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ENVE Introduces the Foundation Collection

  • Ron 

A complete Line of US Made Carbon Wheels at $1600 USD.

ENVE has announced the Foundation Collection, a new line of U.S. made carbon wheels built on ENVE’s core values and technologies.

As such, each model in the Foundation Collection was designed for best-in-class performance, is handcrafted in Ogden, Utah, and like all ENVE products, exists to improve the ride experience. Wheels in the Foundation Collection will retail for $1600 USD, $2899 AUD, $2250 CAD, £1800 and €1800.

“A more accessibly priced wheel collection has been on our project list for many years now. At ENVE, we pride ourselves on delivering a top-shelf product to core riders. However, for us to hit our price and performance targets, we had to follow a plan and respect the process. Part of this was to achieve greater manufacturing efficiencies. We’ve been in our new state-of-the-art carbon manufacturing facility for just over three years now and roughly a year ago, we achieved levels of efficiency in manufacturing that allow us to both produce and deliver the volumes the Foundation Collection is creating while maintaining current production of our premium lines,” stated ENVE’s Managing Director, Jeremy Venz.

Road Collection

The first installments of the Foundation Collection come in the form of two purpose built aero road wheels developed to meet the demands of the modern road cyclist and triathlete – the ENVE 45 and 65.

The ENVE 45 and 65 are named after their respective rim depths and pay tribute to the original ENVE road wheels that were introduced to the aftermarket in 2007.

ENVE Foundation Road Technologies

Each wheel in the Foundation Collection features a host of proprietary technologies essential to achieving the best-in-class designation.

Foundation Aero Technology – The ENVE 45 and 65 benefit from a knowledge base established over more than a decade’s worth of aero wheel development of the premium Smart ENVE System (SES) lineup. Given the advantages of efficiency and stability that good aerodynamic design brings, ENVE states that good aero performance is a fundamental right for all of ENVE’s customers.

To achieve the low drag, high stability performance that the ENVE 45 and 65 rim shapes provide, ENVE has taken cues from its SES rim shape development with the major difference between Foundation and SES being that the Foundation rim geometries are matched front to back whereas SES wheelsets, feature rim shapes specifically optimized for the front and rear positions on the bike. As a result of this development, the ENVE 45 and 65 deliver drag reductions similar to, or better than, the competition’s wheels that are well upmarket in price.

The ENVE 45 and 65 are most efficient when paired with a 25mm (labeled) tubeless road tire. For riders wishing to run larger 28mm tires, aerodynamic losses are minimized by the efficiency of the rim’s shape, and losses are readily recovered by the rolling efficiencies gained from the higher volume tire.

Tubeless Compatibility – Like aerodynamics, the performance that tubeless can provide makes it a foundational technology for all ENVE wheels. The ENVE 45 and 65 feature a 21mm internal rim width
and a hookless bead profile. Hookless has been a hot topic in recent months. According to ENVE this is why they choose a hookless design for their wheels.

“Road tubeless is still a fairly misunderstood technology. Riders understand that there are performance advantages to the system, but don’t always understand how a good tubeless system is designed to work. Essentially, for a trouble-free tubeless setup, the rim and tire interface need to be precise. We choose hookless because it allows us to consistently produce the critical dimensional tolerances tubeless requires,” stated ENVE’s VP of R&D, Scott Nielson.

Given the disparate rate at which rim and tire technology have progressed in recent times, ENVE developed an in-house tire qualification test to determine tire compatibility with the brand’s SES AR line which also features a hookless design. To aid the consumer through their tire purchasing decision and setup, ENVE has provided a list of available tires that have been tested and approved for use with the new wheels. For a tire to be approved and recommended for use, it must pass a maximum inflation test where the tire is inflated to 1.5x the max pressure of the rim or tire, whichever is lowest.

Additionally, ENVE has a tire pressure chart to aid customers in achieving their optimal tire pressures at https://www.enve.com/tirepressure.

Wide Hookless Bead – The ENVE 45 and 65 also feature ENVE’s patent pending Wide Hookless Bead technology. This technology is defined as a wide surface at each of the rim’s leading edges. By creating a larger surface area at the rim’s leading edge, impacts from curbs, potholes, and debris are distributed over a larger area, reducing the likelihood of pinch-flatting tubed and tubeless tires alike. Additionally, this feature increases the rim’s impact toughness.

Patented Molded Spoke and Valve Stem Hole Technology (Patent #US 8,313,155) – ENVE’s patented process of molding spoke and valve stem holes results in rims that are stronger and lighter. Because carbon fiber gets its strength from continuous fibers, ENVE routes the fibers around the hole without cutting them which increases the strength of each spoke hole. This technique pays large dividends in the final product by creating a lighter and stronger rim.

Foundation Road Hub – The ENVE 45 and 65 are built on a new road hub that utilizes the same internals as ENVE’s premium hub offering, but with a simplified hub-shell. Like their premium hub offering, the Foundation Road Hub utilizes the tried and proven ID360 40t ratchet drive mechanism and ENVE’s maintenance free automatic preload system aptly referred to as Perfect Preload™. This system eliminates the possibility that the hub will develop bearing play and slop over time. It also eliminates the need for the consumer to adjust preload on their own as ride time is accumulated. Where bearings are concerned, the Foundation Road Hub features premium grade, fully sealed NTN steel bearings where ENVE’s premium hub line features a custom NTN stainless-steel bearing for even greater longevity.

Lifetime Incident Protection and 5 Year Warranty – Services like ENVE’s incident protection program and warranty can influence a customer’s purchase decision as much as the product’s features, benefits, and price. The 5 Year Warranty protects buyers from defects in materials and workmanship. The Lifetime Incident Protection program protects owners from damage caused to their wheels while riding, crashing, or transporting their bikes. Proof of purchase is required.

