First Look: DT Swiss Spline One Wheels

<b>DT Swiss was pumped to show us their latest offering designed to do it all - the new Spline One wheel range. Listen in as Matt McClendon runs us through the details.</b>

<b>The three versions of the Spline One wheels come in progressively larger rim widths, starting at 22mm internally and working up to 22.5 and 25mm. 26, 27.5, and 29-inch versions will be available in the XR1501 and XM1501 models, as well as 26 and 27.5-inch in the EX1501. </b>

<b>DT Swiss had a number of key goals when coming up the new wheels, with the ultimate goal of having a lightweight, modern design in a polished overall package.</b>

<b>A two-piece forged hub shell allows DT Swiss to keep the weight down while maintaining a reasonable price point by eliminating some costly machining processes. It's super thin and claimed to be quite strong.</b>

<b>The Spline One wheels use the tried and true DT 240S rear hub internals, which were recently made compatible with SRAM's XD driver body.</b>

<b>Internally, the rear hubs come pre-upgraded to the 36 tooth Ratchet System. It's a breeze to maintain and no tools are needed.</b>

<b>Sounds good, yeah?</b>

<b>The wheels will ship with tubeless rim strips, valves, QR skewers and hub adapters. Note that a 20mm front conversion isn't possible, but 15mm and QR are. Again, it's a tool-free process.</b>

<b>DT Swiss spent a considerable amount of time refining the rim profile, making sure it would pair well with any tubeless tire design.</b>

<b>Rims are welded, but thanks to a special process appear to be seamless.</b>

<b>By anodizing and then sand blasting, they give the rims a durable finish while boosting strength.</b>

<b>Water slide decals highlight the rims and hubs, improving the look big time.</b>

<b>Even the tubeless rim strip was tested heavily before production. A wheel is only as good as the sum of its parts, after all...</b>

<b>A new DT nipple design called "Squorx" gives builders a better way to tension the wheels. The Spline One lineup uses a pretty high tension to give the wheels a stiff feel.</b>

<b>There's still a standard square nipple profile for quick adjustments on the trail or in the garage.</b>

<b>A unique washer system makes the rim's eyelet-less design possible, helping to spread out loads.</b>

<b>The ball and socket style interface lets the spoke follow a perfectly straight line from the hub to rim, spreading out stresses evenly and reducing the chance of spoke breakage.</b>

<b>DT Swiss has been making spokes for a long, long time and they're among the best in the industry. The Spline One wheels use 2.0/1.8/2.0mm butted spokes.</b>

<b>The 28 spokes on each wheel are straight pull, again to reduce stresses where possible. DT Swiss's own thread locker is used on the nipples to ensure that they stay snug once on the trail.</b>

<b>The wheels come in at very competitive weights, especially considering the added rim width when compared to other designs.</b>

<b>The Spline One wheels are at the distributors now and will be hitting shops very soon. As a package, they're very impressive and we can't wait to give them a good thrashing. Stay tuned for a Vital review in the future, and be sure to check out <u><a href="http://www.dtswiss.com" target="_blank">www.dtswiss.com</a></u> for more details.</b>