DT Swiss ARC 38 Aero Wheels 2025

The Swiss wheel specialists are moving fast: Joining the last generation of aerodynamically optimized ARC DICUT wheels with rim heights of 80 mm, 62 mm, and 50 mm are now two new lightweight variants starting at weights of 1,292 g.

With the new rim height of 38 mm, the ARC 1100 DICUT 38 and ARC 1400 DICUT 38 have the lowest and lightest profile in the ARC range. Thanks to a newly developed carbon manufacturing concept and aerodynamic AERO+ optimization, they not only reduce mass but also offer improved aerodynamics with a more pronounced sailing effect and great control, even in strong crosswinds.

We have received an exclusive set of ARC 1100 DICUT 38 for review and found the perfect team for a long-term test with Bikeboarder Bertl and his Cervélo R5.

ARC 1100 DICUT 38 vs 1400 DICUT

* Weight specifications without rim tape and without valves

Both the 180 and the 240 DICUT hubs impress with their DT Swiss Ratchet EXP Technology, which makes the freehub body particularly lightweight, stiff, and precise, and allows for easy, tool-free maintenance. Moreover, the hollow-milled tooth discs convert the invested energy with their 36 teeth directly into acceleration.

For both wheels with a 20 mm internal rim width, a tire recommendation of 25 mm to 32 mm width is given*, while they are supposed to perform best from an aerodynamic perspective with 25 mm wide tires at the front and 28 mm at the rear, offering sufficient comfort and puncture protection. This is how the sponsored professionals from Team Tudor Pro Cycling and Uno-X Mobility ride, at least in mountain stages and in one-day races with many vertical meters. The riders particularly appreciate the low weight on the climbs and enjoy the control and safety the wheels provide on fast descents.
On other days, the guys still opt for the ARC 1100 DICUT 50 with Schwalbe's Pro-One TLR tires in 25C at the front and 28C at the rear, with Sealant.

* Technically, much wider tires (up to max. 64 mm) are also possible with a 20 mm internal rim width, but from the perspective of an optimal aerodynamic overall package, they are less sensible.

"Well, that paid off again", it shot through my head after I had asked NoPain for his professional opinion on why my high-end racer repeatedly experienced speed wobbles at high speeds.
"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse. But not over the phone. Come by the NYX Office." That was his response, which he breathed into the receiver slowly and with a certain gravity.

But now to the backstory of the backstory: During a near-death experience last summer, while descending from Timmelsjoch at 80 km/h during the Ötztaler, my Cervélo R5 started to oscillate so much that I suspected a technical problem. However, the thru-axles were rock-solid, the headset had no play, and all the wheel spokes were intact. Perhaps it was also a stupid coincidence, where the angle of attack, wind speed, and air density met unfavorably? Nevertheless, my trust in my 45 mm high aero wheels was gone and I got myself a new, particularly light set of wheels for the Kitzbühel Cycling Marathon. Keeping my rather limited budget in mind, I opted for a relatively inexpensive model, which according to the manufacturer only weighed 1,265 g and was also absolutely reasonable at just about 1,400 euros.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be neither a success at the Kitzbühel Cycling Marathon nor a great fondness for the new wheels. Because even with the significantly lower rims, there remained a feeling of insecurity during fast descents - especially in a lot of wind.

Whether (affordable) "Aero" or (affordable) "Lightweight", it was a year of road bike disappointments. Was it the frame? Was it the tall spacer tower that does my back so much good? Or had I forgotten how to ride a road bike? Even extensive email correspondence with Cervélo and the wheel manufacturers shed no light on the matter. Thus, over the winter, which I spent exclusively on the cyclocross bike or smart trainer, the Cervélo hung lonely on the wall hook, and I secretly hoped that the problem would solve itself. But with the first warm rays of sun in March, as I went on my usual route, it was there again, that mushy feeling at higher speeds. Either I was too heavy at 85 kg for my road bike, or the new rims were too weak. I sought advice.

Upon arriving in Wiener Neustadt, my harmless inquiry spontaneously turned into a review project that immediately became real work. "We have procured the new DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut 38 Aero wheels for you. These are manufactured at BPM (Biel Performance Manufacturing), the special wheel-building division of the Swiss company, where all wheels for the supported pro teams come from. So we are talking about one of 15 sets that are built by hand with a tensiometer each day and are pressurized 3-5 times, including a final quality control where all spoke tensions in the direction of travel are measured and electronically stored."

