I’ve tested two sets of wheels from DT Swiss’ enduro range – one made from carbon fibre, the other from aluminium – to find out whether it’s worth spending significantly extra for more exotic materials.
At the bottom end of DT’s range is the E 1900 Spline, costing £449.98 / $660 / €479 a pair; they’re a no-nonsense set of aluminium wheels.
The EXC 1200 Classic sits at the top of DT’s range and boasts high-tech features including a novel carbon construction. At £2,349.98 / $2,911 / €2,499 a pair, they’re incredibly costly.
I fitted both the EXC 1200 and E 1900 to my Marin Alpine Trail XR test bike with the same Maxxis High Roller III MaxxGrip DH-casing tyres and set about testing them on the same trails, with the same conditions to see whether it's worth spending the extra cash.
DT Swiss E 1900 Spline
The E 1900’s alloy rim – which is called the E 532 and can be bought separately – is sleeve jointed rather than welded.
Here, an internal aluminium insert overlaps the rim’s ends and is bonded to the rim using glue.
The E 532 has been given an ASTM 4 rating (a classification system that's widely used within the cycling industry, denoting the severity of terrain a product can handle), and DT claims this construction method is as strong as welding, without any significant weight penalty.
With a 30mm internal width and 35mm external, the E 1900’s dimensions are standard for modern mountain bike wheels.
These rims – which are identical front to back – are laced to 370 hubs, DT’s most basic offering.
The 370 is fitted with the Ratchet LN freehub system, which is functionally identical to the pricier Ratchet EXP system found on the 350, 240 and 180 hubs.
Along with different seal locations – to enable the 370 hub to be upgraded from a spring-and-pawl design to a ratchet system – it has only 18 points of engagement compared to the 350 and 240’s 36. The 370 rotates up to 20 degrees before engaging, double that of EXP freehubs.
Weighing 2,170g a pair and costing £449.98 / $660 / €479, the E 1900 wheelset is intended to balance cost, weight and durability.
Tyre fitment is quick and easy; the wheel’s depth and width mean you don’t have to significantly stretch the tyre in order to slide the bead onto the rim.
Only the toughest rubber – such as WTB’s latest Vigilante – needs tyre levers to install.
Thanks to the rim’s aluminium construction, even the burliest metal levers caused only a few light scratches.
The factory-fitted rim tape provided an airtight seal from the get-go – no retaping was required. Tyres seated and inflated quickly and easily when using a high-volume track pump.
On the trail, the adage that aluminium wheels feel damped and muted rings true.
Harsh, hectic terrain with buzzy vibration-inducing bumps are suppressed effectively, the wheels serving as an insulator between trail and rider.
While their ability to dampen inputs is commendable, it’s not at the expense of steering accuracy or control. No vagueness or undue flex is present, so tracking your chosen line is smooth and composed.
Hard chargers will appreciate their robust but forgiving feel, and lighter riders won’t get beaten up by an excessively stiff build.
The hub’s 20-degree engagement looks lacklustre on paper, and I won’t deny it could be quicker. In reality, enduro riders don’t encounter many crux on-the-gas moments – such as super-technical climbs – that rely on snappy drive, so it’s not a significant issue.
The 2,170g weight is trickier to bypass, however. They feel as if they roll slower and take more effort to get up to speed on flatter terrain than lighter wheels, but whether that’s an issue for you will depend on the terrain you ride.
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DT Swiss EXC 1200 Classic
The EXC 1200 Classic’s carbon rims are built using a new high-tech manufacturing process that’s claimed to eliminate imperfections.
DT Swiss claims they’re among the strongest, lightest and most durable wheels on the market.
By compressing each carbon layer more than traditional construction techniques, the process effectively prevents any air gaps and imperfections forming.
DT Swiss says the finished product is ready straight out of the mould; no surface-dressing is required.
A single mould is also used for the whole rim, negating the need to bond separate pieces together.
To do this, DT Swiss has flipped the carbon layup process on its head, starting with the external parts and then building up the shape towards its centre.
Each layer is scanned for imperfections before moving on to the next, resulting in unparalleled quality control.
As the toughest wheels in DT’s enduro range, they have an ASTM 5 rating, and from hook to hook, are enclosed in extra layers of carbon to increase strength further.
If that wasn’t enough, the rim’s spoke eyelets are offset and rim construction differs front to rear. The front wheel prioritises lightness and the rear strength, but they share 30mm internal and 37mm external widths.
