DT Swiss Wheel Set

[Geoff]

I am interested in a new wheel set and heard Joe Young is an excellent builder. I talked with Joe Young and he recommended a Hugi 240s hub set with DT Swiss RR1.1 rims and Super comp spokes, 2x front 3x rear.

I was wondering what others experiences with thses components are or coments would be as I have never built a set of coustom wheels.

Geoff

[Too Tall]

Joe is the best. He builds all my wheels incl. two Paris Brest Paris tandem wheelsets. Those Hugi's are super nice and the DT rims look good, sound good and are too new for relevant details to emerge. However, Joe won't use anything less than the best so put your faith in him.

[zap]

Check out www.bullteksports.com. They have the DT wheelset listed for sale on their home page.

Should be a good wheelset. As Too Tall stated, Hugi hubs just might be the best out there.

[Ozz]

I am interested in a new wheel set and heard Joe Young is an excellent builder. I talked with Joe Young and he recommended a Hugi 240s hub set with DT Swiss RR1.1 rims and Super comp spokes, 2x front 3x rear.

I was wondering what others experiences with thses components are or coments would be as I have never built a set of coustom wheels.


What did Joe quote you as a price for this build up? The shop I talked with was $700+ using Revolution spokes....

I bought a pair of the DT Swiss rims and they look very similar to Open Pros. Same profile (more or less), welded seam, machined sidewalls, and stainless eyelets. The price on them seems to be all over the board ($60 to $90 each depending on shop or web vendor.)

I think Too Tall is correct that they are too new to determine durability, although DT typically turns out pretty nice products.

[gdw]

DT is like a lot of software companies. They release products to the market without testing them adequately and then redesign the product so it performs as it originally should have. The 240 is a classic example of this policy. The first model was a disaster for anyone unfortunate enough to have purchased them. The bearings wore-out prematurely and the ratchet cluster didn't engage reliably. Customer service will tell you that it was a bad batch of bearings and poor maintenance which caused the problems but if you look at their maintenance manuals you'll see that they redesigned the hubs to address those issues. My 240's lasted less than 500 miles before the bearing were trashed.

DT has a model below the 240, the Onyx, which has gone or is going through the same evolution. It is known for poor bearing life and freehub failure. It might have been redesigned by now but an awful lot of people were burned. Do a search on Ebay and you'll see that the market is aware of the problems that DT has had. Hugi hubs typically sell for less than half their list value if they sell at all. Wheelsets rarely sell at all. Do a search on Chris King hubs and you'll see the opposite.

DT is new to the rim market. Their rims might be very good or you might be part of their market research program. If Joe is within driving distance and you're a gambler, go for it.

PS - DT customer service is great. The guys in Grand Junction know their stuff and are very helpful.

[Too Tall]

GDW - Dewd, pls.! Joe has a long and excellent rep. Hardly a gambler's choice. Curiously, I just got a set of trash em' up Velocity wheels and think the hub is a re-labled Onyx. I'll let yah know if they implode ;)

[gdw]

I'm sure that mighty Joe Young is a fine builder and backs his work. My comments are about DT and their first run products. DT is new to the rim game and hopefully will get things right this time.

Good luck with your hubs. I hope you have better luck than the reviwers at MTBR and BikeMagic. Just make sure to wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in when you use them.

[Geoff]

Joe indicated that DT has had mtb rims on the market for nearly two years and he has built many with no problems and the road rims are the same design different size. He also stated that he is very happy with the pattented weld process which produces the roundest rims he has built. Better than Open pro and the others.

As for the price $657, 240s hubs, RR 1.1 rims Super comp spokes, alloy nipples, velox rim tape, DT sqwers, shipping. Placed teh order yesterday. Joe claims this set will be as good or better than any wheel set undr $2000

I have had great succes with the 240 on my MTB four about 3.5 years now and cant seen to find a reason to not use them in a less demanding platform0. The 240s is mostly the same except it matches the RR 1.1 rim and has better seals (less friction) and slightly wider flanges.

[jeffg]

... the ones listed on Bulltek look nice as they also use the DT equivalent of the Sapim CX-Ray spoke. It seems as if that type of spoke has been used in the Bontrager X-Lites for a while now. For $700, a pair of Neutrons might be just as good a bet. I'll stick with my Eurus for now, but if I ever switch my DA 9 bike to Campy (a 12-29 cassette from Campy would do the trick since I run a 48/34, 12-27 now), I'll either get Neutrons or a set of handbuilts like these.

[Roy E. Munson]

Can a DT Swiss wheelset work on a french fit bike, or will the cultural differences cause friction?

[bostondrunk]

Roy,
Only Mavic wheels work on french fit bikes, and the tire pressure cannot exceed 90 psi.

[zap]

Roy,

I would think that Swiss products would work on a French bike. Should work well on German & Italian bikes as well :rolleyes:

[bostondrunk]

If an aluminum bike crashes over and over, does anybody hear?
<burp>

[quattro]

Geoff, I was wondering how you are liking your new DT Swiss wheelset purchased from Joe Young. Can you provide us with a review. I am thinking of ordering the same set, or Speed Dreams. I need some input in making my decison so I would appreciate your insight. Thanks

[Geoff]

I got them last Wend evening (two weeks from order as promised). Promptly wieghed them on the postal scale

Front: 683g (28, 2 cross)
Rear: 830g (32, 3 cross)

Rear is shimano hub body without cassett and neither had rim tape or sqewers. I have ridden them three times 20, 45, and 20.

The rid is quite nice they roll much faster than my rolf vectors, they are much stiffer latterally but still very vertically comfortable. On the climbs they respond very quickly (not much wind up I had DT super comp spokes not revolutions). Also I am about 6'2" and 185 and no break rub when out of the saddle and cranking up a hill, a big problem I had with rolfs. Overall I am very happy with the performance. I think they are better than the whole Krissium lineup in all respects and they look pretty darn cool.

Geoff

[quattro]

Geoff, thanks for your post on the DT wheelset. I think I am going to order a set this week, probably go with a 28 spoke rear as I weigh 162 lbs. and I don't think I'll hae any problem with 4 less spokes. Hope you enjoy them, how about another post after a few hundred miles. Thanks

[Ozz]

Geoff, thanks for your post on the DT wheelset. I think I am going to order a set this week, probably go with a 28 spoke rear as I weigh 162 lbs. and I don't think I'll hae any problem with 4 less spokes. Hope you enjoy them, how about another post after a few hundred miles. Thanks

Quattro:

RE: 28 spoke rear wheel

You might want to look at what you give up to what you gain with 28 spokes versus 32. Four spokes weigh what, about 20 grams?

These four spokes represent 12.5% of the strength of a 32 spoke wheel.

I'm not trying to be a buzz-kill for your wheels, but I am not convinced of the merits of low spoke count wheels - especially on the rear wheel. At 162 lbs, you're not a lightweight.

Just my thoughts....good luck and report back!

BTW - I have the RR1.1 rims, and am saving $$ for the 240s hubs. Hopefully I can get my set built up soon!