Fourteen rides on; ENVE's new 6.7 wheelset

We received the brand new ENVE 6.7 wheels a little over two weeks ago. We've been waiting for these wheels for quite a long time. The guys at EDGE (as the company was known as back then) have been telling us about this new wheel for quite some time. This is not a project that they came up with in the past few months in response to other wheel manufacturers offerings but something that has been on the drawing board for a while now. Needless to say they did a great job of keeping hush all this time, setting our anticipation quite high. Upon receiving these wheels the looming question is; was it worth the wait?
First off though, what exactly are the 6.7's? The six stands for the 60mm front wheel depth, while the seven is for, you guessed it, the 70mm rear rim depth. What the 6 or 7 doesn't explain is the other major trait of the wheels which is the width. 26mm wide for the front wheel and 24mm for the rear.

If you look close enough you can see the rim on both sides of the 22mm Continental Sprinter tubular tire. These wheels were tested w/ this tire and the 23mm offering from Vittoria. Jake at ENVE confirmed that either of those are the ideal combination for these wheels.

Looking at the front wheel with the tire glued on my first thought was that maybe we should have a larger volume tire installed. It was a bit unnerving to see so much rim exposed and I even thought there could be issues with aggressive cornering and the chance of the rim making direct contact with the tarmac. After the first ride this has proven to be no issue whatsoever. And on tire width, the guys confirmed that these wheels perform best with a 22 or 23mm tire.
The rear wheel is 24mm which makes it no problem to mount these wheels in the tightest of frames and I'm sure helps keep the weight to the minimum as well.
Claimed weight is 1458g with the DT240 hubs. We didn't weigh them to confirm, but in the past all of the wheels from EDGE/ENVE have been pretty close to the claimed weight. Plus, if you are looking at just the number on the scale, these would not be the first choice anyhow.
These wheels were built in conjunction with Simon Smart, an ex-formula one aerodynamics expert who has helped develop many other cycling products. But none of that matters if the wheels don't perform. So, what do we think after just 14 rides? Read on...

The 60mm deep, 26mm wide front wheel

Our first ride on the 6.7's was an 80 mile 8000+ft of climbing, 5 hour day. To be fair, not the exact kind of course that these wheels were meant for. The first thing I noticed was the stiffness of the wheels. The second thing I noticed was the braking performance.
I want to spend a little time on this point. The braking is PHENOMENAL! I believe that these have the best braking cabon wheels I've ever been on and rival most aluminum wheels as well. It is not an especially powerful brake action, but a smooth and modulated feeling. I feel too much emphasis is put on strong brakes anyhow, we are stopping a light machine and our own body weight after all. The contact patch of a 22-23mm tire is very small and whatever traction there is in the first place is dramatically reduced when we hit the brakes. The last thing you want is to have the tires brake loose on a fast and technical descent. Also, when riding in a pack you want predictable braking, especially in panic situations as it keeps the guys behind you actually behind you, not on top of you. There has not been one hint of a squeal yet out of these wheels. They have not made a peep at all which can't be said for a lot of carbon wheels out there. I haven't ridden these in the rain yet, so wet weather braking performance has not been tested.

The rear 70mm deep, 24mm wide wheel

Climbing performance:

At a claimed 1458g these wheels are not heavy but also not terribly light especially for tubulars. But again, for this depth and stiffness there are not too many wheels out there that are lighter. Again, our first ride had over 8000ft of climbing so I got pretty familiar with their climbing abilities right off the bat. Another thing I have to admit is that the wheels that I just took off this Parlee Z5 were Lightweights sub-thousand gram Obermayers. So keep in mind that any wheel I put on after that was going to be at a disadvantage!
I did notice the weight for sure. They did not accelerate nearly as fast as many other lighter and more shallow sectioned wheels that I've ridden have. Once up to speed on a consistent grade though and they felt as fast as any of these lighter wheels. But we don't have too many consistent grade climbs around here, so I honestly did feel the weight quite a bit.
But again, these wheels are not made for climbing. They are made for fast flat to rolling courses and the fact that they climb as well as they did is very promising. That being said though, I'm really looking forward to the 3.4's that are due out very soon. If they are even close to the 6.7's in terms of speed and stiffness and a bit lighter, I think they could be the wheel of choice for climbers looking for a little more speed out of their wheels.

Near the top of Mt. Tam about to be rewarded with the best braking wheel out there...

