DT Swiss E2200 wheelset?
Hi Lee,
I am looking to buy a new wheelset for my bike. i have an ’09 Sx Trail which I use for All Mountain, Light Free-ride, and some DH. I need lighter wheels than i currently have. I have researched the DT Swiss E2200’s and have found that they are inexpensive, strong, and light. I am very eager to buy them as they fit my riding style and are in my price range. I just wanted to get an opinion on those wheels. Would you recommend them?
Thanks,
Matt
Hey Matt,
I’ve heard good things about DT Swiss wheels, and I’ve had good experiences with them.
The SMBA kids I coached were sponsored by DT-Swiss. Any wheel that stands up to those meatballs must be durable. DT-sponsored pro DHer Curtis Keene loaned me a light wheelset to race Sea Otter downhill. I rocked a Demo 8 with light wheels and XC tires. That’s right brother, I won my expert class.
At a retail of around $500 (with better deals available online) that E2200 wheelset looks like a good value.
As a Sun-sponsored rider, I should tell you the Sun Chargers are comparable, durable and also a great value. I have serious time on my Charger 27s, and they are rocking.
Enjoy that SX Trail,
— Lee
PS: It’s snowing … AGAIN.
Matt,
I actually had a set of these wheels for quite some time. I won them at a contest in 2008. The wheels were GREAT! They were light, good looking, tough, and strong. I put a few dents in mine running low pressure and bashing rocks, but the wheels held true and continued to hold the tire.
I am presently rocking Shimano XT tubeless wheels with tubes on my trail bike, freeride bike, and slopestyle bike and they are great as well.
The hubs on the DT’s don’t have super high engagement but held solid and didnt need a single adjustment in the year and a half that I had them. Tough to go wrong with them!
Nick PINS IT! Chances are anything that works for him will work for you.
http://www.nicksimcik.com
“Inexpensive, strong and light”?? Sounds like Keith Bontrager was wrong!
He said that 20 years ago.
inexpensive is a relative term, the hubs on those DT is not necessarily on par with a Hadley, King, or high end DT, but they work. In wheels, typically what you pay the most for is the hub. The DT’s are a good solid wheelset. The E2200 are like the Azonic Outlaws of trail/light freeride. They work well are inexpensive and work! The E2200 are much lighter than outlaws, but not quite as durable.
As someone who isnt kind to rims, its all about the hub. I have 6 year old Hadleys that have had countless rims on them and still are going strong, but they are not cheap.
I think the E2200 were designed around the type of riding Matt is doing
I spent some time on the E2200’s, they are sturdy and reliable wheels.
A few things to note though: The ‘2200’s don’t use DT’s Star Ratchet system. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but good to know regardless. They use a two pawl system, and while I didn’t have any issues with it, it could be less reliable than a ‘standard’ 3 pawl system that is found in many other hubs. The Star Ratchet thats inside DT’s higher end hubs is simply the most fool proof and weather proof clutch out there, I’d love to see it inside a wheelset that is priced as the E2200’s are.
Also, the rim used on the E2200’s is not really anything like the DT rims of yore. It is sleeved, not welded unfortunately, but is way more flat spot resistant that the old versions. Slightly different profile and metal make up I gather?
As far as pricing goes, here in Canada they are not really a good deal at all if you look at price vs. weight. If you look around you may be able to find something lighter and as sturdy. I would never call the E2200’s light, as they certainly are not. I will admit that they are uber strong and reliable though.