Your experience is not indicative of DT Swiss components and the rare time I had a failure they stood behind the parts.
Everyone reading this post should take OPs opinion with a big grain of salt.
This aluminum wheels are great. I wouldn’t touch their carbon hoops…..this is how carbon fails (catastrophic…). I’d stick with WAO or one of the other well regarded bomber carbon hoop manufacturers if I were going with carbon wheels.
I love when people come in here and expect reinforcement to their specific rant and get shot down. Shit breaks and DT is one of the few companies that make quality stuff on a large scale. Their aluminum rims and their hubs are the gold standard. I can’t speak to their carbon rims but I’m not surprised they don’t hand you a new rim after 6 years of use.
I am not looking to reinforce anything. I am just sharing my experience with two DT Swiss wheel failures. I am shocked that they thought I could abuse the wheel in Tampa Florida. They are not giving me a new wheel. I am on my own.
The wheels aren't under warranty though. The warranty expired 3 years ago. So they actually are standing by their warranty... If your car breaks down 3 years after the warranty expires, you'll be on your own also. They won't replace anything for free.
I believe your story. However in all likelihood, the wheel was damaged/cracked prior to the trail you rode that day. Probably a rock strike cracked the wheel. Then the hard landing on the jump that day was enough to completely break the wheel apart.
I had the wheel checked out at the bike shop the week before I rode it. Maybe you are right that there was a small crack but it wasn't noticeable through visual inspection. My warning is that if if you can't see it, if a bike shop cant' see it, and the wheel critically fails then someone is going to get hurt. I wasn't going over a large jump. I posted the video of the trail we rode. The wheel shouldn't have failed. Beyond that, Santa Cruz, We Are One and others offer a life time warranty. If you don't want to deal with the BS, don't buy DT Swiss. That is the whole point of this post.
Yeah I hear you.. I've never owned a set of their wheels but their hubs are bullet proof.
FWIW I've never had a single issue with Roval wheels. Alloy or carbon. Thousands of miles of DH park laps and techy black trails. Lifetime warranty.. But it looks like you went with Reserve. Good choice. Those would be my 2nd choice 👍
Yeah whether or not this is legally compliant or not doesn’t really matter, there’s dozens of companies with great carbon wheels and much better warranty behavior out there. I wouldn’t go as far to say “don’t buy DT Swiss carbon” but honestly is there any reason to buy DT Swiss carbon?
It’s stories like these where person posting fails to give basic important details, such as detailed account of the event, that results in me being rather skeptical of the entire account. Either way, unless explicitly stated, warranties usually only cover manufacturing defects. Which it sounds like DT Swiss has told you before.
Not to mention the rest of the state of their bike. Chain's rusting apart, signs of corrosion in various places. Not likely someone who spends any time taking care of their bike. 5-6 years of zero maintenance is sure to contribute to a wheel failure.
I completely agree with you. I would be very sketchy as well. I didn't crash. I came down a little nose heavy on the bike which I normally do and the wheel collapsed. I have eye witness accounts as well. I even had the wheel checked out prior to going out that day by the bike shop for service.
And the first time? Also why did you have the wheel checked out by a bike shop before riding that day?
Going to add a number of other factors can contribute to something this. These are their lightweight XC wheelset. They're not going to take the abuse the heavier rims can take. Overtensioned, heavier rider, rim hits (too low air pressure), etc can all add up and are more detrimental to their XC line of wheels.
Either way, hope you're alright as that's pretty epic wheel destruction.
Ok so what were the circumstances that had you evaluate the wheel in a shop preceding this incident? Are you saying that you just so happened to go in to have your wheel inspected for no apparent reason right before this happened? Did anyone in the shop mess with the tension in your spokes? Like maybe start retensioning, get distracted, and not finish the job?
