ENVE Composites Launches New 26/29er Wheels

ENVE Composites Launches New 26 and 29 inch AM (All-Mountain) Wheels with Tubeless Compatibility

In 2006, ENVE’s (Edge) first mountain clinchers were pulled from the molds and after two years of ride testing, the first legitimate full carbon mountain clincher was introduced to the public at the2008 Sea Otter Classic. Today, carbon fiber has proliferated to all off-road applications and ENVE has been on the front lines pushing the limits of what is achievable, highlighted by Syndicate wins on the World Cup Downhill circuit on the first all carbon downhill rim. ENVE’s latest product, the 26 and 29 inch AM (All-Mountain) Tubeless compatible rim is indicative of this drive to continuously push the envelope to create the best performing mountain wheel on the market.

Where tubeless compatibility was once the exception, it has quickly becoming the norm and it became clear that the next generation of ENVE mountain clinchers would need to be tubeless compatible "Being the first to release a full line of carbon clinchers specifically designed for use in the dirt was a huge accomplishment. Releasing our latest tubeless compatible AM rims is equally exciting as it embodies the original goal of creating the best performing all mountain wheelset period,” said Jason Schiers ENVE’s founder.

The high-performance characteristics of the ENVE AM rim is attributed to a proprietary manufacturing process, targeted laminate and a purpose driven design. The ENVE AM rim is 30 mm deep and features a 24mm width between the hook beads making it the ideal platform for riders running tires between 2.2-2.4 inches wide.

The new ENVE AM clinchers also include a progression of structural modifications to improve their ride performance and strength without paying any weight penalties. In 2010 ENVE Composites partnered with the Santa Cruz Syndicate knowing that, as Schiers put it, "The DH environment and extreme capabilities of riders such as Steve Peat and Greg Minnaar, is the most defining way to demonstrate what sets Enve branded products apart from all others.” This sponsorship along with others provided ENVE engineers with real world feedback that provided direction in where and how to improve an already impressive product.

Over the last year ENVE has made a sizeable investment in their R&D Testing Lab. "Our investment in new testing equipment has strengthened our ability to take real world results and feedback, validate it in the lab, and then reintroduce it to the athletes and testers to confirm the changes we made. This process is very apparent with our new AM rims. We took what we were learning from our test riders, and made changes accordingly. As a result we believe that the new AM rims are the best riding mountain rims on the market today,” said ENVE’s lead test engineer.

The new tubeless compatible ENVE AM rims are available in both 26 and 29 inch models and in hole counts of both 28 and 32 holes. The weight of the new rim is 395 grams for the 26 inch model and 440 grams for the 29 inch model. Retail is set at US$860/rim and pre-built wheelsets on DT Swiss or Chris King hubs start at US$2400.