The Discus C45 WIDE is the fastest wheel at this rim depth; in fact it tests as fast as other 60mm deep rims. So you have the advantages of a shallower rim, like ease of handling in crosswinds, and the speed of a deeper rim. The C45 WIDE achieves this with its unique NoseTail design. 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 developed by the legendary Dave Kennedy (an aerodynamics professional for over 50(!) years) and 3T’s Head of Design Gerard Vroomen actually sacrifices some performance on the front half of the wheel in favour 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.



If you want even more comfort on the road or plan to ride gravel, the C45 WIDE has another trick up its sleeve: the rim shape is very insensitive to tire size.
So where the drag of the deep rim “blows up” once you get past a certain tire size (grey graph), the C45 works great with oversized road tires (red graph) that are even larger than the ones mounted on the deep rim. In fact, you can see the oversized tire performs almost as well as the two wheels with the regular 29.5mm tires.

BIG INNER WIDTH: The C45 WIDE is aerodynamically optimised for realistic, wider tires. As a bonus, the 25mm inner width makes any tire fit wider, giving wide tire benefits for the weight of a narrow tire. Most “25mm” labelled tires measure 28-30mm on the C45 WIDE. Or use a “28mm" tire to create a super-comfortable 30-33mm ride.


HOOKED ON SAFETY: Yes, hookless designs save a few grams, but hooked designs save a few teeth. We believe in safety first, in particular with tubeless setups, The added security of hooks gripping the tire bead is too important. The hook also creates a bigger radius to distribute impact loads, saving tire & rim.


SAFETY RIDGE: Especially with wider road & gravel tires, tubeless setups are the future. Rolling resistance is lower and flats are very rare. But when flats do happen, a safety ridge is essential to keep the tire on the rim. Never ride a rim tubeless without a safety ridge (they're often skipped to save a few grams and make manufacturing easier).


SEALTIGHT: Little-known fact: Most people are impressed if a new wheel spins endlessly. But it actually means the seals don’t make proper contact, so water, mud & grit can enter the bearings easily. Good (contact style) seals should feel stiff when new and need 100-1,000km of use to settle in. Not as sexy, but proper engineering.


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.


DUAL FREEHUB: The Discus C45 WIDE wheelset comes standard with two freehub bodies: a SRAM xD-R freehub for both xD and xD-R cassettes as well as a Shimano freehub for 10/11speed cassettes. Use one, save the other and you will always be prepared for future changes and upgrades to your drivetrain setup.