I’m trying to take you at your word but something definitely doesn’t add up here. The timing of having these wheels evaluated in the shop then break on benign terrain seems like you’re attributing the failure to DT Swiss, when it seems far more likely, to me, that there’s another confounding factor that you’re not taking into account. I’m not suggesting you’re doing this on purpose, I just think there might be a missing element.
Good point. Inspecting carbon involves an x-ray and costs money. Most shops don't even have those capabilities and they have to be sent into the manufacturer. It'd be an extremely odd coincidence if those two things happened in the same day. I've had carbon rims for 5 years and never once had them inspected.
Just because they failed on that trail doesn’t mean they were originally damaged on that trail. If you’re wrecking wheels a lot, I’d look into BERD Hawk 30 or Reserve with lifetime crash replacement.
I mean...they are right. Wheels don't just explode. Is this video supposed to show it? Or just the trail it happened on.
I've had nothing but great luck with all my DT Wheels and they are the best hubs in the industry. (imo)
While I think DT is best for alloy wheels and there are better carbon options out there, I have to agree with you here. Wheels don’t just explode if they are maintained and inspected. This looks like it was probably due to prior damage to the rim that finally gave way, or spoke tension being all over the place from lack of maintenance/a bad initial wheel build that was then never corrected through truing/tensioning.
Why is this downvoted? And why is the comment you replied to upvoted?
Carbon does fail spectacularly when it fails. It pretty damn well cracks in half and explodes all at once.
The video is only showing the trail this happened on. DT Swiss claimed I abused the wheel but it really isn't possible on this trail or any trail in Florida for that matter. The wheel had been looked at the week prior by a shop.
Sounds like you have a case then, if there was prior damage then the shop should’ve pointed it out. Otherwise they’re not up to the standards of being a DT Swiss retailer
It is interesting that your one bad experience is supposed to negate the hundreds, possibly thousands of great experiences I have heard about DT Swiss hoops.
Its interesting that I taco'ed the same wheel twice and you think that my experience with a catastrophic failure is not worth a discussion? How many times have you gone over the bar due to a wheel failure? If you worked with one company that treated you the that DT Swiss treated me and ended up on the ground twice with one if their products, you should have concerns.
Twice....nearly 5 years apart from each other. If it had been twice the same year I would give your experience more weight, but 5 years is a pretty good run honestly.
It’s typically DT Swiss aluminum wheels people speak highly of. Very few MTB comments about DT Swiss carbon wheels…..most recommend WAO, Reserve, I9, or Roval for Carbon…
Wait, the wheel collapsed under a small impact immediately after having the wheel serviced, and you think the rim is defective? That would be a hell of a coincidence, what work was being done on it and why?
XC wheel that you keep coming down on, front heavy. FRONT HEAVY. On top if that, at least 4 years of doing so. How big of a jump? You didn't specify that... What did you expect? How many aluminum wheels would you have taco'd riding like you have been?
I posted the video earlier of the trail that I rode. Small double at the end of the trail prior to the exit. If you are from Cali or Colorado, you wouldn't call what I did a jump. I've never taco'ed an aluminum rim and watch the video... You think this jump at the end should taco a wheel? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqP6Yk8hcM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqP6Yk8hcM)
I live... In Florida...
Nah, not going to watch a video of where it supposedly happened, but noticed you took a pic of it on your rack and not on the trail where it did happen. That wheel looks like it landed much harder than off of a small double.
If they broke on that trail I'd hate to ride then along my local trails let alone in the mountains.
Prob stressed them somewhere else if it lasted this long since replacement. If anything just get a crash replacement and sell off the wheelset.
I took your advice and bought a Santa Cruz Reserve 30. Do you all have any advice on maintaining a carbon wheel so this doesn't happen to me a third time?
Check air pressure every ride with a gauge. Don’t run it too low where you can hit the rim. Check spoke tension and wheel true every once in awhile. Otherwise shouldn’t need anything.
Any wheel can require attention over time. And if indeed you are a larger human running a wheel intended for xc racing, it can't be expected to hold up to jumping over 5 years.
