3T DISCUS 45/40 (HG) WHEETSET
DISCUS 45|40 WHEELS
The world’s widest aero wheels, significantly improving the aerodynamics of big road and gravel tires from 35mm WAM to MTB tires.
Designed for the real world, and for the gravel roads in that world, people want to use 700x35-40c tires. It’s useless to put a narrow aero rim behind such a tire. You’d be adding the weight without the aero benefit of such a wheel as the airflow never really “sees” the rim.
After testing two dozen prototype wheels in the tunnel, the Discus 45 | 40 LTD was born. 45mm deep for good aerodynamics without excessive cross wind vulnerability. 40mm wide to match up those 35-40mm tires. The result is speed never seen before on gravel roads. And while the shape is optimized for the 3T Exploro, the Discus 45 | 40 LTD makes any gravel bike faster.
NOSETAIL DESIGN
Similar to the Discus 45 | 32 LTD, the Discus 45 | 40 uses the NoseTail design to squeeze 60mm deep rim performance in a 45mm profile.
By definition rim design is a compromise, because it whatever shape is aerodynamic on the front half doesn’t work so well 180 degrees later when it’s backwards. The NoseTail shape was developed by the legendary Dave Kennedy (an aerodynamics professional for over 50(!) years) and 3T’s Head of Design Gerard Vroomen. The NoseTail actually sacrifices some performance on the front half of the wheel in favor of working better on the back half.
Not only do the two effects cancel each other out, but the resulting shape also requires less rim depth and better guides the airflow from the rear of the front wheel onto the downtube. This is particularly helpful on the Exploro RaceMax where the downtube is positioned in close proximity to the front tire.
CARBON-TI HUBS
Carbon-Ti makes some of the lightest and most sophisticated hubs in the bike industry, right here in Italy. We’ve used them for a long time on our own wheels and decided that with the Discus 45 | 40 LTD being the ultimate wheels, they deserved the ultimate hubs.
SEALANT-RESISTANT
You may have heard of wheels destroyed by aggressive sealant. That’s why we use chrome-plated brass nipples (much more durable than alloy) with stainless steel washers & spokes. For best results, we recommend avoiding alkaline sealants with ammonia or sodium hydroxide.
FREEHUB OPTIONS
The Discus 45 | 40 wheelset is available with standard and xD-R drivers (select the version you need when ordering). There is also a conversion kit available should you want to switch or upgrade to a different driver system in the future.
