Hey Hubbers, Happy Heritage day - hope you're all getting the opportunity to spend time with family, and if you manage to get a ride in today too, well then you win! Today's post from me is all about education, and to kick things off in this series of posts, I will aim at empowering you with understanding the sometimes confusing nomenclature of DT Swiss wheels so you can know exactly what type of technology you are rolling on... So without further adieu, here is a simplified overview of the DT naming system: The Numbers Wondering what the "1501" in your XR 1501 wheels or the "391" in those nice XR 391 rims you have mean? This is for three reasons: 1. The number indicated the performance level of the product. The lower the number, the higher the quality. Examples: 1200 wheels > 1501 wheels > 1700 wheels > 1900 wheels; And likewise 180 hub > 240 hub > 350 hub > 370 hub 2. Closely tied with the first point. The numbers also dictate the hub technology and therefore overall cost of the wheels 1200 wheels = Top of range hubs (180 Ratchet EXP* with ceramic bearings)1501 wheels = High end hubs (240 Ratchet EXP* with high quality bearings)1700 wheels = Mid level hubs (350 Star Ratchet with standard bearings)1900 wheels = Entry point hubs (370 3pawl with standard bearings and steel parts)3. Heritage: Stems from the original weight of the wheel/rim/hub when first introduced to market. (example: original XR 391 in 26" form was 390g) *All 1200 and 1501 wheels prior to 2020 used Star Ratchet technology. From 2020 onward, these wheels have been updated to the new Ratchet EXP technology The Letters Just like the numbers having a meaning the letters do too. It's pretty basic here. Each Letter refers to an aspect of the rim. The First letter refers to the intended use/category: Road has six categories/families with different intended uses: A/P/E/C/T/G or... Aero (Aero wheels for Triathlon or TT racing etc) Perfomance (All rounders for most races) Endurace (For races like the Paris Roubaix where comfort is essential) Cross [road] (DT's name Cyclocross) Track (Track racing in velodrome) Gravel (wider and deeper rims than the cyclocross range, updated to meet the demands of gravel touring) MTB have five families of wheels: X/M/E/Fr/Br or.... Xross country (XCO and marathon) Mountain (Trail/ All mountain) Enduro (The racing format of all mountain) FreeRide (Downhill and Freeride) Big Ride (Fat bikes) The Second letter [if any] refers to the rim being of a higher quality. As a rim example from the Gravel family: The G 540 rim is a sleeved rim and uses eyelet spoke holes while the GR 531 is a welded rim that uses thin wall technology requiring special washers instead of eyelets. As a wheel example from the [all] Mountain family: The XM 1501 wheelset uses a welded rim and washers, while the M 1700 wheelset is a sleeved rim with eyeleted spoke wholes. The Third letter is always a "C" which of course stands for Carbon XRC 1200, is the carbon Cross Country wheelset. CRC 1400 is the carbon Cross Road wheelset. ARC 1100 etc... So to conclude X 1900 wheels use a 3pawl hub as it has the 1900 naming, it also has a a sleeved rim due to the single "X" naming along with price point materials to make the most affordable range in the XCO/XCM family. X 1700 is always the start of the Star Ratchet equipped wheels identified by the "1700", uses sleeved rims (no second letter) and is fantastic for all round use. XR 1501 is a Star Ratchet hub, using 240 hub technology, the additional letter "R" means it is now a welded rim and the "1501" means it's very light - DT's more premium alloy wheels. XRC 1200 means it is an upgraded ratchet EXP hub technology with ceramic bearings (180 hub) Carbon rim because of the "C" and very light because of the "1200" designation. The top of the range wheels from DT Swiss piloted to many XCO and XCM race wins by the likes of Nino Schurter. That's it guys, I know it's a lot to take in, but hopefully this will give you a good understanding of what technology you are currently rolling on when you are looking for spares, replacement parts or perhaps even considering upgrading. If you're still not sure, head over to DT's very powerful product support page that can help you easily navigate through the plethora of products to find exactly what technology you're rolling on. Cheers
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