Mountain Collection

ENVE also introduced today the ENVE AM30, a full-carbon all-mountain capable wheelset as the flagship mountain offering in ENVE’s Foundation Collection. This is a completely new line of purpose-built, US made carbon wheels priced at $1600 USD, $2899 AUD, $2250 CAD, £1800 and €1800 respectively.

The AM30 pays tribute to ENVE’s roots and the original everyday-rideable, all-mountain durable, carbon mountain bike wheel, the ENVE AM.

“At ENVE, our mission is to create a better ride experience by offering products that are best-in-class. The Foundation Collection is no different. Because of the investments we’ve made in our manufacturing capabilities and technologies over the past 5 years, we can now deliver ENVE’s core technologies to more riders,” stated ENVE’s Managing Director Jeremy Venz.

“The Foundation Collection and its AM30 are exciting products for ENVE. Over the years, we’ve explored ways to make ENVE more accessible. Recently, efficiencies and capabilities gained in manufacturing, paired with new innovations in ENVE rim design, have allowed us to create the Foundation Collection. Not only does ENVE now offer wheelsets at the $1600 USD price point, but our Foundation level wheels are loaded with features, benefits, and a ride feel often reserved for wheels priced well above the Foundation Collection,” commented VP of Product and Brand, Jake Pantone.

ENVE Foundation Mountain Technologies

Each wheel in the Foundation Collection features a host of proprietary technologies essential to achieving the best-in-class designation.

New Shape, New Ride Feel – With a unique shape and tuned carbon laminate for gravity-oriented trail riding, the AM30 balances compliance and vibration damping for all-day comfort, while retaining quick cornering, acceleration, and gravity-rated strength. Additionally, offset spoke holes balance spoke tensions to prevent premature spoke fatigue.

The AM30 is a modern mountain wheel in every aspect. With a 30mm internal rim width, the AM30 is designed to support high-volume mountain tires between 2.3” and 2.6”. Given the wheel’s positioning as “trail to enduro”, the AM30 is best paired with modern 110mm to 180mm travel trail bikes. The AM30 is available in both 27.5” and 29” models.

Impact Toughness – Along with the AM30’s new shape and ride-tune comes an increase in impact toughness. “When it comes to our mountain wheels, impact toughness is priority number one. Regardless of the discipline, an ENVE rim will always strike a refined balance between durability, weight, and ride quality dynamics. The AM30 is no different; in the crowded offering of all-mountain capable trail wheels, the AM30 strikes a unique balance between ride-feel and toughness,” stated Clint Child, ENVE’s wheel engineering manager.

Patented Molded Spoke Holes for External Nipples (Patent #US 8,313,155) – Carbon is unique in its ability to support loads under tension. ENVE’s molded spoke holes maximize these properties by running continuous fibers around each spoke hole and the rim. Because the spoke holes are molded, not drilled, the continuity of the fibers create a rim that is lighter without compromising strength.

The new AM30 features external nipples which are a notable departure from ENVE’s current mountain offering. “At ENVE, we’re pushing the envelope for carbon rim performance as far as we can. When it comes to the wheel build, we value reliability over all else and our molded spoke holes deliver a better wheel-build. With the AM30, the main driver towards the external nipple is the shallow 20mm cross-section of the rim that is required to achieve the more compliant ride-feel we want. When a rim is this shallow, an external nipple is required to prevent the spoke from puncturing the tubeless tape under hard compressions or impacts,” stated Pantone.

Wide Hookless Bead – ENVE introduced its Wide Hookless Bead technology in 2016. This feature, is a larger-than-normal leading edge that dissipates the energy across a larger contact area, improving impact resistance and preventing slicing through the tubeless tire.

“Our carbon wheels are intended to inspire confidence and help rider’s progress in the sport. Over the years, we’ve seen how pinch-flats have negatively impacted rider’s experiences both while riding and racing. The onslaught of tire-inserts is proof of the epidemic that is pinch-flatted tubeless tires. While there are a few insert systems that reduce the likelihood of pinch-flatting, most are ineffective. Additionally, inserts are heavy, hard to install or remove, and can reduce a rim’s ultimate impact strength. At ENVE, we honor our warranty even if a customer chooses to runs inserts. In short, there is very little about an insert that improves the ride experience. Weight still matters, as do pinch-flat protection and impact toughness. These attributes aren’t mutually exclusive. Our Wide Hookless Bead allows riders to save weight, skip the hassle of inserts, and run the tires and pressures they want to maximize their ride,” Pantone commented.

Lifetime Incident Protection and 5 Year Warranty – Services like ENVE’s incident protection program and warranty can influence a customer’s purchase decision as much as the product’s features, benefits, and price. The 5 Year Warranty protects buyers from defects in materials and workmanship. The Lifetime Incident Protection program protects owners from damage caused to their wheels while riding, crashing, or transporting their bikes. Proof of purchase is required.

The Foundation Collection and the all-new AM30 mountain wheel and the ENVE 45 & 65 model road wheels are available now at ENVE.com and through ENVE retail partners worldwide.

Tags: aerodynamic, Automotive industry, Bicycle wheel, bike, carbon, carbon fiber, collection, cyclist, Enduro, ENVE, Gravity, Hookless, Jake Pantone, Jeremy Venz, Machines, maintenance, mountain, mountain bike, pantone, performance, protection, racing, Rim, technology, Tire, Tires, tubeless, Tubeless tire, United States, Vehicles, wheels, wheelsets
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