DT Swiss 2017

Page 1



6 8 ICI C'EST 14 SPLINE 22 NICHOLI 26 TOUR DU 32 A FIRST HAND 38 TECH 42 A DAY AT 50 MALLORCA 56 E60 ADAPT 64 R 414 70 PRODUCTS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

BIENNE

ONE

ROGATKIN

MAROC

EXPERIENCE

TALK

WORK

MILES

BERGER

EDITORIAL

DESIGNED AND EDITED BY DT SWISS AG, SWITZERLAND

PHOTOGRAPHY

DT SWISS AG // MICHAEL RIEHLE ARMIN M. KÜSTENBRÜCK BARTEK WOLINSKI FRED LEISER MARCO MÜLLER MARIO STIEHL PHOTOGRAPHY ROMAN BURRI STEFAN HAEHNEL // 8BAR

SUSPENSION

DEVELOPMENT

2017


40'000

KM

HOW MUCH WIRE DOES DT SWISS GO THROUGH FOR ITS SPOKE MANUFACTURING PER YEAR?

HOW SWISS IS DT SWISS REALLY?

0.00X mm

BUT WE ACT G LO B A L LY.

BY SAM, OF COURSE!

MAXIMUM SPEED EVER RECORDED DURING WHEEL TESTING ON MONT CHASSERAL?

THE EXACT VALUE BEING SECRET OF COURSE!

// EASTERN SLOPES

E EMPLO AL AT DT SWISS

~ 30 % FASTEST TIME?

6

AT A N A M P L I T U D E O F 6 5 0 N M

BEARING SEAT IN A DT SWISS HUB?

ES YE

VERY SWISS

0

100'000 KM/H

GO THROUGH IN THE PAST EWS SAISON?

TOLERANCE OF A

FEM

RICHIE RUDE

GLOBE

H OW M A N Y CYCL ES DO ES A DT S W ISS FORK AT LEAST HAVE TO GO THROUGH I N T H E DY N A M I C R E F L E C T I O N T E S T ?

DO THE SWISS REALLY EAT NOTHING BUT CHEESE & CHOCOLATE?

HOW MANY RIMS DID

ONCE AROUND THE

// TOWARDS NODS

LAPS IN TOTAL

BY DT SWISS EMPLOYEES ON THE VELODROME SUISSE IN THE

WINTER SEASON

92'633 ACC. STRAVA 10/01/2015 – 03/31/2016


ICI C'EST BIENNE! A LOOK AT OUR HOMETOWN FROM A CYCLIST'S PERSPECTIVE. N 47°09'10.7" // E 7°16'58.7"

8


ICI C'EST BIENNE!

OUR TOWN

& OUR SPORT

Thick fog is covering the entire city in a gray blanket – for days, sometimes weeks on end. The «Seeland» region and its fog – all in all a rather bleak thing if it were not for the Jura range right next to it. No matter if by bike, running or even by car, many DT Swiss employees (and not only them) get up to the Bözingenberg during lunch and enjoy a brief moment in the sun. The panoramic view from its summit with countless alpine peaks in the distance is simply breathtaking.

WHILE THE THICK FOG KEEPS EVERYTHING DOWN LOW HIDDEN IN A GRAY MASS, THE BLUE SKY AND SNOWCOVERED PEAKS TOWER MAJESTICALLY ABOVE IT ALL. Up here all meet for a short rest and deep breath in the sun before diving or riding back down into the mist – only to be back during their next lunch break.

10

When the temperatures finally rise and the trees show their first bright green leaves, one can see more and more DT Swiss Road-Lunchride groups on the beautiful roads of the «Seeland» region. While winter training has mostly been done in the velodrome in Grenchen, more and more folks use their breaks or, as days get longer, the evenings to ride one of the classic Lunchride routes. One of them leads from Grenchen up to Romont challenging the riders with a crisp climb. From there one can take a short detour to Plagne and descend back trough the Taubenloch gorge, passing the small Zoo en route. Needless to say, that all KOMs on that route are held firmly by folks of DT Swiss.


ICI C'EST BIENNE!

Triathlete Gabriel Hopf hitting the streets around Biel.

New to the riding highlights of the area is the Moosligrund pumptrack in Biel. DT Swiss race mechanics Jey and Beranger and others can be found here on many evenings honing their pumptrack skills. Also rim engineer Andreas Tschanz was deeply involved in the project and so it is no surprise that the pumptrack has a growing fellowship with DT Swiss workers and riders. The fun and work-out a pumptrack provides, proves to be attractive to many. While some return from riding trails, others meet after a sunbath at the lake. DT Swiss employees often sit together, enjoying a freshly brewed beer and watching the sun go down over the Jura range, to wind down after a working day. From spring to fall the Lago Lodge is a meeting point to relax, talk tech or simply hang out with friends and colleagues. The relaxed atmosphere and the mix of students, cyclists, hipsters, young and old is what defines the special «Lago Lodge Flair».

Quite often one will also see Gabriel Hopf at the Lago Lodge, but most likely he has already done some swimming laps in the open air pool of Nidau or some running along the river Aare beforehand.

GABRIEL IS A TRIATHLETE AND A LOCAL HERO. DESPITE HIS FULL TIME JOB AS A NURSE IN THE AARBERG HOSPITAL HE TRAINS UP TO 30 HOURS A WEEK - ALL FOR THIS YEAR'S SEASON HIGHLIGHT, THE ELBAMAN TRIATHLON. For a full five years Gabriel has exclusively been on DT Swiss wheels and has done more than one impressive bike split since. «Ici c'est Bienne» ist the battle call of EHC Biel, the city's hockey pride. It represents the lifestyle and pride people have for «their» city, Biel. The newly built Tissot Arena right next to the DT Swiss headquarters is what the EHC calls home. With the start of the ice hockey season in October many take the three minute stroll over to the stadium to cheer for their boys on the ice.

