# Dt-Swiss XRC 1250 losing weight?



## ka0t1c07 (Aug 3, 2005)

I been looking at the DT XRC1250 carbon wheels and the Stans Race 7000 wheelset. I was wondering, can these wheels be made lighter. I know the Stans can be, I read some of the race 7000 threads but the main concern are the DTs. I like the carbon look. I also read about Fulcrum and Bontreger carbon wheelsets but they come in around 1400grs which I think is not too impressive.

Tin


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## Some Guy (Mar 27, 2005)

Well they are a factory wheelset, so you can't really have the configuration changed at all. DT don't have any lighter parts to change to anyway.

The only way I can think of to make them lighter would be to buy the 190 hubs and Aerolight spokes seperately and lace them to Stans ZTR Race rims. Or reduce the spoke count, or use different hubs, or Ti spokes... but do any of those and it's not really an XRC1250 wheelset any more is it?


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## IAmtnbikr (May 17, 2008)

1250g is pretty darned light IMO unless you're a smallish person with superb riding skills and trails that don't tear things up. When I went to my King disc/DT XRC330 wheelset I shed 148g replacing the X317 rims and went down to 1303g. I'd be happy to lose another 50g in a prebuilt wheelset and would've gone that route had I not owned the King hubs already. Eventually you hit the point of diminising return$, lol.


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## hasan.cagri (Jul 27, 2008)

Race7000 Rims + Revolution spokes + Tune Prince and Princess hubs 

This wheel set is almost 1140-1150g


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## Ole (Feb 22, 2004)

Extralite UltraHubs SPD with full ceramic bearings, Pillar bladed titanium spokes (1.7x2.2mm on front left and rear right, 1.4x2.2mm on other sides) and 280g Race 7000 is 1080g. I've raced it all year with ceramic hybrid bearings with a total weight of 1091g. I weigh 80kg/178lbs. Zero durability issues so far. I took it out for the first ride with full ceramic today, no problems on roots, rocks, 50cm drops, mud etc.


Ole


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## ka0t1c07 (Aug 3, 2005)

im only around 130lbs. I like your light weight wheels OLE. Im geared more towards the DT carbon look. Goes on great with my Mojo SL. So the DT XRC1250 cant be lightened anymore. I know the hubs they use are very light already, just thought there could be something else that can be changed to make it a bit lighter.


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## Ole (Feb 22, 2004)

You could re-build them with titanium spokes. If done right, you'd still get pretty stiff wheels with well balanced tension left-right, and a little bit lower weight. Also, the hubs add weight because of the Centerlock adapters.

I don't quite understand why you'd pick wheels for the look rather than performance, but that's me. I guess that's how Mavic manages to stay in business with some of those silly wheels they make. Not that the DT wheels are bad, they are probably fantastic, but if you want something that's lighter, why not buy lighter wheels instead?


Ole.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

At $3000/pr your wallet couldn't be any lighter after buying the XRC1250's.


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## IAmtnbikr (May 17, 2008)

You can find them for quite a bit less than the MSRP. I would try looking around if you're serious. Ute City Cylces in Colorado has a pair on eBay right now starting at $1700 or a BIN for $1900 I believe. I'm not affiliated with them, but have had a VERY positive experience with them buying another DT Swiss product. Nic and Josh were top-notch in terms of customer service. Even called me afterwards to follow up and make sure I got the part and all was well. Awesome job!


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## kevbikemad (Jan 2, 2006)

ka0t1c07 said:


> im only around 130lbs. I like your light weight wheels OLE. Im geared more towards the DT carbon look. Goes on great with my Mojo SL. So the DT XRC1250 cant be lightened anymore. I know the hubs they use are very light already, just thought there could be something else that can be changed to make it a bit lighter.


if you base your selection on looks... that is up to you.

if you want light, for less money - obviously go with the RACE wheels.

another thing to consider is tire set up. if you plan on converting to tubeless, the RACE wheels will set up MUCH easier than the DT rims. the BST works really well and holds a bead better than any other rim i have seen. no need for rim strips, just the yellow tape and sealant.

the RACE rims are also wider, increasing tire volume and traction.


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## Tiffster (Jan 30, 2008)

holly fck that's cheap! I found them here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dt-Swiss-XRC-12...ryZ58089QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For me that's an AWESOME price as the dollor pound rate is basically 2 dollors to the pound


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## IAmtnbikr (May 17, 2008)

You won't find better guys to deal with, trust me on that! I latched onto my fork at a killer price (thanks to a snipe, lol) plus 10% off eBay coupon. Per my LBS I got a brand new fork for less than dealer cost.


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## shimano4 (May 11, 2008)

ka0t1c07 said:


> im only around 130lbs. I like your light weight wheels OLE. Im geared more towards the DT carbon look. Goes on great with my Mojo SL. So the DT XRC1250 cant be lightened anymore. I know the hubs they use are very light already, just thought there could be something else that can be changed to make it a bit lighter.


U must be damm rich to attempt to buy XRC 1250. :eekster:


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## ka0t1c07 (Aug 3, 2005)

I just built up a MOJO SL using Crossmax SLR as a temporary wheelset. I just dont like the fact that they are 1600 grams with out skewers or valves, but they are very solid. I have Stans ZTR Olympics (1350 grams) on my S-Works and I like them very much. I dont fell any flex at all. But now I want something lighter. I been watching Ole making his Race 7000 lighter and lighter. Just thought maybe I can make these XRC 1250 lighter too. I know for a fact that they wont be as light as the Race 7000 setup because the DT rim is about 50 grams heavier.


