TESTED: DT Swiss FR 1500 wheel set

Words: Hayden Wright | Photos: Gerard Lagana

Here at AMB we are very familiar with the range of DT Swiss products. From the all-mountain ready EX1700 right through to the featherlight XRC 1200, we’ve reviewed just about every aftermarket MTB wheel set they have to offer. Following Max's review of the new downhill and enduro specific FR541 I was excited to hear that it had been combined with a 240 EXP hub to form the new FR1500 Classic wheel set. I have been putting a test wheel set through the ringer on the rowdiest terrain I can find. Read on to see how they took it.

The Hub

DT Swiss’ class-leading 240 EXP hub lies at the heart of the wheels. It’s not often you find a hub winning XC world cups, and flying off cliffs at Rampage – but the 240 seems to be the exception. The EXP ratchet does vary to the star ratchet you would see in older 240 and current 350 hubs. Put simply, the internal ratchet has been made integral with the threaded ring.

This means one less spring is used, so there is less weight and moving parts required. The ratchet itself has 36t, but can be upgraded to 54t as an aftermarket option for those looking for a few more engagement points. Most common fork and rear end spacings are accommodated as options on the FR1500 classic hubs, with 15/20x110mm front options available along with 148×12 or 157×12 rear spacings.

All FR1500 classic wheel sets ship with XD drivers installed, and a MicroSpline driver as an included extra. Finally, it is worth noting that these wheels are only available in 6-bolt rotor spacing.

The Rim

As mentioned earlier, we had former World Cup Racer Max review the FR541 rim when it was first released. Confident in his ability to absolutely delete any rim that has the misfortune of being mounted up to his DH bike, Max rounded out his testing, stating “I could barely put a mark on these things”.

The cornerstone of this welded rim's performance is the design of the rim edge, which has been revised relative to the outgoing FR560 rim to decrease the likelihood of dents and pinch flats. With an inner width of 30mm, outer width of 35mm and weights of 570g/605g for 27.5” and 29” respectively these rims are perfectly suited for gravity use on paper, and stood up to the test of our previous abuse. When applied to the FR1500 Classic wheel set, the 28 hole variant of this rim has been used.

The Build

All variants of the FR1500 classic wheel set are built using DT Swiss Competition spokes, which are laced in a three-cross pattern with DT Swiss ProLock aluminium nipples. While many would argue that brass nipples should be included on a wheel set pointed directly at aggressive riding, due to their increased strength, and resistance to wear if you’re being a little bit heavy handed with a spoke key. It is however hard to deny the weight advantage of aluminium nipples, which is around ⅓ that of its brass counterpart. Furthermore, I am yet to actually round or strip an aluminium nipple in my own practical experience across a variety of wheel sets.

The complete product is covered by an extensive warranty program, including a lifetime manufacturing defect guarantee on the entire wheel set. This is supported by a 24 month failure warranty on the hub and spokes, all of which is handled through their Australian distributor.

Setup

Testing of these wheels ran in parallel with testing I was also doing of the Pirelli Scorpion Race tyres. As such, they were mounted up to my Forbidden Dreadnought long term test bike with the following specification:

Front: 29”, Pirelli Scorpion Race DH M tyre, 22PSI, no insert.
Rear (1): 27.5”, Pirelli Scorpion Race DH T tyre, 26PSI, no insert
Rear (2): 27.5”, Pirelli Scorpion Race EN T tyre, 27PSI, no insert

The wheel specifications shown above came in at 962g (F) and 1030g (R) respectively. Mounting up the Pirelli tyres was quick and easy, as the wheels are shipped with tape and valves ready to go. Through testing I did tinker quite a bit with pressures, although I was somewhere in the region of what is listed above for most of my riding. There was also no noticeable drift of pressures during my time using the wheels, showing the bead interface and tape was air tight.

On The Trail

Habitually, the first thing I did with these wheels once they were set up was spin them up in my stand and observe how freely they rotate. Old habits die hard, and I was happily greeted with a set of wheels that whirred away in my garage for quite a long time. The factory build was (and still is) straight as an arrow, with the freehub ratchet being whisper quiet even when spun up in a high gear. These observations were mirrored out on the bike, with no discernible drag from the hub bearings or EXP ratchet compared to the Stans Flow EX3 wheel set I tested recently.

While I am no track sprinter, I do consider myself to be a fairly strong rider – and as such did my best to put some power through the cranks to see if I could get any negative feedback from the EXP freehub. As anticipated it didn’t even flinch regardless of my best efforts, handling all the unnecessary back pedalling and power stabs I could throw its way. The

10° / 36t engagement gives just enough pickup on technical climbs and out of turns, and does a good job of minimising kickback through rough sections. I would however prefer to see the 54T ratchet specced on these wheels, as I have on my trail hardtail. The 3.3° decrease in engagement gap is something that really promotes a feeling of connection to the drivetrain on the bike, particularly when riding with verve and really trying to get on the pedals hard.

I, like many of us, have a visceral fear of damaging rear rims and tyres. Through testing of these wheels, I have had to throw these fears aside in an effort to see if they really do hold up to the abuse that aggressive gravity riding can put through a wheel set. Happily, these rims shrugged off every poor line choice and overly aggressive Strava segment run I could manage. Spoke tensions remained consistent, and the rim edges dent free. While the rims themselves are covered in battle scars, their structural integrity is still as new.

During testing, one positive trait I did specifically pick up on was the wheel's compliance through off camber sections and rough chatter. In comparison to previous wheel sets, I felt a noticeable improvement in the bike's ability to track rough terrain, particularly when there were repeated square edge bumps. This increased my confidence through these sections, allowing me to push harder to the limits of my comfort zone than I have in a long time. While I would attribute some of this compliance to the 28h build specification, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the magic lies without testing each component in a vacuum.

Verdict

While I would prefer to have the 54t ratchet in this wheel set, that really is nitpicking. What DT Swiss have delivered with the FR1500 Classic Wheel set means should absolutely be at the top of the list for any rider looking for a high performance aluminium gravity set of hoops. The combination of rim strength, build compliance and hub quality is tough to match, and when combined leads to a pair of wheels that could handle everything I threw its way regardless of my intent.

Sizes: 27.5”, 29”
RRP: $950 (Rear), $750 (Front)
From: apollobikes.com

Hits
– Light, high quality hub
– Durable rim
– Compliant ride character

Misses
– I’ll have to send them back now that testing is complete