DT Swiss has updated its range of ERC DICUT carbon wheels, with new rim profiles promising improved aerodynamic performance and handling stability.
Available in 35mm and 45mm rim depths, and at two price points, the most significant changes come in the form of the updated rim profile and new aero spokes.
Internal rim widths have stretched to 22mm, compared to 19mm on the outgoing ERC DICUT wheelsets, and external rim widths have grown 2mm to 29mm. DT Swiss says the new wheels are optimised for 28mm tyres.
According to DT Swiss’s wind tunnel testing, the new ERC 1100 DICUT 35 and ERC 1100 DICUT 45 (fitted with 700x28c Continental GP5000 TL tyres) outperform key competitors such as the Zipp 303S, Hunt Carbon 44 Disc and Vision Metron 44 DB by a margin of one to two watts, depending on the yaw angle.
Small margins, undoubtedly, but nice to have if the claims stand up to scrutiny.
VU-shape rims, new hubs and new spokes
In a nod to its ARC DICUT wheel range, DT Swiss says the new rim profile has been formed with its Aero+ design philosophy in mind.
As well as optimising them for the wider tyres many road cyclists are now using, DT Swiss says improving handling stability and reducing aerodynamic drag were key objectives.
Just like the ARC DICUT wheels, these latest ERC DICUT wheels move away from a U-shape rim to a more VU-shape, with a wide rim and a slightly pointier trailing edge than before.
DT Swiss says this new rim profile results in a wheelset that not only bests its competitors in terms of aerodynamic drag, but also reduces what it calls the “steering moment” – which it defines as “the physical counterforce he or she [the rider] must exert in order to keep the wheel in position when it is hit by crosswinds” – by 20 per cent compared to a 50mm-deep ARC DICUT wheel.
While the rims are the same on both sets, the pricier ERC 1100 DICUT wheelsets get DT Swiss 180 hubs with ceramic bearings, and DT Swiss’s latest DT Aerolite II and DT Aero Comp II aero spokes, for an additional claimed aerodynamic gain of around 1.1 watts.
Again, marginal gains, but nice to have if the claims are to be believed.
The cheaper ERC 1400 DICUT wheelsets make do with DT Swiss’s original DT Aero Comp aero spokes and DT Swiss 240 hubs with steel bearings.
Hooked rims
Unlike many players in the road bike wheels market, DT Swiss is sticking with hooked rims (as opposed to hookless rims) for the new ERC DICUT wheels.
As you’d expect, the rims are tubeless compatible (which is handy, given many of the best road bike tyres are tubeless-ready these days), with tubeless rim tape pre-installed and tubeless valves supplied as standard.
Maintaining a hooked rim, however, means compatibility with clincher tyres is retained.
DT Swiss acknowledges hooked rims are costlier and more complex to manufacture, but states it believes hooked rims offer improved safety against tyre blow-offs and increased freedom of choice when it comes to tyres.
DT Swiss ERC DICUT wheels specification, claimed weight and prices
As with the ARC DICUT wheels, each ERC DICUT wheelset ships with both SRAM XDR and Shimano HG compatible freehubs included in the box.
We had a set of the ERC 1400 DICUT wheels to photograph, and those weighed 1,580g with rim tape installed.
BikeRadar’s technical editor, Sam Challis, has a set of the ERC 1100 DICUT 45 wheels in for testing, so look out for a full review in the near future.
As with the latest ARC DICUT aero wheel range, the new ERC DICUT wheel range is disc-brake only and there are 650b wheelsets available too, aimed at riders who use smaller bicycles.
DT Swiss ERC 1100 DICUT
- Price: £2,299.98 / €2,387.80 / $3,239.80 / AUD 3,999.00
- Rim depth: 35mm / 45mm
- Rim width (internal / external): 22mm / 29mm
- Recommended tyre width: 28mm (compatible with 25mm - 64mm tyres)
- Rim diameter: 700c (650B for ERC 1100 DICUT 35)
- Hubs: DT Swiss 180 with ceramic bearings
- Spokes: Front wheel: 24x DT Aerolite II / Rear wheel: 12x DT Aerolite II / 12x DT Aero Comp II
- Claimed weight (35mm / 45mm rim depths): 1391g / 1442g
- System weight limit: 120kg
DT Swiss ERC 1400 DICUT
- Price: £1,869.98 / €1,956.80 / $2,654.80 / AUD 3,299.00
- Rim depth: 35mm / 45mm
- Rim width (internal / external): 22mm / 29mm
- Recommended tyre width: 28mm (compatible with 25mm - 64mm tyres)
- Rim diameter: 700c (650B for ERC 1100 DICUT 35)
- Hubs: DT Swiss 240 with steel bearings
- Spokes: DT Aero Comp, 24x front and rear
- Claimed weight (35mm / 45mm rim depths): 1468g / 1519g (actual weight with rim tape: 1580g)
- System weight limit: 120kg
