XM 1700 Spline

mtb– EUR

Origin

The 'do-everything trail wheelset' — light enough for XC marathon use, tough enough for enduro race days, priced to be OEM-able on €3,000-€5,000 production bikes

The verdict

+Strengths

Bulletproof reliability — the Ratchet EXP system has essentially no failure mode in normal use. No pawls to snap, no springs in pockets that can launch lost during service.
World-class serviceability — 6902 cartridge bearings are €5-12 anywhere, freehub bodies swap tool-free between Shimano HG/MS, SRAM XD/XDR, full exploded parts diagrams on DT Swiss website.
30mm internal width is the modern trail sweet spot — 2.4" Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR2 sits at perfect casing shape, 2.6" Schwalbe Big Betty works without sidewall roll.
Asymmetric rim profile dramatically extends wheel life — equal spoke tension drive/non-drive on rear means no more 'cracked nipples on drive side' that plagues symmetric wheels at high mileage.
Tubeless setup is genuinely plug-and-play — factory tape and valves, rim profile holds tyre bead with floor pump on most tyres without needing an air tank.
54t Ratchet EXP upgrade kit transforms engagement from 'fine' to 'class-leading' for €60 and 5 minutes — best cost-per-performance upgrade in MTB hubs.
Aerolite bladed spokes are top-tier — same spec as DT Swiss road flagship wheels, won't fatigue at the J-bend (because they're straight-pull, no J-bend exists).
OEM ubiquity = parts everywhere — every European bike shop stocks 350 hub bearings, Ratchet EXP springs, freehub bodies, spokes, and nipples.
Rider weight tolerance — comfortably handles 100kg+ riders on trail / light enduro use. Many heavier riders (110-130kg) report multi-season service without truing required.
Compatibility breadth — 6-bolt or Center Lock, all freehub standards, both 29" and 27.5", Boost-only but that's the current trail bike standard.

−Weaknesses

Loud freewheel — the characteristic DT Swiss buzz is divisive. Some riders find it satisfying ('audible insurance'), others find it intolerable, especially on long descents where the constant noise becomes draining.
Stock 36t engagement is fine but not exciting — at €700+ wheelset price, competitors offer faster engagement out of box (Hope Pro 5 = 108 POE / 3.3°, Industry Nine 1/1 = 90 POE / 4°). XM 1700 needs the 54t upgrade to be competitive on engagement spec.
Weight is class-average, not class-leading — 1880g for 29" alloy is solid but DT Swiss XM 1501 (€1100) drops 215g, and many competitors (Hope Fortus 30 = 1860g) match or beat the weight at similar or lower price.
Visible weld seam on the rim is cosmetic but bothers some buyers — sleeve-and-pin rims (cheaper) look 'cleaner' even though weld is the technically better construction.
Freehub buzz volume increases noticeably as grease degrades — many users mistake this for failure when it just means time for a basic regrease.
Standard Squorx Pro Head nipples require the DT Swiss Squorx tool (€8-15) — not catastrophic, but not the universal hex/square interface that older wheels used.
No tubeless valve length options shipped — included valves are short stem, riders with deep-rim aero compatibility (rare on trail bikes) need to buy longer valves separately.
Spoke replacement requires DT Swiss Aerolite spokes — not universal stainless straight-pull. Available at any DT-stocking shop in Europe but not at every small-town bike shop globally.
Boost-only — no QR or 100/142 fitment options for older frames. Riders on pre-2017 frames need a different wheelset.
Front 28-spoke count is light for heavier enduro use — works fine up to about 100kg trail use, but enduro racers over 90kg sometimes prefer 32-spoke wheels for sustained heavy hits.

Did you know

01The XM 1700 is the single most common OEM-spec trail wheelset on European production bikes in the €2,500-€4,500 range. Cube Stereo Race, Canyon Spectral mid trims, Trek Fuel EX 8, Whyte E-160, Orbea Rallon mid spec, Rose Bonero, Focus Jam — all routinely ship with XM 1700 wheels.
02The 350 hub is consistently called 'the world's best engagement system' by reviewers — not because it has the fastest engagement (DT 240, Industry Nine Hydra, Onyx all engage faster), but because of bulletproof reliability + serviceability + universal parts availability. You can rebuild a 350 hub anywhere in the world for under €50.
03Upgrading the 36t Ratchet EXP to 54t (kit ~€60, 5-minute install with no tools) is one of the highest cost-per-improvement upgrades in MTB — drops engagement arc from 10° to 6.7°, hugely noticeable on technical climbs and trial moves.
04The Aerolite spoke used on XM 1700 is the same spoke spec used on DT Swiss's top-tier ARC 1100 carbon road wheels — DT doesn't downgrade spokes for the trail line.
05DT Swiss makes the spokes for most other premium wheelset brands as an OEM supplier — when you buy Roval, Bontrager, ENVE, or Specialized wheels, you're often buying DT-made spokes regardless of brand.
06The characteristic loud freewheel buzz of DT Swiss hubs is sometimes called 'the angriest bees in cycling'. It is mechanically a consequence of the toothed disc design — the spring constantly pushes the discs together while coasting, and each tooth-over-tooth click is audible.
07Mechanics call the 350 hub 'set it and forget it' — proper greasing once a year is enough for 8000+ km of normal trail use. Compare to Industry Nine Hydra hubs which need pawl service every 1500-2000km.
08DT Swiss is one of very few wheel brands that publishes complete service manuals and exploded parts diagrams openly on its website. Owners can self-service everything without proprietary tools beyond the Squorx Pro Head spoke key (€8).
09The XM 1700 rim is the same OEM rim used on many house-brand wheelsets — Cube ZX24, Canyon G5, and Trek Line Comp 30 wheels share the rim profile (under different branding) with the XM 1700 rim. Often the only real difference is the hub.
10The Baltic OE bike market (Cube via Hawaii Express, Canyon via direct, Orbea via official dealers) means XM 1700 wheels are easily the most common premium aluminium wheelset on Estonian/Latvian/Lithuanian singletrack.

Who it’s for

Trail and all-mountain MTB rider 70-110kgE-MTB rider on a mid-power motor (Bosch CX, Shimano EP8, TQ HPR50) — note H 1700 is the dedicated e-MTB variant for higher powerRider buying a Cube/Canyon/Trek/Orbea trail bike at €2,500-€4,500 — high probability the bike already ships with XM 1700Rider upgrading from entry-level wheels (Shimano MT500, Mavic Crossride, generic OEM)Mechanic/wrench-it-yourself rider who values universal parts and easy serviceBaltic/Northern European rider — Hawaii Express EE, Sportland EE, Bike-Discount.de all stock parts in Tallinn/Riga/Vilnius logistics zones