13


SPLINE ONE NOW EVEN BETTER. THREE DISTINCT CATEGORIES FROM CROSS COUNTRY TO ENDURO AND A NUMBER OF RIM WIDTHS GUARANTEE THAT YOU FIND YOUR MATCHING ONE WHEEL SET. NEXT GENERATION

15


SPLINE ONE

HONEST TRAILS, UP AND DOWN, ALWAYS ON THE GAS, THE LEGS FULL OF LACTIC ACID WHILE JUST MANAGING TO STILL CONTROL THE BIKE – THAT'S MY STYLE OF RIDING AND THE SPLINE ONE XR WHEELS ARE MADE FOR EXACTLY THIS. ®

Valentin Wendel

16

DT Swiss Suspension Engineer XR 1501 SPLINE® ONE // 29"// 22,5 mm


SPLINE ONE

DIVERSE TERRAIN IS WHAT I AM ULTIMATELY LOOKING FOR. FROM FUN FLOWY TRAILS TO TECHNICALLY DEMANDING ALPINE TRAILS OR WHEN GUINEA PIGGING STUNTS FOR MY KIDS – MY WHEELS NEED TO DO IT ALL AND THE SPLINE ONE XM ARE JUST PERFECT FOR THAT. ®

Markus Dick

DT Swiss Manager Construction XM 1501 SPLINE® ONE // 29"// 30 mm

19


SPLINE ONE

I LOVE ROUGH TRAILS AND REALLY LIKE TO ROCK THE DESCENTS. THE NEW 30 MM WIDE SPLINE® ONE EX GIVES ME THE NECESSARY GRIP WHEN THINGS GET SKETCHY. THAT SAME GRIP CONSTANTLY MAKES ME TRY NEW LINES, BOTH UP- AND DOWNHILL – LINES I WOULD HAVE NEVER RIDDEN BEFORE.

Martina Deisenberger

20

DT Swiss Product Manager MTB Wheels EX 1501 SPLINE® ONE // 27,5"// 30 mm


NICHOLI

ROGATKIN CHATTING WITH OUR NUMBER ONE DIRT ATHLETE. SLOPESTYLE IN THE VEINS

23


NICHOLI ROGATKIN

AT ONLY YEARS OF AGE NICHOLI HAS COMPETED AND IMPRESSED IN ALL OF MOUNTAINBIKINGS BIGGEST FREERIDE EVENTS.

Your best riding moment? Crankworx Rotorua 2016.

and then Rampage. It was an absolute blast!

How did you get to be the rider you are now? When I was 5 years old, my neighbor showed me dirt jumps near my house and I was instantly into it. My dad got me a little 16" bike and I rode those trails everyday. I started competing right away and did my first professional contest when I was 12. I won the BMX Worlds in 2013 and started riding MTB Slopestyle the same year. I have been riding MTB slopestyle full time ever since and that's where I am now.

Have you ever raced? No, I have never raced. I've always been very impressed by how fast racers are on a bicycle.

What is a typical day for you in the off season / non event season? Depending on the weather, a typical day in offseason would either consist of hockey and snowboarding, or jetskiing and wakeboarding!

24

How do you train?

I TRAIN CRASHING AS MUCH AS I TRAIN RIDING. CRASHES ARE JUST AS BIG A PART OF OUR SPORT AS BIKE SKILL, SO THEY NEED TO BE PRACTICED TO KEEP A RIDER SAFE WHEN THINGS GO WRONG. What tricks are you working on right now? I work on so many new tricks every day. Which tricks – that's secret.

What does a contest day for you typically look like? Wake up, get stoked, and send it as hard as possible!

How do you learn new tricks? Each trick has a different story behind it. Some tricks get learned in one try, some take years of airbag practice to get figured out.

How often do you ride your big bike? I love riding my big bike, but I'm usually on my hardtail. Last year I was able to ride big bikes for two months straight – from Whistler, to Nine Knights, filming in Utah

What kind of off-bike training do you do, if you do any? Being on my bike as much as possible is the best way to train – other than that, I play a ton of hockey!

Do you know how much your slopestyle bike weighs?

MY BIKE IS ONE OF THE LIGHTEST IN SLOPESTYLE, I NEED IT TO BE LIGHT FOR THE BIG TRICKS! IT'S ABOUT 22 POUNDS.

What are your goals for the upcoming season? My goal is to always progress myself and progress the sport as much as possible. Favorite place to ride? Highland Mountainbike Park!

Nicholi is one of the world's best freestyle mountainbikers. He finished second at this year's Crankworx in Rotorua and commemorated his deceased colleague Kelly McGarry.

What are the riders you look up to? I looked up to Dave Mirra the most growing up, and then Jamie Bestwick became a big inspiration to me when I started riding with him at Woodward Camp.

25


TOUR DU MAROC THREE FRIENDS FROM BERLIN TAKING UP A BIKE TRIP OF A DIFFERENT KIND. MOROCCO // DECEMBER 2015

26


TOUR DU MAROC

THE OPPOSITES ON THIS TOUR HAD BEEN TRULY EXTREME BURNING HOT & FREEZING COLD – DUST & MUD VAST FLATLANDS & WILD MOUNTAINS THE ONLY RELIABLE CONSTANT IN THIS ADVENTURE: OUR EQUIPMENT Stefan Schott // 8bar

29


OFF THE BEATEN PATH

8bar is a young and progressive bike company, founded only five years ago by Stefan Schott. With its innovative and individualistic approach to cycling, 8bar has established itself within the scene and built themselves a firm reputation for doing everything in style. We had the opportunity to accompany them on a fascinating bike trip through Morocco.