Descending performance:

The most important feature to a good descending wheel? Stability and braking performance which the ENVE 6.7 has in spades. This is just my opinion, but I feel we live in an area with some of the best descents I've ever been on. Fast but technical, great and not so great pavement and most of the time, wind.
These wheels are super, super stable. We have some pretty good wind here, especially on the ridge going up to the top of Mt. Tam. While I can't say I haven't gotten blown around a bit, it has been no more and even less than some of the shallow section wheels I ride on a regular basis. These wheels are super stable. And while one of the first things I noticed was the stiffness of the 6.7's they don't bounce you around too much on bumpy descents. They hold a line perfectly and confidently and let you enter corners with a little more speed than on some other wheels I've ridden. And then there is the braking. You can grab a handful and not worry about locking up the wheels at all (at least with the Hive RevL brakes I have been using. It'll be interesting what a pair of Dura-Ace 7900 calipers feel like). Even on some of the short 20% descents we finish the ride with there has not been any noise at all. Also, at full lean I have not felt short on traction one bit, so these get the highest marks for descending of almost any carbon wheel I've been on. The last thing I'll mention on descending is how fast the 6.7's feel. The get up to speed really fast and hold that speed longer than anything I've been on. Just coasting down some of the rollers I put meters on guys who are usually right with me or even ahead of me in the past.

Speed?

Yes.

OK, they are fast, fast descending, fast on the rollers and fast on the descents. Like climbing, I think they are fastest once up to speed as they can maintain that forever. But in a sprint that starts from a slower speed I think the 3.4's will be the ticket. For sure you still have to have the legs, but these just feel faster and will make the perfect flat to rolling course race or group ride wheel. This could also be the perfect wheel for triathlons which have a lot of wind like Kona, or the perfect wheel for hilly time trials...


Build quality:

Hand built in the states, the fit and finish of the rims are perfect. No flaws in the construction that we could see and very robust looking. They look and feel heavier than they are and if they last as long as some of the other EDGE wheels we have we will be very happy. A nice feature is that you can buy the rims separately so you can use any hub you like. The DT Swiss 240's are super high quality but we like the fact that we can build them with the King R-45's or Dura-Ace hubs as well. We also like the blacked out graphics so we'll be much more inclined to keep the decals in place.

Conclusion:

In the short period of time that I've been riding the ENVE 6.7's I can and do recommend them for anyone looking for a well built, very fast rider looking for some extra speed on flat to rolling courses. They will be a great all around wheel if you are looking for that one set to do everything from time trials to road races. For events or rides that require more acceleration like crits or climbing, I'd wait for the 3.4's. For more technical information on how and why these wheels were developed there are many places you can look but I'd start here.

We have a couple sets of the ENVE 6.7 wheels in stock now, give us a call or stop by the store to order some or get a little more info!

Thanks for reading!

Stage 5 & 6 of this years Giro de Sardegna with Assos

Stage 5, TTT, 40km

Taking it easy for 40km with Rasmus...

Since we were so far down in GC I decided to go as easy as possible to rest my super tired legs for the queen stage the next day. I of course made sure to keep the warmers on so everyone knew I was taking it easy, not just slow! This was a pretty flat course w/ a few minor rollers and some wind and the Assos "A" team killed it, winning the stage by a minute!

Larry, from Assos USA couldn't laugh too hard as his skin suit was so tight. Just like motorcycle racing leathers, these things are not made for standing around in!


Larry's Goomah, ready for TTT action! Note the single water bottle cage, saved minutes! But really, I was surprised at how many TT bikes were out there. The benefits of being able to drive to the race...

Stage 6, I forget how long, maybe 140km? I do remember lots of climbing though...

Ahhh, stage 6, the queen stage; nice views and nice weather.


We'd be coming up this road a little later, but first we had to get to the start...


Getting the Assos caravan packed up nice and early for the two hour transfer to the stage start.


The stage start was at the TOP of a very long climb which meant all of us got to start the race w/ a long fast descent. Not nervous at all...


Ribo! He was following the long standing tradition of not shaving during a race. I'm not so sure that rule was meant for stage races, or for guys who get hairy so fast! This guy is fast as hell though, had a great race and is one cool dude...


Franco! If the Giro de Sardegna would ever be held entirely in a Velodrome, he'd win, hands down. That being said, he had a pretty killer race on the roads and hills here anyway...


Luigi!


Remember this road? Here I am, minutes up on the field trying to get back into the top part of the GC. No one could hold my wheel, had a great team working for me and was feeling great with dreams of winning the overall in my head... OK, not really. Actually, I am pretty far off the lead group, can't see them in fact and was waiting for the next group to catch up. But had enough time on my own to daydream! And trust me, if there was a stage of this race to be on your own and enjoy the scenery, this was it!


This was one of the tougher parts of the race. 3km at 13+%. This guy had enough energy to give a thumbs up but then blew. I felt great here and ended up have a great final stage. Super happy to feel better at the end of a hard week of racing than worse!


With the stage over, it was time for a shower and food!

Stage 7, Kermesse, 40km

Only two guys made it to the start of stage 7. It was cold, windy and looked like rain and after a hard week of racing when they said this stage didn't count, most stayed in bed. OK, maybe more than two did it and in hindsight I wish I would have but there is always next year. Above is Kale who owns Bicycle Haus in AZ.

