Are you looking at ways of upgrading your current stock bike and are looking for the best return? A new wheelset is always a great starting point and there are many different options out there. At Tom's we sell many different brands and Enve is one of them.
STRONG, LIGHT, STIFF, AND AERO – THE ENVE PROCESS
Carbon fiber manufacturing is a game of tradeoffs. When looking for a new set of wheels, you need to ask these questions:
- How can I get the strongest, yet lightest wheel?
- Can I get a stiff and efficient wheel without sacrificing comfort?
- If I ride these wheels every day, how much maintenance will they require?
So, at ENVE we are in the business of reducing tradeoffs. We want it all; producing a wheel that is light and strong, stiff and comfortable, fast and stable, durable and maintenance-free. We don’t believe in “race-only” wheels. We believe your fastest wheels should be ridden every day.
Making everyday race wheels without tradeoffs requires serious technology. This is what differentiates ENVE wheels from the competition:
ENVE wheels are strong. Very strong. Why? Because people like Danny MacAskill and Josh Bryceland do insane things on them. The strength of our wheels is derived from a combination of factors: great structural design, intense molding and thoughtful wheelbuilding. One of the most important factors is ENVE’s PATENTED ability to mold, rather than drill spoke holes. This ensures unbroken carbon fibers throughout the wheel. That translates to a stronger wheel per gram of weight.
Weight is the sworn enemy of speed. However, light is typically not associated with strength. In cycling, you want every ounce working toward making your frame and components strong. At ENVE, we use removeable bladders and no paint or filler. All of the weight is in intensely molded carbon fiber. This can save as much as 120g (or 1/4 pound) of unbalanced weight over a wheelset. So – when asking how much something weighs, make sure all the weight is there to also help make it functionally strong.
Simply put, ENVE rims are stiff in all the right places. Through the use of unidirectional carbon fiber, we are able to achieve the optimal balance of vertical, lateral, and torsional stiffness.
Lateral stiffness – affects how a wheel tracks and manages forces that it is subjected to when navigating corners and accelerating.
Torsional stiffness – affects how a wheel feels when accelerating and decelerating. Optimized torsional stiffness means that power from the pedals is transferred through the drivetrain, hub, spokes and ultimately the rim in the quickest most efficient manner possible.
Vertical stiffness – is the amount of deflection a wheel experiences when compressed and/or impacted. We discuss this in more depth in our Building a Faster Wheel article.
More than ever, aero is the name of the game on the road or race circuit. All of our carbon fiber road and triathlon wheels are developed in-frame (i.e., on the bike) as an integrated system. Wheels are tested on multiple frame designs in order to produce net drag reduction no matter which bike you are riding. This unique approach to testing results in a wheel system that incorporates specific shapes and depths for the front and rear wheels because the airflow interacts with the front and back of the bike in different manners.
For more information on Enve wheels stop by the shop today from 10-8 and check out our inventory!
Want to race that Mountain Bike. Wednesday Night Single Track Racing at Sprague Brook Registration is open. It started last night and there are 7 weeks remaining! It was a great time with many new faces trying it out - so don't be afraid to try something new!