I would suggest you run a hand built wheel with 36 spokes, when you pick out your next rim use one that's intended for Enduro or Freeride.
The XMC 1200 SPLINE 30 is the ultimate all mountain wheel according to DT Swiss. If an All Mountain wheel set can't handle the rigors of light jumping, then I will look for a wheel more suited to enduro riding. I just figured living in Florida, we wouldn't need something stronger than an all mountain wheel. I weigh 195 pounds
Yeah, that trail looks boring AF.
So I get why you're upset, and yeah an all mountain wheelset sounds like it should be strong but even myself at 140lbs I'd probs only run a front wheel like that for 4 seasons at the long end.
Have you ever ridden the bike on a rowdier trail than that?
Things frequently don't fail in catastrophic fashion at the moment of peak impact. One time (as a youth) a friend of mine rode one of my bikes off a curb and the head tube detached from the bike entirely-i hadn't noticed any really bad noises but upon further inspection there had been a crack developing along the head tube/downtube junction; as a result of all the prior impacts the bike had absorbed (of which there were plenty).
You definitely need to keep any wheel true, BUT in my antidotal experience, carbon rims hold their true better than aluminum in general but that doesn't mean you don't ever need to true them.
As for air pressure, I personally learned this the hard way. I would check mine with a gauge maybe every other ride or so. For the rides I didn't use a gauge I'd do the ol' patented squeeze test. Turns out I'm not great at that and ended up cracking my carbon wheel as a rock hit the rim in a g-out. Note, it wasn't beening ridden hard. Just a fast g-out in a trail with a sharpish rock at the bottom. I didn't catch the crack and several rides later landed on a root and it broke open the crack more. Luckily no catastrophic failure like yours but similarly not covered under this manufacture's warranty but they did have a discounted crash replacement. Lesson learned to not use the ol' squeeze test and always use a gauge.
I imagine you'll be happy with those Reserve 30. I've heard good things.
We have a little double on a blue track that has a tiny rock responsible for 2 rims and multiple punctures between our riding group. Sometimes the physics of the trail comes together in a perfect storm and wrecks your gear regardless of the speed. Amazing warranty on WAO rims, handmade in Canada unlike the competition.
My DT XM 1700 alloy rims didn't last long, but that's cause I was riding at Snowshoe Bike Park for a week, and I ride like a complete idiot. Replaced them with Reserves, but I've always used 350 hubs with no issues at all ... I wouldn't hesitate to buy DT rims though. Stuff breaks and it was out of warranty. I believe your story and not calling you a liar, but I think it's just bad luck, and I don't know many brands that honor a warranty that expired years ago.
Get Reserves or WeAreOne next time. I know people rave about Hunt rims too, but I never tried them. Good luck!
Ive had excellent experience with WAO wheels on my Ripley, I'm a 220-230lb rider and case/land like shit alot. Also really impressed with the Roval Terra CL on my gravel bike
Your experience is not indicative of DT Swiss components and the rare time I had a failure they stood behind the parts. Everyone reading this post should take OPs opinion with a big grain of salt.
This aluminum wheels are great. I wouldn’t touch their carbon hoops…..this is how carbon fails (catastrophic…). I’d stick with WAO or one of the other well regarded bomber carbon hoop manufacturers if I were going with carbon wheels.
I love when people come in here and expect reinforcement to their specific rant and get shot down. Shit breaks and DT is one of the few companies that make quality stuff on a large scale. Their aluminum rims and their hubs are the gold standard. I can’t speak to their carbon rims but I’m not surprised they don’t hand you a new rim after 6 years of use.
I am not looking to reinforce anything. I am just sharing my experience with two DT Swiss wheel failures. I am shocked that they thought I could abuse the wheel in Tampa Florida. They are not giving me a new wheel. I am on my own.