31

Our Berlin friends of 8bar like to ride the roads less travelled.


A FIRST HAND EXPERI ENCE DT SWISS GRAPHIC DESIGNER STEFANIE EXPERIENCES TRACK CYCLING IN THE VELODROME AND SEES A NEW PASSION FLARE UP. VELODROME SUISSE // GRENCHEN

32


A FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE

HOW DOES RIDING A FIXIE COMPARE TO

TRACK CYCLING?

This is something I have been wondering ever since I signed up for a beginners course at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen. I admit this didn't happen completely voluntarily. Ever since the Velodrome Suisse, located very near the DT Swiss headquarters, opened its gates, my colleague Daniel Wyder has been persistently getting male and female workers at DT Swiss to give track cycling a try. Mind you, Daniel is not only a full time DT Swiss employee, but also the 1988 world champion in the points race on the track and in his spare time enjoys helping out as an instructor at the Velodrome Grenchen..

Last-minute preparations before Stefanie is ready to start her track adventure.

Well then — Neither am I one of those DT Swiss employees trying to break Strava records during my lunch break (those had eagerly taken the opportunity for a track course much earlier), nor am I part of the gravity gang which takes up every opportunity to rock the «Schwimmbad -Trail» or the trails on the Bözingenberg. They have made use of the velodrome already in winter to get in some bike related training. In reality it has been my husband's passion for track cycling that made me become a proud owner of a fixie myself, only to pedal to work every day. I even watched the European Track Cycling Championships last year live in Grenchen, deeply impressed by the performance of those athletes on the wooden oval.

Anyhow, my first hand experience with track cycling was limited, so I desperately needed some support for this endeavor. Luckily there are plenty of female cyclists working at DT Swiss, so finding some comrades for my upcoming adventure was an easy task. Still, when finally heading to the Velodrome, I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. What are we to expect? «It's going to be all good.» or something of that sort is what my colleague Daniel greeted us with, sensing our uneasiness. A number of track bikes were already standing there, ready for us to ride. But first we had a short briefing session: The length and grade of the track, the meaning and function of the different lines and zones – safety zone, Côte d'Azur zone, blue line, red line. Côte d'Azur zone?

35


A FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE

SAFETY ZONE, CÔTE D'AZUR, BLUE LINE, RED LINE.

CÔTE D'AZUR? FOR A BRIEF MOMENT I DREAMT OF THOSE MAGNIFICENT BEACHES. 36

For a brief moment I dreamt of those magnificent beaches ... but was abruptly torn out of my daydream when Daniel asked us to get on the bikes. Five meters safety distance between each rider for now, we needed to get acquainted to the bikes first. We started rolling. When rolling along the bottom of the steeply banked curve, I took a little peek to the side. How on earth is it even possible to ride up there? I was about to find out. But for starters we learnt how to ride in a precise line and how to adjust our speed by pedaling actively or passively. After some laps we had the first short break and got our next exercises explained to us. By now I am already hooked. And really, after numerous further laps, building up confidence and skills to go faster and higher, I actually find myself riding almost all the way up at the upper bank. When I finally come to a safe stop, I have a huge grin on my face and am truthfully proud of myself for tackling the track adventure.

SO IN THE END I HAVE AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION: YES – RIDING A FIXIE HAS QUITE A FEW THINGS IN COMMON WITH TRACK CYCLING: ADRENALINE, NO FREEWHEEL & TONS OF FUN!

Daniel Wyder 1988 // open cycling track, Oerlikon

By now over 60 DT Swiss employees have taken an introductory track cycling course with Daniel Wyder


TECH TALK TWO EXPERTS – ONE OPINION. PRODUCT MANAGER STEFAN RIEHLE & RIM DESIGNER ANDREAS TSCHANZ HAVING A CONVERSATION. DISC BRAKES AND ROAD BIKES

38


TECH TALK

TECH TALK

Disc brakes have finally established themselves in road cycling and it is only a matter of time before rim brakes will be the exception to the rule. Despite the discussion about safety in competitive road racing having reached its climax this spring, the presence of disc brake equipped road bikes is undeniable in today's marketplace. Starting from model year 2014 DT Swiss has been offering disc brake specific

wheels for road bikes and therefore can rightfully call itself a pioneer. But it was just last season that this niche market really gained momentum and became a trend. Rim designer Andreas Tschanz and product manager Stefan Riehle talk about what's behind the development process and the challenges disc brakes faced when entering the road cycling world.

PRODUCT STEFAN MANAGER RIEHLE On his own bikes Stefan is exclusively on discs. It is only for testing purposes that you will find him on rim brakes.

Only about three years ago road disc brakes were more or less non-existent. There had been first approaches, but the idea was merely present in some product managers' heads. For about two years now, we've seen a growing interest, which is mostly triggered by the diversification of the road cycling scene. By introducing new road bike concepts with different fields of application, the consumer now starts to see road bikes as more than just an all out competitive race machine. He learns that road bikes can be much more versatile and still maintain their sporty character. It is of no surprise, that especially the fields of cyclo-cross, endurance and gravel riding perceive disc brake equipped bikes as

40

something worth having. But even in other areas like the Aero segment we see the first models with disc brakes entering the market. It's a fact that today many new road bike customers have found their way from mountain biking into the road scene. They see their road bikes as a tool for efficient training and call out for brakes as modern and reliable as they know them from their mountain bikes.

