Drive 40D Disc Brake

The Drive 40D is dedicated to those who want an all-rounder that is more geared towards riding in the hills and mountains. The wheelset features carbon spokes, light and stiff UNI carbon fiber as well as high precision, ceramic bearing hubs. It is tubeless ready and has the added benefit of having a 21mm internal rim width. The Drive 40D is for those who want a pro-level wheelset. It comes in at only 1260g for the pair.

– Carbon Spoke Wheelset
– Disc Brake Wheelset
– Brake Interface: Center Lock by default
– Axle: Thru axle by default (Need QR adapters?)

– Custom option for different rim depths

*Availability Status: Out of stock

US$1,189.00

(20 customer reviews)

Which freehub should I choose?

Optional accessories
Drive 40D Black Hub
This item: Drive 40D Disc Brake
US$1,189.00
US$1,189.00
X-RIDE: Extended Warranty
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US$100.00
Center-lock to 6-bolt Adapters
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Original price was: US$16.00.Current price is: US$12.00.
Center-lock Lockrings
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Original price was: US$9.00.Current price is: US$6.00.
Rim
Wheel Size700c
Tire CompatibilityClincher/ Tubeless
Bead TypeHooked
Rim Depth40mm
Inner Width21mm
Outer Width28mm
Other
Rim FinishGlossy Marbling Black
ExtrasPre-installed Rim Tape & Tubeless Valves
Weight (Pair)1260±30g (without tubeless valves and rim tape)
Rider Weight Limit275lbs/125kg
Compatible Tire Sizes700 x 25-38C
Recommended Tire Sizes700 x 25-30C
CertificationUCI Approved, CE Certified
Hub
Front Hub Spacing12x100mm
Rear Hub Spacing12x142mm
BearingS&S Ceramic
Brake CompatibilityDisc (Center Lock)
Freehub Type4 Pawls
Freehub CompatibilityShimano / SRAM XDR / Campagnolo
Spoke
Front Spoke Pattern2X/Radial (2:1)
Rear Spoke Pattern2X/1X (2:1)
Spoke Count21F/24R
Spoke TypeCarbon Spoke (3.2mm)
Nipple TypeAlloy Secure Lock
Spare Spokes4PCS
Drive 40mm disc brake carbon spoke wheelset Rims

DRIVE RIMS

At Elitewheels, we design our Drive wheels to match the needs of professional riders. In order to deliver the best performance, we incorporate our own UNI carbon fiber, a specific ratio of T800 and T1000 carbon fiber (*Read more about UNI technology), making rims not only strong, but also exceptionally light and stiff. The U/V-shaped rim profile of the Drive 40D was chosen to make the rim both aero as well as stable in windy conditions. The Drive 40D’s 21mm inner rim allows for wider tires to be run, allowing for more comfort and grip.

Drive 40mm disc brake carbon spoke wheelset Rims
Drive 40D performance hub

PERFORMANCE HUB

To get the most out of carbon fiber spokes, we specifically designed the hub with high flanges to further increase lateral stiffness and improve handling. Elitewheels manufactures its own high precision hubs with Fanuc CNC machines, which can machine to tolerances of just 0.02mm. This not only allows for lower rolling resistance but also increases bearing longevity.

Discover the Hub Sound Here

Drive 40mm disc brake wheelset Carbon Spokes

CARBON SPOKES

What separates the Drive 40D from most other wheels is its use of high-modulus carbon spokes. They are 3.2mm wide aero bladed spokes, offering 7% more lateral stiffness as compared to equivalent steel spokes. The carbon spokes are mechanically secured, giving the benefit of being able to be trued and maintained just like regular steel spokes. Anti-loosening technology is also incorporated into the spoke nipples. The threads built into the nipples give them a double-locking effect.

Read more about CARBON SPOKES.

