Enve 45 clincher, DT 240 hubs

Lightweight, aerodynamic, reliable and fast, these Enve 45 clinchers with Swiss DT 240 hubs are fantastic all-rounders. The UK distributor has just reduced the price on them too, so it's well worth taking a look if you're in the market for some high-end wheels.

Enve, which used to be called Edge Composites, design and manufacture in the US. The 45s are, logically enough, 45mm deep carbon composite rims. Enve also produce 25s and 65s – the clue to the depth of each is in the name – and a couple of wheelsets with differing rim depths front to rear designed by aero guru Simon Smart.

The rim is 22mm wide at the brake tracks and the walls of the V-section are slightly curved. They're certainly a V-shape rather than a U, though. They don't look anything like Zipp's Firecrest rims, for example; the profile is always angling inwards towards the spoke bed.

Speaking of the spoke bed, each spoke nipple sits completely within the rim so it won't disrupt the aerodynamics. The downside is that if your wheel goes out of true, you'll have to remove the tyre, inner tube and rim tape and access the spoke through the rim, but that's the price you pay for the step up in performance.

Lightweight and very high quality, Swiss DT's 240 hubs are a modern classic. The stainless steel bearings are of the sealed cartridge variety, well protected from the elements. Rather than standard pawls, the rear hub uses a star ratchet system in the freewheel where 18-toothed rings glide over one another when you're coasting and lock together when you put the power down. It not only provides quick engagement, it's a very reliable system. Routine maintenance is really easy too.

The wheels are built up with Sapim's excellent CX-Ray aero spokes – 20 radially laced at the front, 24 two-cross at the rear. Our wheels weighed 664g (f) and 788g (r) for a combined weight of 1,452g (without rim tape or any quick releases fitted). That's similar to other high-end wheels of this depth. A pair of Zipp 303 Firecrests, which are also 45mm deep, weigh 1,498g (manufacturer's figure), and a pair of Reynolds 46s, with 46mm-deep rims, weigh 1432g (manufacturer's figure). The Enves are less expensive than either of these those: the Zipps are £2,300 and the Reynolds are £2,000.

Out on the tarmac, these wheels spin up to speed with lots of punch and a real urgency. There are lighter wheels out there, of course – ones with less depth to the rims – but these accelerate keenly, adding an amazing amount of life to my training bike. Hard climbs on a workaday frame became a whole lot easier. More zing. More fun.

The real benefit of these wheels is that they achieve that light weight with great aerodynamics too. They slice through the air so that once you've accelerated up to speed, it's just that little bit easier to maintain, or you cruise along just a touch faster. These are noticeably quicker than standard rims and right up there with the quickest wheels of this depth that I've ever used.

They're fine in a crosswind too. You notice strong gusts from an angle a little more than you do with a lower depth rim but it's never a problem. I felt perfectly confident using these in ridiculously strong winds whereas riding with 80mm-deep rims in the same conditions just left me terrified. I'd be happy to use these in pretty much anything.

Braking on the carbon braking surfaces is okay. It's actually pretty good. It's not quite as predictable as on an alloy surface but that's always the way. You're supposed to use only Enve brake pads with these rims but Swiss Stop yellow pads work fine – UK distributors Saddleback told us it was okay and that's good enough for me.

Enve reckon this wheel is versatile enough for everyday training as well as racing. I reckon that's pushing it. I mean, yes, they'll do a fantastic job but not many people are going to spend this amount of cash on training wheels. If you can, great, go for it, but most people who buy these are surely going to keep them for racing when every bit of extra speed and saved energy counts.

The Enve 45s are priced individually at £775 (f) and £975 (r) while the tubular versions are each £50 cheaper.

Verdict

Lightweight, aerodynamic wheels made using excellent components; super-fast all-rounders