro in the US, where nearly all of them are based at bike parks.
But DT make some really great stuff.
If I had to choose between a part that occasionally fails - within reason, of course - from a company that will sort it out or a part that fails slightly less often from a company that will dodge the warranty claim, I'd probably pick the former as the lesser of two evils.
That said, it's reasonable to expect perfect performance and unquestioning product support at US$2,735 because we could buy an equally light wheelset from an Asian factory and four spare rims for that price.
A Light Bicycle Recon Pro rim with 30 mm internal width is listed at 440 g ± 15 g, so it's possible the Light Bicycle equivalent could be almost 200 g lighter per pair. I haven't tested the LB rims, but I do know LB's Recon Pro series is rather nice and DT's rims broke, so things are looking good for the Light Bicycle option.
Most products are "super solid" until they fail... then they're not anymore.
Obviously, a failure makes it more likely the rim is weak than if it hadn't failed, though Dan notes he's broken other rims, so maybe his riding and/or terrain is especially hard on rims. I'm just saying we should ensure we don't draw conclusions beyond what the evidence supports.
Front hub: Extralite
Rear hub: DT 180 or Extralite
Spokes: Berd
Rims: Yishun ASD937TR-GP
Also noteworthy here, as you and others have indicated, is the professionalism with which DT has handled this review. Textbook, really, and they seem to be sincerely focused on applying any lessons learned toward future product development. It's a treat to hear a marketing manager speak with an engineer's technical grasp but a PR person’s business savvy. In the end, an episode like this only strengthens my faith in the DT brand.
edit: last Carbon DT Swiss wheels on Capra were on the older model, 2016 (or 2017 maybe?), but those were XMC1200, their ligher all mountain/trail wheelset and not EXC1200. EXC did not exist yet at that time.
I do have to wonder if DT would have had a different standpoint if this was some guy from some city JRA who bustified a wheel...I would like to think not.
DT 180 EXP FR hub: 96.00 gr
DT 180 EXP RR hub: 186.00
28 300mm Aero Comp Spokes 189
28 300mm Aerolite Spokes 138
56 DT Squorx nipples Alu. 22
FR & RR Rim tape & Valves 31
Total 662 grams for components and 1035 for the rims.
517.5 gr +/- 15 seems average for the catagory compared to some other enduro rated rims that seem to have fantastic reputation for strength.
Santa Cruz Reserve 30 490 gr.
We Are One Agent 488 gr.
We Are One Union 495 gr.
1. I'm usually the one telling people weight doesn't matter. I make an exception for unsprung mass, but still, I know it's a small component of overall performance. My concern is that DT's rims appear to be a step behind the competition on weight, strength, and cost.
2. It is not a steal. You could build the same wheels with We Are One Union rims, for example, and I believe you would have a better wheelset for less money. Substitute round spokes in place of the bladed spokes and the value is even better with no reduction in performance. There is no reasonable metric of value that favours this wheelset.
For the price of this DT wheelset, you could build a set with Extralite Hyperboost hubs, We Are One Union rims, and Berd fiber spokes. That's very similar to the wheelset I'm using, it's a full pound less than the DT wheels, and the ride quality is even better. Not that weight is everything, of course, but it shows what an exotic wheelset can be built for this price.
@MikeAzBS: Nice detective work on the weights.
I have a pair of Nextie carbon rims laced to DT350s that only weigh about 50g more than the DT wheelset, but I'm not going to claim they are in the class as a top of the line DT wheelset. They are also 22mm internal. You can always build custom wheels for cheaper if you are a careful online shopper, but your nuts if you are getting better quality composites from china or someones garage in canada. Lets be honest, this wheelset is really designed for elite level racers, not pinkbike commenters.
What would make you think this? And what evidence do you have to support this? And what makes the DT rims more suited for elite racers? I don't care what name is on the decal, if the product isn't light, isn't strong, isn't cheap, and has a tall cross-section, what's the redeeming quality?
If you don't see how a 3k wheelset with DT180s isn't gear to elite racing I dunno how to help you.
FWIW there is a lot more to a wheelset than whether or not it breaks. Wheelsets are built from a lot of parts and getting every one of those parts right is key to building a top notch product. DT produces all the parts needed to build a complete wheelset, and therefore controls every aspect of their product. Very few other companies can say the same thing, and that's a major part of what makes DT's products so good.
The fact is that currently, machines have a FAR better rate of quality wheels than just about any man can. Not just in numbers but in the percentage of super high-quality wheels. Not so much. The days of the Hozan Tensiometer and what not are long past.
Sure it is neat when "Trevor" at the shop can lace up a cool wheel on a super loud hub (I hate super loud freehub clicking). But, where the rubber literally meets the road is how they last - should be years and years and years. I happen to ride mostly Mavic wheels (Campagnolo on the road). The number of times I hear "but so and so at the shop builds an awesome wheel" - that costs more and is simply not as good as a machine built wheel is astounding.
