THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The story behind the flagship Enve 8.9 SES wheel

With a price tag of £2,500 for a set of clincher wheels, the Enve 8.9 SES wheelset may look a little underwhelming. On the surface, the rim looks unassuming – its smooth, rounded shape isn’t immediately distinguishable from other rims on the market. But beneath the skin there’s a lot going on.

First is the moulded spoke hole design, which means the carbon fibres are laid around the holes during construction. The alternative is to mould the carbon into a single form and then drill holes for the spokes. Enve’s proprietary moulding technique should mean higher strength at a lower weight, offering the potential for higher spoke tension.

Enve also has several design patents for the aerodynamic shape of the rim. Simon Smart’s design uses a special curvature for the rim right through to the spoke face aiming to reduce side-wind forces while making the whole system more aero. As Smart says, ‘It isn’t the fastest wheel on its own, but it is the fastest wheel in the frame as a system.’

The front and rear rim are also different – the front rim being shallower and wider to accommodate the different wind angles and side forces on each wheel while creating the least overall drag. As the rear wheel is generally more stable, it’s able to be deeper and narrower without sacrificing stability, and hence the front rim is 85mm deep compared to the 95mm rear rim – giving rise to the 8.9 name.