NOT TO FORGET THE QUICKLY INCREASING NUMBER OF WOMEN RIDING ROAD BIKES. DUE TO THEIR DIFFERENT ANATOMIC PREPOSITION, HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKES ARE TANGIBLY IMPROVING WOMENS' RIDE EXPERIENCE BY REQUIRING

LESS FINGER FORCE AND THUS THEY ARE BECOMING A REAL SAFETY ASSET. The percentage of road bikes with disc brakes within our manufacturers' portfolios has increased tremendously in the last two years. Some companies already start to develop nothing but disc brake road bikes. In numbers: In the model year 2014 we sold about twice the number of rim brake wheels over disc specific wheels. In 2015 the number of disc wheels sold already outweighed the rim brake wheels by 16 %.

RIM ANDREAS DESIGNER TSCHANZ From a designer's perspective and an engineering point of view, the strict separation of the braking surface and a part responsible for the structural integrity of a bike is highly desirable and brings along major advantages. Both alloy and composite rim brake sidewalls are not suited to permanently endure high friction situations permanently. A disc brake rotor on the other hand is specifically developed to do just that and does it really well. Basically disc brakes make things easier when developing a rim, since everything regarding brake performance is handled by a specific part, the brake rotor. The benefit of this is a newly gained freedom to achieve a modern rim's main objectives: To either reduce weight or to optimize the ratio between inner rim width and weight. At the same time we naturally strive to maintain the same high level of reliability and quality all DT Swiss products are

renowned for. It's what we have always done and will always keep doing. Our modern road disc rims come with many of the features that made our MTB rims a benchmark. Key words are a secure bead seat, combined with simple tire mounting and an easy and safe tubeless setup. Furthermore the optimized rim flange geometry results in an impressive ratio of inside width to weight, impact resistance and overall reliability. Given the current speed of technological advancements, I am convinced that we will be able to develop wheels of at least the same weight with major improvements in safety and reliability (I am thinking of overheated composite rims here). And all that will come with vastly improved braking performance. On one hand we can minimize the rotational mass in an important area of the wheel by reducing the rim's weight, but on the other hand we have to add some extra material

in the form of the rotor mounts on the hub and by going up in spoke count.

In automotives and motorbikes nowadays no one would even

TO ME, DISC BRAKES MAKE PERFECT SENSE FOR EVERY KIND OF RIDER. THEY BRING ALONG A MASSIVE GAIN IN SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE. IF ASKED, I WILL ADVISE EVERY FRIEND OF MINE TO GO FOR DISC BRAKES WHEN BUYING HIS NEXT BIKE. I do see some challenges though when we come to speak about competitive road racing (things like neutral support, interchangeability without dragging rotors, precisely defined hub spacing and axle standards.) But I am convinced those can be solved and that even there disc brakes will take over sooner or later.

41

consider going back to rim brakes.


A DAY AT WORK WITH PRO -TRIATHLETE ANJA BERANEK, ONE OF THE WORLD'S FASTEST ON THE 70.3 COURSE. CHALLENGE FUERTEVENTURA // 04 / 23 / 2016

42


A DAY AT WORK

BREAKFAST

CHECK-IN

SWIM START

05:00

06:30

08:00

BREAKFAST

CHECK-IN

SWIM START

While at this time most people still sleep soundly, Anja Beranek already is at the breakfast table in her apartment having oatmeal. It's race day! The second race of the season 2016 is about to begin and stakes are high. After an extraordinarily successful season 2015, winning four Ironman races, alongside a silver medal at the Ironman 70.3 European Championship and bronze at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds, Anja wants to take another step forward this season. All preparations during the winter went smoothly and her fitness level is excellent. Now is the time to prove that all the efforts made in training do pay off. The last training sessions have been promising and she knows the Fuerteventura race course by heart. She regularly spends the winter months training on the island, the Challenge Fuerteventura is a bit of a home race to her. To win the race here on her ÂŤhome turfÂť would be something very special for Anja.

90 minutes to go until the official start of the race. Anja has checked in and now routinely does her race preparations: Checking the bike, intaking hydration and nutrition, some stretching and a short warm-up routine. She is calm and talks little. Occasionally she would greet a fellow athlete with a smile, while staying 100% focused. Unlike the hundreds of age group athletes squirming about in the start zone, Anja shows no sign of nervousness.

The starter's gun fires, the pro athletes hurl themselves into the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, giving the spectators at the beach of Las Playitas a stunning scene. The athletes are sprinting the first 100 m from the beach into the water to get a spot in the front group from the beginning on. The specialists and strong swimmers soon form a leading group, followed closely by a group which contains nearly all aspirant athletes for the victory today. Anja, whose strength lies in swimming, is able to position herself well within. She knows that her time will come on the bike, when she can play her strength on the demanding course. But performing well in swimming and cycling is far from enough to win a middle distance race like this. Only those athletes that are able to deliver a strong and consistent performance in all three disciplines get to stand on one of the much desired podium places.

LAS PLAYITAS

TRANSITION ZONE

THIS IS THE ROUTINE OF AN ATHLETE, WHO HAS PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE AND IS CONFIDENT OF HER ABILITIES.