Also, I find it an odd co-incidence that in this article the rims came with a nylon value-nut, which was replaced with steel and then the rim failed at exactly this area. Could it be the layup in that area is thin enough that the nylon valve stem nut was required so it would to yield if when that valve stem was impacted.
From the photo it looks like the failure could have begun adjacent to the valve hole. My thought was the valve-stem sustained and impact and levered the aluminum nut into the area adjacent the valve hole creating this stress point which would later lead to the catastrophic failure. It would maybe fit the theory DT presented: "DT Swiss could only suggest that perhaps the failure had come about from a smaller, less visible failure being subjected to the force of the landing"
Sorry about the armchair engineering, but there is a reason why the rim broke there? Regardless of remaing questions, thanks for sharing the actual results!
For example when a MTB company talks about the "strength" of their product a customer without a materials background reads that language they are lead to (reasonably) believe that product X is a certain % stronger than product Y and thus will be more durable in nearly all use cases. When in fact a composite wheel (or frame) is far more vulnerable to a catastrophic failure if it encounters a point load (think sharp pointed object falling onto it). These are the types of damage that we fear most when we design composites for aerospace applications.
What frustrates me is that when companies talk strength of aluminum vs carbon products often they're citing tensile strength or some other constant or impact load. In a road application (cars, motorcycles, road bikes) this is probably sufficient as they rarely encounter types of impacts that lead to catastrophic failure but for a MTB product that spends it's life literally smashing into sharp pointed rocks the manufacturers need to be forthright about the durability of their products.
Just my 2c
Strength of materials plus volume of materials plus geometry of part and loading. Then you can make the call. Only then.
DT Swiss Enduro Riders: rides the cheap Alum rims
It’s just that they seem cheap compared to the carbon alternatives that have somehow managed to make absolutely ridiculous prices seem almost normal!
When you look at it that way, isn’t $90 a rim expensive?
Yes, I would buy one because I think they are worth the money and that is the price that the market will sustain. But it’s not really cheap, for one single piece of a bicycle. I’m sure there are rims out there which can be bought for American cents per unit. They are cheap. Cheaper than a meal of food.
The point is, people’s perception of what constitutes a cheap rim has been skewed by carbon over the past 8-10 years.
In 2010 a $90 DT Swiss rim would have been considered an expensive premium product.
They would probably crack the carbon....
They probably ding up the 1501 and replace often
"Wheels in this category are made for kinds of terrains, including very steep and very harsh trails. They can handle jumps up to 122cm/48in.They are designed for aggressive use but they are not built for regular use in bike parks. These wheels are made for mid travel Trail and Enduro bikes."
It's not really surprising that a super light component designed for certain amount of abuse does not have huge reserves in durability above what it was designed for.
I think there's an issue with people using the word "enduro" to describe "trail riding except I don't care about the climb" rather than the level of terrain and tracks that you encounter in enduro racing.
That being said, EX1501's wheels are also ASTM class 4 (and EX471 and EX511 rims as well) and I would not have any reservation using those in a bike park.
Having said that, here's where the marketers come in: of course they're advertised as an "enduro rider's dream wheel" that are "tough enough for everything the best in the sport can throw at them." I mean...ASTM 4 literally does not live up to that description, even though most trail/enduro wheels are in this category.
So as you say: maybe if durability/reliability is a concern, don't get the very lightest ASTM 4 carbon wheels you can find!
Personally, I wouldn't expect a product designed for Enduro racing to fail during bike park use, but hey.
www.mavic.com/sites/default/files/download/mavic_en_astm_usage.pdf
And I agree that the ASTM class 4 description is rather anemic compared to what most of the people would imagine when you say enduro riding. Hell I would argue that and a single EWS race can cause more abuse to a wheelset than a few bikepark days.
.
Ie. Newmwen EVOLUTION SL A.30 are 1760g for ALU! The review is somewhere on PB.
That's why 1697g for carbon.always cracking.rims is not light enough,even if its light for what it is.
63g don't bother me...
Cheers
I think that this "Dan Roberts" is just Paul Aston brought back in disguise to avoid sponsor fury. I'll be interested to read review. I'll be eager to read reviews from "John Morris" until he blows up the next set of carbon rims.
Haven't seen it? Well here you go, Paul! I mean *wink* Dan.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jdQqjcsfC8
Firms want to cash in on stupid people chaising perfection. Learn how to ride. Practice. Enjoy being with nature. Forget this stupid nonsense. And ... buy DT stuff because it's excellent. Just not f*ckin carbon wheels.
