A little over a year after launching their M series of carbon wheels, ENVE is preparing to add two new wheels to the line, the M60 HV and M70 HV. The HV stands for High Volume, and the rims on both wheels are designed to work best with larger volume tires (2.3 – 2.5”), including a few that haven't yet been released.
The M60 HV rim will have an internal width of 26mm, and the M70 HV will measure 31mm. Those numbers weren't picked randomly out of a hat – they're the result of extensive testing that ENVE performed at their Utah manufacturing facility to figure out the ideal width, one that would best balance stiffness and weight while creating the optimum tire profile.
According to ENVE, they found that at a certain point the benefits of a wider rim began to diminish (at least when using tires smaller than 2.5"), with the expanded tire casing profile becoming more prone to punctures, whether due to pinch flats or sidewall tears, which is how they settled on the 31mm internal dimensions of the M70 HV. The new rims still use a hookless sidewall design, but the overall rim profile is slightly shallower than the standard M-Series rims. Expect prices to be in line with that of the current M Series (read: not cheap) when the wheels become available in late August 2015.
ENVE:"hey! you're good enough for us to sponsor!" You:"cool! how about some new hoops?" ENVE:"well....you're not that good!"
25mm internal is still ideal for most tire profiles though. Don't need to flatten treads out like dinner plates w/ too wide o' rims. Won't be long and tire profile shapes will catch up to these 30+ internal ids
Fake Enve decal still 2 x more expensive than other decals, but still 2 x more awesome.
Mavic tyres are universally viewed as some of the worst tyres ever conceived.
So bad that even their sponsored athletes refused to use them
I thought Roval came up with the 31mm internal.
And still the top bikes at enduro world cup have narrow rims, i wonder why?
I'm not Jerome, so I can and will use everything available to make my ride just a little bit faster/safer.
2 months later "we found through testing that 650b is the perfect balance of speed and handling, and has much better roll over and speed than 26"
This is all bull shit.
They say they had no intention of making the Bronson 650B - it was initially intended to be a 26 - until they tried it.
"Wheel System." Sounds like someone drank the Kool-Aid? Having matched rim-wheel systems is just another way for companies to ultimately get money from the consumer. They want you to think that you have to run their tires with their wheels. If they actually made it mandatory with their design, their wheels would disappear into oblivion, and they would update the rim back to something others can use. So they leave it ambiguous by calling it a system and implying heavily that performance is best when you run "the system." Don't believe it. That's not to say that the tires are not good, or the wheels (I have no idea, never ridden either) - just be careful about using their language. Before you know it, we'll all be talking about wheel systems and people will forget that there are individual components to a "wheel system."
But note: the Crossmax wheels are great and the Mavic tires are actually quite decent.
You're essentially getting free tires with the wheelset, considering the price.
That's a hard argument to make, I think, as wheelset pricing is highly variable and subjective. But if that were the case, then where is my free case of Schwalbes with every Enve wheelset?
For less than $1000US (and they can be found for well under retail) the Crossmax line is an excellent, reliable, nice riding, stiff and decently light wheelset. And good tires are included.
If you can find another wheelset of equal quality for less than full your boots.
Is it made from different carbon with other competitors (e.g : LB, Derby, NOX, etc)?
31.6 mm internal width , 420g ,hookless
www.light-bicycle.com/enduro-downhill-mtb-26er-carbon-rims-38mm-wide-hookless-tubeless-compatible-strongest.html#.VY6AT_lVhBc
Speaking of flexy carbon forks, have a sid xx wc - thing flexes (at the crown) just by braking the front wheel and pushing the handlebar back and forth - definitely not the headset/stem/wheel assembly.
As someone mentioned above, your consumer rage is better aimed at other companies selling Chinese made rims (likely laced, assembled and decals too!) at greater than necessary prices.
Light-Bicycle clearly offers custom decals for a tiny price. If I had the money to invest, I would buy 100 wheelsets, send a few 27.5" to a few choice websites, and start counting money. Then of course, re-up. Mountain bikers be fiending for that uncut, wide carbon wheelset.
Laying carbon for Giant could very well be the best job in town.
This said, I am not any faster on the ENVEs, and since the weight is same, do you know what? I regret having thrown away so much money on the carbon ENVEs, I could have flown Italy->Whistler and be much happier.
Reducing the rims sidewall height should in theory reduce the number of rim strikes and improve their durability, which is why we are seeing it on more and more rims
Edit: hole through the rim, not the review.
marketing head: why not? these bikers are idiots, the more expensive better for them. much better for us.
Enve ceo: you should run for president..
marketing head: actually, i am
FML
Buy a set of LB's, slap on some Enve stickers...jealousy problem solved.