Not every new wheelset has to be made of ultralight carbon, or be super expensive. DT Swiss’ latest aluminum F1900 Classic gravity mountain bike wheels are aluminum. They are not light – over 2 kilos, in fact. And they only cost 500€. But these are wheels built to survive the brutal abuse of downhill and freeride mountain biking. And they feature some slick but simple new tech to ward off pinch flats, and even reduce rim impact damage…
DT Swiss F1900 Classic affordable alloy gravity bike wheels
Get ready to huck to flat and send it into some killer rock gardens! DT Swiss has a new affordable aluminum gravity mountain bike wheelset, specifically developed to survive life in the bikepark or DH track. They feature a new alloy rim extrusion with a tweaked profile to resist getting deformed in an impact and to keep from pinching your tires. Because no one likes bending their rims or flatting tires. Plus, the use proven spokes and hubs, so you don’t worry and just ride – lap after lap.
Increased Rim Impact Resistance & Pinch Flat Resistance, too!
Based on DT’s latest FR 541 DH rim these F1900 Classic wheels get their own slightly heavier and cheaper sleeved & eyeletted F572 rim that share the same refined bead hook shapes (660g sleeved 29″ F572 vs. 605g welded 29″ FR541).
Instead of sloping the sidewall in to resist the outward forces of the tire’s bead, the new rim gets a straighter sidewall that actually kicks out a bit at the top. The first result is that the new wider top to the bead is more resistant to hard impacts from rocks and roots, better at distributing impact forces into the body of the rim to increase strength & durability for gravity riding.
The second benefit is that this wider flared top of the bead hook also significantly increases pinch flat resistance. With a greater area to spread the pinching load and improve angle of orientation, there’s simply less contact stress when the tire folds against the rim in an intense impact. So fewer damaged or flat tires!
Built-tough DT spokes & hubs
The new affordable alloy gravity wheels also benefit from proven cold-forged double-butted DT Swiss Competition spokes. Light and strong to stand up to repeated abuse.
And those get laced into DT 370 hubs. Now that DT’s fourth-tier hub gets upgraded to Ratchet LN internals (vs. the old pawls), they’re actually tougher than ever. In fact, the Ratchet LN solution is even stronger than the more premium 359 Ratchet hubs, because these keep the slightly heavier, unmachined axles that are actually more durable in the end.
Tech Specs
- Wheelsizes: 27.5″, 29″, or a Mullet combination
- Thru-axles: front 15x110mm Boost, 12x110mm Boost; rear 12x148mm Boost, 12x150mm DH & 12x157mm Super Boost
- Hub type: 370 Classic drilled high flange for J-bend spokes
- Freehub: 18T Ratchet LN with heavy-duty axle
- Available bodies: Shimano HG, Shimano MicroSpline & SRAM XD
- Disc brake type: IS 6-bolt
- Rim type: 30mm internal hooked tubeless aluminum rim
- Overall rim dimensions: 35mm wide external x 20mm deep
- Spokes: DT Competition 28 front x 32 rear, with Pro Lock alloy nipples
- Weight (claimed): 27.5″ from 2188g, 29″ from 2222g
- Max system weight: 140kg (rider+bike)
- ASTM class: 5 for DH and bikepark use
DT Swiss F1900 wheels – Pricing & availability
The new DT Swiss F1900 Classic wheelsets sell for $650 / 500€ now for the pair. Both 27.5″ and 29″ F1900s are available, with plenty of freehub and axle options, too.
Regular DT Swiss dealers should be able to mix and match front and rear wheel setups – regarding thru-axle spacing and wheelsizes – to get exactly what you need to fit your existing gravity bike.
