I have long been a fan of DT Swiss wheels, both in my previous industry roles. I valued the hassle-free reliability of the units, being ready to go no matter how much maintenance I did. . This effort tested a variety of road, gravel, and mountain bike wheels that offer an almost boring combination of solid reliability and top-end performance at a reasonable price.
The GRC range are the brand’s designated carbon gravel wheels and come in four models. Simpler, cheaper alloy wheels have a simple G designation followed by a number. The DT’s numbering system seemed a little confusing at first, but Tyler Boucher did an excellent job of clarifying it in his first ride review of the top model GRC 1100 50mm deep wheel earlier this year.
When I got the GRC 1400 Dicut wheels to test this summer, I was delighted until I checked the price and nearly fell off my chair! These wheels are in the “second tier” of their lineup, but the price tag is still comparable to many affordable gravel bikes. While I appreciate that top-tier cycling gear often comes with a hefty price tag, seeing such a high level of investment in a set of wheels made me wonder: whether they actually deliver the performance to justify the high expense, and how they compare to other bikes how? best gravel wheel On the market?
put up
DT Swiss launched the GRC range this summer, which includes four wheels sharing 30mm or 50mm rims and available with 180 Ratchet EXP hubs (with ceramic bearings in the more expensive 1100 variant) or the slightly cheaper 240 Ratchet EXP hubs (which I own) were in the 1400 I tested. Two rim depths are designed to provide advantages for specific types of gravel riding, with the 50mm aiming to minimize power and aerodynamic gains for gravel racing, while the shallower 30mm prioritizes steering agility and responsiveness rather than straight-line speed, although both feature aerodynamic profiles developed in a wind tunnel with aerospace specialists Swiss Side.
The aesthetic is simple – no bling here!
(Image source: Future)
The main talking point of the new GRC range is its in-house developed rims. DT Swiss equips every GRC carbon fiber rim with hooked beads, which they claim is the “ultimate solution” to ensure end customer safety and ease of use. Hookless rims are easier to build and lighter, but they can also cause compatibility issues with some tire brands, especially with narrower high-pressure rubber. According to DT Swiss, “While it is true that making hooked beads is more complex, it results in a rim with a built-in failsafe, giving the rider confidence to work harder” I couldn’t agree more, make sure your tires stay with the rim Connectivity is one issue I don’t want to worry about.
Such is the build quality, the rims get a perfect matte finish straight from the mold
(Image source: Future)
At first glance, these are a bit bland aesthetically, with a matte back finish on the hubs and rims, and subtle branding. There’s nothing special about them at first glance, but their relatively light weight (1496 grams) (including valves) gives you an idea of their performance.
While they don’t look particularly eye-catching, the 30mm-deep carbon fiber rims are impressive using DT’s latest patent-pending process, which is the first time DT Swiss has used it here. The new process allows the rim to be “straight out of the mold” without the need to add any finishing, fillers or clear coats. This gives them their characteristic flat matte surface and, more importantly, helps save weight. It should also provide consistent weighting throughout the production process.
Carbon builds can often offer varying levels of precision and quality control, which will often be known for different weights than published, as mass-produced cheap rims may sometimes require finishing or surface treatments that add to the gram count.
These 240 EXP hubs are now lighter than previous versions and have a 15% increase in axle stiffness
(Image source: Future)
The internal width of the rim is 24mm, which DT says is perfectly optimized for 40mm tires. This worked fine for me during testing because my long-term test bike, the Ribble Gravel Ti Pro, doesn’t run on extra-wide rubber. For most of my testing, I used the 47mm Vittoria Terrano Dry, which worked great, with plenty of support in the sidewalls and very little folding even at lower pressures. The slightly narrower 45mm Schwalbe G One RS also performs well, although if you want to use mountain bike rubber like some gravel pros, you might be better off elsewhere.
The 1400 version I tested uses DT’s 240 hubs and the latest Ratchet EXP freehub system. DT’s wheel technology is known for its proven reliability and performance, with many brands even using its wheel internals or designs in their wheels (such as Giant/Cadex and Specialized/Roval). The EXP version takes the decades-old standard ratchet system and makes it lighter by combining a threaded insert with one of the plates and removing the preload spring. This also means they can move the bearings further away, making the axle 15% stiffer and slightly lighter.
As the name suggests, Aerolite Comp II straight-pull spokes are DT Swiss’ flat-plate aerodynamic products.
