While we all can long for fancy carbon wheels, DT Swiss has trickled down a lot of high-end performance into a newly upgraded family of alloy wheelsets for road, gravel, and cyclocross riding that won’t break the bank. You get trusted DT aluminum wheel builds from prices starting at just $542/429€ with new wider rims, aero spokes, and updated Ratchet hubs… plus, as always, they’re all tubeless-ready out of the box.
2023 DT Swiss affordable alloy road wheel ReCreation
Wider rims, new aero spokes, upgraded hub internals, and the same tubeless compatibility that has been a DT Swiss hallmark for more than a decade now. DT Swiss calls it a complete re-creation of the bread-and-butter alloy wheel line-up for all dropbar road, all-road, gravel & cyclocross riders. These aren’t the most aerodynamically optimized or the lightest wheelsets that DT makes – although wheelset weight claims start from 1565g – but these are reliable, performance DT wheels that most recreational cyclists can actually afford.
What’s new?
As for wider rims, both the Endurance and Performance families grow 2mm wider for the extra comfort & reduced rolling resistance of higher-volume modern tubeless road tires. Endurance wheels have now grown to the same 22mm wide internal as the Cross family for all-day comfort, all-weather control, and a mix of all-road capabilities, with the RR481 25mm deep welded & R500 23mm deep sleeved rim profiles – optimized for 28-34mm road tires.
The Performance line wheels lean more towards classic road riding, but still get a bit wider than before – now 20mm internal (like the old Endurance), with the 23mm deep sleeved alloy R470 rim. There is also still a rim brake option for the base level P road wheels, which sticks with a more conventionally narrow 18mm internal width, although still hooked tubeless-ready.
Alloy Gravel wheels keep a 25mm deep rim with a hooked 24mm internal, and the 23mm deep Cross wheels are still 22mm internal hooked tubeless to keep your cyclocross tires from growing too wide.
New Aero II spokes bring a more aerodynamic spoke upgrade even to the entry price level. A step below the double-butted Aero Comp & ultralight double-butted Aerolites, the new OE-only straight-gauge bladed Aero II gets a refined forged shape that is said to be more elliptical for improved aerodynamics.
Lastly, upgraded hubs across the full alloy range. Now, 1400 series wheels get the aero Dicut 240 hubs with the latest & lightest 36-tooth Ratchet EXP internals. 1600 wheels get upgraded with Spline 350 hubs that now feature DT Swiss classic star Ratchet engagement with faster & lighter 36SL, 36-tooth ratchet rings. And the 1800 wheels are now Ratchet as well, built with Spline 370 hubs featuring 18T Ratchet LN inside.
DT Swiss alloy wheel Recreation – Pricing, options & availability
The revamped affordable DT Swiss alloy road, gravel & cross wheels are all available now at three pricing levels – although not all are available in each category. The entry-level 1800-series gets you Ratchet LN internals, 370 hubs, Aero II spokes, and sleeved tubeless-ready rims for $542 / 429€ for a complete wheelset – available as Endurance E 1800 Spline 23 (1764g), Performance P 1800 Spline 23 (1673g), Performance P 1800 Spline 23 RB (rim brake 1590g), Gravel G 1800 Spline 25 (1835g), Cross C 1800 Spline 23 (1763g).
Next up, 1600-series gets you 36SL Ratchet internals in 350 hubs, lighter Aero Comp spokes, and sleeved tubeless-ready rims for $757 / 599€ for a set – available as Endurance ER 1600 Spline 23 (1667g), Performance PR 1600 Spline 23 (1565g), Gravel GR 1600 Spline 25 (1704g).
Then, only available in the Endurance family as the ER 1400 Dicut 25, that 1400-series gets 36 EXP in aero 240 hubs, the lightest Aerolite spokes, and a welded tubeless-ready aluminum rim for $1121 / 899€ for the 1589g pair – all claimed weights.
