NSMB Forum Testing: DT Swiss E 1700 Spline Two 27.5" & 29" Wheels

Unfortunately, this update isn't the kind I like to include in a gear review.

Last week (not while riding mind-you), I managed to rupture my Achilles tendon. I had surgery late last week, and have been flying high on painkillers through the weekend. Needless to say, I will be off the bike for awhile…and the testing will be maintenance-centric for now.

Throughout the test period, I have been generally happy with the wheels. No issues with trueing, and the centerlock challenge remains.

I have seen some gouging on the freehub body, which i think is related to using a One-up adapter. I have just received a Wolftooth adapter which I intend to swap out. I hope this will help arrest the gouging, however it may be too far gone. The next step would be to order the replacement hardened steel body that DT Swiss offers.

I will post some more information and pictures as I pull things apart once I get a bit more mobile.

-Gord

Sorry to hear about the injury, Gord. Heal up soon!

Ditto that. Sorry to hear about your injury Gord. Heal up quick!

Finally managed to put a dent in the back rim. So it is possible!

Here's a quick clip of some more testing in squamish yesterday - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1IMS9wF3a_la1oxV2pma0FiajQ/view

Very nice. I knew someone would pull the free hub apart and show it off eventually.

For the love of loam, when shooting (pics/vid) always (almost) always shoot in landscape!

Haha yes , my buddy should know better

I managed to rack up a bunch of miles on the wheels this weekend, and thought it was time for some final thoughts.

Doing my best to cause some damage

I still can't believe how strong these rims are. They must be right up there on par with my DH rims. Blasting trails and hits that would have left my stock wheels with at least a wobble weren't able to sway the E1700's. To be fair, I am running beefier, higher volume tires than I had on my stock setup, so there is some protection there. Still, I think it's safe to say that all three testers found these rims to be impressively strong. They're not the lightest, but I'm finding that the extra weight doesn't really affect the performance on the really fun stuff. If you're the type that likes to head out on all-day epics consisting of smooth, rolling ribbons of singletrack - these wheels may be a bit overkill for you. It's when the rowdy knob is cranked to 11 that these wheels really shine.

Quintessential Shore shot

The hub internals have been completely trouble-free. I've mentioned several times already that the low 18 point engagement of the freehub body is annoying on technical traverses - but this can be remedied with the higher 36 point engagement ring that is offered by DT. Having come from a DT rear hub with 36 point engagement, I'd highly recommend this upgrade. For a somewhat high-end piece of kit like this, it would be nice if you could buy this wheelset off the shelf with the 36 point ring already installed - even if it meant a surcharge. DT seems to be aiming this wheelset at privateer enduro racers and abusive trail bike riders who ride bike parks. I guess the 18 point ring wouldn't be as much of an issue for the gravity set.

The disc rotor adapter ring is definitely an area that needs some attention - from DT themselves, and any potential buyer. My take on the problem was fully explained in one of my earlier posts. While I haven't had the rings loosen off since I slathered them in high strength loctite, it does appear that the tolerances on the ring posts could be tighter. I'm relatively certain that my loctite job will continue to hold for the foreseeable future, and I'm no longer riding with the BB shell tool required to tighten them in my pack.

Towards the end of a rather epic ride on the Sunshine Coast. This day had everything: climbing, river crossings, loam explosions, DH race tracks, steeps, rock slabs, wooden stunts, baby head boulders and even a little dirt jump session at the end.

Overall, I'd say the ideal buyers for these wheels are:

1). The trail bike rider who likes to ride it all, and only has one bike.
2). Heavier riders, or those who ride "heavy".
3). Chronic rim destroyers.
3). Privateer enduro racers who want their wheels to take a severe beating and not worry about building up new wheels every month.

Cheers to NSMB and DT Swiss for putting these wheels under me. My stock wheels really appreciated the time off! :lol:

Ryan

Being broken (ruptured Achilles), means I’m off the bike for some time. So focus changes when reviewing these wheels.

DT Swiss E-1700 Spline 2 29er – Mechanical

As Jim had alluded to earlier, the maintainability of the hub is pretty simple. The tool-less hub removal is quite easy (aka anyone can do it). One thing I noted though is that the parts (ratchet/springs/spacer) can easily fall out if you aren’t careful. Be sure to keep the hub body pointed up in the air as it is removed which I didn’t do.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137309402@N06/22970650849/in/datetaken/
The inside of the hum when the body is pulled

As you can see, the parts all came out and were properly greased, therefore it is safe to assume that the seals did an impeccable job of keeping water/grime out of the assembly which is impressive through North Shore riding.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137309402@N06/22710003964/in/datetaken/
Here are all of the hub parts

