Enve 3.4 or 4.5 AR Disc for All-Around bike

[TobinHatesYou]

You are right on ARs; mounting tires is a hassle. But then again I have to assume that it is the same for all tubless (your experience may vary) since the bead has to be a tight fitting for proper sealing...

I've never tried 3.5 tubeless. Are you saying fitting tubeless on a 3.5 is easier?

It depends on both the rim and the tire. In most cases a nice supple and perfect diameter tire like most new Hutchinsons/Mavics/Zipps will mount easily by hand and even be removable by hand without levers.

every Enve I've tried tubeless has been fairly..... hard. (2.2s and 7.8 )

I'm running tubeless on my HED Ardennes + LT... damn that was easy.

One thing that might make ENVEs more difficult to seal is the sloppy area 180 degrees from the valve hole where the rim has been cut to remove the bladder and then patched. It is uneven/lumpy and sometimes even has gaps/holes in it. Some of the stretchier rim tapes deform around this better than others. Stan's/Tesa 4289 is only so-so when it comes to stretch. This is one reason why I always recommend that green powder coat masking tape instead.

[Bordcla]

My experience with the ARs, admittedly limited to Conti 4000s II tires, is that mounting and dismounting is fine as long as you start at the valve and make sure that the tire sits deep in the center channel. That's the secret. Otherwise, it's a world of pain.

[lucksun]

3.4 seems to be a good thing.

[Leontuma]

I have 7.8s on my tri bike, the wheels are amazing however mounting tires is one hell of a job!

I am going tubeless, hope to get good experiences.


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[spdntrxi]

I have 7.8s on my tri bike, the wheels are amazing however mounting tires is one hell of a job!

I am going tubeless, hope to get good experiences.


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me too and tubeless generally is not easier.. good luck with that. I like my turbo cottons on the TT bike so tubeless not needed.

[Finx]

I bought a set of the 4.5ARs when they first came out. I hated them and ended up returning them and buying a set of 3.5s.

I rejected the ARs because tire selection is limited, you have to run tubeless, and mounting tires.. even the recommended ones was a nightmare.

I live in the PNW, where weather conditions are frequently cold and wet. I also ride in areas where the roads are less than ideal.

The idea of dealing with a tire cut with these things, under those conditions... No thanks...

The 3.5s have been great. Great all around wheel. Lots of tire options, and easy to service...

You are right on ARs; mounting tires is a hassle. But then again I have to assume that it is the same for all tubless (your experience may vary) since the bead has to be a tight fitting for proper sealing...

I've never tried 3.5 tubeless. Are you saying fitting tubeless on a 3.5 is easier?

No, I did not set up the 3.5's tubeless. I made the decision at that time that, generally speaking, road tubeless was not worth the hassle. I run tubeless on my gravel/all-road bikes, but anything 28mm or smaller still has tubes at this point.

I may try going tubeless again on road once I've read enough anecdotes to convince me that wheel and tire manufacturers have sorted out their specifications and I am free to run whatever wheel and tire combo I want.

[duende]

Fellow GT-1 rider here.

I went with the new 3.4s. I like being able to go tubeless or tubes when I want.

For tires I like the Hutchinson Overrides (38c). About to check out some Bon Jon pass (35c) slicks soon here too.

28’s are the smallest size tire I’d run on this bike, but I’d suggest you go bigger. As the speed difference really is nominal imo.

FWIW, I’ve abused the hell out of these wheels. Gravel roads here in NoCal often turns to single track like it or not... due to drastic weather changes and terrain.

Can’t go wrong with either really.