You can get a lighter, very high quality set from lightbicycle for sub 1000, with DT hubs. Or elite drive wheels which arguably better looking than these
How about 28 spokes instead of 24, like on XC wheels? Or does nobody need sturdy wheels for bad trails anymore 😉 Have 28H XR391 (which they recommended) with DT Revolution/ Comp and H-works hubs myself, the total weighing in at 1523 grams - so not complaining about DT Swiss at all!
Not the lightest one but DT wheelsets are very reliable and easy to maintain. If you try to find a good second hand DT wheelset it would still cost a lot
The new EXP hubs are TERRIBLE! Two of my friends had them fail. One guy I know had his EXP hub lock up in a sprint, and had to be ambulanced out. Also, you can't replace or clean the star ratchets easily because the inner ratchet is locked into the hub. The DT Swiss rim tape isn't propylene, so Silca sealant just tears right through it. The old non-EXP DT hubs were AMAZING. I have 25,000 miles on my original 240s from 2017. Never had a problem with them. I drop the star ratchets out every few months, degrease and regrease them. You can't do this with the new ones.
there was a recall on EXP due to the coating thickness on the ratchets. I had a set fail too (thankfully the floating ratchet locked in the hub and didn’t engage on a seated climb on my mountain bike). The replacement set has been fine.
@@derekmattice3077would this the EXP 240 hubs ? I have on set from Fast Forward Drift I bought in 2022 . So far no issues , but I don’t know anything about any recalls or issues. I guess I’ll have to go to DT swiss’s website.
Nice review - as always, nice choice of music - been a fan from the start of the channel; like the modern music - suites the channel well. Excellent history about DT Swiss - and the ratchet system; very important as the devil is in the details. I love the high-end gear, like the audience, I wonder if there is a role for some more budget-focused wheel reviews as well; that are not functionally terrible.
I have the previous version of the GRC 1100 and they are superb I’ve also got the HUNT 35 extra wide wheel set which are also good , it would be interesting to try the new 1100s out
Thanks for the review! As an owner of the past gen GRC 1400s, my only complaint is with the finishing coat they used. It's basically painted on and, while it wouldn't be much of an issue for a road specific wheel set, it's not ideal for gravel. The wheels are now covered with tons of rock chips. My question is, do you think the new finishing process on these wheels will help alleviate this issue given that there is no final coating to chip? Or will they still likely show signs of rock strikes and this is just the nature of the beast with gravel specific wheels? Thanks again!
For the price of these wheels, hubs, why the 36T Rachet? These companies think that the lower end ratchet is good. While they are if you are just riding gravel but, if you are doing rides, races truly off road on occasion then the better rachet helps with exactly that. Ratcheting. Like we teach kids for riding MTB's. You learn to use the rachet and maneuver around obstacles.
Thanks for the video! Completely unrelated, but a ride with GPS notification popped up after my ride today. Apparently I was a few seconds behind a Ben Delaney on the Castlewood Canyon segment....must have been a good tail wind today
Running the 3T 40/45 with 29 mm IRW. Love it with a 45 mm in the back and 40 mm in the front. Gives a good aero profile in the front and more tire and gravel contact in the rear since it widens the tire by 1.5 mm (~47 mm). The Carbon Ti hubs on the 3Ts are nice but expensive to maintain so I see an cost savings and maintenance advantage with the DT Swiss. Also, I am thinking of attending gravel nationals this year and the sand looks to be slippery on the fast turns in the video. So is a semi-slick such as Perilli H not a good way to go and get some centerline knobs? Are the down hill straight and and not a issue? I'm novice gravel racer for 5 years.
DT Swiss Marketer: "here's our sweet new freehub design with 4 degree engagement!!! But you can't have it in our $3000USD wheelset. No, you get the recalled freehub in those wheels that also have abysmal engagement btw. " Me: ffs.
Have you reviewed the Industry Nine AR 40 wheels? The new Solix hubs are smooth as silk with virtually no drag. 605 points of engagement. Rims are 25mm internal, 35mm external, and 40mm depth. My set weighed 1437 grams with tape and valves.
I thought the DT Swiss naming convention usually indicated the weight of the wheelset so I was expecting something in the 1100g range. $3000 is a lot of money.
at $3000, why wouldn't you go with Roval CLX II team editions which are lighter, and despite the internal width - can comfortably accommodate 40 mm tires.
