IN BRIEF
DT Swiss is updating its 1800-series aluminium wheels, with four pairs: A 1800 Spline DB for fast road riding, E 1800 Spline DB for endurance, and two gravel options, G 1800 Spline DB and G 1800 Classic DB. The common thread is simple: every model gains 2 mm of internal width, taking the range from 22 to 26 mm depending on the intended use. Two pairs also lose a noticeable amount of weight along the way — 137 g for the endurance model, 154 g for the gravel one, according to the manufacturer’s figures. The new feature that will interest touring riders lies elsewhere: according to DT Swiss, the two gravel versions can take a front hub with a built-in dynamo for the first time. Announced recommended price: from €399 a pair, whatever the model.
| A 1800 Spline DB | Aluminium rim, 622 x 22 mm, 30 mm deep — from 1,824 g — from €399 |
| E 1800 Spline DB | Aluminium rim, 622 x 24 mm, 20 mm deep — from 1,627 g — from €399 |
| G 1800 Spline DB | Aluminium rim, 622 x 26 mm, 20 mm deep — from 1,681 g — from €399 |
| G 1800 Classic DB | Same 26 mm rim, J-Bend spokes — 177 g more than the Spline — from €399 |
| Rear hub | DT Swiss 370, Ratchet LN with 36 teeth |
| Dynamo option | DT Swiss 350 hub with Shutter Precision PL-7, 6 V / 3 W generator (G 1800 only) |
| Max. system weight | 120 kg (E 1800) and 150 kg (G 1800 Classic); the G 1800 Spline is quoted at 10 kg above the E 1800 |
| Rims sold on their own | E 470 (469 g) and G 500 (496 g), 24, 28 or 32 holes, from €44.90 |
Some quiet announcements affect a great many people. The 1800s are DT Swiss’s aluminium wheels: the ones fitted as original equipment on complete bikes, or bought to replace a worn-out pair. They have just been revised.
Two millimetres more, right across the DT Swiss 1800 range
What the four pairs have in common comes down to a single figure. According to the DT Swiss spec sheets, internal width goes up by 2 mm on every model: from 20 to 22 mm on the aero model, from 22 to 24 mm on the endurance one, from 24 to 26 mm on the two gravel wheelsets. The intention is the one the whole industry has followed for a few seasons now — to better support the sidewalls of tyres that have grown wider, which allows lower pressures, and with them comfort, grip and improved efficiency.
On paper, widening a rim costs material, and therefore weight. DT Swiss claims the opposite on three models out of four, thanks to a more angular rim profile which, according to the brand, removes material where it does little work while improving impact resistance. The E 1800 Spline DB thus sheds 137 g compared with the previous generation (1,627 g against 1,764 g), and the G 1800 Spline DB 154 g (1,681 g against 1,835 g).
Aero from Swiss Side, gravel in two versions
According to its spec sheet, the A 1800 Spline DB is the model in the series with a deep rim — 30 mm — whose shape was developed with Swiss Side and then reworked for the new internal width. It gets DT Aero Comp Wide aero spokes, 24 per wheel, two-cross. According to Rennrad-News, it is also the heaviest of the three Spline versions, from 1,824 g.
On the gravel side, DT Swiss offers two philosophies on the same 26 mm rim. The G 1800 Spline DB keeps the straight-pull spoke build and stays light, from 1,681 g. The G 1800 Classic DB goes back to conventional hubs, triple-crossed DT Competition J-Bend spokes and brass nipples: 177 g more, but a permitted system weight of 150 kg, or 20 kg better. For loaded bikepacking the trade-off makes sense — and a J-Bend spoke can be replaced anywhere on the planet.
A built-in dynamo hub, the real news
This is what sets this generation apart. According to the technical sheet, DT Swiss is offering a front hub with a built-in dynamo on both G 1800 versions for the first time: a Shutter Precision PL-7 generator housed in an adapted hub shell, which delivers the usual 6 V and 3 W and therefore powers off-the-shelf lights as well as USB converters. The brand quotes an efficiency of 72 % at 15 km/h and compliance with Germany’s StVZO regulations.
The build logic is followed all the way through: the dynamo version of the G 1800 Spline DB is built on a 350 Straightpull hub, that of the G 1800 Classic DB on a 350 Classic hub, matched to its J-Bend spokes. For anyone riding far and long, self-supported, this is the argument that matters most in this announcement.
Two rims sold on their own, for building your own wheels
DT Swiss is rounding out the series with two rims sold individually, for riders who build their own wheels or go through a wheelbuilder. The E 470 measures 20 mm deep by 24 mm of internal width, weighs 469 g and takes a system weight of 120 kg. The G 500 combines 26 mm of internal width with 496 g. Both are aluminium, hooked, tubeless ready, available in 24, 28 or 32 holes, from €44.90 apiece as a recommended price.
That leaves the question of the price of the complete wheelsets: from €399 for each of the four models, according to the spec sheets published by Rennrad-News. At that price you get a wide aluminium rim, a Ratchet LN ratchet hub and, on the gravel versions, the option of running your lights off your front wheel.