Summary

So, it only took me about a month to write this report of our trip to the Giro de Sardegna with the Assos team. Looking back it was by FAR the most fun I've ever had racing or even just riding my bike. Sure, there were times during the event that I would have loved to be somewhere else, but looking back I loved it, loved racing with all the guys Assos put together and am hoping I can get there again next year. In fact, it's about time to get training...

Thanks so much for reading and stay tuned for our next adventure!

2011 Giro de Sardegna with Assos. Stage 4, 120km

Getting ready for the start of stage 4.

Stage 4 was the first truly sunny stage and personally what I thought Sardegna would be like the entire week. Today was another "rolling stage" though there were plenty of 5+km climbs scattered throughout the 120km course. Personally, I felt great and was hell bent on staying with the front group for the entire race. That started off well enough as I was at the front when we hit the first climb. I was happy and maybe a little surprised to still be there at the top as well! So far, going to plan. Then it started to get a little messy. What was left of the field went flying into a pretty confusing round about and I went left while everyone else went right. I had to come to a complete stop and let the entire field pass and then sprint for the next few minutes to get back to the front.
Great that I was back in front, not so great that I had to burn about 8 of the 10 matches I had doing it. Got up the next climb in front but was feeling it a bit and then it happened: I got dropped on the descent. I honestly could not believe how fast these guys were going downhill. I went from the front of the group in under a minute, and then off the back shortly after!
After chasing solo for the next 5km I got back to the front group at the base of the next climb only to get shelled right away. Oh well, at least I had enough to hang with the third group the rest of the way and actually felt like I was one of the strongest in that pack. In the end I took a flyer with 2km to go and died at 500m, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. This was hump day for me and I felt great and was looking forward to the next few stages...

The follow cars getting ready to depart.


Assos USA's John L. He was a crash victim from stage 2 and was still pretty stiff but was riding better every day with a smile on his face the whole time...


Fuel for the stage; hot dog buns w/ Nutella and cream cheese. LOVED these, and miss them! Plain water on the left, electrolyte on the right...


"Ribo" getting his Goomah checked out before the stage. He is also the manager of the Manga-Yio store in Lugano. Lucky guy...


Luigi!


Goomah


Malcolm checking his tires before the depart. Nice Team Pinarello Paris...


Riding to the start of the stage with Kale Keltz from the Bicycle Haus in Scottsdale AZ.


Pre stage interview with the race promoter...


I'm in here somewhere. At least there are some other racers who look like they are suffering more than I am!


Franco leading the way with Ribo and Tom in the lead group. Check out the guy who crashed and is covered in blood. This may be a grand fondo, but it was more like a full on race! Loved it!

Enve's new 6.7 wheelset has arrived

Fresh off the UPS truck this morning; the brand new Enve 6.7 wheel set. Seems like it's been ages since we first talked to Jason and Jake of Enve Composites about these but they were true to their word and they have arrived!
We should hopefully have some tires glued on and have these on a bike in the next few days to see how they ride, but at first glance they look like they will deliver...

In the last few months Edge has changed their name, introduced new wheels and even changed the box...


The 60mm front wheel on the left and the 70mm rear wheel to the right.


Developed in conjunction with Simon Smart, the F1 aerodynamics expert.


Made here.

Check in with us as we'll be getting the miles in and will be able to tell you exactly what we feel about these new wheels. The 6.7 is the first model out in the new "Smart" range. Next up a lighter model, the 3.4 and then...
We have a couple pairs of these now, but they'll go fast, so give us a shout to get a pair set up for that next time trial, triathlon or Sunday world championship ride!
For more information on these wheels, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

2011 Giro de Sardegna with Assos. Stage 3

Stage 3 of this years Giro de Sardegna was a rolling 110+ km race. Like stage 2 it started at a full sprint for the first 20 or so km's. Having ridden a TT and a long 160km in the rain the day before the legs were complaining a bit as well. The really cool thing to note in today's stage was racing through the towns. We did this a bit the day before, but not like this. Close to 180 cyclists flying through multiple small towns with narrow streets and a lot of people out cheering was a first for me and super fun!

Some scenery from stage 3


Super hero Malcolm Elliot getting his pre-race rubdown...


About 30km into the stage we hit the first "roller". OK, if you consider 10km a "roller" that is. Got dropped immediately, but kept my own pace and soon got a second wind and started passing groups at a pretty quick pace. By the top was in the third group on the road and getting close to the second. But after a long downhill the gap was too big and had to settle where I was.


Catching stragglers on the road. This stage was super fun and after the "rollers" we had about 25km of flattish roads to the finish. Super fast and everyone knew how to ride so we had some good fun with some great pacelines going. In the end though, did a weak sprint and finished third in our group. Just something about doing a sprint when it's not for the win...