DT Swiss redefined how bikers change their wheels, then faced an uphill climb to hold off its IP pursuers after being imitated at a trade show

Hartmut Schütte

DT Swiss has rewritten the history of switching tyres on racing bikes. For 80 years, you had to rely on a version of the clamp, originally devised by the legendary Italian racer, Tullio Campagnolo, as he was making a long solo climb into the Alps with two gears.