Matching the high-tech carbon rim is DT’s range-topping 180 hub.
Featuring the brand’s newest Ratchet DEG freehub, this system boasts 90 teeth rather than the EXP’s 36 or the LN’s 18, giving a snappy four-degree engagement angle.
This rotates on luxurious SINC ceramic bearings, with DT claiming the hub will “spin almost indefinitely”.
Weighing a feathery 1,814g, but costing a whopping £2,349.98 / $2,911 / €2,499, the EXC 1200 wheels are going to be reserved for the flushest and most weight-conscious riders.
Installing tyres on the wide carbon rims proved to be tricky.
A deep 9mm rim well and broad 37mm external measurement meant beads needed to be stretched significantly to get them to slip onto the rim’s hook.
You'll need to bring your A-game if you want to fit the toughest rubber to the EXC 1200. Lighter tyres were easier, but the type of rubber you’d be using with the strongest DT hoops – such as Maxxis’ DH-casing High Roller III – needs tyre levers. Forget about using metal ones, however.
On the trail, their forgiving and smooth feel took me by surprise.
Carbon wheels have a reputation for feeling harsh and stiff, but that’s certainly not the case here.
The evenly tensioned spokes and high-quality construction give them a solid and dull feel rather than a twangy or energetic one. This boosts smoothness that reduces fatigue-inducing vibrations, even on the wildest descents.
Steering accuracy is exceptional, and seemingly unaffected by the front wheel’s low weight. Likewise, the rear’s stronger design doesn’t seem to create harshness.
Hard riders won’t be disappointed by unwanted flex, and lighter ones won’t get beaten up by a harsh ride.
Engaging every four degrees, the Ratchet DEG’s sound is buzzier and higher-pitched than other DT Swiss models. Pick-up is almost instantaneous, which the most ferocious pedallers will appreciate.
Combine the high-quality ceramic bearings with the overall low weight, it's comparatively easy to get up to speed – and to maintain that speed on flatter trails.
Whether or not that’s worth the whopping asking price will be dictated by your specific needs.
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How do the two wheels compare on the trails?
When it comes to getting the wheels ready to ride, the E 1900 Spline comes out on top.
The narrower rim width and alloy construction make fitting tyres much easier, and tyre levers are less likely to damage the rim.
Fitting flexy tyres to the EXC 1200 rims is fine, but as soon as you want to get some tough rubber on them, you’re going to break a sweat.
On the trail, however, there’s very little in it.
Riding your archetypal enduro descent, if you didn’t know which wheels were fitted to your bike, it would be impossible to discern any differences.
That’s a back-handed compliment for both sets of wheels. It means the carbon ones don’t feel harsh and buzzy, and the alloy ones are strong and steer accurately.
So, if there’s barely any noticeable difference between the two, why spend more?
The fast-engaging 180 hub clearly trumps the relatively lazy 370 fitted to the E 1900, even if stomping on the pedals isn’t the most important thing to you.
Upgrading the 370 to a faster 36-tooth or 10-degree ratchet system is possible, but costs around £115.
Equally, the 180’s fancy ceramic bearings should last longer than the standard ones found in the 370. Whether there’s any difference on the trails could only be measured by the stopwatch, because on feel alone, there’s nothing in it.
As I touched on before, the lower weight should help you get your bike up to speed quicker and maintain that speed on flatter descents. Plus, it makes getting to the top of your favourite descent easier, given enduro’s winch-and-plummet riding style.
Continuing the theme, the lighter wheels will reduce the rotating and unsprung mass of your bike, potentially improving handling and suspension performance.
But I could barely discern any differences between either wheel while testing, so only the most attuned riders are likely to notice anything.
Which is better, the E 1900 Spline or EXC 1200 Classic?
The E 1900 Spline hits a performance and value sweet spot that secures it as the clear champion for most riders.
Yes, it’s weighty compared to the EXC 1200, but lined up against other aluminium wheels of the same ilk, there’s only 100g or so in it.
Unless you’re laser-focused on saving weight and having some of the highest-tech rims and hubs currently available, the EXC 1200’s asking price makes it a tough sell given the wheelset is almost indistinguishable on the trail compared to much cheaper versions.
Although for most they’ll be a waste of money, I’m supremely confident if you were given the choice to have either of these wheels fitted to your bike at no extra cost, the EXC 1200 would win every time. Carbon wheels aren’t for the majority, but there is a group of riders out there who will love them.
