I have these wheels in 40mm rim brake version for almost 2 years. The issue with the bearings is because they are ceramic and very lightly greased. The best way to keep them long lasting is when they are new, open the seals and add some thicker grease. Two years ago, after only a few rides, but with some heavy rain, I noticed some crunchiness in the bearings, I opened the seals, dried, cleaned and greased them. They are mint until today. BTW I love them, comfortable and responsive.
I believe they should be properly greased so that the end user doesn't have to deal with it. I'll try to do the same when I have some time (and spare bearings on hand 😅).
I have 50V's. So far 500 km in and they are still true. I weigh 93 kg so I put them under some stress. Bearings are still great. They weigh in at 1348g with rimtape and valves. Overall I saved 600g from my old aluminium wheels. When it come to average speed I ride about 2-3 km/h faster. Ineer rim widht is at 20,2 mm and my 28mm GP 5000 S TR are inflated to 29,5 mm at my pressure (70-75psi). The rim is at largest place 29 mm wide and on rim brake surface about 28 mm. Innicial brake performace is weak but when I put some pressure into breaking they bite more then aluminium ones. So far I do recommend them.
I’ve been using the 50D Drive wheelset for awhile cycling 2 km, and it’s been great so far. It’s my first carbon wheelset, and I haven’t had any issues yet. I haven’t serviced the bearings yet either.
thanks for this review, i went and watched your lun mega review too - I have original 50mm hypers still doing well - so a good comparison. you've got a new subscriber. hope the channel keeps growing and you are able to continue with your objective views (even your subjective feel of the wheels is more considered than some other reviewers).
Thank you, I appreciate your subscription. 🙏😊 Yeah, I think the more of my videos people see, the more they appreciate my consistency and approach to each product. 😊
Having built several sets of carbon wheels. My understanding regarding offset rim holes is to produce higher spoke tensions on the NDS rear and non disc side front. To ensure the tensions don't fall during use.
Thanks for your review, I've the same elitewheels but at brake pads, they have about 6000 kms. I've the same opinion that you 😊, very good wheels only the bearings are not top, I thinks change them for NTN bearings low friction, like Hambini advises 👍
Imagine if they supply the hubs with better bearings. They could do something like Winspace with HYPERs. Sell DRIVE with steel bearings for a lower price. They would sell like hotcakes.
I put DRIVE wheelsets on several bikes in the past 2 years to significantly reduce the weight and to increase their resell values. They are absolutely gorgeous. If you do time trials, they are definitely worth it. But for average riders, it's a bit much. This time around, I went with multiple sets of Elitewheels EDGE instead. Sure, it's less stiff but less than half the price for the same weight/width/depth/ceramic bearings and from the same company. The value of the DRIVE was unbeatable until EDGE came out.
Thank you! Haha, there are so many wheelsets I would like to test, but I only have so much money to spend. 😅 FYI, this video took me between 10-15 hours to make and earned lower dozens of USD. 😬
These days they have black hubs, and I think their customer support is great. I cracked my rim after riding in a pothole during a groupride and this after not even having ridden 500 km on them. I mailed support and they sent me a new rim and nipples, so I can have the hub and spokes transferred to the new rim. Not the easiest solution for the customer, but understandable and better than nothing.
Hi Michael, yeah, you are right. They are black nowadays. That's a fair solution. 👍😊 I could be just unlucky and encounter a new customer support agent, who knows. - Petr
Pour résumer mon amis a bien fait de les prendre en 65mm pour une région vallonnée (10km/100d+) où il y a de la plaine et quelques côtes de 400m à 3km. Je lui ai conseillé celle ci et il les a commandé. Moins de 1500gr la paire je pense qu’il n’aura aucu souci en montée et pourra avoir l’inertie nécessaire sur le plat.
I've had the 50Ds for about a year and they've been fine, BUT i can also attest to the bearings being bad. In my case they were absolutely horrible. I replaced every single one within 2 weeks of having it, despite them never seeing rain or even cleaning the bike. I have no idea what the deal is, perhaps just a really bad batch they got in or something. Since replacing the bearings I've had no issues and the wheels are great, but that was a very annoying issue to have to deal with.
I am sad that they dont accept your discount code during the summer sale. So their sale is just 10$ less than the price i coul allways get with your code…
Hi, I'd like to ask for clarification on your statement regarding the wheelset's momentum. Were you comparing it to other wheelsets in general with the same rim depth (45mm)? I am planning to buy this wheelset and am looking for something that can climb well and maintain speed on flats. I haven't decided yet whether to go for a 45mm or 50mm rim depth, or a mix of both.