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## Some Guy (Mar 27, 2005)

Light rotors and skewers would lower the overall wheel weight I suppose. You may already have that though.


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## ka0t1c07 (Aug 3, 2005)

Yeah, im currently using titanium rotors and Extralite skewers.


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## timbuktu (Nov 9, 2008)

Loose the weight in the tires, not the wheels. That's where one has a lot of room to play.


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## AlexRandall (Apr 2, 2009)

On no account should you buy an assembled product just to dis-assemble it and replace with other parts. Start with the parts you want and be done with it.


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## Kwik (Aug 7, 2007)

You can change the starratched to 36 engagementpoints, it is also lighter.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

The DT wheels come with a low spoke count (24/24). Only the stiff carbon rim allows for this low spoke count. No way you can lace them with Ti-spokes or thinner ones without hurting stiffness and durability dramatically.

I would stay clear of Ti-Spokes anyway.Every wheel builder will tell you so...that's because they know a thing or two...

By the way - i weighed them at 1190g only! But you have to add the centerlock adapters (ca. 60g for the pair) which brings them to 1250g. By the way - Centerlock adapters add 46g when compared to 12 Ti-rotorbolts (ca. 14g).

Stay clear of lightweight Tune hubs-or Tune hubs in general. Too much issues!!

If i'm not mistaken DT offers a lighter ratchet for the freehub which is hollowed out:
http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Acc...s/36-T-upgrade-kit-for-star-ratchet-hubs.aspx

The DT carbon rims might be 300g and therefore a couple of grams heavier than the Notubes rims BUT with as low as 24 spokes you save the weight in the spokes. That's 8 spokes+nipples less per wheel: my rough guess is that's about 36g per wheel less weight from the lower spoke count!(1 DT Aerolite spoke at 264mm weighs 4,3g+Al-nippel = ca. 4.5-5g)

----> Get some nice and light 6-bolt disc-hubs with 24-spokeholes and lace them to the DT carbon rims and you will have a lighter,stiffer wheel than the Notubes.

Anyway - i for myself won't shop for absolute lightest in wheels . I need some sturdy wheels that still can take a pounding and it seems at around 1250g i found the limit with durable hubs, some light Alex rims and 32 Revolution spokes. Light and strong without hurting my wallet as well.


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## culturesponge (Aug 15, 2007)

the hollow 36 star ratchet is really no lighter than the hollow 18 step star that the DT 190's ship with - but its a great upgrade & really improves engagement (just abit buzzy at first)

some rotation weight tweeks for DT 1250's (or 1350's)

remove the stickers (on the hubs)
fully ceramic bearings
tubeless with the DT XR kit 
or 
8.5mm Veloplugs instead of rim strips + lightweight tube like Schwalbe SV14A XXlite
lighter FRM or Mavic UST valves (no dust cap!)
lighter alloy valve collars than the standard steel ones (or don't use one at all)
lighter CL adapters from Alligator, CNC or Formula
lighter CL lockrings like Chris King 12t alloy cassette lockring or Extrabolt EB3.3 (not advisable if you ride big hills!)
Innolite titanium or Scrub MMX alloy rotors

i've one year on a custom built XRC 330 wheelset & are currently building a 28h DT XRC 300 and a 32h Podium MMX wheelset

.............edit for typo..........


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## timbuktu (Nov 9, 2008)

are the "fully ceramic bearings" upgrade (I'm assuming that's what you mean) any different than the "ceramic cartridge bearings" that come stock? I'm not sure I would want to remove the ceramics out of mine for more ceramics.

Again, being the weight weenie I am, these wheels are extremely light and hand built with durability and strength in mind with the optimum ingredients for winning races. Why anyone might want to remove a few grams with a product that is already bare to the bones is beyond me. If one is running on 420 gram tires when they could run 312 gram tires, "there" is where to cut out the ounces, not grams. 

I think sometimes weigh weenies border on obsessive compulsive behavior. Come to think of it, I'm probably no different. But I'm a compulsive racer who has yet to loose on the 1250's. Why reinvent the wheel?

Competition is for the competent!


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## Ole (Feb 22, 2004)

If you use Pillar butted titanium spokes, you should have no problems with durability (mine are 2 years old and are still going strong). With a combinastion of 1.4mm on the side with lower tension, and 1.7mm on the other sides, you'll actually get a wheel that behaves better over bumps than you have with equal thickness spokes. Stiffness is a little lower, but not so much that it should be a problem if you are fine with the steel spokes.

Ole.


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## culturesponge (Aug 15, 2007)

timbuktu said:


> Why reinvent the wheel?!


if your a racer you should know that best can be bettered!

i've no intention of swapping out any DT ceramic bearings til they get crunchy and worn out

Ti or Steel spokes needed for DT XRC 330/300 28h rims + DT 190 CL hubs are: 42x 258mm + 14x 260mm


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## ka0t1c07 (Aug 3, 2005)

thanks guys for your honest input. the factory wheels were built for a wide range of riders so for my range, I figure it can be made lighter with durability.


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## timbuktu (Nov 9, 2008)

Not when you're standing on "top" of the podium. "Best" is always superlative to the comparative "better." ;-)


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## culturesponge (Aug 15, 2007)

timbuktu said:


> Not when you're standing on "top" of the podium. "Best" is always superlative to the comparative "better." ;-)


My gran used to tell me (more often than was appreciated) "pride comes before a fall"

good luck with your 2010 race seaon matey!


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## timbuktu (Nov 9, 2008)

Pratyavayo Navidyatah "There is no obstacle"... Matey.


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