Drive 40mm disc brake wheelset Carbon Spokes
Drive 40D ceramic bearings

CERAMIC BEARINGS

The 40D’s front hub uses two 6803 mixed ceramic bearings. The rear hub uses one 6903 and three 6803 mixed ceramic bearings. These large bearings offer better rigidity. The use of mixed ceramic bearings will allow you to have a more efficient bike, saving you precious watts.

Read more about ceramic bearings.

Which brands’ freehubs are compatible with Drive wheelsets?+

Since the hubs used in Drive wheels are manufactured in Elitewheels’ factory, freehubs from other brands are incompatible. The hubs used in Drive wheels have passed our 20,000km test. As long as you ride in normal conditions, the possibility of the freehub getting damaged is very low. If you ride in extreme conditions, we recommend you clean the freehub every 3000km.

Which cassettes require the 1.85mm spacer?+

1.85mm spacers are required for Shimano 9/10-speed cassettes fitted on Shimano HG freehubs. Spacers are also required when pairing most SRAM XD MTB cassettes with SRAM XDR freehubs.

Can I use disc brake wheels on my QR (quick release) compatible frame?+

Yes. Please click the link and add the Thru-axles to QR Adapters to your cart with the wheelset.

Why don't our disc brake wheelsets come with thru-axles?+

Unlike quick releases, there are many thru-axle standards. What you need depends on your frame's make and model. There are many thread types, such as M12x1.0mm, M12x1.5mm, M12x1.75mm, etc... For example, M12 means the outer thread diameter is 12mm, and 1.0mm means the thread pitch is 1.0mm. Because of the variety of standards, we do not provide thru-axles. If you need a new thru-axle(s), please contact your frame brand for more information.

Is there an internal nipple option?+

Internal nipples are not available because the nipples for carbon spokes are specially processed. The contact angle between spokes and spoke holes is extremely important. Spokes should not directly come into contact the rim directly, otherwise there would be a high likelihood of having spoke break.

Can I change to 6-bolt?+

Yes. Drive wheels use center lock hubs by default, but if you want to use 6-bolt, please click the link and add the Center-lock to 6-bolt Adapters to your cart with the wheelset.

Are ceramic bearings easily broken?+

As all our our hubs have high-precision manufacturing tolerances, bearing play is significantly reduced. Because of this, the likelihood of bearings being damaged is extremely low.

What does the rider weight limit include?+

The rider weight limit includes the total weight of the rider, bike, gear, and any other accessories. Please do not exceed this weight.

What tire pressures should I run?+

The best tire pressure for you depends on many factors: the rim width, type of bike and tires, rider weight, road conditions and weather conditions. Please see our user guide for more information.

How strong are your carbon rims? What happens if I break one?+

Every one of our carbon rims has been strictly tested before shipment. We are so confident in the quality of our rims that we offer a 3-year warranty on every one. To learn more, please refer to our warranty page.

Where can I find information on ordering and shipping?+

Please visit our FAQ page here.

Essential Safety Information+

For essential safety information, please read our Consumer Advice.

What happens if a carbon spoke breaks?+

Our threaded carbon spokes have been designed to last. In the event that a carbon spoke breaks, replacement is easy. Each wheel comes with replacement spokes that can be replaced like traditional steel spokes. For more information, please see this article. For information on where to get spokes replaced, please contact our customer service.

Are carbon spokes covered under warranty?+

Our standard 3-year warranty covers carbon spokes if they are damaged by non-external factors. This means they are only covered if there is a manufacturing defect. Click here for more information on our warranty.

20 reviews for Drive 40D Disc Brake

  1. Daniel Palomino Antequera (verified owner)

    Unas ruedas muy buenas ligeras en la que se nota mucho la rigidez en cuanto te pones de pie en la bici. Es muy fácil de montar el neumático y una estética muy cuidada Los radios de carbono dan la rigidez necesaria para que la rueda se sienta ágil y veloz. Con un ancho interno generoso y que se pueda montar neumaticos de 28mm con facilidad.

