DT Swiss FR 1950 Classic - From Prototype to Product

By DT Swiss
Posted on Aug 23, 2018

DT Swiss (Switzerland) - Press Release: Technical progress in mountain biking is driven by racers seeking to shave seconds off their times. Downhill tracks are harder, cornering speeds higher, gaps bigger and rock gardens rougher than ever before. This development of the tracks prompted the teams to try different wheel sizes. After decades on 26″ wheels, in 2013, riders started to use 27.5″ in World Cup events. And something that couldn’t even have been imagined a few years ago became reality last year – 29″ in Downhill World Cups. Racers decided to ride the wagon wheels to gain the marginal time advantage determining victory or defeat.

When the teams told us of their plans, we were keen to build wheels to provide the leading edge. All the high-quality components such as rims, spokes and hubs were in place. Our experts in wheel-building at the BPM, short for Biel Perfomance Manufacturing, had all the know-how and experience required to assemble the parts and construct a strong 29″ wheel. Behind the BPM are Marcel Waldmann, multiple Masters Downhill World Champ-ion, and his team of talented wheel-builders. With their many combined years of experience in wheel construction, they make the BPM a very special department. When it comes to wheel construction, these women and men are in a class of their own. Working with the utmost precision and smallest possible tolerances, which no machine will ever equal, they draw on experience from thousands of wheels built over the last ten years.

Once a wheel has been fully assembled and meets all our strict requirements concerning spoke tension, centricity and concentricity, it has to prove its qualities in our test lab. When the wheel passes all the tests, we give it to the fastest riders in the world and excitedly await their feedback and input. What is even better than positive feedback is when an athlete wins a World Championship title on prototype wheels. As happened in Cairns 2017. Matt Walker, the young gun from the UK, won the junior World Championship downhill race and got his first rainbow stripes on 29″ prototype wheels.

What does that mean for us?

Since the prototype wheel set has passed our tests, meets all our strict requirements and won some rainbow stripes at the World Championships, we have launched serial production and now you too can ride these wheels as the brand-new FR 1950 Classic.

FR 1950 Classic:

When you’re riding full tilt into a steep banked turn you need to have faith in your gear. The 30 mm rim width offers your downhill tires lateral unparalleled support for even more speed when cornering. The increased volume allows you to reduce your tire pressure and get traction you’ve never had before. The rim design, lightweight 240s hubs and the DT Competition have proven how robust they are on the world’s toughest downhill trails on bikes ridden by Matt Walker. Whether you’re riding against the clock or just for fun, the FR 1950 Classic is perfect for all of you who’ve got something against braking.

Specs: