Enve has launched three aero gravel G Series wheelsets, two in its Pro range and a third non-Pro wheelset that’s a little bit cheaper.
The G SES 6.7 Pro has a huge 35mm internal width and mixed 60mm front and 67mm rear depths with differential profiles, upping the aero gravel race wheelset ante. Enve claims that the wheels offer an advantage in all but the hilliest gravel races.
The G SES 4.5 Pro and G SES 4.5 both use rims with a slightly more conservative 30mm internal width and mixed 49mm front and 55mm rear depths. They differ in the spokes and hubs used.
All the wheels are designed to offer compatibility with gravel bike tyres from 44mm to 52mm, a response to the ballooning width of tyres used in gravel racing and the increased frame clearance offered by many newer gravel race bikes.
There’s a maximum tyre pressure of 50psi / 3.4 bar, although it’s unlikely that anyone would want to run wider gravel tyres at such high pressures.
Claimed to be faster than Zipp’s gravel wheels
Enve says it’s not about wider for wider’s sake though, with the rim design driven by its wind-tunnel testing data. According to Enve, at 32kmh this shows a 13.6% reduction in drag for the G SES 6.7 Pro and 13.6% for the G SES 4.5 Pro versus its own AG25 gravel wheels, which it used as a baseline, when averaged across tyres of 40mm, 44mm and 48mm width.
The corresponding figure found by Enve for its closest competitor, the Zipp 303 XPLR SW, which has a 54mm depth and 32mm internal width was 12.2%.
At 48kmh, the corresponding figures are 14.2% for the G SES 6.7 Pro, 12.8% for the G SES 4.5 Pro and 10.9% for the Zipp wheels.
These figures equate to an 8-watt saving at 32kmh and 25 watts at 48kmh versus the AG25.
Enve also tested the effect of a tyre with tread versus a slick gravel tyre, proving that tread has a greater impact on drag at higher speeds.
Lightweight hubs and spokes keep weight down
The chunky rims of the G SES 6.7 Pro do add weight at a claimed 505g for the front rim and 500g for the rear, for wheel weights claimed at 735g front and 845g rear. That leads to a reported wheelset weight of 1,580g including rim tape and valves. Enve says it’s offering the deeper wheelset only in Pro version, as it has used its lightest components to help keep the weight in check.
Meanwhile, Enve’s figures for the G SES 4.5 Pro wheels’ rims are each 50g lower at 455g front, 450g rear, for wheel weights of 685g and 795g and a claimed wheelset weight of 1,480g.
The rims in both Pro wheelset depths are laced to Enve’s Innerdrive Pro hubs with 24 Alpha Ultralite silver spokes and Alpina Nylock internal alloy nipples front and rear. There are ceramic bearings, a 40-tooth ratchet and a choice of Shimano Hyperglide, Micro Spline, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies.
Go non-Pro and the G SES 4.5 wheelset has the same rim profile and weight as the Pro version, but laced to Innerdrive Premium hubs with stainless steel bearings using Sapim CX-Ray spokes and brass nipples. This leads to a front wheel weight claimed at 725g and a rear weight of 840g for a combined wheelset weight of 1,565g.
The rim sidewalls of all three wheelsets are 3.8mm wide and use Enve’s Wide Hookless Bead design to help reduce the risk of pinch flats when run at low tyre pressure. Enve says it has ported over its tech from its MTB wheels to ensure high impact strength.
The G Series Pro wheelsets are both priced at $1,400 front and $1,700 rear for a $3,100 total wheelset price. The non-Pro G SES 4.5 wheels are priced at $1,300 front and $1,550 rear, for a combined $2,850 price.
All the wheelsets are made in-house in Utah and Enve offers a limited lifetime warranty and crash replacement programme.