DT Swiss DICUT C RRC Carbon Clinchers
Where bought and price
Annoyed I missed them on special at ~$2400 at Bike24. Full price plus duty $3210 from Chain Reaction
How it is used
I've been incredibly impressed by my DT Swiss Tricon 1450s. They've been hammered over about ~18K and are still straight as a die. So I thought I'd go one better, stick with the same brand and go for the full carbon clincher (there is a cheaper hybrid model). The DICUTs are now on my daily road bike; now three months in & about ~2000km.
Description
They are a full carbon clincher, 32mm profile & weigh in at a light 1350 g. They have the DT Swiss Ratchet System and nail head spokes. The spokes are "ProLocked" which means they have a heat-sensitive Loctite on the nipples. The Tricons had it too and they stayed straight. They are essentially silent coasting with the ratchet system, and engagement is instant. The standard body is for Shimano/SRAM, but I bought a Campy conversion kit which took 2 minutes to swap over with no special tools. Come with very posh wheel bags, SwissStop pads, rim tape, centring tool and a signed card by the wheel-builder. Suitable for 19-23mm tyres and they have metal sealed bearings. I suspect there are after-market ceramic kits....
Positives
+
Fantastic finish with completely smooth decals, buttery smooth (but stiff) bearings. To ride, they are brilliant. They don't spin up as fast as my low-profile carbon tubulars (what does?), but better than the alloy wheels they were replacing. And these wheels are stiff. I'm not heavy, but I've not aware of any flexing. They are not high enough profile to catch the wind, especially compared to my mate's Zipp 404s.
Negatives
-
Stiff are these bearings. They are starting to loosen up now after a few months, with the 4 minutes longer on my morning ride coming down, and the coasting speed coming up. I was pretty disappointed at the start, true to say. The manual suggests the bearing covers should be Loctited, which I have done as the covers worked loose twice.
Additional notes
I've gone back to using my Campy pads as they stop a bit better than the SwissStops. Which is a whole world better than the KoolStops I had originally. And quieter too.
Recommendation
I bought them especially for longevity. I realise there are cheaper full carbon clinchers, but I want bullet-proof reliable wheels that will give me the service the Tricons did. The Tricons outlasted Rovals, Bontragers & Zipps that my mates use.
OVERALL SCORES
Quality
Performance
Value for money