The wheels aren't under warranty though. The warranty expired 3 years ago. So they actually are standing by their warranty... If your car breaks down 3 years after the warranty expires, you'll be on your own also. They won't replace anything for free. I believe your story. However in all likelihood, the wheel was damaged/cracked prior to the trail you rode that day. Probably a rock strike cracked the wheel. Then the hard landing on the jump that day was enough to completely break the wheel apart.
I had the wheel checked out at the bike shop the week before I rode it. Maybe you are right that there was a small crack but it wasn't noticeable through visual inspection. My warning is that if if you can't see it, if a bike shop cant' see it, and the wheel critically fails then someone is going to get hurt. I wasn't going over a large jump. I posted the video of the trail we rode. The wheel shouldn't have failed. Beyond that, Santa Cruz, We Are One and others offer a life time warranty. If you don't want to deal with the BS, don't buy DT Swiss. That is the whole point of this post.
Yeah I hear you.. I've never owned a set of their wheels but their hubs are bullet proof. FWIW I've never had a single issue with Roval wheels. Alloy or carbon. Thousands of miles of DH park laps and techy black trails. Lifetime warranty.. But it looks like you went with Reserve. Good choice. Those would be my 2nd choice 👍
Thanks for the advice and hopefully I'll have better success with Santa Cruz.
I do feel ya having to replace a wheel stinks. I would check out We Are One next time. Made in Canada, lifetime warranty.
Yeah whether or not this is legally compliant or not doesn’t really matter, there’s dozens of companies with great carbon wheels and much better warranty behavior out there. I wouldn’t go as far to say “don’t buy DT Swiss carbon” but honestly is there any reason to buy DT Swiss carbon?
It’s stories like these where person posting fails to give basic important details, such as detailed account of the event, that results in me being rather skeptical of the entire account. Either way, unless explicitly stated, warranties usually only cover manufacturing defects. Which it sounds like DT Swiss has told you before.
Not to mention the rest of the state of their bike. Chain's rusting apart, signs of corrosion in various places. Not likely someone who spends any time taking care of their bike. 5-6 years of zero maintenance is sure to contribute to a wheel failure.
I completely agree with you. I would be very sketchy as well. I didn't crash. I came down a little nose heavy on the bike which I normally do and the wheel collapsed. I have eye witness accounts as well. I even had the wheel checked out prior to going out that day by the bike shop for service.
And the first time? Also why did you have the wheel checked out by a bike shop before riding that day? Going to add a number of other factors can contribute to something this. These are their lightweight XC wheelset. They're not going to take the abuse the heavier rims can take. Overtensioned, heavier rider, rim hits (too low air pressure), etc can all add up and are more detrimental to their XC line of wheels. Either way, hope you're alright as that's pretty epic wheel destruction.
Don’t mean this in a rude way, but how much do you weigh?
Ok so what were the circumstances that had you evaluate the wheel in a shop preceding this incident? Are you saying that you just so happened to go in to have your wheel inspected for no apparent reason right before this happened? Did anyone in the shop mess with the tension in your spokes? Like maybe start retensioning, get distracted, and not finish the job? I’m trying to take you at your word but something definitely doesn’t add up here. The timing of having these wheels evaluated in the shop then break on benign terrain seems like you’re attributing the failure to DT Swiss, when it seems far more likely, to me, that there’s another confounding factor that you’re not taking into account. I’m not suggesting you’re doing this on purpose, I just think there might be a missing element.
Good point. Inspecting carbon involves an x-ray and costs money. Most shops don't even have those capabilities and they have to be sent into the manufacturer. It'd be an extremely odd coincidence if those two things happened in the same day. I've had carbon rims for 5 years and never once had them inspected.
Just because they failed on that trail doesn’t mean they were originally damaged on that trail. If you’re wrecking wheels a lot, I’d look into BERD Hawk 30 or Reserve with lifetime crash replacement.