Good question. I compared it to mostly 50mm (Winspace HYPER 2020, Lún HYPER D45, Superteam All-Carbon Ultra, YOELEO SAT PROs, etc.) and 45mm (Farsports Ventoux S) wheels. I think the 5mm difference will be marginal.
Purchased them directly from the manufactuerer but unfunately a pothole caused extensive damage to the rear rim The lesson other than to try more to avoid potholes is to use tubeless tire inserts (tire ended up coming off when I hit the pothole). Have experienced many pot holes with my Yoelero sat wheels with no damage to the rim However they are not as thin as the Elite Wheels drive.
Hi Cornel, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your body remained unscratched. What's your weight? I hit one deep pothole, and the rim remained scratch-free, but I am only 68 kg. Tire inserts are a good idea. I have them on my gravel bike but not on a road bike. - Petr
Its said that ceramic bearings are unsuitable due to their hardness relative to the bearing races. They wear the races prematurely. Consider them a sales gimmick.
How is the comfort compared to wheels with steel spokes? I have the Elitewheels Edge 45 and they feel quite comfy, still light and 1370g and came at $504.
On a scale 1-5, I gave EDGE wheels 4 points, and DRIVE wheels 3 points (more is better). If you have a super stiff bike, then carbon-spoked wheels are probably not the best choice comfort-wise.
@@cyclistshub I appreciate your reply as I had no direct comparison. This also confirms the opinions of other reviewers. For me, comfort=more training load=better performance, so comfy wheels=better performance in the long run. I'll be sticking to my Edge wheelset then
You're welcome. :-) Upgrading will cost you another $1,000, but the differences aren't that significant. If you prefer comfort over stiffness and responsiveness, it's better to stick with EDGE.
@@cyclistshub The rims are shared between the Drive and Edge models, so they differ in hubs (which do not impact the performance that much and I prefer steel bearings anyway) and the aforementioned spokes. I doubt that spokes by themselves can make wheels that more responsive, but how would you rate the difference having ridden both? BTW the Gravel Edge model actually measures 47,6 mm deep, so for me it's their top wheelset choice for fast road riding: comfy 24mm internal width along with 31mm external width for aero purposes, still very light at 1370g, especially given the width.
I don't think the rims are shared. But I might be wrong. The carbon spokes and different hubs make a huge difference. :) DRIVE wheels are the most responsive wheels I've tested so far. I really love how they feel when accelerating.
Do you already have these wheels? How do you like them? Share your experiences below. 😊 👉My written review is available here: www.cyclistshub.com/elitewheels-drive-review/
Although I am far from being an expert on bearings, I don't think the color of the seals indicates their quality. This could be very easily abused. :-)
@@cyclistshub that what i know from china made bearing. blue is the lowest. if you got blue make sure clean factory grease and use premium grease. blue one often come with standard yellow grease.
@cyclistshub they did squeek.. but I replaced them .. with fushi ceramic bearings, and it improved the ride .. the free hub body was also replaced , the gasket was also flimsy
It always amazes me that the Chinese manufacturers fail to ask a native English speaker (or anyone even moderatly speaking the language) if what they come up with is correct. Wouldn't it be cooler if they put "Ride" on these wheels instead of "Drive" ?
I have these wheels in 40mm rim brake version for almost 2 years. The issue with the bearings is because they are ceramic and very lightly greased. The best way to keep them long lasting is when they are new, open the seals and add some thicker grease. Two years ago, after only a few rides, but with some heavy rain, I noticed some crunchiness in the bearings, I opened the seals, dried, cleaned and greased them. They are mint until today. BTW I love them, comfortable and responsive.
I believe they should be properly greased so that the end user doesn't have to deal with it.
I'll try to do the same when I have some time (and spare bearings on hand 😅).
I was about to ask where is the rim version?
@@jaredfontaine2002 What do you mean? It's available on their website. :-)
Your review is very informative and gives a concise summary of the advantages and disadvantages of these wheels
Thank you, I am glad you liked it. 😊
- Petr
I have 50V's. So far 500 km in and they are still true. I weigh 93 kg so I put them under some stress. Bearings are still great. They weigh in at 1348g with rimtape and valves. Overall I saved 600g from my old aluminium wheels. When it come to average speed I ride about 2-3 km/h faster. Ineer rim widht is at 20,2 mm and my 28mm GP 5000 S TR are inflated to 29,5 mm at my pressure (70-75psi). The rim is at largest place 29 mm wide and on rim brake surface about 28 mm. Innicial brake performace is weak but when I put some pressure into breaking they bite more then aluminium ones. So far I do recommend them.
