DT Swiss Arc 3.0 Wheels Bring Back a V-Profile

Today DT Swiss ARC 3.0 launches a new design with six different wheel options plus a rear disc. There’s options for new rim depths of 55mm, 65mm, and 85mm and the internal width is up from 20mm on the last generation to 22mm and the bead continues with a hooked shape.

There’s also a price and performance option for each rim depth. The ARC 1100 DICUT saves weight and uses a 180 DICUT hub with ceramic bearings but it pushes the price higher. Keeping it more affordable the ARC 1400 DICUT switches to the 240 DICUT hub adding weight overall but offering the same aero performance.

In each case there’s a new rim profile that’s reminiscent of early rim brake carbon aero wheels. This is something new though.

DT Swiss ARC 3.0 V-Shape rim profile

There’s a number of stand out details coming with Arc 3.0 but in many ways it all boils down to wider is better. Or at least wider is the current trend. The old rim profile sat at a somewhat ancient feeling 20mm internal depth. The update fixes that, bringing it to a not quite the most progressive 22mm internal width.

It’s not quite so simple though. These wheels are pushing aerodynamics as far as possible and that means some concessions for ride quality. Wider internal rims are more comfortable but it leaves aero performance on the table and it can also increase weight.

Part of that width calculation is also about the tires and how they match with the width of the wheel. DT Swiss developed the ARC 3.0 profile with the AERO 111 tire system. With a 29mm front tire and a 30mm rear tire in mind to balance aero performance with comfort.

Still, wider is slower when thinking only of aerodynamics. DT Swiss is solving the puzzle with a V-Shape external profile. The more things change the more they stay the same? Not quite, while that once meant a sharp crease at the height of the rim this profile isn’t that extreme. There’s still a V-shape but it’s been sanded down a bit and it takes a bit of height before the rim shape dives in. There’s also aero-optimized DT aerolite spokes and a reduction of spoke count to 20 in the front wheel.

Because of the spoke and rim height changes, according to DT Swiss, the drag “showed a reduction of drag of 0.2 watt (5.5 % reduction) at 0º yaw and 0.5 watt (12 % reduction) at 10º yaw (measurement accuracy: < 0.1 watts)” for the 55mm depth. If you instead look at the full range of wheel depth, and switch to the Aero 111 tire, DT Swiss is showing as much as 17.3 watts of negative drag (sailing effect) at high yaw angles. There’s no comparison offered against the previous generation of wheel.

What about handling with that V-shaped profile?

The entire reason that the industry moved away from a V-shaped profile was that Hunt wheels, under the guidance of aerodynamicist Luisa Grappone, showed that you could eliminate the grab caused by air coming unattached too quickly in gusty, and/or high-yaw, situations by using a U-shaped profile. It creates a bigger frontal profile but the scary grabbing sensation shifts to a predictable push as the air stays attached longer.

Steering moment is the name for this experience and the DT Swiss Arc 3.0, at least according to DT Swiss, has impressive steering moment performance. Unfortunately the brand does not give any details about why this is the case but there is comparative testing and the competition is stiff. Hunt wheels, as mentioned an early innovator for u-shaped wheels as well as a wheel that excels in stall situations on switchback descents, is there and so is the Zipp NSW 454 which is specifically a stand out wheel in crosswinds. The DT Swiss Arc 3.0 is still showing favorably.

DT Swiss Arc 1100 DB 55 first ride review

What I’d like to tell you is that these wheels either do or do not match the performance reported in heavy cross winds, gusty winds, or in situations where the winds suddenly shift directions. Unfortunately the wind is fickle. I don’t feel comfortable making a statement one direction or the other for that performance.

Similarly it’s difficult to actually tell the aero performance of a wheelset from others of similar quality. This is a 55mm deep wheel and you can expect it to feel like other mid-depth wheels in a straight line. What’s nice is that at 1471 grams for the wheelset DT Swiss managed to up the aero performance while decreasing the weight. Wheels of this depth only a few years ago would be a very clear climbing penalty. That’s mostly gone even as climbing wheels continue to creep down in weight as well.

So what’s the story of these wheels given my test experience? Every good product has something about it that stands out and carries the dialog. In this case it’s how responsive the wheels feel. That’s not a metric you can measure and it’s not necessarily about weight. Some wheels are technically fast but feel rather dead.

I took these out on a bike I know well and previously featured in my SRAM Red AXS Vs Shimano Dura-Ace Long Term Test. What I found was that while not quite as responsive as the more expensive Cadex 50 Ultra, things are close enough to make sense given the price difference. That response is especially noticeable when you push the speed up above 21 mph or so.

The story is also favorable when you look at the specs vs price equation. Hunt has a cheaper wheel but it’s heavier. Zipp meanwhile has a cheaper and heavier or lighter and more expensive option. Still, Enve is a notable hiccup. The Enve 6.7 is tested against the ARC 65 and the charts show a slight loss. What about the Enve 4.5 vs the ARC 55? It’s cheaper, lighter, and it’s got a 25mm internal width. I think it’s worth a look unless you are averse to hookless in which case DT Swiss is still using a hooked rim.

You might also consider the hub performance. DT Swiss is a gold standard with the ratcheting design. It’s easy to clean and deal with plus the ARC 1100 gets ceramic bearings. Cadex uses a similar style hub, and Enve is also a ratchet style, but DT Swiss has been at it the longest.

Pricing, specs, and availability

All six wheels plus the rear discs are available today at the DT Swiss website.

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