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TECH NEWS

DT Swiss claims new ARC Dicut 1100 and 1400 wheelsets are even more aero

Aero+ rim shapes and redesigned aero spokes make the wheels more stable too

DT Swiss has launched a redesigned ARC 1100 and 1400 Dicut wheelset ranges featuring 50, 62 and 80mm rim depths with “excellent aerodynamics and safe steering behaviour for a decisive competitive advantage.” The wheels both get DT Swiss’ new EXP hub designs and are claimed to be faster than all competitor wheels that DT Swiss tested against. It’s also disc-brakes only.

DT Swiss ARC 1100 testing vs competition

DT Swiss has redesigned the ARC range to be faster and they claim that “compared to competitors, drag in both frontal and lateral airflow is lower at all rim heights.” They have provided graphs for their testing, with the 50mm tested against Enve’s SES 5.6 and Zipp’s 303, the 62mm tested against Enve’s SES 5.6 and Zipp’s 404 NSW DB, and the 80 tested against Reynolds’ Black Label 80 DB. 

2021 DT Swiss ARC 1400 80

Reborn Faster

DTSwiss ARC Diagram Results ARC Performance

While DT Swiss claims that the ARC wheels are faster than those they tested against, the interesting figures come with the 62 and 80mm rims which at YAW angles of around 14º, DT Swiss claims, provide negative drag with their testing suggesting that the 80mm wheels -7 watts of drag which “pushes the cyclist forward.”

The outgoing ARC wheels centred around a rim that had a 17mm internal width. This has been boosted to 20mm in the new version, following the general trend that we’ve seen in aero race wheels for wider internal profiles. 

DTSwiss ARC Drawing Rolling Resistance

While DT Swiss previously said that the 17mm inner rim width was “proven to be the fastest”, the new rims feature a 20mm internal width to create a shorter tyre contact patch, which DT Swiss says lowers rolling resistance. 

Adding 3mm to the rim’s internal width might not sound like much, but it has a massive impact on the profile of tyres with DT Swiss saying that thanks to the tyres added volume, “they have a broader contact patch and can be ridden with less air pressure without risking a pinch flat.”

The new wheels are tubeless-ready and use a hooked rim design, avoiding the maximum tyre pressure required on hookless rims. 

2021 DTSwiss ARC 1100 62

DT Swiss says that the spokes have also been given an aero redesign with the DT Aerolite and the DT Aero Comp contributing, DT Swiss claims, to a 1.1watt reduction of rotational drag on the 50mm wheel and a 0.8watt reduction for the 80mm.

Stability

DTSwiss ARC Diagram Handling

DT Swiss also has graphs which they say demonstrates the stability of the wheels in YAW angles between 0-20º. DT Swiss claims that the “ARC wheels remain stably controllable in the various yaw angles” which they say means that “the cyclist can stay longer in the faster aero position.”

Weight

Weight doesn’t seem to have been the focus of the redesign, but the claimed weights point to some small savings with some of the new wheels. Here are the claimed wheelset weights for the whole range:

1400
  • 50mm - 1552g
  • 62mm - 1753g
  • 80mm - 1837g
1100
  • 50mm - 1472g
  • 62mm - 1676g
  • 60mm - 1762g

Build

The DRC range comprises two models of wheelsets, the 1400 and the 1100. Both are built using DT Swiss hubs, spokes and internal DT Swiss Pro Lock nipples, with the difference being found in the hub and spoke choice.

The slightly cheaper 1400 range uses DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs and DT Swiss T-head Aero Comp spokes.

The range-topping 1100 wheels use a new DT Swiss 180 hub that features 2-in-1 spoke holes and smaller flanges, which DT Swiss claims makes the hubs more aero. 

As with the previous version of the 180 hubs, ceramic bearings are used, with the build finished with a mixture of DT Swiss Aerolite and Aero Comp spokes. The new 180 hubs feature the Ratchet EXP system which we went into more detail about here.

The DT Swiss ARC 1400 range costs £ while the ARC 1100 wheels are £. There is a 650b size option for the 50mm rim depth on both the 1400 and 1100 models and all wheels come with a Shimano 11-speed freehub body as standard with Campagnolo and Sram XDR fittings available. Tubeless valves and tape are included. Availability is

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5 comments

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CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
1 like

They're getting there with wider internal rims.  But please the savings are minimal at velocities most cant achieve or sustain.

Buy a cheaper pair of chinese aero rims with 98% of the aero benefits of the 'so called' market leaders for a fraction of the cost.  Last time I ordered a pair £250 for 60mm deep oval shaped carbon rims.  They come set for rim brakes or disc hubs. 

 

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peted76 replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

They're getting there with wider internal rims.  But please the savings are minimal at velocities most cant achieve or sustain.

Buy a cheaper pair of chinese aero rims with 98% of the aero benefits of the 'so called' market leaders for a fraction of the cost.  Last time I ordered a pair £250 for 60mm deep oval shaped carbon rims.  They come set for rim brakes or disc hubs. 

I think you'll find that the well established chinese rim manufactuers such as farsports and lightbicycle have upped their prices loads over the past couple of years..  yes you can still save a few quid but not so much as you can ignore a local based warranty or guarantee so easily now. You can still get a cheap pair of wheels but you'll be getting cheap hubs.(Maybe it's the hubs which have driven the price of wheels up?).

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RobD replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
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Agreed, while I wouldn't want to buy the top end wheels (I can't exactly justify it for the type of riding I do) a set of well built, properly tested wheels with a decent warranty is worth a lot more to me than a few hundred pounds saving.

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fukawitribe replied to RobD | 3 years ago
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Whilst I generally agree, and I think the price difference is narrowing,  i'd imagine for a lot of folk a "few hundred pounds saving" would be the difference between being able to afford something or not. I know it would for me.

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jn46 replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
0 likes

And then you don't have to worry about an expensive rim replacement when you slam into potholes. I've had a set of enves with Chris king hubs (paid less than half RRP). Very nice but was always so wary on our rubbish roads, constantly dodging cracks. Sold them and use rebranded Chinese (Zuus, now gone bust). They don't feel as fast and the braking isn't quite as good, but they're about 90 per cent there. And I could happily afford to replace them without eating baked beans for a month. Direct imports have crept up in price, and brands like hunt and parcours are worth the bit extra as much for mental reassurance if anything goes wrong. I just hope they can keep their prices generally under £1k, which still seems like an awful lot of money for wheels.

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