Enve 45 Carbon Clincher Wheelset

Since taking delivery of the SL4 late last year I'd been running my old Easton EC90 SL 38mm carbon clincher wheelset. While a very good wheelset, the Eastons were getting a little tired so I thought it was about time for a new set of wheels.

I wanted to take a step up from 38mm to 45mm and my first choice was a set of Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers. After taking a look at the Zipps I wasn't convinced and had heard some mixed reviews about the ongoing maintenance required on the Zipp hubs.

Previously I had some issues with hubs and wanted something bomb proof. After seeking advice from informed friends who had been running them for a while I settled on the Enve 45s. A big tick in their favour was the fact the wheels come fitted DT Swiss 240s hubs (you can also option the Enve 45s with Chris Kings Hubs for an extra $300).

So far I've only ridden the Enve 45s once, but first impressions are very good. The wheels spin up quick, are easy to maintain relatively high speeds (for a chump like me) and feel rock solid under load. While looking quite chunky, the wheelset comes in at a respectable 1458 grams.

The finish of the carbon fibre is first class, although I'm still not convinced by the look of the wheels with the white decals. I'm coming around to them, but I may just remove the decals or custom order a set of black decals directly from Enve.

The SL4 as it was fitted with the Eastons

A huge thanks to Total Rush for arranging the wheels and kindly throwing in a set of S-Works Turbo Tyres.

~VL