Sea Otter Play – 3T

While at Sea Otter Play, we checked in with 3T to learn more about their 45/40 LTD wheelset, one of the widest aero wheelsets on the market.

3T was one of the first brands to start thinking about going slow fast with their Exploro frame. The idea is that even at slower speeds, you can still take advantage of aerodynamics to reduce drag. This will help you get to the finish line faster or go longer. And because gravel isn’t smooth roads and slick tires, they used fake mud and gravel tires to develop the frame. You can read more about that here.

While they had previously released wheels to match to the gravel focused Exploro RaceMax with the 45/32 LTD (45mm tall, 32mm wide, 25mm internal), 3T is pushing the boundaries with their 45/40 LTD. The new wheelset is, you can probably guess it, 45mm tall, 40mm wide, and has a 29mm internal width, perfect for 35-40mm wide tires.

When you put wide tires on a narrower rim, the transition between the rim and tire isn’t as smooth as it would be with a wider rim. Think of it as a lightbulb shape versus a bullet shape. The wider rim also helps support a wider tire to make it more stable with less tire flow when running lower pressures.

3T could have gone deeper, but instead, they tweaked the shape of the rim to what they call a NoseTail shape. They found that you can make a more aerodynamic wheel on the front end, but when the air flows over the backside of the wheel before getting to the downtube, it isn’t as efficient. Instead, they shaped the rim to be a little less efficient on the front end so it is more efficient on the back end, which cancells any losses. They claim it essentially makes the wheel act like a taller rim without the weight and crosswind buffeting of a taller rim. As the air flows over the smoother transition from the tire to the rim, back onto the rim and tire on the back end, and onto the downtube, it makes for a smoother transition and less drag.

On the inside of the rim, 3T has gone for a hooked bead to allow you to run a wider range of tires and pressures. There is also a safety ridge in the rim bed that helps provide extra security to keep your tire in place and protect the rim if you have a flat.

The 45/40 LTD uses straight-pull Sapim CX-Ray spokes (24 front, 24 rear) with external chome-plated brass nipples for durability. When it comes to the hubs, 3T uses hubs from Italian brand Carbon-Ti. The rear hub comes in either standard Shimano/SRAM or SRAM XDR, with kits to swap to other standards if you need to. You can customize your wheels with Chris King, Industry Nine or colored hubs from Carbon-Ti.

The overall 45/40 LTD package with standard Carbon-Ti hubs weighs in at 1665g, which is pretty competitive considering how wide these wheels are. While they were designed for the Exploro RaceMax, you can add these to any bike with enough clearance to make it faster and more capable.

http://www3t.bike

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