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    • Elitewheels (store manager)

      Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing the picture with us! It looks awesome! Enjoy your ride on the Drive 40D, and feel free to share more! 😊

  2. Danilo Belardinelli (verified owner)

    Ho ricevuto il set Drive D40 lo scorso Venerdì 31 Gennaio 2025. Tutto secondo aspettative… Le ho subito montate e al primo giro di 70Km che ho fatto, ho potuto constatare la loro rigidità unita a comfort (forse anche a causa del tubeless), leggerezza ovviamente, prontezza negli scatti in salita, insomma, un bel set di ruote veramente.
    Provengo da un set di ruote simili Fulcrum Speed 40 ma, al di là dell’aspetto estetico, le Drive 40D non hanno nulla da invidiare alle Speed. Sul prezzo non c’è discussione. Ovviamente a favore delle Drive. I cuscinetti in ceramica offrono una scorrevolezza simile, se non superiore, alle Speed con cono/calotta in ceramica. Vedremo la durata nel tempo dei cuscinetti ibridi ma poco male anche se dovessi cambiarli tutti gli anni… La leggerezza del set di ruote compensa un eventuale manutenzione aggiuntiva.
    SONO… VERAMENTE… CONTENTO! Spero di confermare questa mia impressione anche nei prossimi mesi.
    Buone pedalate!

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    • Elitewheels (store manager)

      Ciao Danilo. Grazie per aver condiviso la tua esperienza con il set di ruote 40D. È bello sapere che sei soddisfatto della loro leggerezza, comfort, rigidità laterale, cuscinetti, estetica e prezzo. Siamo lieti che tu sia soddisfatto finora. Goditi il ​​set di ruote!

  3. Stefano Desovanni (verified owner)

    posseggo il set di ruote D40 da circa 11 mesi (febbraio 2024) ed ho percorso con questo set di ruote circa 15000km senza riscontrare nessun problema , sono una versione versatili , ottima per la salita per il peso contenuto e si comportano egregiamente anche in pianura per la loro elevata scorrevolezza e senza problemi in caso di vento laterale , le consiglio a chi
    vuole acquistare ruote versatili e adatte a tutti i terreni

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    • Elitewheels (store manager)

      Ciao Stefano. Grazie mille per aver condiviso la tua esperienza con il set di ruote 40D. È un bel po’ di pedalate. È bello sapere che le ruote non hanno avuto problemi e che sei soddisfatto del loro peso, delle prestazioni, della resistenza al vento trasversale e della resistenza al rotolamento. Apprezziamo il fatto che tu le abbia consigliate.

  4. CORVILAIN Olivier (verified owner)

    After a 2024 season of road cycling (mainly in race conditions), the Drive 40D performs like a charm. I have to admit that comparing to my other set of Roval CLX II, they hold the comparison from a performance perspective and robustness.
    No need to mention the price tag difference between the two :-)
    Well done Elite-Wheels !

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    • elitekang

      Hello Corvilain. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Drive 40D wheelset. It is nice to know that you are satisfied with their price-performance ratio as well as their robustness. Happy riding!

  5. Quinn (verified owner)

    Overall pleased with the wheels. They feel fast and light. Tubeless set up was very good and the taping is spot on.
    One issue I have had is with the tapered shape of the rear axel on the rotor side. No cassette tool I have found is able to get over the “step” and consequently I have been unable to properly secure the disc rotor. I haven’t seen any other comments about this from other users so I’m not sure if this is a manufacturing issue specific to the wheels I received or if other people have encountered the same problem?

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    • elitekang

      Hello Quinn. Thank you for sharing your experience with the 40D wheelset. We appreciate it. It is nice to see that you are satisfied with the weight as well as the tubeless setup and tape. As far as the issue, our customer service would be happy to help. I will have them send you an email.

