Once I rolled into Nové Město na Moravě final week forward of the XC World Cup, I anticipated to see a number of mountain bike professionals racing, or not less than coaching on, prototype 32″ cross-country bikes.
What I didn’t anticipate was that the one 32″ wheels I might spot over the weekend could be on a gravel bike and a path bike (moreover the mullet path bike I dropped at play with… extra on that quickly.)
And it was DT Swiss – who simply a few months in the past assured us that they have been taking 32″ issues slowly – that might be behind each of extra-big-wheeled gravel and path setups…
32″ DT Swiss XR 1700 Spline aluminum cross-country wheels
First up, a set of pre-production aluminum cross-country wheels on a gravel bike, however this time with an precise product title. We’ve seen quite a lot of smaller wheel makers debut 32″ wheels and 32″ prototypes. And even some DT prototypes that have been simply marked as ‘DT Swiss’ on the edges. However by no means a mannequin title.
So the marking these as XR 1700 Spline wheels is a reasonably large milestone for one of many largest wheel makers on the market, and a behemoth within the OEM wheel market.
Of notice, XR classifies these as a mid-tier wheelset for DT Swiss, and their highest spec stage with an aluminum rim. (X 1900 could be their entry-level alloy, and from XRC 1700 and up they’re all on carbon rims.)
A better take a look at the production-labeled aluminum rim, and we get fairly a bit extra helpful info.
The 686 bead seat diameter confirms that these XR 1700 wheels are 32″ – because it we couldn’t inform how big they have been. They’re 28mm inner. And the function Tubeless Crotchet rim bead, aka, hooked and tubeless-ready – like all DT alloy rims.
Check out the hubs and we see that they’re constructed up with 350-series straight-pull centerlock disc brake hubs. Plus, there’s a small textual content notice subsequent to the XR 1700 marking on the rim, confirming the apparent that these 32″ wheels are named ‘XR 1700 Spline’.
32″ XC wheels, however on a gravel bike
So, production-level 32″ DT Swiss XR 1700 Spline cross-country mountain bike wheels on a… gravel bike.
I suppose that helps the Increase MTB normal thought for all 32″ bikes for the time being – excluding Soiled Sixer’s adamant insistence that greater, heavier riders will want one thing considerably stronger than present Increase hubs.
The gravel bike fitted with these new wheels is a prototype 32″ Superior XR GR, a mannequin the Czech bike maker say they anticipate to make out there to shoppers from the beginning of 2027. We’ve solely actually lined their newest carbon XR GR. However the entry-level of that gravel bike already contains an aluminum-framed model that appears just about similar to this bike with standard 700c wheels.
All-new prototype DT Swiss 32″ XC/Path suspension fork
Then, throughout the race venue, we spied what appears to be like like a mid-travel prototype DT Swiss fork on one of many CNC’d I-Prepare 32 path bikes that Actofive constructed for DT as take a look at mules on the finish of final 12 months. The prototype fork appears to be like to incorporate options tailored from each of DT’s present top-tier ONE-level forks – in an all-new fork design with slimmer dropouts than we’ve seen on a manufacturing DT fork in years.
What’s new within the fork division?
There’s the extra angular however easy fork brace and a few reinforcing edges extending down the entrance of the legs of the casting, akin to the F535 One.
However the reinforcing ridges within the crown shaping are thinner. And there seems to already be some weight-saving, machined-out sections on the lowers, like seen on the F232 One fork.
Clearly, although, it’s all-new. DT probably might have developed a prototype for testing that shared the identical crown of these current forks. However this seems to be a ground-up redesign. Though it does seem that this might need borrowed the identical ‘In Management’ 3-position lockout and exterior compression damping knob from the F535, hinting that it might share the identical or comparable PlusPort damper inside the best leg.
Behind the again of the arch, it’s extra of a thriller.
There are the standard carved out stiffening webs within the solid arch, with a single set of threads, presumably for a bolt-on fender that wasn’t put in. There are additionally 2-bolt brackets on the higher within the legs. These might simply be used to mount the fender as nicely. However the design appears to be like extra complicated, maybe hiding another performance like bleed ports for the lowers?
DT’s most important fork seals additionally at all times look unusually low profile, pressed deep into the lowers, with no seen retention spring. These look even decrease profile than most of their wipers, however that’s nothing totally new for them.
So, what do we all know?
As for any actual concrete particulars, DT Swiss wasn’t sharing something for the time being, aside from the truth that that is very a lot “nonetheless a prototype fork in growth”.
What we are able to most likely sus out from seeing it in individual, although – it appears to be like prefer it most likely options 34mm or 35mm stanchions. And primarily based on how excessive it sits, this appears to be like like120-130mm of fork journey. That matches with the body itself, which options 120mm of adjustable rear wheel journey. Actofive did design the I-Prepare 32 for 120-140mm journey forks, and describes it not as an XC bike, however as a Path bike because of the enhanced rollover capabilities that include the bigger diameter wheels and their bigger tire air quantity.
Now we simply should be affected person as 32″ growth troopers on, and probably these core parts will likely be out there later within the 12 months.
DTSwiss.com
