Enve today announced the introduction of two “Adventure / Gravel” wheelsets in its family of mid-range carbon wheels. The new carbon wheels AG25 and AG28 are made in Utah and include some of the same technologies found in the brand’s high-end G23 and G27 wheelsets. The Foundation collection was first introduced last year with the 45 and 65 road wheels and the MTB AM30 wheel and serves as a lower price point option for Enve customers.
In designing the AG wheel range, Enve focused on the continuous evolution of gravel rides and the increasingly blurred line between where the gravel ends and the mountain bike begins. With that in mind, Enve says it created the AG line to offer durability and performance for everything from gravel racing to bikepacking.
The AG25 is an option 700c with an internal width of 25 mm, an external width of 33.5 mm and a height of 21 mm. The AG28 offers a 650b dimension, with the same rim height of 21 mm, but with more generous internal and external rim widths of 28 mm for use with larger volume tires. Both wheels weigh 1,460 g with an SRAM XDR driver or 1,480 g with a Shimano freehub body.
The AG25 rims have a suggested tire range of 32-50 mm with Enve’s recommendation being to aim for a tire in the 36-50 mm region. The AG28 requires a wider tire with the recommendation being 47-57 mm (2.25 ”) and a minimum of 45 mm.
The new rims feature Enve’s patent-pending wide bead without hooks, which has a wide surface at the leading edges. Enve says this provides better protection against flat forceps than the most common forms, as it spreads the impact over a wider area.
AG rims also feature molded spokes and holes in Enve’s valve stem, which, according to Enve, make the rim lighter and stronger, since conventional drilling cuts through many fibers. These spoke holes are filled with external nozzles, which means that repairs should be quick and easy.
Both wheels have 24 front and rear spokes connected to Industry Nine 1/1 hubs. Although Industry Nine 1/1 hubs are not out of place on these wheels, this is interesting because Enve has developed its own hub for the Foundation line. Enve says the 1/1 hubs will be shipped only on initial orders and, eventually, his own Foundation road hub will find its way to the new wheels.
“Due to higher than expected demand for Foundation Road 45 and 65, and delays related to COVID-19, the Enve Alloy Foundation Road Hub will not be available initially,” says the brand. “All initial shipments of AG25 and AG28 will be in the 1/1 hubs of Industry Nine.”
Industry Nine hubs will add 48-68 g to the weight of the rear wheel when compared to Enve’s own Shimano and XDR-compatible hubs, respectively.
The AG wheel range is backed by Enve’s five-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, along with a lifetime incident protection program that protects owners from damage to the wheels while riding, striking or transporting their bikes .
Foundation Collection AG25 and AG28 gravel wheels are now available for $ 1,600 / AU $ 2,999 / £ 1,850 / € 1,800.
For more information, visit www.enve.com.