TESTED: DT Swiss FR541 Rims

Words: Max Warshawsky
Photos: Gerard Lagana

Since their inception in 1994, DT Swiss has built a solid reputation for top-end, quality components. Their aluminium rims have survived a lot of abuse over the years, probably most notably when Aaron Gwin blew his tyre off at the Leogang DH World Cup in 2014 and smashed the rest of his race run on a bare EX 471 rim, which is actually an enduro rim. So when DT Swiss announced they were releasing the FR 541 rim – their strongest rim yet, I was excited to see what kind of battering they could handle.

A Closer Look

The FR 541 is DT Swiss’s new downhill and freeride rim. Compared to the old FR 560 rim, the FR 541 claims to have higher impact resistance, which is its ability to cop sharp hits from rocks and roots, and 17% more resistance to pinch flats, all while being 30g lighter. These improved features are all due to the new profile of the rim wall and bead. 

The impact resistance is increased from the rim wall being angled perpendicular to the ground, rather than angled towards the tyre, which makes the rim wall more resistant to folding, or dinging, during a harsh hit. 

The pinch flat resistance is increased by added material to widen the rim flange, which increases the load-bearing surface when the flange bottoms out on the tyre during a harsh hit. This reduces the pressure of the pinch, consequently reducing the chance of a pinch flat. These design changes are best shown in the diagram below.

The lighter shaded rim is the FR 560 profile, while the darker shaded rim is the new FR 541.

At 570g for a 27.5” and 605g for a 29”, they are in the same weight range as most other heavy-duty aluminium rims on the market. Not the lightest out there, but designed for ultimate durability, and in the words of DT Swiss; “aspire to be your last”. 

TESTED: We Are One Union wheelset

The rim is available in 28 or 32 hole options, and has a 35mm outer width and 30mm inner width. They also come with the option of four different sticker colours, which allows you to somewhat customise the decals to suit whatever look you’re going for. 

Setup

The test rims were 32 hole 27.5”, laced up to DT Swiss 240 hubs. The wheel set incorporated DT Swiss’s Pro Head Reinforcement (PHR) system, which utilises a curved washer that sits between the rim and nipple, and matches the contour of the rim. This increases the load-bearing surface of the nipple on the rim, which reduces localized stress, similar to the widened flange mentioned earlier. 

I ran Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C DH Casing tyres front and rear, set up as tubeless. The tyres were relatively easy to install without tyre levers, and my dodgy old track pump had no issues seating the bead. 

I ran around 23psi front and 28psi rear, with a rider weight of 77kg. DT Swiss recommends a system weight limit of 140kg on these wheels – so that’s the weight of you, your bike and your gear.

On the Trail

When I was given the chance to test a wheel that “aspires to be your last”, I thought “challenge accepted”. I have written off 20+ rims during my years racing downhill, so was pretty confident I could at least do some serious damage. To my surprise, I could barely put a mark on these things.

 On the first ride of a new wheel build, I always carry a spoke key in my pocket as a few spokes generally come a bit loose as the wheel and spokes break in after a few runs. Not these wheels. After a full day of punching runs, the spokes were still completely tight, and the rim still practically dead straight. It actually wasn’t until the third day of runs that I needed to touch a spoke key. This is a testament to not only the strength of the rim, but also the premium quality of the wheel build from DT Swiss Australia, and their PHR system.

The strength and durability of these rims blew me away. They experienced a plethora of harsh and heavy hits over the last couple of months of testing, and they have ended up almost the same as when they came out of the box. I even tried (in the name of testing) riding in full hack mode – point-and-shooting down the rockiest and square-edged lines I could find, desperately trying to do some damage. These hoops can cop some serious shit! 

In terms of actual ride feel – The FR 541s feel quite laterally stiff for an alloy rim, with the wheel having a direct kind of feel when holding a line, rather than fluid. I couldn’t notice much difference in compliance from my personal alloy Spank Spoon wheel set. 

Throughout testing, I had no issues with the tyres burping, losing seal with the rim, or pinch flats. Racing these at the Illinbah National DH Round in November provided a lot of confidence and peace of mind. The Illinbah track is mostly flat-out and highspeed with plenty of sniper rocks and harsh impacts, and has a notorious 40-ish second rock garden section in the middle which causes a hand full of rock-on-rim ‘PING’ sounds each time through it. Being able to smash runs without worrying about spokes rattling loose, or getting flat tyres, made for an enjoyable and carefree race weekend.

RRP: $240 per rim
From: Apollo Bikes

Hits:

• Strong, durable, extremely reliable
• A solid investment for those who are hard on wheels

Misses:

• None so far!