In The Know Cycling

While all wheelsets perform differently, the Elitewheels Drive 50D wheelset stands out as the only serious climber among the all-around value carbon bike wheels we’ve tested.

Its combination of stiffness and low weight really came through when fellow tester Miles and I rode the Drive 50D up steep pitches and across rolling terrain.

As a rider that is usually looking for a pull on anything steeper than a 5% grade and lives where flats never seem to last for more than a quarter of a mile, I welcomed the Drive 50D’s ability to “level the playing field.”

While it’s not on par with lighter, more expensive, dedicated climbing wheels, these Elitewheels are notably better on this kind of variable-grade terrain than anything else we’ve tested in the value carbon wheelset price range.

Yet, the Elitewheels Drive 50D is not exclusively a climber’s wheelset. Far from it. Our takeaway from riding it for three months is that it’s a paved road all-arounder, which also happens to be a good climber.

As an all-arounder, and compared to other budget bike wheels, it performs on par with most in this price range and among the best in some ways.

The Drive 50D is one of the most responsive value carbon wheelsets we’ve tested. It accelerates almost as if reading your mind; there’s no hesitation once you put your foot down. In a large group ride, when the pace can vary continuously, this performance characteristic can reduce the spikey power surges and cadence drags that might otherwise create more fatigue than you bargained for.

I’m not one to project performance directly from wheelset design or component choice, but I’ll note the Drive 50D does have carbon spokes. One theory goes that carbon spokes make for a more responsive and stiffer wheel. Theories aside, and as I attested to above, these are very responsive wheels.

But not to get too carried away, the carbon spokes on these wheels, or perhaps how they are combined with the hubs and rims, don’t lead to consistent stiffness in our experience.

For me and my 175 to 250-watt typical ride power, I found the Drive 50D plenty stiff. Miles also felt it on climbs. On the other hand, the wheels felt a bit “sloppy” for Miles and his P/1/2 power, seemingly leaking some of it when he cranked it up for breakaway and sprint efforts.

And, regardless of its design or materials, the Elitewheels Drive 50D’s compliance or comfort is also more like the average wheelset in this category than ranking with the best.

Even with less than aerodynamically ideal 28mm wide tires inflated to a below-recommended pressure of 50-55 psi, the comfort on decent roads was just ok and not noticeably better than with the tires pumped ten psi higher. The ride became a bit jittery on rougher roads or uneven sections of good ones.

Riding the 28mm tires that measured wider than the rims didn’t seem to slow the Drive 50D’s momentum. Once up to speed, something that takes less time to do with these wheels, they hold that speed about as well as all but one wheelset in this category.

And in side winds, the Drive 50D is very stable, cutting through them better than most. We noticed no drifting or buffetting from the winds.

The Drive 50D freehub is audibly louder than the latest DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs and at the same decibel level as a Chris King or Industry Nine hub. Yet, it doesn’t express the more enjoyable harmonic range accompanying those. While the Drive 50D freehub is loud, it’s not egregiously so like the Scribe and Hunt ones that hold me back from wanting to ride those wheels.

For you OGs who remember that far back, the Elitewheels hubs sound like Mavic hubs of 10 or 15 years ago. And like the old Mavics, the Elitewheels hubs we tested were silver. Starting in mid-2023, however, they only come in a more modern black matte finish.

Hub shells and flanges now come in a black matte finish and taper larger toward the disc side flange. 

If anything, the silver Drive 50D hub shells taper to a slightly larger diameter on the disc side. While I get that they may have done this for structural reasons, this requires you to use the supplied lockrings with tightening notches on the outside of the ring and a tool for that purpose (not supplied) rather than the more commonly used ones with notches on the ring insides similar to cassette lockrings that use the same tool to synch it down.

The rims also have a distinctive look. A high gloss clear coat shines on top of a marbled carbon rim finish with your choice of a black or white, nearly full rim depth Drive logo.

Glossy coating over a marbled carbon finish gives the Drive wheels a distinctive look.

I find the rims quite stunning. I never did a group ride without someone asking me about what wheels I was riding.

Like most observations about cycling gear, however, the Elitewheels Drive 50D’s aesthetic and acoustic qualities are in the eyes and ears of the beholder. They don’t affect the wheelset’s performance but could affect your performance if it changes your feelings about riding these wheels.

Design: Along with 21 front and 24 rear straight pull carbon spokes, the Elitewheels Drive 50D hubs come with bearings that use ceramic balls. While these so-called ceramic bearings used in hubs and derailleurs make for good marketing, at the low speeds that we ride bicycles, the best ceramic bearings actually wear faster and reduce friction losses by an insignificant amount  (<1 watt) compared to stainless steel ones made to the same roundness tolerances.

Bearing seals, lubricants, and cages each play a far larger role in frictional losses than the choice of ceramic or stainless ball bearings.

Max weight and tire pressure specs are visible right on the glossy rim’s spoke edge

The carbon rims on the Drive 50D wheels we tested measured 50.5mm deep with widths of 21.2 mm inside and 28.8mm outside on average, measured at various locations on both the front and rear wheels.

At a measured weight of 1347 grams with a Shimano/SRAM 11-speed HG freehub, these Elitewheels weigh at least 150g less than other value carbon wheelsets we’ve tested.

Like most but not all value bike wheels sold these days, you can use clincher or tubeless tires on the Drive 50D’s hooked rims. The wheels come standard with hubs set up for thru-axles and centerlock rotors. If you’ve got an older disc brake bike, you can order them for use with quick-release axles and 6-bolt rotors. Mine were delivered with the rims pretaped for tubeless, valves installed, and four extra carbon spokes.

The Drive lineup also includes a 40mm depth wheelset and rim brake wheels. Given how well the Drive 50Ds perform in side winds and how light they feel, I don’t see a reason to go any shallower. Not having tested the rim brake model, I can’t speak to the performance of those wheels.

Quality: The original owner gets a 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects. If you need to replace the front or rear wheel within that same timeframe due to a crash, Elitewheels will give you a 38% discount on the original price of the damaged one. Elitewheels has service centers in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Shipping on new products and valid warranty claims is free. You can return an unused wheelset within 30 days, but the shipping cost is on you. It took about a month for the wheels I ordered to arrive in the United States.

Price: The Elitewheels Drive 50D wheelset is competitively priced at US$1189, £920, €1093 and available using this link to Elitewheels. Using the code ITKCycling will give you a 15% discount, effectively reducing the price to US$1011, £782, €929.

You can compare this wheelset and other value carbon wheels in this review.

In The Know Cycling is ad-free, subscription-free, and reader-supported. If you want to help keep it rolling without any added cost to you, buy your gear and kit after clicking the store links on the site. When you do, we may earn an affiliate commission that will help me cover the expenses to create and publish our independent, comprehensive, and comparative reviews. Thank you, Steve. Learn more.