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Over on that other website about bikes they have reviewed some Enve wheels and basically stopped with the review due to exploding rims and fears for personal safety. It's pretty damning
Can we now put them with Avid Brakes and Crank Brothers pedals in the dustbin of parts that shall never be bought? (not that i would have anyway! ££££)
Had my m50s for 6 years. All good here.
Oh dear !
Link?
It's a great review and Enve's comeback is, er, blaming Chris King for making their hubs expensive and a rider on an e-bike should not have used e-bike rims but DH approved ones:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-enve-m735e-wheelset.html
In fairness, it was an E-DH bike (Spesh Kenevo). I think they’ve tried to save a bit of weight, when infact they should have just restickered some M90s.
Still pretty damning though, but again for balance, I’ve had some AM rims for 5 years, and had some M70s for 4, before selling the bike, without any issue but appreciate that isn’t the case for everyone, and why I’ve gone for SC reserves recently.
In fairness, it was an E-DH bike (Spesh Kenevo).
Don't think it's a DH e-bike..This is the jump one of the rims failed on landing:

Pinkbike don't seem to have much luck with enve wheels
https://m.pinkbike.com/news/Enve-Composites-DH-Wheels-Tested-2013.html
But last time they obligingly removed the images from the article of the total rim failure (enve said they shouldn't have kept riding a cracked rim)

Yep, thought the reply was a bit "we own our problems, but it's actually the testers and Chris Kings fault".
The QC issues were damning too. If you are paying that sort of money you'd expect way better than that.
Don’t think it’s a DH e-bike.
180mm each end, and rated for DC forks IIRC, sounds pretty DH to me.
Pretty damning review and response from Enve.
All things break. Once it's possible, twice becomes suspicious.
Surely if carbon rims breaking was an issue, we would be hearing much more? Things like at amatuer races, on forums or publicly at world cups?
ENVE fanboiz quick to the defence here.
ENVE fanboiz quick to the defence here.
For clarity, I won’t buy their rims again.
Pretty damning review and response from Enve.
This. Enve should have done a decent job of owning up and taking responsibility here and getting it sorted with whatever is wrong at their end.
it's cool that people have had them for 6 years no problems, but things change do they not? companies rest on their laurels, change production methods etc. I've no idea but yes incorrectly drilled spoke holes is terrible. you'd think they would double triple check before sending them out to pinkbike
Over 2k for a pair of rims that weigh the same as OEM spec 29er wheels?...My entire bike cost less!
Over 2k for a pair of rims that weigh the same as OEM spec 29er wheels?
Fools & their money are easily parted
you’d think they would double triple check before sending them out to pinkbike
You'd think they would have given the first rim failed.
I mean Aston is no slouch on a bike, but I would have expected them to be at least a little bit better than that!
But then i'm in no position to comment, as a serial carbon rim wrecker. Hence why I stick to aluminium these days. And as i've said before, they ride better too. 🙂
I’ve never rated enve(can’t afford them anyway) few mates have had issues with cracked/damaged enve rims. Road and cx though.
I’ve got 50mm Chinese carbon on my fixie and it’s taken a beating last 18 months. Even rode 3 miles home on rear rim as punctured without Spanner to remove wheel. Bit of scuffing on rim no damage 🙂 Wheels cost £230
Had my m50s for 6 years. All good here.
Times change Mavic bought out Enve in 2016 Mavic parent Amer Sport indicated in Sept that would probably dispose of Mavic .... not the specialist it was I suspect
I'm off to Finale in a month, you can basically photoshop in my face on that pic up there (but with aluminium rims and more style ) 🙂
I picked up some cheap (due to being 26) Enve M60 wheels on ebay a few years back. All I can say is they have been fantastic. Survived multiple Spain trips (think Rocky Armageddon) and low pressures with no damage. That's after cracking an Easton and a SRAM carbon rim.
