Gravel Grinder News: Enve Debuts New Hub Range- by Guitar Ted
Enve Composites announced today that a new range of Enve branded road hubs will now be available in their complete wheel sets and as sets sold separately. This range of road hubs will cover both rim brake and disc brake standards. The project development was “in house” and took place over the course of the last five years.
The main features of the new range are interesting. Enve chose to go with a paired spoke flange arrangement to reduce weight and increase spoke bracing angles, according to Enve’s Chief Engineer, Kevin Nelson. Bearings are “custom premium grade stainless”, according to Enve, which they found were in line with customer expectations for the best combination of free rolling performance and low maintenance over the life of the bearings. Another interesting feature related to the bearings is Enve’s Perfect Preload™
Perfect Preload™ uses a calibrated wave washer which sits between the bearing and a snap ring on the axle. This applies a pre-determined amount of force on the bearing over its lifespan allowing for the rider to focus on riding without worry for adjustment.
The hubs use the same driver as found on Enve’s Carbon Road Hub which features a 40 tooth ratchet and a single spring. Interestingly, a rubber gasket can be removed to change the tone of the free wheeling mechanism. The free hubs are removeable without tools and available in Campagnolo, Shimano, and SRAM XD Driver types.
MSRP on the hub sets is $575.00USD and Enve SES and G Series wheels featuring these hubs start at $2550.00USD. The prices are less using the Enve hubs than current offerings in these series are due to the streamlining of the supply chain. These hubs will now be the standard offering from Enve on these wheels. That said, Enve will also continue to offer the same hubs it has in the past as options.
NOTE: Information and images used for this post are courtesy of Enve Composites.
