DT’s entry-level enduro wheelset is a common spec choice on bikes we test here at BikeRadar, but we’ve never found the humble E 1900 lacking even on bikes costing over five grand.
Because of its OEM popularity, we’ve put serious ride time into several sets before this test even began, which only adds to our confidence in them.
I ran one set through the winter and used them when I tested 10 enduro forks, which involved dozens of brutally rocky runs. That wheelset still has smooth bearings, tight spokes and remains true and dent free.
It would be remiss not to review them, so I called in a fresh wheelset to compare back-to-back against 13 other wheelsets, which cost from £345 to £2,150.
DT Swiss E 1900 Spline 30 ride
They ship pre-taped with DT’s quality rim tape, which I’ve never found to leak, plus valves and six-bolt adaptors, which make the centre lock hubs compatible with any rotor.
The adaptors are around 17g heavier per wheel than six bolts so there is a small weight penalty if using six-bolt rotors with the adaptor, but rotor swaps are rapid if you have an external bottom bracket tool to hand.
In back-to-back tests, they have a quiet and wonderfully forgettable ride quality, with no odd quirks or worrying noises even when pushed hard into rock gardens and hardpack berms.
Differences in ride feel between the 14 wheels I tested were surprisingly subtle, but I rated these among the most comfortable over our chattery test tracks.
Unlike DT’s pricier wheels, the rim is sleeve-joined, not welded, and uses eyelets rather than internal rim reinforcement to stop the spokes pulling through. This makes them heavier, but they’re still impressively light for the money.
They’re (marginally) lighter than Hope’s Fortus 26, Nukeproof’s Horizon, Stan’s Flow S1 and Hunt’s Enduro Wide, all of which cost more.
They use a traditional three-pawl freehub rather than DT’s usual star ratchet system. The ratchet has just 24 points of engagement, meaning the freehub can rotate by up to 15o before engaging the wheel.
This lag can feel slightly sloppy when sea-sawing the cranks on a bottom-gear technical climb, but it’s not something which bothered me out on the trails, and that lag arguably has a benefit in terms of reducing pedal-kickback with some rear suspension systems.
The freehub whir is quiet, which isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I’ve never had an issue with it skipping.
Product
| Brand | dt_swiss |
| Price | 345.00 GBP |
| Weight | 2106.0000, GRAM (29") - With valves and tape |
Features
| br_rimMaterial | aluminium |
| br_tyreType | clincher |
| br_wheelSize | 27_5in_650b |
| br_wheelSize | 29in_700c |
| br_brakeTypeSimple | disc |
| br_spokes | DT champion® straightpull |
| br_freehub | SRAM XD |
| br_rimInternalWidth | 29.8 |