Nice review as always. Lovely wheels. ...However, considering that most gravel cyclists don't really ride at pro speeds like 37.5km/hr, the aero benefits for the consumer market seem largely irrelevant. Why not also test them at a more realistic average of 25-30km/hr? …because the aero benefits would be super marginal? …Also what is with the ‘G' on the rim? Google branded? GR makes sense. G not so much. And why the two vertical lines? Wheels this expensive also deserve micro-aesthetics analysis! especially as this is really the only reason most will buy them.
Re test speeds - yeah, the slower the speeds, the less of a difference you'll see, and thus the harder it is for various brands to make a point. Re names/numbers, 3 letters high end carbon; 2 high end alloy, 1 affordable alloy Gravel Race Carbon, I believe... Aesthetics analysis - I leave that to you.
I use to run 35's on my cross bike, now with my Lauf 40mm for gravel sounds crazy to me these days. 2.2 for my "ultras" (800km) seems like a no brainer.
@@laxplaysu91 I just checked my last two Tempo training rides.1.5 Hours @ 240w on the same gravel/road course. I'm going to do another RK pass to verify. Kinda crazy results IMO. I would love to see someone else varify. Maxxis RAMBLER 45mm - 29.7KPH RK 2.2 prot. - 32KPH
Nice but I think the sweet spot is I reckon just under 40mm. Aero for gravel when your wheel is going up hill or bouncing all over the place or fighting a gust of side wind is no gain at all at 7%. Truly over rated, I’d focus on losing weight which is far cheaper and better gains when the rider is at 75%. People are not investing in the right percentages IMHO and wasting cash on the 7%. BTW, I hope you taking your A-Game to Nationals Ben, with the amount of good training you’ve had, expectations are high from us all. Which bike will you be racing on?
Nice to hear a rational, logical comment like yours. I had a similar thought when Ben said the women with 30mm and 50mm wheels finished together. The way Ben phrased it, I wasn't clear on whether the 7% wheel contribution was taken as a percentage the total drag -- that is, rider PLUS bike -- or if it was 7% of the bike's 25% contribution. I can't imagine it'd be 7% of total drag. Ben, if you're reading could you clarify this? Thanks.
7% of total drag for wheels and tires. I mean, looking at your bike they're a pretty sizable part of it. Of course, these are just ballpark figures, as the exactly breakdown varies not only by rider, but also by that rider's position at any given moment.
Is deeper (50mm) worth the extra weight? I have 25mmID x 35 wheelset with 47mm Pathfinder Pro’s, and 25mmID x 50 wheelset with GP5000 AS TR in 700x35. So - it’s situation specific experimentation Summer for me.
If your main riding style is long endurance rides you may be happier with the deep wheels but if you do a lot of climbs / riding below 15mph the lightweight wheels would feel better
@@seanmccuen6970😝. Most every gravel road I’m on is “wide open”. I race amateur club events in the SE USA , and since going from 40 to 47mm Pathfinder Pro’s my Garmin data says I’m faster. There are sections of rather severe washboard, and stone collection areas in the center and outboard strips can be very sketchy. I have my 35’s for groomed gravel or majority tarmac courses.
@@petersouthernboy6327 so bigger tires + deeper wheels = significantly more weight at probably the worst place on the bike, how do the climbs feel? or do 'y'all' not have any real climbs where you is? disclaimer; don't take any of this s seriously, we all know cycling is so situationally dependent, don't we.
Weighing 1567 grams even with DT 180 hubs, coming in for $3000? 🤡🤡🤡
Yeah I don’t get it either, for half the price you can find 1300g aero gravel wheels these days 🤷🏼♂️
You can get a lighter, very high quality set from lightbicycle for sub 1000, with DT hubs. Or elite drive wheels which arguably better looking than these
@@Frankthegravelrider sub 1000 with a 25mm rim 0% aero. You gotta compare what’s comparable.
Yup, happy with my lightweight Aliexpress wheels for $600
Or you can save $500 and get the Reserve 40|44 GR’s with DT-180 hubs.
How about 28 spokes instead of 24, like on XC wheels?
Or does nobody need sturdy wheels for bad trails anymore 😉
Have 28H XR391 (which they recommended) with DT Revolution/ Comp and H-works hubs myself, the total weighing in at 1523 grams - so not complaining about DT Swiss at all!
What about Roval wheels less weight and price ?
Not the lightest one but DT wheelsets are very reliable and easy to maintain. If you try to find a good second hand DT wheelset it would still cost a lot
Excellent review, great to see more hooked rims on gravel wheelsets.
3000$ :)))
The new EXP hubs are TERRIBLE! Two of my friends had them fail. One guy I know had his EXP hub lock up in a sprint, and had to be ambulanced out. Also, you can't replace or clean the star ratchets easily because the inner ratchet is locked into the hub. The DT Swiss rim tape isn't propylene, so Silca sealant just tears right through it.
