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Enve's new, less expensive road wheels

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Enve's new, less expensive road wheels

Old 04-09-20, 11:14 PM
  #26  
Racing Dan
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Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
Over on ST, their bike tech's review makes it sound like a righteous pain to set them up, and he's a big fan of tubeless. Hard pass from me.

https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/...ries_7633.html
"The wheels were so fast that I quickly realized that my gravel bike did have an issue – limited gearing."

Are you kidding me :-) lol

What a wanker ...
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Old 04-09-20, 11:24 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by wgscott
I think they are sort of responding to the idea that hookless rims are tubeless-incompatible. (Some tires are reported to blow off hookless rims fairly easily.)
You can use a tube, but the hookless design limits the selection of compatible tyres to whatever Enve thinks will work - or you are on your own.

I believe there are no ordinary (tube type) clinchers deemed safe.
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Old 04-10-20, 03:17 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
You can use a tube, but the hookless design limits the selection of compatible tyres to whatever Enve thinks will work - or you are on your own.

I believe there are no ordinary (tube type) clinchers deemed safe.
Compatible and incompatible tyres list:

https://www.enve.com/en/lp/tire-compatibility/


Not approved amongst many other:

"Continental GP5000 TL – 28mm"


Imo, hookless rims to save a bit on manufacturing is like pissing your pants in the cold. It will come back to haunt you.

Last edited by Racing Dan; 04-10-20 at 03:24 AM.
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Old 04-10-20, 06:35 AM
  #29  
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I also live in the desert (Joshua Tree area) and have had no issues with tubeless since switching over on both my gravel and road bike over a year ago. Every few months, I just take the wheel off and shake it, and if I don't hear sealant, I add some. I know it's probably not the best way to do it, but it's worked so far and I've now gone over a year without having to stop for a puncture. I ride with 28's on the road bike and 42's on the gravel so lower pressure probably has had something to do with my success though.

I just ordered a set of November Cafe Racers laced to CK hubs with CX-Ray spokes for a little cheaper than what these are going for a couple weeks ago. I know I probably have the better wheelset, all things considered but it does make me question my choice.
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Old 04-10-20, 08:12 AM
  #30  
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Or just wait until Black Friday and pick up Enve’s expensive wheels for less than these, like I did.
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Old 04-10-20, 03:28 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Noctilux.95
Or just wait until Black Friday and pick up Enve’s expensive wheels for less than these, like I did.
Which rims and hubs were these? I can’t imagine ENVEs going on sale too easily. They work too hard to be the Gucci of bikes
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Old 04-10-20, 04:12 PM
  #32  
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For what it's worth, about a week into December ever year Enve runs a promotion where buying a wheelset from a local dealer gets you a free handlebar. I got their SES road "aero" bar that way. Retails for $400 which amounts to a big discount.
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Old 04-10-20, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
"The wheels were so fast that I quickly realized that my gravel bike did have an issue – limited gearing."

Are you kidding me :-) lol

What a wanker ...
No ****! Good grief.
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Old 04-11-20, 08:02 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by smashndash
Which rims and hubs were these? I can’t imagine ENVEs going on sale too easily. They work too hard to be the Gucci of bikes
I picked up the Enve 7.8 rim brake with DT Swiss hubs from Competitive Cyclist for $1449 plus tax, Enve 3.4 rim brake with Enve alloy hubs for $1700 out the door, and Enve 5.6 disk with Enve alloy hubs also for $1700 out the door. The latter two were purchased through the Enve trade in program where you receive $600 credit for trading in a pair of aluminum wheels. I’m set for a while.
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Old 04-11-20, 11:30 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
"The wheels were so fast that I quickly realized that my gravel bike did have an issue – limited gearing."
Are you kidding me :-) lol
What a wanker ...
To be fair, it was in comparison to 650c wheels with fat tires. And many gravel bikes do have fairly low gearing, especially the 1x variants.
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Old 04-11-20, 12:01 PM
  #36  
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I am surprised that no one has mentioned WHY Enve is now releasing cheaper wheels: they were acquired by Mavic. Edit: That was incorrect. Amer Sports, who had previously owned Mavic, along with many other sports brands such as Salomon, Arc'teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic, Suunto, Wilson, Louisville Slugger and Precor, had purchased Enve Composites (link). To be exact, this was an ownership change and had no influence on the business structure at Enve. However, in 2019 ownership of Amer Sports was acquired by a Chinese group called Mascot Bidco (link). Given the timing of this take-over and the recent roll-out of a cheaper wheel line, one can with near certainty speculate that these events share common threads. \edit

