ENVE Foundation 45 wheelset review

The ENVE Foundation 45 wheelset is part of the American brand’s more affordable Foundation wheelset range.

It moves away from the progressive design of the range-topping SES wheelsets, instead featuring more standard specifications.

Despite the Foundation 45's lower price, ENVE says the Foundation range still features many of the performance characteristics of the top-level wheels.

In part, I’ve found this to be true. The Foundation 45 wheelset impresses with its overall ride and build quality.

That said, given there’s little here that truly sets the wheel apart from rival road bike wheels, you’ll have to be prepared to pay a premium.

ENVE Foundation 45 details and specifications

The ENVE Foundation 45 wheelset is part of two in the range – the other being the deeper-rimmed Foundation 65.

The 45, naturally, has a 45mm rim depth, and is pitched towards more all-round performance compared to the deeper, more aero-focused 65mm model.

Internally, the rim measures 21mm across, which is on-trend with contemporary rim design for road bikes. Externally, the rim flares to 28mm at its widest.

ENVE says this means the Foundation 45 wheelset is designed to function optimally with 25-28c tyres.

It has been developed using CFD modelling and wind tunnel testing, and like the flagship SES wheelsets, is optimised to ENVE’s ‘real world fast’ speed range of 32-48km/h.

The rims are hookless, necessitating the use of tubeless tyres.

The rim bead features a wider-than-average leading edge, which ENVE calls a ‘Wide Hookless Bead’. This is claimed to reduce the chances of pinch flatting (still technically possible even with a tubeless setup) by dissipating impacts over a greater area.

24 Sapim CX-Sprint spokes attach to alloy nipples at each rim.

The rim’s spoke and valve holes are also moulded, rather than cut out. ENVE says this improves rim strength and weight because there are fewer cut fibres and the area surrounding each hole requires less material reinforcement.

The spokes lace to ENVE’s Alloy CL hub bodies. These have Mavic-developed 40-tooth ID360 ratchet freehub internals, and spin on NTN stainless steel bearings, just like the pricier SES wheelsets.

There are options to upgrade the specification depending on your territory – ENVE lists the option of an Industry Nine (I9) 1/1 freehub switch through its own site – while it gives an element of freedom to local distributors to spec ‘upgrades’.

As an example, my test wheelset was assembled by UK distributor Saddleback, which pre-fitted factory rim tape and tubeless valves.

At the very least, the valves, tape and valve stem nuts will be supplied in-box, but having them expertly set up from the get-go starts to become a service expectation in a wheelset costing towards £2,000.

With tape and valve installed, I weighed the wheelset at 1,578g.

ENVE supplies the Foundation 45 wheels with a three-year ‘Incidental Damage Protection’ programme, which promises to replace a broken rim or hub in the event of a crash for free (not including labour and shipping).

After the three-year period expires, a 50 per cent discount applies to the broken part; after four years, there's a 40 per cent discount; and after five years, a 30 per cent discount applies.

ENVE Foundation 45 performance

Saddleback fitted ENVE’s SES Road tyres, in a size 700x29c, as part of the build (which itself came attached to the Bike of the Year-winning ENVE Melee).

I experienced this setup when testing that bike, but also moved the whole wheel system (minus a brake rotor change) to a Canyon Ultimate CFR.

By the conclusion of testing, I was convinced the Foundation 45 wheelset offers a premium-feeling ride, but far less convinced that the ride feel translates into tangible speed gains compared to cheaper alternatives.

I’ve been impressed by the solid feel of the wheelset and its ability to soak up poor road surfaces.

It effectively deadens road buzz (as far as 21mm internal rim width paired to a supple 29c tyre at 70-75psi can), and there’s not a hint of rattling or high-frequency juddering when ridden on rough roads.

It puts me in mind of the £3,350 ENVE SES 4.5 wheelset for overall ride quality, although they’re not quite as comfortable, responsive or stable as those top-spec hoops.

That said, I’m confident this is one of the most composed and comfortable wheelsets I’ve tested with these rim dimensions.

It’s plenty fast and delivers a rapid-feeling ride whether riding on the flat or climbing.

I might prefer something even lighter for steep ascents, but the balance struck here is probably fine for most riders – something I suspect ENVE believes too, given it doesn’t offer a shallower (and lighter) Foundation model.

The composed ride quality breeds high confidence though, which made descending more enjoyable than I would normally expect.

Given my modest fitness and stamina, it feels as though the optimisations ENVE says it makes at lower benchmark speeds are broadly effective. Like its premium sibling, this is a notably easy wheelset to ride at the more ‘everyday’ speeds of 30-35km/h.

It's worth noting that I noticed a small ‘whooshing’ sound from the front wheel’s valve as it spun around the rim at high speed.

Presumably, this happens as the air is disturbed with each rotation, although I’m unsure if it has any effect on aero efficiency.

ENVE says the rim is balanced by an equal counterweight on the opposite side (incidentally, where the bladder used in manufacturing is removed). With the experience of my test rides, I’m confident it doesn’t negatively affect the handling of the wheelset.

Performance vs value conundrum

The trouble is, £1,800 is a lot of money for a wheelset that isn’t clearly and obviously ‘better’ than plenty of cheaper rivals.

Of the wheelsets I’ve tested in the past year, the Hunt 48 Limitless UD Carbon Spoke wheelset (£1,449) stands out as delivering similar levels of performance overall for more than £300 less.

The Hunt wheelset might feel a touch faster and more lively when ridden hard, but the ENVE wheelset feels smoother and more composed to ride on my local tarmac despite its narrower rim dimensions.

The same tit-for-tat argument can be made with many of our top-rated wheelset reviews though.

Here, a sturdy build quality and a solid-feeling ride that breeds confidence are the wheelset's strengths. If that’s at the top of your wish list (and your budget allows), then £1,800 might be worth parting with.

For some, the ENVE brand and its reputation may carry some weight. In isolation at least, the wheels look classy and premium, yet aren’t garishly over-decorated.

As a US-based brand, locality will also be a factor. The UK pound is a stronger currency than the US dollar, but the Foundation 45 wheels are available significantly cheaper in the US than the UK ($1,400 equates to around £1,120 at the time of writing – £680 less than it is sold for in the UK).

There are plenty of market factors at play here, but the fact is that other brands with different supply chains and business models price their products with far more parity (or in reverse – see our recent Oquo road wheels news story for a good example).

However, with brand concerns left firmly at the door, a glance at BikeRadar’s best road wheelset buyer’s guide demonstrates the reality that excellent all-round performance can be had for less money.

ENVE Foundation 45 bottom line

The ENVE Foundation 45 wheelset is a very good performer, without being particularly progressive in any given area.

It’s fast, stable, reactive and stiff yet compliant, hitting a performance blend that will satisfy most riders. Layered on top of this is a very composed and smooth ride, born of the solid-feeling build.

Its Achilles heel is relative value. The reality is the Foundation 45 wheelset doesn’t offer markedly improved overall performance versus plenty of cheaper rivals, although its strengths will certainly appeal to many.

In all, this is a high-quality, well-made carbon road wheelset – for a premium price outside of the US.