Re-assembly was interesting. On initial disassembly, all of the parts popped out. I needed to google the order of re-assembly to be absolutely sure that everything went back together properly. Once the hub was all put back together, I installed the cassette and torqued everything down. As I moved to flip the wheel to once again re-check the tightness of the center-lock, I was quite surprised when the entire cassette and hub body fell off and the springs/spacers scattered all over the garage floor. I managed to put it all back together, but this is one thing to be aware of. Tool-less hubs should not be tossed around.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137309402@N06/22970621099/in/datetaken/
Here is the disconnected cassette

Conclusion

All in all, this has been a great wheelset to review. Thanks again to NSMB and DT Swiss for giving me the opportunity to review these wheels. While there are numerous plusses, there are always areas for improvement which I hope DT Swiss will consider as they review model feedback.

Great aspects of these wheels:

• The finish is very clean – the logos are painted on, and through the test, there was no sign of flaking or deterioration of the wheel finish
• Stiff and predictable wheels – my 220# and less than ideal line choice have still resulted in only minor trueing/tensioning.
• These are easy wheels/hubs to maintain. For a DIY type person, this is certainly a plus.
• The design is up to snuff with the latest trends. 26mm internal width seems to be a good option that fits all three models of tires I tried over the test period
• Tubeless was easy to set up. Although the tape seemed flimsy to me at first, I was pleasantly surprised that it held together perfectly. The valve stems supplied were also easy to use, and as long as you didn’t loosen the core, they held air perfectly.
• DT sends all attachments/caps to allow the user to use all manners of fork attachment (9/15/20mm).

Areas for Improvement:

• We have discussed it before. Although I have stopped riding with a BB tool, the centerlock assembly needs to be re-designed. It kept coming loose, even with locktite and a decent amount of elbow grease. This forces the user to eventually bite the bullet and buy some shimano centerlock rotors, or constantly ride with a BB tool.
• The rear hub body is made of aluminum which is a pet-peeve of mine. I run a 42T modified 1x10 setup, and the rear hub is quite gouged after only a few months of riding. In order to swap out for a new 42T, I had to pry off the sprocket with a screwdriver due to the extended gouging. After removal, I filed down the gouges, but I don’t feel that this should be normal for such a high-end wheelset. I did contact DT Swiss about this, and they do offer an aftermarket steel hub body. With the new cassette sizes and converters coming out, DT may want to consider offering the choice to buyers.
• The engagement on the hubs is adequate, but if I were to purchase these wheels, I would ask the shop to swap out the 18T for the aftermarket 36T. I found the 18T engagement had to much of a lag, but this is more of a personal preference.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137309402@N06/22970526039/in/datetaken/
You can see the gouging on the hub body here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137309402@N06/22970597479/in/datetaken/
You can see here how the 42T sprocket had its teeth chewed up

All in all, I would be confident in buying these wheels as my next set. As I have said before, I have not been able to find a 29er set of wheels that didn’t ping or flex while climbing or railing turns. This makes these a win for me considering the surprising lack of trueing required. Kudos to the DT Swiss wheelbuilders on a top notch build. When purchasing, I would budget for buying center-lock rotors, the increased engagement assembly and a steel hub body. What is nice here is that each of the concerns noted through testing can be mitigated with a minor work-around.

Thanks again to the forum members for asking questions and showing interest during the test period. I have really enjoyed thinking and evaluating equipment while riding. I love to geek-out on equipment, and have found this experience to be a lot of fun.

Regards,
Gord

Sorry folks, I have no idea what's going on with the pictures - I can't seem to embed them. The links should work though.

-Gord

crappie deal with the injury , speedy recovery .

Getting ready to wrap the review period up for these wheels. Reviewers, anything to add? One of you is going to be chosen as top contributor and will get to keep 'em.

I don't really have anything new to report since my last post (no news is good news, am I right?). I've been on a number of rides since then - no issues whatsoever. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I'm still blown away at the ability of these rims to stay true through the all the abuse I've heaped upon them.

Unfortunately, I'm still out of commission, so no riding for me.

However, I've gone all OCD on the wheels and everything is nice and shiny and lubed up…for when I get to ride again in a few months.:hurt:

Thanks again to NSMB and DT Swiss for providing us hacks a chance to review some product. It was a really interesting experience that I really enjoyed.

Cheers,
-Gord

Review Part III

Looks like the drive side bearing still can't be changed without removing the steel drive ring. Pass…

Do you know if it's easy to remove that ring? Or it would have to be hammered out and replaced?

Do you know if it's easy to remove that ring? Or it would have to be hammered out and replaced?

The steel splined piece (I don't know what DT call it) threads into the hub body. It tightens under pedaling load, and is a steel piece screwing into an aluminum hub, hence it is ALWAYS seized when you come to do a rebuild. It sucks balls.