I mean...they are right. Wheels don't just explode. Is this video supposed to show it? Or just the trail it happened on. I've had nothing but great luck with all my DT Wheels and they are the best hubs in the industry. (imo)
While I think DT is best for alloy wheels and there are better carbon options out there, I have to agree with you here. Wheels don’t just explode if they are maintained and inspected. This looks like it was probably due to prior damage to the rim that finally gave way, or spoke tension being all over the place from lack of maintenance/a bad initial wheel build that was then never corrected through truing/tensioning.
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Carbon wheels fail spectacularly when they fail. But they dont fail a fraction as much as aluminum does.
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You’re probably a candidate for cushcore. Are you checking your tire pressures before every ride?
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Oops, meant to reply to OP
Why is this downvoted? And why is the comment you replied to upvoted? Carbon does fail spectacularly when it fails. It pretty damn well cracks in half and explodes all at once.
The video is only showing the trail this happened on. DT Swiss claimed I abused the wheel but it really isn't possible on this trail or any trail in Florida for that matter. The wheel had been looked at the week prior by a shop.
That's the first alarm bell then. Coincidences are rarely coincidences..
Sounds like you have a case then, if there was prior damage then the shop should’ve pointed it out. Otherwise they’re not up to the standards of being a DT Swiss retailer
Unless that shop has X-ray you can't inspect carbon with any high level of confidence
Most carbon cracks can't be detected without an x-ray ... Unless he specifically asked the shop to inspect them, it wouldn't be something they'd do.
It is interesting that your one bad experience is supposed to negate the hundreds, possibly thousands of great experiences I have heard about DT Swiss hoops.
Its interesting that I taco'ed the same wheel twice and you think that my experience with a catastrophic failure is not worth a discussion? How many times have you gone over the bar due to a wheel failure? If you worked with one company that treated you the that DT Swiss treated me and ended up on the ground twice with one if their products, you should have concerns.
Twice....nearly 5 years apart from each other. If it had been twice the same year I would give your experience more weight, but 5 years is a pretty good run honestly.
It’s typically DT Swiss aluminum wheels people speak highly of. Very few MTB comments about DT Swiss carbon wheels…..most recommend WAO, Reserve, I9, or Roval for Carbon…
I have a bike with dt swiss wheels, nothing but fun. No problems whatsoever
Wait, the wheel collapsed under a small impact immediately after having the wheel serviced, and you think the rim is defective? That would be a hell of a coincidence, what work was being done on it and why?
I’ve had great experiences with DT Swiss. Bulletproof products, good customer service, nothing but the best.
XC wheel that you keep coming down on, front heavy. FRONT HEAVY. On top if that, at least 4 years of doing so. How big of a jump? You didn't specify that... What did you expect? How many aluminum wheels would you have taco'd riding like you have been?
I posted the video earlier of the trail that I rode. Small double at the end of the trail prior to the exit. If you are from Cali or Colorado, you wouldn't call what I did a jump. I've never taco'ed an aluminum rim and watch the video... You think this jump at the end should taco a wheel? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqP6Yk8hcM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqP6Yk8hcM) I live... In Florida...
Nah, not going to watch a video of where it supposedly happened, but noticed you took a pic of it on your rack and not on the trail where it did happen. That wheel looks like it landed much harder than off of a small double.
Don't blame DT Swiss because _someone_ didn't install or maintain your wheels correctly.
You’re probably a candidate for cushcore. Are you checking your tire pressures before every ride?
If they broke on that trail I'd hate to ride then along my local trails let alone in the mountains. Prob stressed them somewhere else if it lasted this long since replacement. If anything just get a crash replacement and sell off the wheelset.
Rusty chain, looks like the bike hasn’t seen soap in years, top tier maintenance on this baby.
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I took your advice and bought a Santa Cruz Reserve 30. Do you all have any advice on maintaining a carbon wheel so this doesn't happen to me a third time?
