DT Swiss gives its gravel wheel lineup a complete redesign and performance upgrade with two new GRC 1100 series gravel race carbon wheelsets. Either pick the new shallow GRC 30mm wheels for a lightweight setup built for backcountry adventure rating. Or pick the more uniquely-shaped GRC 50mm wheels which bulge out and taper dramatically back to the tire’s bead for significantly improved wide-tire aerodynamics. And interestingly, they all go back to a hooked tubeless bead that, not only will work with more tires, but will actually make you faster too, apparently…
2024 DT Swiss GRC 30 & 50 gravel race carbon wheels
The revamped DT Swiss GRC carbon gravel wheel family is all about giving gravel racers more choices.
Aero or adventure.
Plus, now 2 race-ready carbon specification & pricing tiers, and an all-new e-gravel option.
The 30mm deep wheels are clearly a much more versatile gravel all-rounder than before, while dropping significant weight in the process. And these all-new 50mm deep wheels go full-gas into the gravel racing scene, with a new shape for fat tire aerodynamics.
New depths, new shapes & more!
The biggest change from the original carbon GRC gravel wheels to this new generation is the segmentation into low-profile 30mm adventure racing and deeper 50mm fast gravel racing wheelsets. It’s easy to understand the differentiation, as gravel riding and racing continue to evolve into much different styles. In my personal opinion, the new 30mm wheelset looks like a solid middle ground all-rounder, while new GRC 50 sets itself apart with unique aerodynamic shaping and claims.
A key update that you might not even notice, it the new finish, or lack thereof. These two new DT Swiss GRC carbon gravel rims are both directly out of the mold. More material control going into the mold, then no extra paint or post-formed finishing means lighter overall weights. It also indirectly points to higher overall quality, as there’s literally nowhere to hide any imperfection.
Both still feature a 24mm internal width. But, easy to overlook, they both also move back to a hooked tubeless bead. DT explains that hooked still makes sense for versatility to safely use a wider assortment of tires, widths, and even tube vs. tubeless setups. But DT Swiss also claims that the hooked bead simply creates a different tire profile that performs better from an aerodynamic standpoint, while also reducing pinch flats due to the larger overall bead surface. Their back-to-back testing with otherwise identical rim dimensions showed the hooked wheels exhibited reduced drag numbers in the wind tunnel. That hooked 24mm dimension means according to ISO, you can even mount a 29mm tire to these wheels at high pressure for a likely super aero all-road setup
Quantifying Improved Aerodynamics
Designed in CFD together again with SwissSide, DT took both new 30mm & 50mm gravel wheels into the wind tunnel to quantify how fast they are. The aero performance of both is optimized around 40mm gravel race tires. The low profile rim is more affected by tire width because of its reduced airfoil section into the wind. But DT says there’s more room for the 50mm rim to run slightly different tire sizes while still getting low aero drag numbers. And the unique ‘bulging out then back in’ shape of the 50mm rim improves how stable the wheels are in varying and cross winds (reduced steering moment) even at the higher rim depth.
Weighted aero drag figures: GRC 30 at 17.5W vs. GRC 50 at 14.9W
New Tech Details
There are two spec levels of each wheelsets, and even an e-bike-specific version of the shallow wheels. All get the latest DT Swiss 36T, 10° engagement Ratchet EXP internals, compatible with Shimano HG & MicroSpline, SRAM XD & XDR, and Campagnolo & Campy N3W. And both still feature DT’s gravel-specific 24mm internal widths to support all manner of gravel race tires.
The new 1100 series is an important performance upgrade for racing fans. That number means 180-series aero Dicut hubs that spin on premium SINC ceramic bearings, and comes with top lightweight aerodynamic double-butted T-head straight pull AeroLite II spokes. The 1400 series is the same that we saw before, 240 aero Dicut hubs, now with EXP and sealed stainless steel bearings, built up with slightly heavier aero double-butted T-head straight pull AeroComp spokes.
So how much do they all weigh?
The new 30mm deep GRC wheels are being touted as lightweight but fully off-road capable – even still available in 650b or 700c sizes. At just 1350g in the top 1100 series and 1421g in the second-tier 1400 wheels, these are significantly lighter than the 42mm deep 1400-series wheels that kicked off the DT Swiss aero gravel family back in 2019.
Even the noticeably more aero 700c-only 50mm wheels that prioritized significantly improved aerodynamics are also lighter. The new deep 1100 wheels are a shade lighter at 1567g, and the 50mm 1400 wheels are essentially the same weight as what DT told us for those prior wheels, 5 years ago.
So they are lighter. And they are relatively light. But comparing them to other similar internal width premium carbon gravel wheels we’ve seen in the past year, the new DT GRC wheels certainly are not the lightest. But as a general rule, DT Swiss prioritizes overall wheelset durability, premium hubs & bearings, and specifically their trusted Ratchet EXP freehub internals over absolute light weight.
(All weights claimed by DT.)
DT Swiss GRC wheels – Pricing, options & availability
The revamped DT Swiss GRC gravel wheel lineup now includes 5 individual carbon wheelsets. At the top tier are the new GRC 1100 Dicut 30 & GRC 1100 Dicut 50 wheels built on 180 hubs and premium AeroLite II spokes.
Both 1100 carbon wheelsets sell for the same $3000 / 2500€ pricetag.
The GRC 1400 Dicut 30 & GRC 1400 Dicut 50 carbon wheels built on 240 hubs and premium AeroComp spokes, bring the price down just a bit to $2400 / 2050€.
Then, the ebike-specific HGC 1400 Spline 30 carbon wheels with heavy-duty Hybrid 240 hubs sell for $2450 / 2100€, at a claimed 1476g.
There are also a couple of alloy wheels that come in at more accessible prices, with slightly reduced weights. The DT Swiss GR1600 Spline 25 wheels weigh a claimed 1748g with a 24mm internal x 25mm deep aluminum rim, at $757 / 599€ . And the similarly dimensioned DT G1800 Spline 25 wheels weigh a claimed 1835g, at $542 / 429€.
All 5 carbon wheelsets, and the 2 more affordable alloy wheelsets are available now in shops and through DT retailers.
