A world premiere took place on Thursday afternoon at the BIKE Festival in Riva: DT Swiss presented its new suspension line-up for the coming season for the first time. The Swiss company has simplified and reorganised its suspension fork and shock system. In future, the components will all work in three stages - just like many other suspension forks and shocks on the market. DT Swiss calls its three riding modes "O.D.L.". The abbreviations stand for Open - Drive - Lock. In contrast to Fox, however, the lockout at DT Swiss is a hard lockout and locks completely. The new X313 shock can also be ridden in these three modes.
New handlebar remote control with three levels
There is also a new handlebar remote so that you have control over the fork and damper and can operate them from the handlebars. The lever with its three levels looks elegant and is easy to operate with the thumb. This allows you to lock or harden the shock and fork at the same time with one click without having to take your hands off the handlebars. The new lever is said to weigh 26 grams. However, weight fetishists will still be able to use the old remote lever, which weighs 12 grams.
DT Swiss X313: shock absorber from 215 grams
As the new DT Swiss shock also has three riding modes, the inner workings and damping technology had to be completely renewed. The result is the X313 O.D.L. as the new flagship. The shock is available with four different strokes and in three installation lengths - from 165 to 200 millimetres. According to DT Swiss, adjustment should also be child's play. Simply inflate the air, adjust the rebound dial and you're done. The X313 costs 369 euros and is available with or without handlebar remote control. A carbon version of the X313 will also be available soon. This should then only weigh a good 150 grams.
All-mountain fork for sporty 29ers and touring bikes
The new OPM forks including the O.D.L. system are available in two different versions: a model with 100/120/130 millimetres, which is available for all three wheel sizes. And a long-travel version with 140/150 millimetres for 26- and 27.5-inch bikes. The 29er fork with 100 millimetres weighs just 1615 grams and has shed a few grams compared to its predecessor thanks to the new thru-axle. The All Mountain version (150 mm) of the OPM O.D.L. weighs 1630 grams as a 27.5-inch version and is intended for use on light touring bikes.
DT Spline 2: Affordable aluminium wheels for everyone
Based on its top wheels, DT Swiss is launching a more affordable Spline line on the market: the Spline 2 family. The lightweight aluminium wheels offer the same technical features as the Spline 1 wheels, but are significantly cheaper. As usual with DT, there will be three rim widths for the Spline 2: the X 1700 series for Cross Country with 20 millimetre rims, the M 1700 series for All Mountain with 22.5 millimetre rims and the 25 millimetre wide Enduro rims, which go by the abbreviation E 1700. In order to achieve the price points, the rims of the Spline 2 wheels, for example, are pinned instead of welded. However, all models come with tubeless and axle kits so that you can ride all current axle standards. The shiny hubs are hand-polished and give the Spline 2 wheels a classy, high-quality look. The wheels will only be available in 27.5 and 29 inch. Here are the weights and prices of the DT Swiss Spline 2:
- X 1700 Spline 2: 1620 grams/588 euros
- M 1700 Spline 2: 1715 grams/608 euros
- E 1700 Spline 2: 1830 grams/628 euros
The new DT components will be available in stores from Eurobike in September 2014. Current information on www.dtswiss.com