It is really too bad, because Enve was always pushing the bar higher. They sold high quality wheels for a high price because of their extensive R&D. I think the execs at Mavic will have so many of their own hands in the pot that any equal product could not possibly be developed under their ownership. Unless of course they take their business model and flip it on its head.

That said, I've been running AliExpress Enve clones for some years now and am more than happy. The 30mm, 45mm deep hookless rim weighs exactly what the Enve SES 4.5 AR's do and cost only $300 per set, as opposed to $2,000 from Enve.

I use Tesa 4287 tape and wrap it twice. I have also never pre-set the tape with an inner tube and never had an issue.

You need to be careful how much pressure you air the tires to. They should not be aired up with more than 80psi. The suggested pressure for 70kg's is about 65psi.

My Maxxis Padrone 28mm inflate out to 31mm on these rims. They are super comfortable but perhaps the 25mm versions are better as they inflate to 28mm (on wide rims).

I ran tubeless with the Padrone's last year and probably put about 10,000 miles on them with no flats or issues.

The only thing you need to be careful of with hookless rims is that you don't use a tire with an elastic bead. Those tires can blow off the rim. This is why Enve has a list of known good and known bad tires.

As far as I am concerned, tubeless for road is not more complicated than for mountain. That said, I have never had to fix a flat on the side of the road. That would suck because the carbon beads and hookless rims make for a VERY tight fit (at least, in the beginning. After some miles, they are easier to remove).

Last edited by pressed001; 04-12-20 at 02:34 AM. Reason: inner tube mention
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Old 04-11-20, 01:27 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by pressed001
I am surprised that no one has mentioned WHY Enve is now releasing cheaper wheels: they were acquired by Mavic.

It is really too bad, because Enve was always pushing the bar higher. They sold high quality wheels for a high price because of their extensive R&D. I think the execs at Mavic will have so many of their own hands in the pot that any equal product could not possibly be developed under their ownership. Unless of course they take their business model and flip it on its head.

That said, I've been running AliExpress Enve clones for some years now and am more than happy. The 30mm, 45mm deep hookless rim weighs exactly what the Enve SES 4.5 AR's do and cost only $300 per set, as opposed to $2,000 from Enve.

I use Tesa 4287 tape and wrap it twice. I have also never pre-set the tape with an inner tube and never had an issue.

You need to be careful how much pressure you air the tires to. They should not be aired up with more than 80psi. The suggested pressure for 70kg's is about 65psi.

My Maxxis Padrone 28mm inflate out to 31mm on these rims. They are super comfortable but perhaps the 25mm versions are better as they inflate to 28mm (on wide rims).

I ran tubeless with the Padrone's last year and probably put about 10,000 miles on them with no flats or issues.

The only thing you need to be careful of with hookless rims is that you don't use a tire with an elastic bead. Those tires can blow off the rim. This is why Enve has a list of known good and known bad tires.

As far as I am concerned, tubeless for road is not more complicated than for mountain. That said, I have never had to fix a flat on the side of the road. That would suck because the carbon beads and hookless rims make for a VERY tight fit (at least, in the beginning. After some miles, they are easier to remove).
One of the hardest tasks I've ever done in my life is mounting Conti 5000TL's on Enve wheels. Unreal man, UNREAL!
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Old 04-11-20, 03:16 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Noctilux.95
One of the hardest tasks I've ever done in my life is mounting Conti 5000TL's on Enve wheels. Unreal man, UNREAL!
You have to walk them around the rim with the tire lever until they get worked in enough and positioned perfectly enough to give that tiny bit of play necessary to throw it over the rim.
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Old 04-11-20, 05:30 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Noctilux.95
One of the hardest tasks I've ever done in my life is mounting Conti 5000TL's on Enve wheels. Unreal man, UNREAL!
Are those tires ok to use on your rims? I have 4.5 ARs and they say but to use GPs.
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Old 04-11-20, 06:03 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Are those tires ok to use on your rims? I have 4.5 ARs and they say but to use GPs.
My wheel/tire combo work just fine. My fingers after mounting the tires on their rims, not so much. BTW I have the 5000 TL's mounted on all three Enve sets and love the combo.

