DT Swiss Reborn Faster goes behind the curtain for a peek inside the development of the new ARC aero road wheels. Last summer DT overhauled their aerodynamic lineup with two second gen ARC aero road carbon wheelsets. The ARC AERO+ aerodynamic approach balances speed, stability, and everyday rideability. Now, a behind-the-scenes documentary tells more of that ARC development story, where DT Swiss’ in-house team works together with aero specialists Swiss Side, from the DT Swiss HQ to the insides of the GST wind tunnel…
DT Swiss Reborn Faster aero wheel development behind the scenes
Refining their aerodynamics for more modern road tires & versatile road riding, this latest ARC wheel range introduced last August actually makes a noticeable jump away from the generic U-shaped, blunt-nosed aero rim profiles that have dominated the last several years. Instead, as a hybrid of the original flat-sided V-shaped aero rims from a few decades ago, these new ARC wheels go VU-shaped to go faster with wider 20mm internal widths and wider 25-28mm race tires.
We went deep into the tech last summer, but suffice it to say that DT says they are faster while being wider and more comfortable. I put in plenty of time test riding the 62mm deep ARC 1100 wheels last fall with 28mm tires, and those DT speed & stability claims seem to make sense out on the road. They certainly feel fast, while also being less affected by variable winds than similarly deep U-shaped rims.
Now DT is offering a bit more insight into how they were created. More than just passing off wind tunnel drag curves (although, I did compare three generations of DT+SwissSide wheels in one place myself), DT Swiss worked with videographer Christopher Stöckle to show how the new ARC line came to be.
Follow along from European cycling companies’ favorite GST wind tunnel in Immenstaad, Germany to DT Swiss’ global headquarters, test center & manufacturing facility in Biel, Switzerland. (We took you inside the Biel factory for a tour of how they make rims, spokes & wheels there back in 2017.)
More than just a marketing exercise (which this obviously also is) the Reborn Faster documentary highlights the actual engineers, aero specialists, test managers & marketing team that made the AERO+ project work.
Win a set of aero carbon ARC 1400 wheels!
Now, to win a set of the new DT Swiss ARC wheels you just need to head over to their YouTube channel to watch DT Swiss Reborn Faster, and then complete three simple tasks within the next week – between now and February 18. Once there…
- Subscribe to the DT YT channel,
- Like their documentary, and
- Answer this question in their comment section: “After having watched the video, what are you most excited about when riding the ARC 1400 DICUT if you win it?”
Up for grabs is a set of the $2500 / 1960€ carbon disc brake road tubeless DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62 wheels. They are the middle 62mm depth like I rode, but actually the second-tier wheel build that features the same new aero rim with standard aero DT hubs & spokes.