I have a set of the DT Swiss XMC 30 with the 240 hubs. They were an optional upgrade that I went for for a good price on an OEM build. I dont tend to the the guy who breaks stuff but I do often ride fast and blow the clean line. I've got 2 seasons on them. I haven't touched the front one. I crushed a rear rim that was replaced by DT in a few days for $350 by sending it to them in Grand Junction, which is pretty close to where I live. The bead was trashed but I was able to JB weld it and ride it for the rest of the season till winter came. The hit that broke the rim was savage and nearly threw me over the bars at high speed. It was pilot error and probably would have destroyed any rim made out of any material.
The hubs will probably last a lifetime. The rims? Probably not, just like any other rim made out of plastic or metal.
Britney Spears.
*shakes hands*
*harmonizes*
"Oops I did it again"
DT 180 FR hub: 94.00 gr
DT 180 RR hub: 185.00
28 300mm Aero Comp Spokes 188.90
28 300mm Aerolite Spokes 138.20
56 DT Squorx nipples Alu. 22.75
FR & RR Rim tape & Valves 31.00
Total 659.85
So that leaves 1010 gr. (505 gr. ea) for the rims, doesnt seem all that light compared to:
Santa Cruz Reserve 30 490 gr.
We Are One Agent 488 gr.
We Are One Union 495 gr.
However, this type of testing is non scientific, also 99 percent of the riders that are going to buy these wheels are not going to break them, as they don't have the skills like the test rider to push the limit, so yes they broke, but, I would not call this a situation to brand them with forever. Its a bit of tabloid journalism in the bike industry, which is just as rare as carbon rims on the trail. no rarer... So many things going on here, I would not exaggerate too much this one test. You need five riders doing the same thing to come up with believable data sets.
I had the same issue with my DT Swss XRC 1200 Spline 30's : a drop of boiled line seed oil on the interface between spoke nipple and carbon rim and the issue was gone.
These things are really unpredicable.
But either way, no one over 90#s should be riding at a bike park without inserts.
The good, won a signed Jersey with my #senditrandy hashtag from Marco Osborne.. Same race he knocked himself silly and was out concussed for awhile.
Light Bicycle makes a 30mm id rim, with the same hubs and cx ray spokes you get a 1460g wheelset w/ lifetime warranty for just over 2k CAD.
Was he riding with a passenger? Why is he referring to himself as "We"
I mean, that's why my mom told me.
"Learning from our very successful EWS riders, we designed the rims for the EXC 1200 SPLINE 30 to be tough enough for everything the best in the sport can throw at them. Yet they are still light enough to spin all day. And the right width to accommodate today's high-volume enduro tires. This rim is complemented by our completely new top-end Ratchet System hubs. They keep the lightweight theme, as do the bladed and butted straight-pull spokes. The result is any enduro rider's dream wheel: Peace of mind in the downhills and enough breath for a chat on the ups. "
For $2700, I think this kind of failure is unacceptable for an enduro wheelset. Enduro bikes and components should be expected to hold up to big hits.
One of them failed in constant bikepark use, which is unfortunate but doesn't mean they won't hold up under any kind of other riding.
This doesn't even get into aluminium rims that slowly fail from cracking spoke holes. Aluminium overtime will basically always fail because aluminium doesn't have an infinite fatigue life. This means the rim literally gets weaker over time. causing hairline cracks around spoke holes. Also aluminium rims can only take so many small dents and dings before it affects the structural integrity of the overall rim.
I'm not saying aluminium is bad. I currently have five bikes. Four of my bikes have aluminium rims, one has carbon. Through the years I've personally killed at least a dozen aluminium rims, some catastrophically, some from long term abuse. I've owned three carbon rims through the years. All the carbon rims still run mostly true, one of them is starting to develop a soft spot and delaminate itself. Will I buy more aluminium rims in the future, yes. Will I buy more carbon rims in the future, also yes.
1. Is not that light at all.
2. Is not that strong.
3. Costs 2200e??
I'm currently running 29" carbon Acros Nineteen enduro wheelset which weights 1500g and costs half of the DT Swiss. Full season on them and 0 problems.
Btw I absolutely love the EX511 rims and DT Swiss hubs, but this is ridiculous.
:-0
literally, come the f*ck on.....if you screw the pooch, the pooch screws you.....simple as that. stop blaming the manufactures!
"With our DT Swiss Service Centers, we handle issues like yours in the same way as we did with you. We would like to see our customers back on the bike as soon as possible, therefore we handle carbon claims in a very accommodating way."
Dan switched out the resin valve cap that strips easily to the aluminum one that doesn't and the failure happened right where that metal cap would have been levered into the carbon if the valve stem was impacted. Not saying that's what happened right when this wheel failed, but it could have caused enough damage earlier that then caused the wheel to fail during an impact it would normally have held up against.
Don't think Dan or anyone at Pinkbike happened to mention that to DT.
I can fell that traction on front wheel is soooo much better now... Sarc off.
Any questions?
Either you give name or you don't write this. If you don't, you're hiding something or someone and we can't trust you.