An operation that began with just a few employees is now 65-people strong, combining high-tech tools and methods with careful handiworkBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Aerodynamicist Simon Smart, ENVE CEO Sarah Lehman and company founder Jason Schiers are driving forces behind the brandBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Decades of cumulative carbon fiber experience go into each ENVE rimBen Delaney/BikeRadar
There’s no weave here – all ENVE wheels use unidirectional carbon fiberBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Some of the prepreg cutting is done by machineBen Delaney/BikeRadar
And much of the cutting is done by handBen Delaney/BikeRadar
After being cut down to size, some strips of unidirectional carbon fiber are stacked by handBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Once removed from refrigeration, the resin in the carbon fiber provides a tacky surface, allowing two pieces to stick to each other easily once the paper backing is peeled awayBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Hand-stacked sheets of carbon fiber are then put in this vacuum to remove air from between the layersBen Delaney/BikeRadar
How exactly is the carbon fiber laid up into ENVE rims? Joe Stanish, VP of operations, wouldn’t let us see. The secret is inside the circular molds behind him, where rims are shaped using aluminum molds with an inflatable bladder inside and a firm bladder around the bedBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Each rim has a detailed checklist, called a traveler, that follows it around the factory. The serial number upper-right is cut out and molded into the rimBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Tens of thousands of dollars worth of carbon fiber sheets are stored at 10 degrees in a low-moisture environment, as the resin begins to cure when in an ambient temperatureBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Wheels are all handbuilt with DT Swiss, Chris King or Project 321 hubsBen Delaney/BikeRadar
ENVE can crank out about 80 to 120 rims a day. The rims are sold alone or as complete wheelsBen Delaney/BikeRadar
Orderliness is key in high-end wheel building. Never confuse your random tools with your other random toolsBen Delaney/BikeRadar
ENVE have very strict QC standards. Rims must be within 3/1,000 of an inch all the way around. Tolerances are checked with the molds themselves, then again with the finished product. A parallel sander removes tiny imperfections. Here, a digital caliper is being used to measure rim widthBen Delaney/BikeRadar
