All wheels use 30mm internal width rims – even the XC racing crowd has moved on to using wider rims and tires. The rims may be the same width, but the construction varies depending on what the wheels are intended for, with more material added to the rims that will be the most damaged.
• Carbon rims with an internal width of 30 mm
• DT 180 hubs with ceramic bearings
• DT Swiss Revolite spokes
• XRC 1200: 1303 grams
• XMC 1200: 1495 grams
• EXC 1200: 1756 grams
• HXC 1200: 1908 grams
• Price: $2,911 USD
• dtswiss.com
New carbon rims
The carbon rims are constructed using a new assembly process that is claimed to create a stronger, more uniform product, with each ply compressed as much as possible to eliminate any unwanted air pockets.
With DT’s new method, the outer layers of the edge are not cut, meaning there are continuous fibers covering the main impact areas for increased strength – think of it as a protective cap for the rest of the fibers inside the edge. The number of outer layers depends on what the rims are intended for – there are fewer on XC wheels compared to enduro wheels for example.
The new process creates a rim that doesn’t need finishing after it’s removed from the mold, saving time and weight on paint or finishing products.
All rims now go through layer-by-layer non-destructive inspection, another step introduced by DT Swiss to ensure the final products are as consistent as possible.
Spokes and hubs
All wheels (except the HXC 1200) are built with Revolite spokes with DT front blades released last year. They’re made with a unique forging process that DT Swiss says creates the strongest spoke in their range while maintaining a light weight.
These fantastic spokes are connected to 180 series hubs, which I would also categorize as luxury thanks to the use of ceramic bearings. The freehub system varies by wheel category – the XRC 1200s use the lighter EXP freehub with a 54 tooth ratchet ring and the EXC wheels use the new DEG freehub which uses a large 90 tooth ratchet ring. This design is said to be more durable and have a faster engagement, but comes with a 90 gram weight penalty due to the larger ratchet rings and larger hub shell. Riders can choose from any freehub option for the trail-oriented XMC 1200 wheels.
Driving impressions
I got a test set of EXC wheels a few weeks ago and so far things are off to a strong start. The wheels have already put on some pretty heavy miles and so far have ignored all the knocks they’ve been subjected to. They’ll be seeing some Whistler tours in the near future, so we’ll see how they fare after a good dose of the bike park.
Nowadays, it takes something really special or unusual to make a carbon wheelset stand out – wheels that are too stiff are increasingly rare and most companies seem to have settled on a comfortable ride feel. That’s the case so far with the EXC 1200 – the 1746g weight on my mixed axle is very reasonable and so far they haven’t shown any unusual trail characteristics. If anything, I’d say they feel more lively than muted – there’s a nice nimbleness to them that can be felt when pushing through a corner.
The biggest hurdle for the new 1200 series wheels will be price – we’ve reached a point where there are plenty of high quality carbon wheels that cost almost $1000 less. Sure, those lower-priced options might not have ceramic-bearing hubs and heavily manipulated spokes, but $2,900 for a hub is a hefty sum no matter how you look at it.
