DT Swiss M1700 Spline 30 Front Wheel - 27.5": Rider Review

Have you been considering dropping some dough on a new wheel? Maybe for a wider rim or simply due to a broken rim! Well, our friend Matt purchased the DT Swiss M1700 Spline 30 Front Wheel to get a little bit wider rim and after giving it several rides on his local trails he feels comfortable enough to give it a solid review! He told us he even let his hair get a little wild and spoke in an Australian accent while writing this review just to get into the "Jeff zone". Anyway, check out what he has to say below!

Why I Needed a New Front Wheel

I ride a 2017 Pivot Mach 6 which came stock with DT Swiss M421 rims. They had a 25mm internal measurement which is a little more narrow than I would like. My local trails here in the mid-Atlantic are rooty and often a bit wet. In the past, I have run several different brands and models of tires, but nothing over a 2.35 width. I wanted to push that mark and try something bordering a plus size tire, like a 2.5. Maxxis tires are simply my favorite, and Maxxis recommends running their 2.5 tires with nothing less than an internal rim width of a 30mm. Message boards are replete with posts about running 2.5 tires on rims with a 25mm inner... but I figure, if Maxxis designed a tire around a certain design, it's best to run the tire the way they recommend... Even if it means waiting a little while to save enough money to buy a new wheel.

Why I Chose DT Swiss and Worldwide Cyclery

This decision was much simpler, I knew what tire I wanted to run, so that narrowed the options for wheels quite a bit. Still, with a lot of hoops to choose from, I simply emailed Matt McClusky at Worldwide Cyclery, explained what I was looking for and why. Matt's rad - very rad - very rad and bad - but also knows the area I ride. He made three recommendations of different front wheels and wrote about the pros and cons of each. I selected the DT Swiss M1700 Spline 30 Front Wheel based on his recommendation. I've stayed in touch with the guys at WWC, I've purchased two bikes from them and made two referrals to them, each ended in fair and smooth transactions. Matt's awesome, also David delivered an Evil an hour out of his way to my friend on his day off, and I was lucky enough to meet Jeff in Lancaster recently...The UPS guy was thrilled he was there...That is a sign of good business if I've ever seen one. Seriously, the UPS guy was stoked to shake Jeff's hand!

Install

I knew I was going to write this review, so I measured the rim to provide a little more detail. The inner width was exactly 30mm, the wheel did weigh slightly over 1850 grams. I'll state it here, I have not noticed any change in weight to my bike, that includes going from a 2.35 to a 2.5 tire. The DT Swiss wheel felt sturdy in my hands and all the spokes came laced very nicely. I had a little trouble throwing a Maxxis DHF 2.5 around it because it was a tight fit, but really...who cares? Put in the Stans, tightened the stem, slide the through axle into place, pumped up the tire...and I was ready to ride.

Riding Performance

Well, now I know what it means for a wheel to be stiffer, after getting my hands on DT Swiss M1700 Spline 30 Front Wheel I knew what everyone meant when they said they like stiff wheels. I was never sure what that meant, but I guess I can best describe it by comparing it to the feeling of sticking a twig vs. branch vs. log into the mud. On the continuum from twig...to branch...to log...from left to right when pressing the wood into the mud, the closer you get to a log (stiffer) the less the wood bends. With the wider rim and tire, I felt like when I pressed down, my bike could dig deeper and firmer into the dirt, whether through a berm riding downhill or on a long climb. Similarly, on wet slanted wood or rock, the wheel allowed me to ride more aggressively and the wheel stayed firm/stiff and made rock gardens more navigable. I've also run my tires at different PSI's, being 5'9" and 175lb I've gone as low as 17psi in the front. While playing with PSI, I realized why Maxxis recommends a 30mm inner for 2.5 tires or wider. The transformation of the wheel from roundish to squarish is definitely noticeable and allows for a lot more grip while cornering. Your tire simply has more rubber to grab the ground and stabilize.

Final Thoughts

Needless to say, I'm a fan, of Worldwide Cyclery, of Maxxis and of course, of DT Swiss. Kick-Ass, Rad, Soooo Sick, Senders... Most importantly, incredible customer service. Word.