Perfect, thanks for sharing your experience. :-)
thank you so much for the information, great job.
Glad it was helpful, John!
I’ve been using the 50D Drive wheelset for awhile cycling 2 km, and it’s been great so far. It’s my first carbon wheelset, and I haven’t had any issues yet. I haven’t serviced the bearings yet either.
The first carbon wheelset? Well, from here on it will be hard to upgrade without spending too much! 😅
thanks for this review, i went and watched your lun mega review too - I have original 50mm hypers still doing well - so a good comparison. you've got a new subscriber. hope the channel keeps growing and you are able to continue with your objective views (even your subjective feel of the wheels is more considered than some other reviewers).
Thank you, I appreciate your subscription. 🙏😊
Yeah, I think the more of my videos people see, the more they appreciate my consistency and approach to each product. 😊
Having built several sets of carbon wheels. My understanding regarding offset rim holes is to produce higher spoke tensions on the NDS rear and non disc side front. To ensure the tensions don't fall during use.
Thanks for your review, I've the same elitewheels but at brake pads, they have about 6000 kms. I've the same opinion that you 😊, very good wheels only the bearings are not top, I thinks change them for NTN bearings low friction, like Hambini advises 👍
Yeah, their responsiveness is excellent. I haven't seen his review, but this recommendation makes sense.
I had the same issue with the rear bearings rather early. I bought new ones from them for $30. If it happens again I willl buy steel bearings.
🥲 How early? After a few hundreds/thousands km?
@@cyclistshub about 1500 km
Imagine if they supply the hubs with better bearings. They could do something like Winspace with HYPERs. Sell DRIVE with steel bearings for a lower price. They would sell like hotcakes.
@@cyclistshub I bought the Edge version with steel bearing for exactly that reason. Ceramics never last
I put DRIVE wheelsets on several bikes in the past 2 years to significantly reduce the weight and to increase their resell values. They are absolutely gorgeous. If you do time trials, they are definitely worth it. But for average riders, it's a bit much. This time around, I went with multiple sets of Elitewheels EDGE instead. Sure, it's less stiff but less than half the price for the same weight/width/depth/ceramic bearings and from the same company. The value of the DRIVE was unbeatable until EDGE came out.
The weight reduction is huge compared to average wheels. 👍 EDGE wheels provide excellent value for money, but I got used to carbon-spoked wheels. 😅
Awesome review. Can you please review their Evo six wheels.
Thank you! Haha, there are so many wheelsets I would like to test, but I only have so much money to spend. 😅 FYI, this video took me between 10-15 hours to make and earned lower dozens of USD. 😬
How do they compare to MEILENSTEIN!! though?
Good question. If you send me $5000, I can buy them and find out. 🤣
Thanks love your video
Thank you, I appreciate it!
These days they have black hubs, and I think their customer support is great. I cracked my rim after riding in a pothole during a groupride and this after not even having ridden 500 km on them. I mailed support and they sent me a new rim and nipples, so I can have the hub and spokes transferred to the new rim. Not the easiest solution for the customer, but understandable and better than nothing.
Hi Michael,
yeah, you are right. They are black nowadays.
That's a fair solution. 👍😊 I could be just unlucky and encounter a new customer support agent, who knows.
- Petr
Pour résumer mon amis a bien fait de les prendre en 65mm pour une région vallonnée (10km/100d+) où il y a de la plaine et quelques côtes de 400m à 3km. Je lui ai conseillé celle ci et il les a commandé. Moins de 1500gr la paire je pense qu’il n’aura aucu souci en montée et pourra avoir l’inertie nécessaire sur le plat.
Yes, that's also a possibility. Good idea. 🙂
I've had the 50Ds for about a year and they've been fine, BUT i can also attest to the bearings being bad. In my case they were absolutely horrible. I replaced every single one within 2 weeks of having it, despite them never seeing rain or even cleaning the bike. I have no idea what the deal is, perhaps just a really bad batch they got in or something. Since replacing the bearings I've had no issues and the wheels are great, but that was a very annoying issue to have to deal with.
It seems it's the weakest point of these wheels. 🤷♂️
I am sad that they dont accept your discount code during the summer sale. So their sale is just 10$ less than the price i coul allways get with your code…
😬
Or you can wait until the sale is over and use the code to support my work. 😂
@@cyclistshub in this case i will buy the winspace wheels with your Code🤗
@@fjp2000 I was kidding, but if you do so, I will be grateful, of course. 🙏
Hi, I'd like to ask for clarification on your statement regarding the wheelset's momentum. Were you comparing it to other wheelsets in general with the same rim depth (45mm)?
