(rock music)
(pedals spinning)
- Carbon mountain bike wheels have become
a lot more popular in the last few years.
And it's easy to see why.
They're really light, and offer
a very responsive and accurate ride.
They're also super strong, but this has it's drawbacks
because it's actually drawn weaknesses
to other parts of the bike, like the tyres.
So with that in mind, we're gonna talk
about the new ENVE M6 and M7 series rims.
Which have got a couple of
really cool features up their sleeve.
So this is the M6 series rim and there are
three options in this, the 30, 35, and the 40.
That corresponds to the internal rim width.
On this particular one, the 30 is 30 millimetres
and of course the other two models, 35 and 40.
Now all three models have this
incredibly wide side rule on them.
It's hookless bead system.
It's 4.5 mil wide on both sides here.
So that is incredibly strong and to dissipate
that energy from impacts and rocks
and ground and that sort of thing.
And what that does is that actually makes
for a very, very strong wheel.
And the effect of that is when you do manage
to sort of bottom out the tyre on that obstacle,
it's got a far greater surface there
so it's not gonna be pinched or split open
like can happen with a thinner,
traditional side wall profile.
So that was the M6 system,
so that is dedicated for trail use.
This is the M7, so this is the Enduro race wheel.
Comes in three options, the 30, the 35, and the 35 E.
Of course that stands for E-bikes.
So the 30 and the 35 stand for the internal rim width.
30 in this case, between the two.
And you notice it's got a bit
of a different rim system on here.
So this is the dedicated rim strip system that
ENVE have developed and this patent pending device
is absolutely key to how this system operates.
So the side walls itself
are actually 5 millimetres wide now.
And you have to use a rim with this rim strip system.
By using this, it completely integrates a tubeless system
so the tyre itself becomes part of the rim strip.
So the tyre itself mounts to the rim strip
as you can see here if I just peel it back from the rim.
You see by doing so, it actually is completely unaffected
by what happens to the rim itself.
So that's good for two reasons.
Firstly, you've got this really, really
wide rim surface here.
So even more sort of pinch resistance
against flat surfaces and rocks,
but also, in a race situation, if you do manage
to crack the rim itself,
because the tyre rim system is completely separate,
you're not gonna lose tyre pressure.
You're so good in fact, that ENVE says,
100% pinch improvement, over other designs.
- So these are the M6 30s, mounted to my bike
and as Doddy's already explained
you've got that wide bead to try and stop
that force puncturing the tyre.
But also something I noticed is
that a 30 mil width does look quite wide.
It does give you a nice shape to the tyre,
but also that relatively wide inside measurement
is gonna mean the bead of the tyre is further apart.
And that does make a difference,
especially on tubeless tyres,
'cause it fits so close together,
the tyre can roll around a bit.
And it does mean that that bead can pop off
a little bit and burp your tyre
so a nice wide spread does give you a more stable tyre.
Now we've seen a few people come to the market
with things that go inside you tyre
to try and stop punctures, that sort of
common problem with really stiff wheels.
But ENVE are trying to use
the actually rim technology to do that.
And what that does mean, is you can run normal tyres,
say not having to put heavy weight tyres on there
to try and prevent pinch punctures.
So I've got my normal tyre set up on this bike
I've got a 2.4 front and rear,
I've got a 28 psi in the back, 26 up front
so I'm gonna take it for a ride
and have a look at the characteristics.
(upbeat electronic music)
So I'm definitely a fan of lightweight wheels.
Beyond the actual weight of your bike it makes the bike
feel really light and super agile
for peddling, braking, and cornering
it does make a difference.
Also, stiff wheels in cornering does help.
Something I especially noticed was I rutted tracks
and sometimes your back wheel might drag
along side of the rut and it sort of goes
"bonk, bonk, bonk" and then up.
Carbon rim is much more direct.
I do know from previous experience that I do like
a light weight rim and tyre setup,
but I also know that it does lead to punctures.
Like if (mumbles) were ready with a lighter weight tyre
and a couple with a stiff rim,
we know that can lead to puncture.
So, be nice to ride these through the rocks
to see how they perform.
It's also interesting to note that ENVE say
that this puncture resistant technology
is weight neutral, so both on these M6 and the M7
with their protective rim strip,
the rims have been re-engineered
so it doesn't add any weight to them.
(upbeat electronic music)
It's definitely in these really rocky sections like this
where that extra volume of the tyre
really pays off for that absorption.
I'm still running my normal tyre pressures
and as of yet I've not actually bottomed out the rim
onto the rocks yet.
It's definitely situations like this, especially in the
Enduro races where I've put a bit more pressure
in my tyres, just to make sure I don't pinch that tyre
or a puncture could ruin the race for me.
But, I think I'm gonna have to let them down
a little bit now, just to get a feel
for that rim bottoming out on a rock.
And let's see if I get a puncture.
(upbeat electronic music)
So it definitely bottomed out that rear tyre a few times
and I'm running unrealistic tyre pressures
for myself, to be honest, that low
and I don't really like it in corners anyway
'cause I feel the tyre deforming.
So I'm definitely running them a little bit harder.
So in the old days, on alloy rims,
when you start bottoming out that rim into rocks
you definitely started to buckle the wheel eventually,
but also you could sort of bend the side of that rim over
and that can lead to problems sealing with tubeless tyres.
However, on this carbon rim, I've still got full pressure.
So now this is the M7 30 with a tyre mounted on my bike.
This is their Enduro and/or mountain rim.
So you can just see the edge of that protective rim strip
and the tyre sits inside that,
so it does give that absorption of those big hits.
But also it provides the seal for that tyre.
So in the case of a rim break,
hopefully that tire's still gonna stay seated inside there
and you'll keep some pressure in that tyre.
So it's also very simple to mount your tyre.
That protective rim strip takes the place of any rim tape.
Just use a normal tubeless valve,
get your tyre inside the rim, put you fluid in there,
and the tyre should pump up pretty easily.
So this protective rim strip is designed,
but also manufactured in Utah,
as well as all of ENVE's rims.
And they say that it out performs any
of those after market tyre inserts
that are designed to stop you from puncturing.
Don't forget, it's also weight neutral.
It's also interesting to know that ENVE say
that these rims are pinch resistant beyond impact strength.
So that means that you shouldn't lose any pressure
in the tyre, even if you damage that rim,
which is very important for those racers out there.
Also, on that note, ENVE offer a 5 year warranty,
and lifetime crash replacement on these rims.
So any damage occurs whilst riding,
it's covered by the warranty, yes, even impact damage.
So that's the new rims from ENVE
with some pretty innovative technology
to help prevent punctures.
If you want to see some more videos, click up there,
for a factory tour of Continental,
where you see the technology that goes into the tyres.
Click down there for some hacks to help you
seat your tubeless tyres.
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