ATLANTIC OCEAN

SWIMMING

44

1,2 mi 23 min 40 sec


A DAY AT WORK

SWIM-TO-BIKE

BIKE COURSE

BIKE-TO-RUN

08:24

10:00

11:10

SWIM-TO-BIKE

BIKE COURSE

BIKE-TO-RUN

After exactly 23 minutes and 40 seconds, Anja gets out of the water – positioned in second place of the women's field. Only Catherine Jameson, the former swimming specialist, did better than her. From the water she has to run barefoot uphill for 800 m to the transition zone. Quickly getting out of the wet suit, into the aero trisuit, and off she goes on her time trialling machine. Only 2 minutes after stepping out of the ocean, she already leaves the transition zone behind. Now she is facing 90 km on the bike, spiced up with 1.500 meters of climbing and some nasty crosswind sections. After a full six weeks of preparation, Anja knows the course by heart. She has a clear strategy in her head, tries not to overpace on the first half – a mistake she has made at the world championship race last summer in Zell am See, Austria. With several strong female cyclists in the pro field, like Britain's Emma Pooley, the Swiss Emma Bilham or the German Carolin Lehrrieder, the race promises to become a suspensepacked one.

The sun scorches down on the asphalt and the leading group is 41 km before transition zone 2. Several athletes already had to pay tribute to the temperatures nearing 30° C and couldn't follow the challenging pace of the fastest. Only 15 km into the race Anja took over the lead of the women's field. On the climbs she is able to further extend her lead despite her competition pushing hard. As so often, she does her own race from the front. After the last steep climb near Pajara she puts her head to the bar and races back to Las Playitas.

With a lead margin of a full 3 minutes, Anja is the first female athlete to enter the transition zone. One can see her strain from the bike split, which in the end she did faster than originally planned. Pushed by the spectators' cheers she leaves the transition zone after only 83 seconds – exactly at the time when runner-up Emma Bilham jumps off her bike and into the transition zone. But has she pushed too hard? Her stride looks tired and short when she starts to tackle the half marathon.

T1

PAJARA

BIKE

56 mi 2 h 41 min 43 sec

T2

ANJA KNOWS THAT SHE HAS TO RUN A CONSTANT PACE OF 4 MIN / KM, TO KEEP HER RIVAL OFF HER BACK – NO EASY TASK WITH THE STILL RISING TEMPERATURES AND THE HILLY RUNNING COURSE AHEAD. But Anja looks determined, quickly munches an energy gel and sets off for the last 21 km of the competition.

47


A DAY AT WORK

CROSSING THE

THE

12:32

DAY

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

THE DAY AFTER

Under the roaring cheers and applause of the spectators Anja Beranek crosses the finish line in first position. With a strong performance on the run she has been able to keep a safe distance from her rivals and takes her first victory of the 2016 season. During the first 5 km of the run, Anja needed to find her rhythm first, which had Emma Bilham come dangerously close, but on the second half she was able to push harder, finishing more than a minute ahead of Bilham in the end. «When I started running, I knew I had to dig deep to win the race. After about half of the running course my legs slowly opened up and I started feeling better. All in all this was a very good day for me, giving me confidence for the upcoming races. Besides, it has always been a dream to once win this race here in the place I call my 2 nd home. It is great this has finally worked out!»

«I AM THRILLED TO HAVE FINALLY WON THE CHALLENGE FUERTEVENTURA. AS A TREAT, I'LL ALLOW MYSELF A DAY AT THE BEACH. BUT I'LL STILL DO A FEW METERS OF SWIMMING.»

FINISH LINE

RUN

48

13,1 mi 1 h 21 min 53 sec

AFTER

OVERALL

1. A. Beranek (GER) 4:29:57 2. E. Bilham (SUI) 4:30:59 3. E. Pooley (GBR) 4:42:26

Anja Beranek is overjoyed as she crosses the finish line of the Challenge Fuerteventura.


MALL ORCA MILES TAKE A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES OF A PRO TRAINING CAMP WITH THE GERMAN STÖLTING PRO CONTINENTAL TEAM. CALA D'OR // JANUARY 2016

50


MALLORCA MILES

THE TEAM & THE ISLAND The newly formed German Pro Team Stölting is preparing for the season on the «Island of cyclists», Majorca.

To be a professional bike racer is no easy job. Day in and day out, 365 days a year, with frequent flyer miles accumulating and hardly a few days spent at home. But there are good sides to the job, too, and those make up for the sacrifices.

DURING THE WINTER MONTHS RIDERS ARE PREPARING IN WARMER CLIMATES FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON WITH ONLY ONE GOAL – TO STACK UP TRAINING MILES! For two weeks the team calls home the quiet town of Cala d'Or on the island’s eastern coast, far away from the partying going on at El Arenal. The entire team, consisting of the riders, mechanics, physiotherapists and assistants are here to become a true team, sworn in and ready to tackle the challenges of the upcoming season.

TEAM RIDERS

A. Kirsch L. Hansen S. Reutter L. Gerdemann

It is still another seven weeks until the season’s opening races. The riders are relaxed and are focused on training, as is the attending staff, having the time to exercise their daily routine in different scenarios behind the scenes. The training sequences on Majorca are a mix of base endurance training spiced up with specific intervals for each type of rider. The racers who want to achieve their peak performance during the classic spring races prepare for the kind of effort these monuments of cycling require. They do a lot of «Moto-Training» at a race pace behind a vehicle or exercise their sprint train to get it right during races. The GC riders who want to peak later in the season, take things a bit more calmly. They collect countless miles and tackle huge climbs at a more constant speed – but even they can be seen sprinting occasionally.

T. Koep M. Pedersen J. Tenbrock R. Guldhammer

R. Lemarchand R. Quaade G. Ciolek L. Kämna

C. Mager M. Reihs M. Svendgaard A. Kamp F. Wegmann

53


MALLORCA MILES

THE TECH NOLOGY

THE TRAINING

& THE EQUIPMENT

& THE RIDERS

While the riders are on the road, the rest of the team is busy. The head coaches follow their riders in cars or – if the coach is Jochen Hahn – sometimes even by bike. The mechanics go ahead building up spare bikes, get to know the new material and make preparations for the first races. On such days one can see numerous tires being glued to DT Swiss tubular wheels. Meanwhile the assistants and physiotherapists prepare the meals and later work with each rider individually. Massages, stretching and building up core strength are another part of the program.