I am planning to buy this wheelset and am looking for something that can climb well and maintain speed on flats. I haven't decided yet whether to go for a 45mm or 50mm rim depth, or a mix of both.
Good question. I compared it to mostly 50mm (Winspace HYPER 2020, Lún HYPER D45, Superteam All-Carbon Ultra, YOELEO SAT PROs, etc.) and 45mm (Farsports Ventoux S) wheels. I think the 5mm difference will be marginal.
I couldn’t tell and am not familiar with that tire brand - are the tubeless rims hookless or do they have hooks that I could mount clincher tires?
The wheels are hooked and the tires are Tufo Comtura 4TR 28mm: www.cyclistshub.com/tufo-comtura-4-tr-review/.
Purchased them directly from the manufactuerer but unfunately a pothole caused extensive damage to the rear rim The lesson other than to try more to avoid potholes is to use tubeless tire inserts (tire ended up coming off when I hit the pothole). Have experienced many pot holes with my Yoelero sat wheels with no damage to the rim However they are not as thin as the Elite Wheels drive.
Hi Cornel,
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your body remained unscratched. What's your weight? I hit one deep pothole, and the rim remained scratch-free, but I am only 68 kg.
Tire inserts are a good idea. I have them on my gravel bike but not on a road bike.
- Petr
Same as you a little less than 150 ibs /68kg
Its said that ceramic bearings are unsuitable due to their hardness relative to the bearing races. They wear the races prematurely. Consider them a sales gimmick.
I know, but still, they should last longer. 😊 Maybe the issue is only with the greasing. 🤷♂️ www.cyclistshub.com/steel-vs-ceramic-bearings/
How is the comfort compared to wheels with steel spokes? I have the Elitewheels Edge 45 and they feel quite comfy, still light and 1370g and came at $504.
On a scale 1-5, I gave EDGE wheels 4 points, and DRIVE wheels 3 points (more is better). If you have a super stiff bike, then carbon-spoked wheels are probably not the best choice comfort-wise.
@@cyclistshub I appreciate your reply as I had no direct comparison. This also confirms the opinions of other reviewers. For me, comfort=more training load=better performance, so comfy wheels=better performance in the long run. I'll be sticking to my Edge wheelset then
You're welcome. :-) Upgrading will cost you another $1,000, but the differences aren't that significant. If you prefer comfort over stiffness and responsiveness, it's better to stick with EDGE.
@@cyclistshub The rims are shared between the Drive and Edge models, so they differ in hubs (which do not impact the performance that much and I prefer steel bearings anyway) and the aforementioned spokes. I doubt that spokes by themselves can make wheels that more responsive, but how would you rate the difference having ridden both?
BTW the Gravel Edge model actually measures 47,6 mm deep, so for me it's their top wheelset choice for fast road riding: comfy 24mm internal width along with 31mm external width for aero purposes, still very light at 1370g, especially given the width.
I don't think the rims are shared. But I might be wrong. The carbon spokes and different hubs make a huge difference. :) DRIVE wheels are the most responsive wheels I've tested so far. I really love how they feel when accelerating.
Do you already have these wheels? How do you like them? Share your experiences below. 😊
👉My written review is available here: www.cyclistshub.com/elitewheels-drive-review/
there is blue red and black. the best is the black sealed bearing
Although I am far from being an expert on bearings, I don't think the color of the seals indicates their quality. This could be very easily abused. :-)
@@cyclistshub that what i know from china made bearing. blue is the lowest. if you got blue make sure clean factory grease and use premium grease. blue one often come with standard yellow grease.
Interesting. Thanks for your tip. Once I have the spare bearings, I will consider doing this the cleaning/grease procedure. 😊
I have the elite gravel 50 wheels .. bearings aren't elite replaced after 5 months
Have they also started to "squeak"?
@cyclistshub they did squeek.. but I replaced them .. with fushi ceramic bearings, and it improved the ride .. the free hub body was also replaced , the gasket was also flimsy
😬
It always amazes me that the Chinese manufacturers fail to ask a native English speaker (or anyone even moderatly speaking the language) if what they come up with is correct. Wouldn't it be cooler if they put "Ride" on these wheels instead of "Drive" ?
Haha, yes. I've been asking myself the same thing. :-D
Chřiby🤟
🤛😊