DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut DB 38 wheelset

The DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut DB 38 wheels are light, well built, a joy to ride – and a serious contender for one of the best all-rounder road wheelsets you can buy. They do everything well, including working easily with tyres of various widths, and considering what you are getting, the price is pretty competitive too.

> Buy now: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut DB 38 wheelset for £1,702.70 from Lordgun

Read our guide to the best road bike wheels for more options.

Many of us don't ride specific disciplines, so a wheel that is capable of a bit of everything without sacrificing other areas is normally the holy grail. And it's a role that these ARC 1400s do exceptionally well.

I've had these DT Swiss wheels fitted to my Giant TCR, a bike that I consider an all-rounder, and they have been a perfect match. The 38mm rim depth (you can also get rim depths of 50, 62 and 80mm) offers a modest amount of aero gains without any ill effects from strong crosswinds, while their impressively low weight of 1,360g (weighed on our scales and including the rim tape) makes them none too shabby when it comes to hitting the climbs.

Acceleration, too, feels brisk with so little weight to spin up, although both sprinting and climbing need more than low weight – they also need plenty of lateral stiffness. That's another tick for the ARC 1400s, as they feel as tight as a drum when you're hammering the pedals while out of the saddle.

Straight out of the box they were running perfectly true and the spokes were evenly tensioned. My first ride saw no bedding in of pinging spokes, and while the wheels are only one factor in a bike's overall ride quality, these feel smooth and, dare I say it, on the plush side.

From a performance point of view, I really can't fault these wheels at all – I really do think they are brilliant.

The carbon fibre rims are the same for both the front and rear wheel, with an external width of 26mm and an internal width of 20mm, up from 17mm found on the previous versions. We often see wheels with a wider internal measurement but I'd say 20mm is absolutely fine for fast road/racing setups. DT Swiss says they are optimised for 25/28mm tyres, but you can obviously go wider should you want.

You can run them with tubeless or standard clincher tyres and the rims are hooked, which is something I'm a fan of. I like the flexibility of running tyres above the recommended maximum of 75psi for hookless rims should I desire.

The tyres I used mainly for testing were the 30mm Panaracer Agilest Duro TLR. These are the slightly bigger brother of the 28mm Agilest I reviewed a year ago.

While the 30mm tyres proved a snug fit, I did get them on without too much swearing. It was all pretty standard to be fair, the tight fit giving you the reassurance they aren't going to pop off the rim when inflated, but not so secure that you won't be able to remove them should you need to stick a tube in at the roadside.

It was a similar story with other tyres, including the 28mm Michelin Lithion 4 tyres I'm currently testing and some Schwalbe Ones. The Pirelli P Zero Race TLR RS tyres I'm also reviewing did prove an absolute pig to fit – though this has proved to the case on every wheel I've tried so far, which highlights how various combinations can still be a pain to work with.

In the box you also get tubeless valves included along with the tape, plus you get a SRAM XDR freehub thrown in alongside the Shimano freehub fitted to the wheels when you buy them. If you are running Campagnolo you will need to fork out for a separate freehub, which I found for about 20 quid online, so it's not a deal-breaker.

However, lockrings are not included for your Center Lock rotor mounts. Quite a few brands don't supply them now, and it's not a major problem, but it is worth remembering that you need to order some, otherwise that excitement of setting up your new shiny wheels will soon be quashed when you realise you have to delay your first ride.

The hubs are DT Swiss's own 240 models, which include its Ratchet EXP 36 system for engagement. The majority of wheels use varying numbers of pawls that lock in position under load and create drive for the freehub, but DT Swiss (and some others) use ratchet systems where opposing splined rings connect to propel you forward.

It's a responsive design with engagement points at every 10 degrees and requires fewer components, which lowers weight and improves durability. The 240 hubs are also simple to disassemble should the need arise.

The build is finished off with 24 DT Aero Comp II spokes for both the front and rear wheels, which are laced in a two-cross design and attached to the rim using DT Pro Lock aluminium nipples.

The nipples are hidden inside the rims, which would make fettling them by the roadside a bit of a faff, but in the last 24 years of riding road bikes I've only had to true a wheel mid-ride a couple of times after a broken spoke or a heavy hit with a pothole. In fact, I'd say the build quality here is absolutely excellent.

Value

Priced at £1,949.98, the ARC 1400s are in the right sort of ball park for wheels of this spec and calibre.

For instance, the Fulcrum Speed 42 wheelset that Aaron reviewed a few months back is about 60g heavier and 4mm deeper, and a bit more expensive at £1,999.99. You do get ceramic bearings, though.

The Reserve 40/44 wheelset is much wider internally at 25.5mm front, 25mm rear, and is a touch deeper. I was really impressed with how they rode, and their 1,435g weight is impressive. The wheelset I reviewed is £1,599, but you're getting DT Swiss's 350 hubs, which are a level down from the 240s on the ARC 1400. You can get the Reserves specced with 240s, and they'll cost you £1,999.

Undercutting the ARC 1400s by a fair amount, though, are the new Core Superlight wheels from Scribe. We have a set with 60mm-deep rims in for review, and while I can't give you physical evidence of how they perform at the moment, previous experience with Scribe's wheels has always shown them to offer great durability, build and ride quality for decent money.

The 40mm-deep Core Superlights use a 36-tooth ratchet in the rear hub, have aero spokes and a similar rim width. Their claimed weight is 1,314g for £999. Keep your eye out for that review.

Conclusion

Basically, from a performance point of view this is a stunning wheelset, and I'd happily recommend it for all kinds of road riding unless ultimate aerodynamic wind cheating is your main goal. The ride quality and build quality are excellent and the weight is impressively low, but there are also some great wheelsets out there with similar specs for less money.

> Buy now: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut DB 38 wheelset for £1,702.70 from Lordgun

Verdict

Complete package of stiffness, low weight, and all-round versatility