Training rides start at 10:00 am every day. The group around Gerald Ciolek, captain of the sprint team, are up for a 4.5 hour session of steady pedaling with some sprint intervals in between, always along the flat east coast of the island. The group of GC riders Linus Gerdemann and Fabian Wegmann head up to the mountains of the Tramuntana massif for a 6 hour ride with strength intervalls on the climbs. Together they roll out of the hotel's parking lot and astonishingly also come back together about 6 hours later. While the boys in the mountains rode non-stop, the sprinters took the time to have an extended coffee break on the sunny east coast near Cala Millor.

RASMUS GULDHAMMER CALLS HIS PHYSIOTHERAPIST'S MASSAGES «THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY».

54

Each training session is composed of different tasks fitted to the riders' needs.


EBERGER DANIEL BERGER IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF THE E-BIKE BOOM. ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES, DANIEL EXPLAINS HIS PASSION. THEY CALL HIM E-BERGER

56


E-BERGER

E-BERGER

DANIEL BERGER VICE PRESIDENT PRODUCTS 52 YEARS OLD LIVES IN BÄRISWIL (BERN) AT DT SWISS SINCE 1995

Daniel Berger, inside your company you have been given the nick name E-Berger. An honor or an offense? Since I like to be the first to see and pick up trends in the field of mountainbiking, I am more than okay with that nick name.

How did you come across e-bikes at all? After all, you have been mountainbiking since 1980, a true veteran of the sport, and you are also a passionate roadie. I had been observing the e-bike market for some time, but had never gotten into it for two reasons: For one, the existing e-bikes were not sportive enough for my liking. Also, back then we didn't see much potential for DT Swiss in selling wheels or components, because our pricing model just would not work with the OE requirements of those bikes at the time. In October 2014 I had a conversation with Thomas Pressl of KTM at Taichung Bike Week about e-MTBs in general and ended up spontaneously ordering a 125 mm full suspension bike from him. In February 2015 it was delivered and I have been riding this bike only ever since.

58

What's so fascinating to you about e-bikes?

MY SPARE TIME (FOR RIDING BIKES) BESIDES JOB AND FAMILY IS LIMITED. NOW I CAN MAKE BETTER USE OF THE LITTLE TIME I HAVE. WITH A HEALTHY HEART RATE I HAVE A MUCH BIGGER RANGE, INCLUDING EXTENDED CLIMBS. Climbs, preferably with some technical challenges, now are more joy than chore. No matter how I am feeling at the beginning of the ride, I can decide how much assistance I am getting. With a full 700 watts of extra power, I now can do my laps and for once feel like Nino Schurter.

What's going on in the e-bike development? What kind of pedal assist bikes will we see in 5-10 years? Due to my age I have gone through the entire evolution of mobile phones. With e-bikes I don't see us all the way at the beginning when we still had telescoping antennas on the phones, but we are quite a few years from getting to the equivalent of a smart phone. Electronics are going to enter the cycling industry and

since we already have a central battery on e-bikes, further integration is simply going to progress. More elegant bikes are going to come along – like the ones by Rotwild or Specialized which are currently leading the way. I think we will also see more integration in terms of drive train, suspension, and lighting, likely even some form of gearbox and many things we haven't even thought about yet. Segmentation and specialization of bikes has already gone a long way, but I'd guess there will be even more, addressing very specific groups of riders.

What market share will electric and standard bikes eventually have? Will we be seeing a complete electrification of our performance bikes? I tend to think so. Already now we see normal commuter / city and trekking bikes from 1500.- Euros and more being replaced by e-bike equivalents. In the more sportive segments like mountain bikes, I dare to guess that in about 5 years from now about 80 % of the bikes priced 5.000.- Euro and higher will be e-MTBs.

Speaking of sport: How do you think the electrification is going to affect the competitive side of biking in general? Will we soon be dealing with things like «electro doping», hidden motors or could there even be an e-World Cup entertaining the masses? That's hard to say. E-MTB races are already happening and will become more mainstream, not only because the industry is pushing them. What format will establish itself is something to be seen. No doubt, these are exciting times. Part of the equation will be about your own power, smart allocation of how to use the battery's limited capacity, raising the average speed, riding finesse and maybe even the distance covered. Concerning hidden motors, there already is a heated discussion since a cross racer has been caught with one in Belgium.

What are the targets of e-bike specific product development at DT Swiss? E-bikes put higher loads on many components, especially the chain, cassette and wheels, due to their increased mass, higher mileage and added torque. With our existing portfolio, be it wheels or other components, we are already putting out high quality products,

many of which are suitable for e-bikes. Nonetheless we are working on even better components, particularly for e-MTBs with their specific requirements.

THE BOOMING MARKET OF E-BIKES ALREADY WORKS WELL FOR US, SINCE LESS RELIABLE PRODUCTS REACH THEIR LIMITS MUCH SOONER. Do you see a pedal assist high-end road bike coming? I am sceptical about that. And if it does, it will only come with a very compact motor for assistance on the very steep climbs only. For road riding I still prefer a very light and sporty bike without any pedal assist.

Your best experience ever on an e-bike? It is hard to really narrow it down to only one. For me it definitely has been the various alpine trips I did this year – up into places, which without assistance I never would have reached in such frequency, due to my limited time resources.

59


ADAPT

SUSPEN SION

VALVE CAP (Markings indicate the current APT setting.)