(Image source: Future)
The GRC 1400 comes with a 36-tooth ratchet that provides a firm but not crazy 10 degrees of engagement. If you want faster engagement, the 54-tooth version can be purchased separately. Conveniently, they also come with Shimano HG and SRAM XDR freehub bodies, with Shimano Microspline and Campagnolo N3W options available separately.
DT is also one of the few companies that manufactures spokes, so they can control each wheel element and design it accordingly. In this case, they used 24 Aerolite Comp II straight-pull spokes front and rear, with the nipples hidden inside the rim, which has an aerodynamic advantage but is a bit of a pain if you need to adjust them or replace spokes. The Aerolite is the brand’s most aerodynamic flat blade offering, but I also find that the flat spokes flex more at sharp lean angles, which helps provide traction in corners and camber sections.
riding
I find it sometimes difficult to review truly high-end kit subjectively. As a rider, I generally consider the pinnacle of kit to be very good, reliable mid-range options that offer great performance and serviceability at a reasonable price. So a wheel that costs as much as a decent gravel bike is hard to wrap my head around on paper. Until I ride them, that is.
As with any wheels, I first set them up tubeless using the valves provided. The rims are off-the-shelf, and fitting the 45mm-wide Schwalbe G One RS tires or the 47mm-wide Vittoria Terrano Dry tires (measuring 46.5mm) is simple. There were no issues with either tire seating or sealing. The 24mm internal width works well with both options and provides good shape and plenty of support, although I’m not sure how well it works with options above 50mm.
Neal tested the wheels with 47mm Vittoria Terrano Dry rubber, but he could go wider if Ribble’s frame allowed
(Image source: Future)
From the first time I pedaled, I knew they were special. The hub pickup is adequate rather than exceptional, but with the lightweight rims and tensioned spokes, they’re surprisingly fast. But even more impressive is that they did this without making them harsh or uncomfortable off-road. At first, I thought my pressure might be too high since I was setting out on smooth bike trail sections since they have real zip, but even after dropping the pressure below 30 psi, they still felt very flexible.
In my testing over the summer, I used them for everything from loaded bikepacking, to fast group rides, to rocky singletrack, and they felt great no matter what I was doing. I’m sure the 50mm version offers more speed due to its aerodynamic advantages, but unless you’re at the cutting edge of gravel racing, I’d go with the more comfortable but still fast 30mm version. They maintained spoke tension and the stainless steel sealed bearings spun as smoothly as the day I installed them, which isn’t always the case with test wheels.
(Image source: Future)
As I try more technical trails, they continue to impress me. Whether skipping the local rocky descents or slippery cambers, they hold the line perfectly and change direction with minimal effort on poor line choices or fast turns. I was so impressed with them that I was almost confused and a little worried that my review would sound like an advertisement, so to put my mind at ease I did some back-to-back rides on the other wheels Reynolds tested, Mavic, Parcours And the DT seemed to offer an intoxicating combination of speed, balance, responsiveness and handling unmatched by any other.
Value and conclusion
Despite their subtle and stealthy appearance, the specification of these wheels is impressive and when you dig into the details it’s clear they’ve spent a lot of time on the details, which goes some way to justifying the high price of £1,949.98 / $2,399.80 is reasonable and, while obviously expensive, cheaper than the GRC 1100, which costs a whopping £2,399.98 / $2,999.80. I think it would be disingenuous to describe them as cost effective or even more affordable, but as I said before, the best groupsets are always expensive and there have been plenty of DT Swiss 240 hubs used in various forms over the years, I’m pretty confident these wheels will last longer than many gravel bikes.
My only real complaint is the price. They do offer a real leap in performance, but when you compare them to the Hunt 42 Limitless Gravel Adventure wheelset, which costs £1,299/$1,649, or the Reynolds ATRx wheelset, which costs £1,500/$1,699, they That’s a major step up in terms of money, and it’s hard to ignore.
(Image source: Future)
These are honestly the best gravel wheels I have ever used, with the perfect combination of speed, responsiveness, weight, and serviceability. They tick all the boxes I could ask for in a wheel, with a super smooth ride and addictive turn-in at speed that never felt out of their depth or slowed me down in any way on almost any terrain.
These may not be the best choice for those who like big rubber, and I’m sure the deeper 50mm version will be slightly faster on smoother roads, but I’m picky. It’s such a shame that I can’t afford a set.
Specification
- RRP: £1,949.98 / $2,399.80
- Depth: 30mm
- Internal: 24mm
- Weight: 1496 grams (weigh with tape measure and valve)
