So now that you've been riding them awhile, what are your thoughts on the wheels? How do they feel on the climbs and in the wind? I'm currently debating between these and Zipp 303's. Beautiful wheels though!
I really love the wheels, they're everything I expected them to be and better. As I've already commented below, my only gripe is that braking in the wet is not as good as an aluminium brake track, but that's to be expected and inherent with any carbon wheel set. Consistency in the dry is excellent and I've ridden down some very long and technical descents with no issues. I debated between the 4.5 and a 303/404 combo, but the Enve warranty and the choice of hubs swung it for me. I certainly have no regrets. As for climbing, my first outing on the wheels was an 80 odd mile ride in the Lake District, taking in the notorious climbs of the Fred Whitton route and they really impressed me. At no time did I want my low profile ali wheels. In fact, I'd say that the 4.5s climbed better than my standard wheels due to the increased stiffness. They're faster in pretty much every situation and I've not noticed any buffeting from the coastal winds that I'm exposed to.
Im in the same situation as you were but debating between Zipp 404 NSW and ENVE SES 4.5. The thing that is winning me over is the 5 year warranty for ENVE vs 2 years for Zipp. Also, can you get the hubs in black instead of red? Thanks
Yeah I really didn't put too much effort into the spin up I must admit (although Chris King rather than DT Swiss). The wheels ride beautifully. They feel lighter than they are, due to their stiffness I think, and they hold speed effortlessly. Full video review coming soon.
Yeah I'm really happy with them. I've done a full review which I'll get online shortly, I just haven't had the chance to edit it all yet. The wheels are fast. I average at least 1mph faster on hilly rides and 2mph faster on flatter rides than my previous narrow depth aluminium aero wheels. I've used them in time trial races which have helped reach speeds I simply couldn't with standard box section wheels. Braking is consistent, but obviously still not quite up to ali rim standards, but much better than most carbon wheels. Stiffness is great and they climb well too. My first outing on them was a 80 mile ride including the steepest climbs in the Lake District and I didn't once feel like the wheels were holding me back.
I couldn't think of a better all round wheel set to be honest, although they're probably not as light as your Lightweights? A friend of mine has a pair of Meilenstein which he loves, but are a bit too expensive for me. There isn't anything I don't like about them, other than perhaps out and out braking performance, but that's inherent to all carbon wheels and the 4.5 SES are the best that I've tried. The disc version would obviously not have an issue at all.
Jura Stanić Haha. To be fair to Enve, the hoops came in a nice branded box, but this is how they came from the custom wheel builder. Packaging may not look amazing, but they came by currier, so perfectly adequate in this instance.
Fern Hernandez These were built by a custom wheel builder here in the UK hence the brown box rather than the ENVE branded box. He’s an official ENVE supplier, buys the hoops and builds the wheels to suit your weight and riding style.
