Calling all Enve wheel owners: any surface blems?

[angryasian]

Hi all,

Wondering if I might be able to tap the collective experience of Enve wheel owners here. How's the quality control been in your experience, specifically in regards to rim surface finish? Consistently blemish-free, or have you noticed small aesthetic issues? If so, what'd they look like, and on what wheels? Thanks for the help!

[Broady]

Nothing out of the ordinary here. 3.4 Disc for reference.

[greentimgreen]

Both my 3.4 non-disc and M50/Fifty's have been perfect


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[kode54]

if you're talking about the carbon layup...you can see a bit of a seam when held up to direct sunshine...but that's expected. nothing out of the ordinary or anything that will deter riding them.

[CummoY]

Ditto...6.7 and they are spotless, when in the sun you can see what "looks" like seams or cracks, its just layup.

[wingguy]

We've had a lot of road wheels through the shop and they've almost all been absolutely spot on regarding surface finish. The seams and overlaps you can see through the finish is just how the wheel is made.

With the MTB wheels it's not unusual for there to be very, very small chips and flecks in the surface coating of the rims. Slightly annoying, but at the end of the day they're going to see much, much worse after a season of proper riding.

[thedonnydino]

Only thing I have noticed is very tiny, insignificant peels near the molded spoke holes but this is supposedly normal.

[leicaman]

I bought a set of Enve 2.2SES tubulars. When they arrived at the shop I pulled them out of their box and was greeted by a nice chip in the new brake track lattice. It was about the size of two diamond lattice boxes. I asked the shop about it and they said they would speak to the distributor. The distributor said they were fine but I wasn't happy. Being on the brake track, I was worried that this would create a weak point on the track and could lead to further chipping. I told the shop I wasn't happy taking them. The shop said they understood and ordered another set from the distributor. Two months later, they finally arrived. I looked at them in the shop and they seemed ok. I took them home and started to glue them. That is when I noticed a hole above the brake track, on the lip of the rim. I decided to go to Enve directly. This is when I learnt that Enve customer services rule. They were really helpful. I explained the situation and how long is waited for the last set. They said they would prefer to deal with me directly as they were in the middle of changing their Japanese distributor. I sent some photos over to them. One of their engineers looked at the photos and said that structurally they were sound. The second pair were not as bad as the original pair and I wouldn't have minded riding the second pair but Enve offered to warranty the rim and send me a new one. I had to destroy the rim before they would send me another rim + spokes. Taking a hacksaw to a brand new Enve rim is pretty soul destroying. They sent me a new rim and I got it built up by a reputable wheel builder here on Tokyo. The wheel is perfect now, although I have yet to ride it. It's waiting for my new bike. Should be here in about February.

[stormur]

ENVE had always generally fabulous finsih. I would worry more about what's inside ( after watching "carbon guru" video ) .

[zenwriter]

yes, I had some cosmetic issues with SES 3.4 disc wheels bought in Spring 2016. Long story short, the bike shop dropped the ball and accepted wheels with whitish deposits/imperfections on all 4 sides. It bothered me so I contacted Enve directly. At first they said the imperfections are the beauty of their process, etc , but after I disagreed and sent pictures, they admitted that sometimes in their carbon curing process impurutues rise to the surface and create cosmetic imperfections. They agreed to replace the wheels and today my new wheels are cosmetically close to perfect.

[deltree]

James Huang details some issues in Cyclingtips today...

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/enve-se ... -the-game/

[thedonnydino]

Only thing I have noticed is very tiny, insignificant peels near the molded spoke holes but this is supposedly normal.

Ha, funny it should be noted in that cyclingtips article...

“In general, we see very high structural quality from Enve rims, but surface blems are pretty normal if you are referring to an occasional bubble in the carbon or a strand of carbon peeling away near a nipple hole,” said one builder, who preferred to go unnamed. “These are definitely cosmetic, but it can be frustrating when customers return them when they expect perfectly flawless product.”

It's a little frustrating, particularly given ENVE carry a premium price tag. Fortunately they are stiff and light wheels, with good cross wind stability!

[angryasian]

James Huang details some issues in Cyclingtips today...

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/12/enve-se ... -the-game/

Hence why I started this thread

[angryasian]

Only thing I have noticed is very tiny, insignificant peels near the molded spoke holes but this is supposedly normal.

Ha, funny it should be noted in that cyclingtips article...

“In general, we see very high structural quality from Enve rims, but surface blems are pretty normal if you are referring to an occasional bubble in the carbon or a strand of carbon peeling away near a nipple hole,” said one builder, who preferred to go unnamed. “These are definitely cosmetic, but it can be frustrating when customers return them when they expect perfectly flawless product.”

It's a little frustrating, particularly given ENVE carry a premium price tag. Fortunately they are stiff and light wheels, with good cross wind stability!

I found it super frustrating, actually, which is why I wrote about it at such length in the review. These are honestly some of the very best wheels I've ever used and were an utter joy to ride. Unfortunately, that makes the uncertainty regarding the QC that much more biting.

[kode54]

i've crashed in Enve wheels a few times...and they've held up very well. in fact, i've cracked a Parlee headset off...and the Enve wheel stayed true...so did the Enve stem, handlebar and the rest of the Enve bits. amazing. i give it high marks after my bad crash and can swear by the quality construction...and not the cosmetic blemishes.