AIR-SPRING TOP CAP VOLUME SPACER

DIFFERENT RIDERS – DIFFERENT SETUPS. USE YOUR FORK TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL. DT SWISS SUSPENSION LABS

THE MATCHING SETUP FOR YOUR RIDING STYLE

SPRING RATE

INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTABLE

LIGHTWEIGHT

AND EASY TO HANDLE

60


FORCE

SHOULD I REALLY CARE ABOUT THE

SPRING CURVES APT 3 spacers (Standard) APT 2 spacers APT 1 spacers APT 0 spacers TRAVEL

Jenny Rissveds – U23 Cross Country World Cup Champion – 123 pounds – riding style: light-footed & precise – APT setting: 1 spacer

62

The new APT system allows to perfectly adapt a DT Swiss suspension fork's spring rate to the individual rider's weight and riding style.

it more linear. All you need to do is deflate the fork, unscrew the air chamber's top cap and add or remove APT spacers. This is all a very simple procedure.

By adding or removing volume spacers from the air chamber one can alter the fork's progression. It is the air spring's proprietary characteristic to become more progressive with a smaller air volume at the same stroke. So, adding spacers makes the air spring more progressive, removing spacers makes

Unlike most competitors' systems, APT by DT Swiss has the same adjustment range independent of the fork's travel and model. This guarantees that every rider, whether a lightweight or a heavy hitter, can find his or her perfect setup with every DT Swiss suspension fork.

PROGRESSION OF MY SUSPENSION FORK? YES YOU SHOULD. DUE TO THE BIG DIFFERENCES IN RIDERS' WEIGHTS AND RIDING STYLES, ONE SINGLE STANDARD SETUP CAN NEVER BE TRULY PERFECT FOR EVERYONE. Therefore it makes a lot of sense to care. Heavy riders should go for a more progressive tune, while lighter riders will do better with a more linear tune. Less experienced bikers, riding more flowy trails, also

often benefit from a more linear tune. This helps them make full use of the available travel. More skilled, experienced and aggressive riders, who ride rough terrain, usually benefit from more progression. This way the fork always has a safety reserve, even when ridden very hard. At the same time the overall bike control is improved, because the fork does not dive as much under heavy breaking or hard cornering – the bike's geometry remains stable and the bike's handling is more consistent.

Jérôme Hoffmann – DT Swiss Suspension Engineer & hobby endurist – 200 pounds – riding style: like a tank – APT setting: 3 spacers

63


R 414 DEVELOP MENT THE NEW R 414 SHOCK IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE PASSION WE PUT INTO EVERY DT SWISS PRODUCT – AND IT RODE DIRECTLY FROM OUR TESTING GROUNDS TO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. DEVELOPMENT // 12 / 01 / 2014 – 03 / 31 /2016

64


R 414 DEVELOPMENT

R 414 DEVELOPMENT

23 mm

25 mm

GLOSSY

1.5 mm grooves, graphic pattern

DESIGN R 414

MATTE

3.5 mm

GLOSSY

AS A TECHNICAL CONCEPT the R 414 was first laid out in CAD.

THE DESIGN CONCEPT and technical requirements then had to be aligned.

FEATURES LIKE THE SHAPE & FUNCTION of the O.D.L lever were revised during that process between designers and engineers.

GRAPHIC ELEMENTS & SURFACE FINISHES were defined and variations were tested on prototypes.

FURTHER ITERATIONS e.g. of the grooves acting as a graphic element and grip were prototyped and tested.

AS A RESULT, the elegant conical silhouette of the R 414 has just the right air volumes for both the positive- and negative air chamber. Form & Function are perfectly united.

GREAT PRODUCT. GREAT DESIGN.

66

67


R 414 DEVELOPMENT

R 414 DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENT R 414 Parallel to developing the design, lots of testing sessions were done. To get a perfect product, one needs to pay attention to the basic functions and to little details alike – from the ideal spring rate to the right feel of the clicks on the rebound damping dial. The shock's sensitivity has been greatly improved by the new Liné-Air air chamber with its huge negative air spring volume and by modifications on the compression damping piston. Additionally, we optimized the rebound unit to better handle fast, repetitive

hits. Our suspension engineer Sam Zbinden's work place is both in the lab and out on the trails – trails he has built himself and as a professional DH rider also knows how to ride. This is how a truly refined product with a very low weight and high reliability – like all DT Swiss products – comes to be. The R 414: Super sensitive, great support in the mid stroke and a well defined end stroke progression.

WINNING R 414 Since our athletes like Nino Schurter are always involved in the product development process, Nino also received a working prototype of the R 414 for testing. Initially developed for trail rides which turn out a little rougher, it was never meant to be used on Nino's hardcore, trimmed down XC race bike. But

sometimes things go differently. Nino was so happy with the R 414's performance, that he chose to race the prototype he had received just in time for the Val di Sole World Cup. He won the race and went on to win the World Championship in Vallnord on that same shock.

Nino with a huge smile on his face. – a smile all DT Swiss employees shared with him.

