Pros
- Robust
- Fast
- Price
Cons
- Dual sided rear hub isn't necessary
Price as reviewed:
£1,049.98
The latest track wheelset from DT Swiss is the first full track specific wheelset that the Swiss company has released, previously relying on Japanese component giant, Shimano for the hubs. DT Swiss RC 55 Track T wheelset offers up a great carbon track upgrade.
>>> Best track bikes: a buyer’s guide
DT Swiss RC 55 Track T wheelset features DT Swiss’s first track-specific hub; it looks remarkably like the Shimano Dura-Ace hubs they’ve used in the past, however, use all the know how and technology from the DT Swiss archive and inserted DT Swiss internals – such as its gold standard bearings all but a few companies rely on – to improve on what was a decent wheel to start with.
The rim is also DT Swiss produced and is a 55mm deep carbon rim with a 21mm rim width. The UD carbon feels solid, looks smart with its matte style finish and has so far withstood the rough and tumble of general track racing, training and constant travel that track racing brings.
Video: a beginners guide to the team pursuit
Track wheelsets need to be fast, stiff and aero – DT Swiss’s RC 55 Track T wheelset offers all that and they’ve managed to make them relatively lightweight too. I’ve felt no flex and they feel pretty stable at high speed too, I’ve noticed the odd twitch whilst racing but nothing alarming.
Speed pick up is as expected and I’ve not been concerned about any cross wind issues, only a real issue on the outdoor velodromes.
>>> Do you need carbon wheels?
Changing your gearing is a regular occurrence in track cycling, so to is chucking the bike in the car to travel to races or training sessions. This means regular wheel changes. This used to play havoc with the previous hub set-up, causing the cones to over tighten regularly. I’ve had no such problems with the RC 55s.
In the eight months of testing now, I’ve not had to play around with the hubs at all and they still run really smooth, that is even after some horrible down pours mid-race at track league last summer at Herne Hill velodrome.
Verdict
A decent set of upgrade track wheels that will be able to tackle training and racing. They are robust yet still remain a great performance wheelset. If you are looking for a decent deep carbon wheel then you can't go wrong with the DT Swiss RC 55 Track T wheelset.
Details
Contact: www.madison.co.uk
Weight: 1,645g
