The FR 541 may not be your first rim, but it aspires to be the last. The new rim shape improves the impact resistance, enabling you to push a little harder on the trails. It also enhances the pinch flat protection for a trusty ride on rougher tracks. Build this rim with care and it will reward you with resistance and lightness for a long-lasting bond.

 

 

FEATURES

 

Why Wide?
A wider rim provides improved tire support which allows lower pressure and leads to less rolling resistance on rough tracks.

30mm Inner Width - Less Rolling Resistance
Cross Country wheels are made to be fast and this makes it necessary to reduce resistance where possible. On a rough surface, rolling resistance can be up to 69% of total resistance.

Rolling resistance is defined as: rolling resistance coefficient x weight x gravitational acceleration. Whereas the coefficient is defined by the wheel size, tire section, tire characteristics, tire pressure, tread, soil.

While most of those factors cannot be influenced by the wheel, we can modify the tire support.
A wider rim provides improved tire support which allows lower pressure and leads to less rolling resistance on rough tracks.

Higher Tire Support - Allowing Lower Pressure
During cornering, lateral forces occur which act on the tire. The contact patch of the tire moves in the opposite direction to the lateral force.

When riding through a corner with a narrow rim, the contact patch of the tire is no longer above the flange of the narrow rim. The tire is no longer supported by the rim and folds, resulting in an unstable riding experience. This folding creates tension over the tire which pulls on the opposite bead and causes a loss of air between the tire bead and the rim bed, so called tire burping.

The tire contact patch of the wide rim is inside the rim flanges. The side wall of the tire is supported by the wide rim which increases control. A wider rim can therefore be ridden with lower air pressure than a narrower rim.

Lower Air Pressure - Less Rolling Resistance
A wheel with low tire pressure will roll better over rough surfaces than a wheel with high pressure, as the tire can adapt better to the ground. A wheel with high air pressure cannot absorb obstacles and the bike must move upwards, comparable to lifting work, which increases rolling resistance. Less air pressure leads to less fatigue, because as a rider you also have less lifting work to do.

 

Nipple Technology
The interface between spoke and nipple is highly important for the durability of a wheel. A good reason for DT Swiss to continuosly improve and fine-tune the DT Swiss nipple range in line with the different requirements of the various cycling-disciplines. All nipples are available with or without the locking system DT Pro Lock.

DT Squorx Pro Head^®
DT Squorx Pro Head^® nipples combine ease of use, lightweight and optimum performance in a single product. The DT Pro Head shape combined with both a torx and a square tool interface makes wheel building a lot easier. The spherical contact surface aligns the nipple perfectly with the spoke.

DT Standard
DT standard nipples are made of brass or aluminum. In addition to silver and black these nipples are available in the colors gold, green, blue, turquoise, violet and red, matching the color of any wheel. Through the square interface and the slot on top, they are suitable for traditional wheel building.

 

 

 

PHR Technology
The PHR system increases the load-bearing surface of the nipples on the rim and reduces localized stresses. Peak loads are reduced allowing us to build the rim even lighter. The shape of the washer also acts as a ball joint and automatically aligns the specific DT Squorx Pro Head® ball head nipples with the spoke, further reducing the risk of spoke failure or rim cracking.

 

 

 

DT Pro Lock Technology
DT Pro Lock is a process where a dual compound, adhesive liquid is injected into the nipple thread, allowing for extremely durable wheel builds. By threading the nipple onto the spoke the adhesive is activated and starts to harden. Re-truing the wheel is still possible after the adhesive has hardened completely, with only a minimal decrease of its thread-lock function.