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ENVE Officially Launches Carbon Fiber All Mountain Tubeless Rims

ENVE AM 26 and 29er tubeless carbon fiber all mountain bike wheels and rims
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ENVE AM 26 and 29er tubeless carbon fiber all mountain bike wheels and rims

We covered these (along with their new cyclocross fork and DH wheels) at Eurobike, but ENVE has now officially announced their AM Tubeless rims with a description of the development process and specs. The real good news is that the retail price has dropped by $40 from what we were told at the trade shows! Quick specs are:

  • 30mm deep
  • 24mm inside width
  • 28 and 32 hole options
  • 26″ claimed weight of 395g
  • 29″ claimed weight of 440g
  • MSRP $860 USD per rim
  • 2-year warranty for manufacturer defects w/ lifetime crash replacement 50% off deal for original owner
  • Available rim only or built with Chris King or DT Swiss hubs starting at $2,400 USD.

More photos and the full press release after the break…

ENVE AM 26 and 29er tubeless carbon fiber all mountain bike wheels and rims

PRESS RELEASE: 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.

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Steve
12 years ago

Best riding this…best riding that. Dammit! They are probably right and I want some.

call420
call420
12 years ago

i got some last year with my tax money, and they spoiled me.

Mikeeeeeeeeeeeee
Mikeeeeeeeeeeeee
12 years ago

Man…. if they could just TONE DOWN those garish graphics I just might buy one !!!

ccolagio
ccolagio
12 years ago

aluminum rims vs carbon rims = $700 for 300 or so grams of weight savings – thats just silly business to me. id rather drill speed holes in all my parts.

call420
call420
12 years ago

the decals peel off easily if you don’t like ’em. I left one on each side which is a little more classy. there’s no paint on these wheels, carbon right out of the mold – no clear coat, nothing. thats crazy, nobody can do that without weave or paint or something to cover all the voids and bondo

Devo
12 years ago

Now that its been a couple of years, I’m interested.

yesplease
yesplease
12 years ago

@ccolagio have you ridden Carbon rims yet? The lightness is not the only benefit, the ride is different as well and I like it.

Matt M.
Matt M.
12 years ago

I have a set for sale (EDGE branding) if anyone is interested… I’ll ship them anywhere in the United States way below retail to save you some money with less than 500 miles on them.

http://www.dorba.org/forum/buy-and-sell/18742

Steve
12 years ago

I do think it is funny when people start comparing the weight of a carbon rim to an aluminum rim and trying to say the only difference is cost. A 375g aluminum rim will flex to all hell. A carbon rim will not. A 440g 28mm wide aluminum rim will flex all to hell. A carbon rim will not. What is wrong with people?

cory
cory
12 years ago

What about the easton carbon wheelset. its 2000$ msrp. unconditional 2 yr warrenty! anything goes wrong they will replace no questions asked. something to keep in mind. these look awesome, yet seem over priced

Tbras
Tbras
12 years ago

ENVE rims are 100% made in the United States while the Easton rims are made in Tijuana Mexico. ENVE has the same 2 year warranty as Easton and offers a LIFETIME crash replacement on all their parts. Seems that having a choice of hubs and knowing they are built in America is worth the extra 400 dollars alone, not to mention they blow Easton out of the water in every test. Just something to think about.

Marcus
Marcus
12 years ago

I own a pair of the previous generation rims.
I bought them for the weight savings, but when I first rode them down some choppy rocky trails near where I live I was blown away by how damped the impacts were.
This is something worth emphasizing. In comparison with my Stans ztrs these hoops feel great ‘burbling’ down over rocks fitted to my superfly HT.
Also, the carbon rims allow a super high tension build so they are very stiff and efficient feeling.
With a set of rocket rons these wheels are a dramatic upgrade, love them + they have been hammered and are still perfectly straight.

B Miller
12 years ago

These look damn good.

Yes, like you said; these would be best for the change in the feel of the ride. They are not that much lighter or wider. Though, lighter. And would not bend or dent.

Then I keep thinking how a rim is in compression and fiber is only strong in tension.

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