The old non-EXP DT hubs were AMAZING. I have 25,000 miles on my original 240s from 2017. Never had a problem with them. I drop the star ratchets out every few months, degrease and regrease them. You can't do this with the new ones.
yeah, that's always the sign of a good hub, when it 'locks up' and tries to maim or kill you.
there was a recall on EXP due to the coating thickness on the ratchets. I had a set fail too (thankfully the floating ratchet locked in the hub and didn’t engage on a seated climb on my mountain bike). The replacement set has been fine.
@@derekmattice3077shitty design relying on a coating for something so critical
@@derekmattice3077would this the EXP 240 hubs ? I have on set from Fast Forward Drift I bought in 2022 . So far no issues , but I don’t know anything about any recalls or issues. I guess I’ll have to go to DT swiss’s website.
@@thedownunderverse you don’t understand the use of coatings and their role in reducing wear and friction.
Aero matters in gravel the same as road. You aren’t going quite as fast, but you spend a lot more time solo and you can’t ride as close together.
Nice review - as always, nice choice of music - been a fan from the start of the channel; like the modern music - suites the channel well.
Excellent history about DT Swiss - and the ratchet system; very important as the devil is in the details.
I love the high-end gear, like the audience, I wonder if there is a role for some more budget-focused wheel reviews as well; that are not functionally terrible.
There is definitely plenty of room for more affordable wheels and bikes. I just need to get better at time management, is the short answer... 😀
GR 1600 Spline for $750 or GRC 1100 for $3000? 😳
I have the previous version of the GRC 1100 and they are superb I’ve also got the HUNT 35 extra wide wheel set which are also good , it would be interesting to try the new 1100s out
I love the quantity of overweight/undertrained riders that show up at events after spending thousands to
go faster on lighter more aerodynamic bikes!😅
the Rovals should be very very similar
Thanks for the review! As an owner of the past gen GRC 1400s, my only complaint is with the finishing coat they used. It's basically painted on and, while it wouldn't be much of an issue for a road specific wheel set, it's not ideal for gravel. The wheels are now covered with tons of rock chips. My question is, do you think the new finishing process on these wheels will help alleviate this issue given that there is no final coating to chip? Or will they still likely show signs of rock strikes and this is just the nature of the beast with gravel specific wheels? Thanks again!
For the price of these wheels, hubs, why the 36T Rachet? These companies think that the lower end ratchet is good. While they are if you are just riding gravel but, if you are doing rides, races truly off road on occasion then the better rachet helps with exactly that. Ratcheting. Like we teach kids for riding MTB's. You learn to use the rachet and maneuver around obstacles.
To much money for me....i cap out at 2000 for a road wheelset... and even less on a gravel set. I will trash my gravel wheels.
Thanks for the video! Completely unrelated, but a ride with GPS notification popped up after my ride today. Apparently I was a few seconds behind a Ben Delaney on the Castlewood Canyon segment....must have been a good tail wind today
Schwalbe G-One Overlands on those wheels? Do you have a review on those coming up?
Top review. Did you notice all your DJI links are the same?
I have 1400 30mm and love them !
Running the 3T 40/45 with 29 mm IRW. Love it with a 45 mm in the back and 40 mm in the front. Gives a good aero profile in the front and more tire and gravel contact in the rear since it widens the tire by 1.5 mm (~47 mm). The Carbon Ti hubs on the 3Ts are nice but expensive to maintain so I see an cost savings and maintenance advantage with the DT Swiss. Also, I am thinking of attending gravel nationals this year and the sand looks to be slippery on the fast turns in the video. So is a semi-slick such as Perilli H not a good way to go and get some centerline knobs? Are the down hill straight and and not a issue? I'm novice gravel racer for 5 years.
Dt should not be talking about ratchet reliability after the issues seennwith the early release of their exp ratchet system
DT Swiss Marketer: "here's our sweet new freehub design with 4 degree engagement!!! But you can't have it in our $3000USD wheelset. No, you get the recalled freehub in those wheels that also have abysmal engagement btw. "
Me: ffs.
Great Video, when you review wheelset, could you also include max rider's recommendation weight, please? Thx a bunch!
I will try to remember that. Thanks for the suggestion. For these, DT puts it at 130kg for rider + bike, so 286lb.
Have you reviewed the Industry Nine AR 40 wheels? The new Solix hubs are smooth as silk with virtually no drag. 605 points of engagement. Rims are 25mm internal, 35mm external, and 40mm depth. My set weighed 1437 grams with tape and valves.