  6. PHILIPP (verified owner)

    apres 3000kms compare a mes ansienes ROVAL C38 plus reactives plus de confort plus legeres tres belles roues une fluidite remarcable et en relance le top ca repart aussi tot que du bonheur a un prix imbatable. amitie

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    • elitekang

      Bonjour Philipp. Merci d’avoir partagé votre expérience avec la paire de roues Drive 40D. Il est bon de savoir que vous êtes satisfait de leur poids, de leur apparence, de leur confort et de leur valeur. Nous apprécions vos commentaires. Bon vélo !

  7. Darren Lamont (verified owner)

    Excellent wheels runs true and just keep rolling best wheels I have owned and light as a feather unrivaled quality.

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    • elitekang

      Hello Darren. Thank you for sharing your experience with the 40Ds. We are happy that you are satisfied with their weight, trueness, and rolling resistance.

  8. MarkusF. (verified owner)

    Hi

    this are very very good looking Wheels for my new Pinarello. Weight and ride quality are very nice too. So far i´ve done about 1000k and am very happy with them.

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    • Patrick

      Hello Markus. Thank you for sharing your experience with the 40Ds. It is nice to see that you are satisfied with their ride quality. They look great on your Pinarello.

      Happy riding!

  9. Causse (verified owner)

    Très bonne roues, légèrent et de très bonne qualité. elles n’ont pas à rougir face d’autres roues deux ou trois fois plus chère. Seul bémol mais trop grave il manque les housses de transports.😁

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    • Patrick

      Bonjour. Merci d’avoir pris le temps d’examiner la paire de roues Drive 40D. C’est formidable que vous soyez satisfait de leur valeur et de leur qualité. Je m’excuse de ne pas fournir de sac à roulettes. Nous y réfléchirons pour l’avenir. Merci encore et bon vélo !

  10. Frédéric (verified owner)

    Génial ! C’est ma deuxième paire de roue. Après les Drive50 disques je suis passé au 40. Toujours aussi fabuleuse. Rigide en latéral et confortable en vertical. Elles glissent sur la route sans bruit. Le vélo est sublimé par ses roues. Beaucoup plus adapté pour les ascensions, leur faible inertie rend l’effort plus lissé et le vélo plus réactif en relance. Vraiment bluffant ! Qualité de fabrication remarquable, pas de jeu, de voile, pas de bruit. Pesé à 1270g. J’ai fait 15000km avec mes 50 sans aucun souci (comme neuve, pas de voile ou de jeu).

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  11. EDUIN CERVANTES

    COMO PUEDO COMPRAR SOLO LA RUEDA DELANTERA PORQUE LA DAÑE
    SOLO ME APARECE EL JUEGO

    (0) (0)
    • Patrick

      Hola Eduin. Por favor contacte con nuestro servicio de atención al cliente. Ellos podrán ayudarle a conseguir la nueva rueda.

  12. Guichard

    Très belles roues. Finition haut de gamme. 1330G avec rim tape en 45mm. Pratiquement équilibrées en rotation avec chambre a air et pneu. Grande fluidité des roulements. Roue libre agréablement sonore mais sans excès. Grand confort de roulage. Première crevaison : pneu remonté sans outil (GP5000TT). Aucun voile constaté après 500km.

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    • Patrick

      Bonjour. Merci d’avoir pris le temps d’examiner la paire de roues. C’est formidable d’entendre que vous êtes satisfait des roulements, de la roue libre, du poids et de l’installation des pneus. Nous apprécions vos commentaires.

  13. Joakim (verified owner)

    Really love the wheels, light, durable, fast and goodlooking as well.
    I´ve used them for a year now and they are still perfecly true, no maintenance has been performed.
    Also the sound from the rear hub is amazing.

    (0) (0)
    • Patrick

      Hi Joakim. It is nice that you are liking the performance and appearane of the Drive 40D wheelset. We are happy that they have been maintenance-free and that you are satisfied with the hub sound.