I swallowed.

"Lighter, stiffer, and more aerodynamic is not possible. With these, either your speed wobble should be gone or your frame is busted."

I shook his hand and in response to my question on how I could ever reciprocate, received two tubes, two tires, and the floor pump. "Please mount these, we will take photos. Your text is due by June 16th."

My new test wheels were equipped with 28 tires from Conti Grand Prix 5000 and matching Aerothan tubes from Schwalbe. With the appropriate technique not only did the tires slip over the rim by hand, but the tubes also remained undamaged. For the tire pressure, I opted for 6.0 bar front and rear, which in my view should provide a good compromise between comfort and rolling resistance as well as sufficient stability for fast cornering. We will see.

Although I'm truly impressed by the quality of the wheels, I must note that I didn't immediately take to the large, silver DT Swiss logo. This is mainly because the even larger Cervélo letters on my frame in white dominate. But never mind, I'll manage the DT Swiss water decals with some acetone. Haha!

But joking aside, it was definitely love at second sight, because in natural daylight, the two differently colored fonts don't bother me that much anymore.

Now let's move on to my first riding impressions.

Sure, here is the translated text while preserving the formatting:```As a Bikeboard tester, a dream came true for me - for NoPain, however, it was more likely a nightmare. Poorly prepared, not attentive during the long explanations about the elaborate manufacturing process of the DT Swiss test objects, and then also criticizing the silver-glossy stickers, I plunged into the first rides. The only sentence that stuck with me was, "Please don't let the wheels get stolen and don't bash them together." Especially when, on the second ride, I hit a curb so hard that the Aerothan tube in the front tire bid farewell with a loud hiss. Fortunately, the rim remained unimpressed - robustness test number 1 passed. Countless railway crossings later, a similar picture: the inlays in my molars became loose, but the Swiss wheels remained unimpressed. So far, there isn't even a hint of a side-to-side wobble visible.

Test object: DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DB 38
Test distance: 2,547 km
Test ascent: 23,636 meters
Test riding time: 94h 01 min
System weight (bike and rider): 94 kg

As announced in June, I was particularly interested in wind susceptibility - or rather, the lack thereof. To get straight to the point: The wheels remain well controllable at all times, although the height of 38 mm is noticeable in crosswinds. Despite all optimizations, in windy conditions, you will always feel the greater surface area of a higher rim with a deep profile more than a lower rim with a flat profile. And this summer in eastern Austria was windy - to be honest, at times I would have preferred to turn into the wind-protected forest areas between Kleiner and real Semmering.

If it weren't for NoPain, who relentlessly demanded statements about all extreme conditions like an East German swimming coach, I might not have gained an important insight. During these "storm rides" in the Pannonian Plain, it turned out that when the wind is coming directly at you, only one thing helps: get small, pedal, curse, or turn off your brain. However, when the wind was coming at an angle from the front, I suddenly noticed a significant relief. I had the impression that with angled airflow and the same wattage, a speed increase of 2-3 km/h was possible. I had not experienced this with my previous wheels. If I had studied the preliminary report or the DT Swiss website more closely, I would have noticed that this is the so-called sailing effect of a DT Swiss wheel.

Easily controllable on flat terrain is one thing, but how does the premium set behave on fast descents and in gusty wind? Well, you have to adjust and think ahead. That sounds logical, but it wasn't immediately obvious to me. The aerodynamically optimized profile requires a firm grip on the handlebars in gusty wind and on a descent at 70 km/h. If you want the honey, you have to like the buzzing of the bees. The wobbling that I feared did not occur on any descent - admittedly, I was rarely going downhill faster than 75 km/h.

Additionally, I had the impression that the DT Swiss ARC 1000 is significantly stiffer than my previous wheels. This can be impressively demonstrated by my "standardized" lateral stiffness push test. Here, I support my hand on the fork and press the wheels towards the fork with my finger. Pulling works as well. However, more objectively, there was no rubbing or feeling of flex during out-of-the-saddle efforts or sprints. The wheels could always be steered well through corners and proved to be extremely reliable even when the tester steered multiple times.