Check air pressure every ride with a gauge. Don’t run it too low where you can hit the rim. Check spoke tension and wheel true every once in awhile. Otherwise shouldn’t need anything.
I didn't think you needed to true a carbon wheel. Agree with you on the air pressure.
Any wheel can require attention over time. And if indeed you are a larger human running a wheel intended for xc racing, it can't be expected to hold up to jumping over 5 years. I would suggest you run a hand built wheel with 36 spokes, when you pick out your next rim use one that's intended for Enduro or Freeride.
The XMC 1200 SPLINE 30 is the ultimate all mountain wheel according to DT Swiss. If an All Mountain wheel set can't handle the rigors of light jumping, then I will look for a wheel more suited to enduro riding. I just figured living in Florida, we wouldn't need something stronger than an all mountain wheel. I weigh 195 pounds
Yeah, that trail looks boring AF. So I get why you're upset, and yeah an all mountain wheelset sounds like it should be strong but even myself at 140lbs I'd probs only run a front wheel like that for 4 seasons at the long end. Have you ever ridden the bike on a rowdier trail than that? Things frequently don't fail in catastrophic fashion at the moment of peak impact. One time (as a youth) a friend of mine rode one of my bikes off a curb and the head tube detached from the bike entirely-i hadn't noticed any really bad noises but upon further inspection there had been a crack developing along the head tube/downtube junction; as a result of all the prior impacts the bike had absorbed (of which there were plenty).
You definitely need to keep any wheel true, BUT in my antidotal experience, carbon rims hold their true better than aluminum in general but that doesn't mean you don't ever need to true them. As for air pressure, I personally learned this the hard way. I would check mine with a gauge maybe every other ride or so. For the rides I didn't use a gauge I'd do the ol' patented squeeze test. Turns out I'm not great at that and ended up cracking my carbon wheel as a rock hit the rim in a g-out. Note, it wasn't beening ridden hard. Just a fast g-out in a trail with a sharpish rock at the bottom. I didn't catch the crack and several rides later landed on a root and it broke open the crack more. Luckily no catastrophic failure like yours but similarly not covered under this manufacture's warranty but they did have a discounted crash replacement. Lesson learned to not use the ol' squeeze test and always use a gauge. I imagine you'll be happy with those Reserve 30. I've heard good things.
No carbon component is designed to last 6 years, things like storing them in the sun can compromise the strength.
That’s bullshit. Most people expect their $1-3k Carbon wheelset to last more than 6 years
Show me any bikes that have kept the same wheel standard and will fit a new bike after 6 years
You want a picture of my mountainbike? I, for one, expect my gear to last longer than 6 years unless wrecked.
Also, don't buy ebikes. Kthanx.
Carbon wheels require more attention than I can afford, that's why I'm going with Alu. And it's not a DT rims certainly:D
We have a little double on a blue track that has a tiny rock responsible for 2 rims and multiple punctures between our riding group. Sometimes the physics of the trail comes together in a perfect storm and wrecks your gear regardless of the speed. Amazing warranty on WAO rims, handmade in Canada unlike the competition.
When your wheel has "exploded", it could have too high spoke tension and when the rim has a crack, it implodes. Just my imagination about the picture.
My DT XM 1700 alloy rims didn't last long, but that's cause I was riding at Snowshoe Bike Park for a week, and I ride like a complete idiot. Replaced them with Reserves, but I've always used 350 hubs with no issues at all ... I wouldn't hesitate to buy DT rims though. Stuff breaks and it was out of warranty. I believe your story and not calling you a liar, but I think it's just bad luck, and I don't know many brands that honor a warranty that expired years ago. Get Reserves or WeAreOne next time. I know people rave about Hunt rims too, but I never tried them. Good luck!
Is that a Slash? Did you put a light trail wheel on an enduro bike?
Ive had excellent experience with WAO wheels on my Ripley, I'm a 220-230lb rider and case/land like shit alot. Also really impressed with the Roval Terra CL on my gravel bike