  14. CESAREO SANZ TRIS (verified owner)

    Segundo juego de ruedas ( DRIVE 40D) en este caso con bujes cromados, ya montadas las dos bicis con las rueedas

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    • Patrick

      Hola Cesáreo,

      Es bueno ver que su experiencia con las ruedas 40D ha sido lo suficientemente positiva como para adquirir un segundo par. Además, gracias por las estupendas fotografías.

  15. Ivan giuseppe (verified owner)

    Ciao dopo le 50d ho acquistato anche le 40d che uso per le giornate ventose che qua in Trentino c’è abbastanza di frequente e per l’estate quando farò tanto dislivello.
    Passando alla valutazione delle ruote posso dire che sono molto leggere e scattanti rigide il giusto io le ho montate con camere in tpu ricevute in regalo e sono molto scorrevoli e non troppo dure quindi dopo 300 km fatti posso dire che sono ruote costruite molto bene probabilmente anche migliori di tante ruote di marchi famosi ad un prezzo ragionevole.Ricevute dopo 2 settimane circa e sempre informato dove si trovava il pacco e ho ricevuto un sms il giorno della consegna tutto molto semplice preciso.
    Grazie sono molto soddisfatto Naturalmente le consiglio a tutti quelli che vogliono pedalare con ruote Top
    Ivan

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    • Patrick

      Ciao Ivan,

      Grazie per aver dedicato del tempo per scrivere questa recensione. È bello che ti piacciano entrambe le ruote. Siamo felici di sapere che li trovi leggeri per le salite e abbastanza rigidi. I tubi in TPU rendono l’arrampicata ancora più piacevole. È bello vedere che sei soddisfacente e al livello delle migliori ruote disponibili.

  16. CESAREO SANZ TRIS (verified owner)

    Impresionantes ruedas, muy ligeras, rigidas, muy bonitas, calidad premium, calidad precio inigualable.

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    • Patrick

      Hola César. Gracias por las bonitas fotos. Las ruedas quedan muy bien en tu Trek y Orbea. Nos alegra que estés disfrutando de los 40D.

  17. Stan (verified owner)

    Great looking wheels. Very light weight. The sound of the rear hub is amazing, loud but awesome. The wheels ride nice and free, definitely can tell the difference on a high speed downhill section. Shipping took about 2 weeks, so not as long as I thought.

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    • Patrick

      Hi Stan. Thank you for sharing your experience of the 40D so far. The wheelset looks nice on your Canyon.

  18. Bill Sykes (verified owner)

    I purchased the Elite Drive 40 wheels for a new Trek Emonda SLR9 which I have built up. The quality seems excellent and, although, due to winter weather, have only ridden them three times. They look fantastic, very nicely finished. I got the black decals which are more subdued. I checked them on my truing stand and they were bang on. Installation of the tires (Pirelli P-Zero 28c) was easy. Normally I would substitute the rim tape and valve stems for Muc-off but the tape and valves that came with the wheels seemed fine. I used SRAM rotors and they installed normally.
    I would recommend these for sure.

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  19. Niels W (verified owner)

    I was looking for light climbing wheels and ended up at Elitewheels. After much hesitation, finally placed an order. These were delivered in Belgium after 3 weeks (no import duties had to be paid). Not only look good, but give a completely different feel to the bike. The bike has a much more aggressive feel and lightning fast response. Don’t hesitate to buy this one! Highest quality for a low price!

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  20. alain (verified owner)

    La livraison a été rapide et l’emballage propre. Je les essaie depuis 15 jours environ.
    Les drive 40 D à disques ont une réactivité incroyable. Elles ont rendu mon vélo nerveux. Sur le plat, elles sont très efficace. Sur un parcours vallonné, elles sont d’une incroyable facilité. Très facile à emmener, le confort est également au rendez-vous. La roue avant a cogné dans un trou sans dégât. Elles sont solides
    Ces roues tout carbone ont propulsé mon vélo dans un autre monde.
    A conseiller sans hésitation.

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