Nino's Bike with the prototype shock, Val di Sole 2015


WHEELS MTB FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dtswiss.com SPLINE®

XRC 1200

SPLINE®

XMC 1200

XR 1501

SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE® ONE

XM 1501

XM 1501 SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE® ONE

27.5 / 29 1330 g / 1425 g 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1410 g / 1495 g 24 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1475 g / 1535 g 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1550 g / 1635 g 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1570 g / 1645 g 25 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1670 g / 1760 g 30 mm inner width

27.5 1780 g 35 mm inner width

27.5 1880 g 40 mm inner width

EX 1501

EX 1501

SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE®

X 1700

M 1700

M 1700

E 1700

X 1900 SPLINE®

SPLINE®

27.5 / 29 1690 g / 1770 g 25 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1760 g 30 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1610 g / 1680 g 20 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1705 g / 1785 g 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 1835 g 30 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1840 g / 1910 g 25 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1770 g / 1865 g 20 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 1845 g / 1940 g 22.5 mm inner width

E 1900

FR 1950 CLASSIC

CLASSIC

27.5 / 29 1905 g / 2000 g 25 mm inner width

27.5 2020 g 27.5 mm inner width

26 2230 g 76 mm inner width

SPLINE® ONE

SPLINE®

70

BR 2250

XM 1501

SPLINE®

SPLINE®

SPLINE®

XM 1501

XM 1501

M 1900


WHEELS ROAD FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dtswiss.com

RRC 65

RRC 2.0

DISC DICUT®

DICUT® OXIC

DICUT® DB

DICUT®

DICUT®

1405 g / 1550 g tubular / clincher

780 g tubular

1435 g clincher

1445 g clincher

1415 g clincher

1535 g clincher

RC 28

RC 38

RC 28

1250 g clincher

1180 g / 1295 g tubular / clincher

DICUT®

SPLINE® MON CHASSERAL

R 32

72

SPLINE® MON CHASSERAL

R 32

PR 1400

RR 21

R 20

SPLINE®

SPLINE® DB

SPLINE®

RC 38

RC 38

SPLINE® DB

SPLINE®

TRACK

1385 g clincher

1325 g clincher

1310 g / 1395 g tubular / clincher

1325 g / 1455 g tubular / clincher

1405 g / 1575 g tubular / clincher

1645 g / 1810 g tubular / clincher

R 23

RC 28

RR 21

R 23

R 24

R 24

SPLINE®

SPLINE® DB

SPLINE®

SPLINE® DB

SPLINE®

SPLINE® DB

1735 g clincher

1720 g clincher

1605 g clincher

1655 g clincher

1725 g clincher

1775 g clincher

RC 55

RC 55


RIMS MTB & ROAD

XR 331

XR 361

X 392

XM 401

XM 421

XM 481

XM 521

XM 551

26 / 27.5 / 29 20 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 22.5 mm inner width asymmetric

27.5 / 29 20 mm inner width

26 / 27.5 / 29 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 25 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 30 mm inner width

27.5 35 mm inner width

27.5 40 mm inner width

M 442

M 502

EX 471

EX 511

E 512

533 db

FR 570

BR 710

27.5 / 29 22.5 mm inner width

27.5 30 mm inner width

26 / 27.5 / 29 25 mm inner width

27.5 30 mm inner width

27.5 / 29 25 mm inner width

26 / 27.5 / 29 25 mm inner width

26 / 27.5 27.5 mm inner width

26 76 mm inner width

RR 411

RR 411db

RR 440

RR 511

RR 511db

R 460

R 460db

700 c 18 mm inner width

700 c 18 mm inner width

700 c 16 mm inner width

700 c 18 mm inner width

700 c 18 mm inner width

700 c 18 mm inner width

700 c 18mm inner width

TK 540

TK 540db

535

545db

700 c 19 mm inner width

700 c 19 mm inner width

26 / 700 c 19 mm inner width

26 / 700 c 21 mm inner width

FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dtswiss.com

74


SUSPEN SION & HUBS

OPM O.D.L

OPM O.D.L

R 414

X 313 O.D.L

X 313 O.D.L

27.5 / 29 1410 g (100 mm / 27.5) 100 mm /120 mm

27.5 / 29 1540 g (100 mm / 27.5) 100 mm /120 mm / 130 mm / 140 mm / 150 mm

165 x 38 184 x 44 190 x 50 200 x 50 / 55 210 x 50 / 55 216 x 63

165 x 38 190 x 50 200 x 50 / 55

165 x 38 190 x 50 200 x 50 / 55

180

240 S

240 S

350

540

TRACK

RACE

CARBON

FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dtswiss.com

CARBON CERAMIC

TANDEM

76

CLASSIC

CLASSIC

STRAIGHTPULL

CLASSIC

350

STRAIGHTPULL


SPOKES & NIPPLES

DT CHAMPION®

DT CHAMPION®

DT COMPETITION®

DT COMPETITION®

DT COMPETITION® RACE

DT COMPETITION® RACE

DT SUPER COMP®

DT REVOLUTION®

DT ALPINE®

DT ALPINE® III

DT AEROLITE®

DT AEROLITE®

DT AERO SPEED®

DT NEW AERO®

DT AERO COMP®

DT AERO COMP®

CLASSIC

STRAIGHTPULL

CLASSIC

STRAIGHTPULL

CLASSIC

STRAIGHTPULL

FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dtswiss.com

CLASSIC

STRAIGHTPULL

CLASSIC

DT STANDARD BRASS

STRAIGHTPULL

DT STANDARD ALUMINUM

DT PRO HEAD® BRASS

DT HIDDEN ALUMINUM

DT SQUORX PRO HEAD® BRASS

78

DT SQUORX PRO HEAD® ALUMINUM


TOOLS & ACCESS ORIES FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

TRUING

TENSIO

NIPPLE

SPOKEY

AERO SPOKE

STAND

TOOL

WRENCH

TOOL

HOLDER

SINC CERAMIC

ROTOR CONVERSION

TUBELESS READY

TUBELESS

RIM BRAKE PADS

KITS

KITS

TAPES

RWS

RWS

RWS

RWS

RWS PLUG IN

VALVES

FOR CARBON RIMS

www.dtswiss.com

TITAN

FOR X-12

80

STEEL

THRU AXLE

THRU BOLT

RWS

THRU AXLE

RWS E-THRU



dtswiss.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.