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Old 04-11-20, 06:50 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by pressed001
I am surprised that no one has mentioned WHY Enve is now releasing cheaper wheels: they were acquired by Mavic.
ENVE was acquired by Mavic, but I think the parent company subsequently sold Mavic, so the union was brief.
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Old 04-11-20, 08:01 PM
  #42  
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Another likely explanation is they want to offer something to compete at the price-point of Santa Cruz wheels.
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Old 04-11-20, 10:29 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
ENVE was acquired by Mavic, but I think the parent company subsequently sold Mavic, so the union was brief.
More like the company that owned Mavic acquired ENVE. But yeah, the misinformation is rampant. People think getting acquired by another company suddenly means the quality is gonna go into the dirt. As if ENVE were never in the business of making money in the first place
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Old 04-12-20, 02:50 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
ENVE was acquired by Mavic, but I think the parent company subsequently sold Mavic, so the union was brief.
My post has been edited to reflect this. Thanks for the correction.

Originally Posted by smashndash
More like the company that owned Mavic acquired ENVE. But yeah, the misinformation is rampant. People think getting acquired by another company suddenly means the quality is gonna go into the dirt. As if ENVE were never in the business of making money in the first place
You would be correct if the business structure at Enve hadn't changed. Enve had (has?) a passion for producing exclusive ground breaking products. I only hope that the take-over did not influence this. However, with the release of their more affordable wheels, one could speculate with relative certainty that the business ideas have in-fact changed.
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Old 04-12-20, 08:00 AM
  #45  
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Personally I believe that ENVE had to start competing with companies such as Hunt, Light Bicycle and others but with an American made product. Yes, they are still double the cost of those third tier wheels but at a price point that I think is obtainable by most serious riders and for those who believe in American manufacturing.

ENVE has a great reputation and seemingly good R & D department. That is something that adds value to anything you buy from them.

I am in the market for carbon wheels and I had it narrowed down to Bontrager XXX4's or ENVE 4.5AR's. One is a hooked design the other not and they are close in price. The Foundation wheels may through a monkey wrench into that decision.

I hope they do well with the series.
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Old 04-13-20, 04:29 PM
  #46  
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Odd to see GP5000 25c TL on ENVE approved list
Continental labeled the sidewall on this tire as "Do not use with Hookless rims"
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Old 04-14-20, 08:53 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by RedBullFiXX
Odd to see GP5000 25c TL on ENVE approved list
Continental labeled the sidewall on this tire as "Do not use with Hookless rims"
Non of my wheels are hookeless. You’re thinking the Enve’s 3.4 and 4.5 AR Disks which are hookless and not to be mated with the Conti 5000 TL’s and numerous other tires.
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Old 04-14-20, 11:36 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Noctilux.95
Non of my wheels are hookeless. You’re thinking the Enve’s 3.4 and 4.5 AR Disks which are hookless and not to be mated with the Conti 5000 TL’s and numerous other tires.
Did you see the link from the OP about the NEW Enve wheels ?
New Enve Foundation wheels
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Old 04-14-20, 11:39 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by RedBullFiXX
Did you see the link from the OP about the NEW Enve wheels ?
New Enve Foundation wheels
I actually emailed ENVE asking why the 25 is approved and the 28 isn’t. They basically just shrugged at me and said the 25 passes their test but the 28 doesn’t. 🤷‍♂️
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Old 04-14-20, 01:21 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
There are few roadside flats I've gotten that wouldn't have also killed tubeless. And latex is resilient enough that it's saved me from a few itself. But we've been down this road before.
A friend of mine had about 1500 mi on his tubeless and his first flat was yesterday. Never even checked the sealant or anything, just ran with the bike shop setup. Not recommended, of course!
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