In celebration of 25 years producing wheels and spokes, DT Swiss has marked the anniversary by releasing its lightest disc brake hoops yet, the PRC 1100 DICUT 25Y Edition.
Claimed to tip the scales at just 1,283g for the set, they use the brand’s top of the range, low profile road wheelset as a jumping off point, shaving weight in the process.
Part of the weight savings come from the brand's new Ratchet EXP freehub, which is used in combination with the Dicut Aero 180 hub and was developed in collaboration with SwissSide to reduce drag.
Spinning on ceramic bearings, the PRC 1100 DICUT 25Y are the first wheels to see the Ratchet EXP freehub, which DT says is lighter, stiffer and more precise than its current ratchet system.
The Ratchet EXP takes the brand’s existing Star Ratchet system and threads the inboard ratchet straight into the hub, eliminating a few parts and one of the conical springs inside the shell.
By threading the ratchet directly into the hub shell, it not only stays in place when the hub is open but also allows for more precise placement. DT claims this should result in faster engagement, better pawl contact with the teeth and longer life.
This also moves the outer bearing closer to the dropout and claims a 15 percent increase in stiffness.
The new hubs come with end caps for 12mm thru-axles, a centrelock rotor mount and will be available in Shimano, SRAM XDR and Campy freehub options.
The rim itself is disc specific and carbon, but gets a surprisingly narrow 18mm internal width and a shallow 24mm depth. Thankfully, the 25Y Edition's rims are tubeless ready and should pair nicely with 23mm to 28mm rubber.
According to DT, the new hoops are its “fastest accelerating wheel saving you 15% energy when accelerating from 0-30 km/h compared to our lightest wheelset in the current line-up.”
DT is manufacturing these rims in Europe (not Asia), and to keep the weight as low as possible they feature a moulded DT Swiss logo and are straight out of the mould with no paint, decals or even a clear coat — each of which add grams.
With 24 spokes in both wheels and the brand's Pro Lock hidden aluminium nipples, the front is built with DT Aerolite spokes and the rear gets bladed Aerocomp spokes.
DT hasn’t said precisely how much the new PRC 1100 DICUT 25Y will cost, but given that the standard PRC 1100 disc wheels sell for more than £3,000 / $3,000, it’s a safe bet these won’t be cheaper.