Maybe they are less good now or maybe I got lucky. Who knows? I wouldn't pay more than RRP/4 for them but I cant say they are not great wheels.
im worried about my specialized carbon rims now.
Oh dear. An unenveable position for this company to be in.
im worried about my specialized carbon rims now.
Why?
Fools & their money are easily parted
+1
It says a lot that the QC of holes not lined up and rough areas - before they even broke.
I'm betting cost cutting from New owners.
I read their response as 'we specced CK hubs because e-bike, which puts the price up, but the tester should have specced our burlier rim because e bike'?
Didn't anyone ask what they were going to be tested on?
When the first one broke, didn't anyone ask what they'd been tested on?
We have had so many broken carbon rims on our trips. Latest one last week which cracked and we ended up taping and riding. Lots of dented aluminium but I have never had anyone not finish a trip due to broken aluminium rims. Just my observations from the trails.
It was a great review. Good on them for having the balls to write it.
Hands up if you genuinely think that bike doesn't need downhill wheels and tyres…
^ Those wheels weigh the same as 'DH' wheels though. I've just checked WeAreOne and Mavic wheels and the weights are very similar (Outlier and aluminum Deemax DH). The WeArOne carbon are half the price..... Personally I'm a bit bored of rebuilding carbon wheels so am happy for people to think that I am poor 😉 (OK, I am poor....)
For that price I would expect every rim to be QC checked by hand. Before they failed they had QC issues.
I've a set of DT Swiss carbon rims on my Capra (third year of abuse) and a set on my Jeffsy (second year of abuse), no issues, perfect quality.
Carbon is not at fault, the QC and perhaps design is.
Why are they so heavy? My DT Swiss alloy set is significantly lighter than that.
E-bike specific, probably DT's Hybrid series is similarly weighty...
my DT E1900s are sub 2kg
in reality there's no such thing as an Ebike specific wheelset.
An ebike is just a bike with 15lb of motor and battery in the middle and a little extra torque. (but even including the motor assist you'll rarely see an emtb rider output the wattage of a top sprinter)
Emtbs don't need any stronger wheels than a comparable regular bike with a rider wearing a rucksack.
same with tyres. and any other components.
all 4 of my DH wheelsets are 2100g or less, cost £300 or less and are far stronger than the ENVEs
#264LYF
😉
I don't like the fools and their money comments. That's just ridiculous.
It's all relative.
I didn't particularly want to jump on the Chinese cheap labour wagon either. And at the time there weren't loads of options that were in the same league.
Having said all this you fear the worst when a large company buys out a small one.
I actually forgot they are now a megacorp.
Everything they intend to do We Are One do cheaper and better.
E-bike specific,
No, read the article again.
Oh dear, how very unfortunate.
No, read the article again.
Again?
I haven't read it at all.
I mentioned "Ebike specific" in reply to posts on here.
That's pretty terrible on all fronts isn't it. The response is what happens if you get your marketing people to write a product failure response, starting "everyone thinks we're perfect because we're ENVE!" is just amazing. Sending out faulty products to replaced failed ones, more so. Exposed fibres on a new carbon product is just outrageous, that's not a QC fail, that's a total manufacturing fail- nothing should be coming off the line that badly wrong. And the misdrilled holes, wtf. And then they're not even bloody light, I could forgive it more if they'd pushed lightness too far since that's what so many people want from carbon
I will stick to my cheap chinese carbons and my very cheap but apparently lighter alu dh rims.
Carbon rims you say?
Biscuits anyone?
Kettles on, I'll warm the chocolate teapot.
I haven’t read it at all.
I mentioned “Ebike specific” in reply to posts on here.
My post wasn't in response to yours, but by all means carry on.
They should have bought LB rims.
Puts on fire proof coat.
The "E" at the end of the 'Enve M735E' stands for E bike specific Del
What in the article in particular re-needs read?
My comprehension failure. [Winds neck back in]. Apologies.