DT Swiss receives the rim profiles from suppliers in straight form - so-called extrusions - where the aluminum alloy and the profile are delivered according to the requirements of the Biel-based company. In the first step, the profile, which is around six meters long, runs into a bending machine in which five rollers bend the "flat" into a "round" shape. The intermediate product is a so-called bent extrusion, the basis for three rims.

Bending the profile into a circle is the most demanding and decisive work process for a dimensionally accurate and precise rim, as a bent profile/rim ring can no longer be straightened afterwards. The bending rollers are manufactured specifically for the respective rim models - the rim size or the wheel format in inches can be influenced by the angle of the wheels through which the rim profile passes during the bending process.

The bending process is followed by sawing the rim rings into three individual rim blanks. After sawing, the rim has already reached its final shape, but still needs to be welded or processed into a perfect round piece using a plug-in technique. All welded rims sold by DT Swiss worldwide are produced exclusively at the company's headquarters in Biel. In the welded rims, the ends of the ring are joined by a weld seam. Inside the profile, an insert is attached to the rim joint - this insert is machined so that the insert is welded to the rim to form a single unit.

A machine removes the excess material from the weld seam. An employee applies the final polish by hand to perfectly finish and polish the rim joint - the point where the profile ends meet.

Once the aluminum profile has been bent into a perfectly round ring, the spoke holes and the valve hole are drilled. Once the rims have been drilled with these holes, a vibrating and washing machine is used to remove chips and oily production residues from the profile.

In the case of non-disc rims, the braking surface is treated separately and receives a polish to increase braking performance and emerges shiny from the machining process.

Lorscheider concludes the rim production by pointing out that spoke eyelets are no longer necessary nowadays, as the processed aluminum offers sufficient strength. However, the eyelet look is still in demand, especially for racing bikes.

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