DT Swiss XR 1700 SPLINE Rear Wheel [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

DT Swiss is known for their incredibly reliable and smooth wheelsets. You can see their wheels on bikes all over the world, in all disciplines of riding, and all levels of riding. The XR 1700 Spline Wheels are some of our favorites for their affordable cost and durability. Our buddy Stefan recently purchased a rear wheel. Lets see what he thought:

Stefan's Review

Can’t go wrong with DT Swiss! I would give any DT Swiss product I have owned 5 stars. I needed a Hub upgrade for my newly purchased Specialized Epic HT. The stock rear hub had very poor engagement. Hub engagement is key in trying to navigate through a rough section of trail. This makes my 4th set of DT Swiss wheels I have owned. This makes my second aluminum wheelset on 350 hubs and I have also owned 2 carbon sets on 240 hubs. Outside of normal hub and spoke maintenance, a DT Swiss wheelset is bulletproof. So when I was looking to upgrade my wheelset I looked no further than DT Swiss.

I would highly recommend upgrading to the 1700’s XR or XM (XR 25 internal, XM 30 Internal) over the 1900s for the 350 hubs with the 36-star ratchet included.

As I mentioned before if you ride in an area with a lot of on and off pedaling the 350 hub with the 36-star ratchet provides really good engagement to keep you trusting your bike all the way through a rough section of trail. If you are riding smooth trails or even gravel the 370 hubs would probably work as well. I personally really like the black painted or powder coated hubs to match the rims and the SPLINE spokes. The rims come ready for center lock rotors, but 6 bolt adaptors are included. I ordered these wheels ready for Shimano 12 Speed drivetrain.

I have been very impressed with the stiffness and compliance of the 1700 rims. I purchased the XR version as I primarily ride XC stuff and weigh 175lb. DT Swiss aluminum rims have always felt stiff vertically but have felt “flexie” horizontally. However, after 300 miles of riding on these rims, I have noticed these are much stiffer side to side. Although I don’t have an exact weight I notice these wheels are much lighter than the stock version, probably saving roughly a pound. They do seem to “spin up” a bit faster as well.

Conclusion

"In final thoughts, these are a great middle of the road wheelset. Although they are not as stiff or as light as carbon wheels they do hold their own. Very stable at speed and compliant through the rougher stuff even on an HT. You can’t go wrong with DT Swiss quality and support. Yes, they are not as cheap as other wheels but well worth the money. The hubs are very quiet especially if you keep them greased at regular intervals. DT Swiss hubs are very easy to maintain. Lastly, I have had great success ordering from World Wide Cyclery. They have great coupons from time to time and shipping is prompt and I receive my orders in 3 days, even on larger items." - Stefan