DT Swiss has folded its anti-pedal-kickback "Degrees of Freedom" freehub into the entire 2026 1700 wheel range — alloy and carbon, XC to e-MTB — turning adjustable, switch-off-able kickback control from a paid upgrade into a standard feature.
What's actually new in the 1700 line
DT Swiss has rebuilt its mid-tier 1700 mountain bike wheel family around one idea: making Degrees of Freedom (DF), its anti-pedal-kickback freehub, standard kit rather than an optional after-purchase. The range now spans four models — the trail/down-country XM 1700, all-mountain/enduro EX 1700, e-MTB HX 1700 and carbon XC XRC 1700 — each on category-specific, front- and rear-specific asymmetric rims with a 30 mm internal width.
The wheels keep DT's hand-built, individually-catalogued construction and run SRAM XD and Shimano Micro Spline freehub bodies (the EX also offers Shimano HG), per Bikepacking and the original road.cc report. The e-MTB HX gets a reinforced hub shell and a steel freehub body to survive the extra torque.
Degrees of Freedom: how the anti-kickback hub works
Pedal kickback is the feedback you feel through the cranks when a bike's suspension compresses and the chain tugs back on the freehub. DF tackles it by letting the freehub spin a set amount before the ratchet engages — a deliberate slice of dead space that decouples chain tension from suspension movement. Crucially, it's tunable to 0°, 10° or 20° (0° or 10° on the higher-torque e-MTB hub), so you can wind it right off if it's not for you.
It's elegant because it adds nothing to maintain: the system resets itself passively. As DT Swiss explains, the wheel's own freewheel drag pushes the mechanism back into place — no extra parts, no extra service interval, and, per Bikerumor's measurements, it actually shaves about 3 g versus standard DEG internals.
“By allowing the freehub to rotate a specific range before engaging, the influence of the chain on the rear suspension is reduced.”
By the numbers
Source: road.cc / Bikepacking
The four 1700 models, compared
2026 DT Swiss 1700 range
| XM 1700 | EX 1700 | HX 1700 (e-MTB) | XRC 1700 (carbon) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline | Trail / down-country | All-mountain / enduro | e-MTB | XC race |
| Construction | Alloy | Alloy | Alloy | Carbon, hookless |
| Claimed weight | 1825 g | 1916 g | 2019 g | 1410 g |
| Engagement | 72t | 72t | 60t | 54t |
| Degrees of Freedom | 0–20° | 0–20° | 0–10° | None |
| Internal width | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| US price, pair | $863 (~R14 200) | $863 (~R14 200) | $875 (~R14 400) | $1,499 (~R24 700) |
Specs: Bikepacking
View data table
| Claimed weight (g) | |
|---|---|
| XRC 1700 (carbon) | 1410 g |
| XM 1700 | 1825 g |
| EX 1700 | 1916 g |
| HX 1700 (e-MTB) | 2019 g |
The pricing story is the other headline. In the US, the alloy XM and EX land at $863 (~R14 200) a pair and the e-MTB HX at $875 (~R14 400), while the carbon XRC comes in at $1,499 (~R24 700) — cheap by modern carbon-wheel standards, which is largely why The Radavist flagged the line as a value pick. In Europe, the EX 1700 Classic (J-bend spokes) is listed at €749.80 (~R14 100) and weighed 2,010 g for the 29" pair on test.
What the reviewers say
Three takes on DF in the wild
Independent verdicts from across the cycling press — follow each link for the full review.
Discreet, agile and good value
“On the trail, the wheelset is pleasantly discrete – and that's meant as a compliment. The EX 1700 CLASSIC delivers agile, direct handling without feeling overly harsh or nervous.”
Read the full review10° is the trail sweet spot
“For most trail riding, I settled on the middle 10° setting. A lot of times, I don't notice that it's there, and only when the track gets especially rough does it seem to shine.”
Read the full reviewEffective and adjustable — but noisy
“As DF engages under pedalling while in one of the freedom modes, it lets out a hell of a clunk.”
Read the full review“Somewhere near the peak of the value/performance curve is the DT Swiss 1700 wheel lineup.”
DEG DF upgrade kit — road.cc's verdict (8/10)
- Effective, adjustable pedal-kickback reduction
- Can be turned fully off (0° setting)
- Easy to install on existing DEG hubs
- Lighter than standard DT Swiss internals
- Can create an unusual pedalling character
- Fiddly to adjust (ratchets must be re-seated)
- Initial engagement produces a harsh clunk
- Only works with DT Swiss DEG hubs
Tap to vote — see how readers lean
Buying in South Africa
DT Swiss is widely stocked through South African distributors and shops, and the existing 1700-series alloy wheels and DEG hubs already turn up locally. Below we surface live ZAR prices from the BikeBuy catalogue where we can match the model — bear in mind the brand-new 2026 versions with DF-as-standard may take a little while to filter into local stock.
Degrees of Freedom — your questions answered
What is pedal kickback? +
It's the feedback you feel through the pedals when the rear suspension compresses and the chain pulls back on the freehub. On bikes with lots of suspension movement it can make the bike feel harsh over repeated hits.
How many degrees should I run, and which is best? +
The alloy hubs offer 0°, 10° and 20° (e-MTB hubs do 0° and 10°). Reviewers generally settled on 10° as the trail sweet spot, reserving 20° for very rough descents or frames with high anti-squat. 0° turns the system off.
Does DF add weight or extra maintenance? +
No. DT Swiss says it adds no weight, Bikerumor measured it about 3 g lighter than standard DEG internals, and it resets itself passively as the wheel freewheels — so there's no extra servicing.
Can I add DF to DT Swiss wheels I already own? +
Yes, if your wheels use a Ratchet DEG hub. The standalone DEG DF upgrade kit retrofits the ratchet rings — road.cc lists it at about £145 (~R3 200), and Bikerumor quotes roughly $176 (~R2 900) / €130 (~R2 400) with the removal tool.
Which 1700 models get DF — and what about the carbon one? +
The alloy XM, EX and HX (e-MTB) all ship with DF. The carbon XC-race XRC 1700 is the exception: it keeps a 54-tooth Ratchet SL hub and does not include Degrees of Freedom.
Sources & further reading
- DT Swiss's new 1700 wheel line gets Degrees of Freedom as standard — road.cc
- Degrees of Freedom — technology explainer — DT Swiss
- DT Swiss 1700 MTB Wheels: full spec intro — Bikepacking.com
- New DT Swiss 1700 wheel lineup: asymmetric rims, anti-kickback, affordable carbon — The Radavist
- DT Swiss EX 1700 Classic on review — ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine
- DT Swiss Degrees of Freedom upgrade kit review (8/10) — road.cc
- DT Swiss DEG DF puts an affordable anti-kickback device in wheels you already ride — Bikerumor
Making Degrees of Freedom standard across the alloy 1700 wheels is the quiet kind of upgrade that matters: a genuinely useful suspension tweak that's free at the point of purchase, adds no weight, needs no maintenance and can be switched off in seconds if you hate it. The catch is character — that engagement clunk is real, and the 20° setting won't suit everyone. But with sharp pricing (especially the carbon XRC), reinforced e-MTB hubs and proven reviews behind the tech, this looks like one of the most sensible mid-range wheel updates of the year. South African buyers should watch for local stock and use the price tracker above to catch the older-spec deals as the new versions land.