That is bananas. I just recorded a little clip with a rider on those whisper-silent hubs. Need to get on them myself.
I thought the DT Swiss naming convention usually indicated the weight of the wheelset so I was expecting something in the 1100g range. $3000 is a lot of money.
It used to be, but then it drifted. 🙃
Way too expensive….
VETERINARIAN Wheels for the DENTIST Gravel Bike, *only* $3,000 per pair
at $3000, why wouldn't you go with Roval CLX II team editions which are lighter, and despite the internal width - can comfortably accommodate 40 mm tires.
40 inch tires? 😮 Does your bike run on diesel?
@@cjohnson3836 LOL! Error between brain and keyboard.
Nice review as always. Lovely wheels. ...However, considering that most gravel cyclists don't really ride at pro speeds like 37.5km/hr, the aero benefits for the consumer market seem largely irrelevant. Why not also test them at a more realistic average of 25-30km/hr? …because the aero benefits would be super marginal? …Also what is with the ‘G' on the rim? Google branded? GR makes sense. G not so much. And why the two vertical lines? Wheels this expensive also deserve micro-aesthetics analysis! especially as this is really the only reason most will buy them.
Re test speeds - yeah, the slower the speeds, the less of a difference you'll see, and thus the harder it is for various brands to make a point.
Re names/numbers, 3 letters high end carbon; 2 high end alloy, 1 affordable alloy
Gravel Race Carbon, I believe...
Aesthetics analysis - I leave that to you.
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Aesthetics 👍 …unless it’s Delany Blue :) | Aerodynamics 🤟…only relevant for me into a 37.5km/hr headwind :)
I use to run 35's on my cross bike, now with my Lauf 40mm for gravel sounds crazy to me these days. 2.2 for my "ultras" (800km) seems like a no brainer.
I used to run 42mm Pathfinders but now run a race king 2.0 in the rear and a thunder burt 2.1 up front. It's incredible.
@@laxplaysu91 I just checked my last two Tempo training rides.1.5 Hours @ 240w on the same gravel/road course. I'm going to do another RK pass to verify. Kinda crazy results IMO. I would love to see someone else varify.
Maxxis RAMBLER 45mm - 29.7KPH
RK 2.2 prot. - 32KPH
Nice but I think the sweet spot is I reckon just under 40mm. Aero for gravel when your wheel is going up hill or bouncing all over the place or fighting a gust of side wind is no gain at all at 7%. Truly over rated, I’d focus on losing weight which is far cheaper and better gains when the rider is at 75%. People are not investing in the right percentages IMHO and wasting cash on the 7%. BTW, I hope you taking your A-Game to Nationals Ben, with the amount of good training you’ve had, expectations are high from us all. Which bike will you be racing on?
Nice to hear a rational, logical comment like yours. I had a similar thought when Ben said the women with 30mm and 50mm wheels finished together.
The way Ben phrased it, I wasn't clear on whether the 7% wheel contribution was taken as a percentage the total drag -- that is, rider PLUS bike -- or if it was 7% of the bike's 25% contribution. I can't imagine it'd be 7% of total drag.
Ben, if you're reading could you clarify this? Thanks.
7% of total drag for wheels and tires. I mean, looking at your bike they're a pretty sizable part of it.
Of course, these are just ballpark figures, as the exactly breakdown varies not only by rider, but also by that rider's position at any given moment.
Is deeper (50mm) worth the extra weight? I have 25mmID x 35 wheelset with 47mm Pathfinder Pro’s, and 25mmID x 50 wheelset with GP5000 AS TR in 700x35. So - it’s situation specific experimentation Summer for me.
If your main riding style is long endurance rides you may be happier with the deep wheels but if you do a lot of climbs / riding below 15mph the lightweight wheels would feel better
no, 50mm on gravel is only worth it for pros on fast, wide open terrain. i.e. the extra weight is just that.
@@seanmccuen6970😝. Most every gravel road I’m on is “wide open”. I race amateur club events in the SE USA , and since going from 40 to 47mm Pathfinder Pro’s my Garmin data says I’m faster. There are sections of rather severe washboard, and stone collection areas in the center and outboard strips can be very sketchy. I have my 35’s for groomed gravel or majority tarmac courses.
@@petersouthernboy6327 so bigger tires + deeper wheels = significantly more weight at probably the worst place on the bike, how do the climbs feel?
or do 'y'all' not have any real climbs where you is?
disclaimer; don't take any of this s seriously, we all know cycling is so situationally dependent, don't we.
@@seanmccuen6970 LOL, if you stand up when you’re climbing on gravel - you’re getting a facefull of rocks