Ignore the Edge logo – as of September these are ENVE wheels. The American company began as Edge Composites in 2007 and have grown rapidly, but trademark issues in Europe have forced them to rebrand in order to reach a global market.
Although ENVE make a range of carbon fibre products – we were impressed by their 2.0 road fork earlier this year – the company are best known for their wheels. This 65mm rim comes in tubular and clincher versions, as does the 45mm version and the superlight 25mm rim for tubulars.
Uniquely, the spoke holes are moulded rather than drilled which allows for greater spoke tension and, say Enve, hugely improved reliability. For deep-section wheels with clincher practicality, the 65s are very light at 1,479g (672g front, 807g rear).
This set is built on excellent DT Swiss 240s hubs with Sapim CX Ray bladed spokes – 20 radial in the front, 24 in a two-cross pattern at the back. Wheels for the UK are built by selected specialists here and only the rims are imported from Enve. Bought as a wheelset they come with a high-quality wheel bag, valve extenders and Swiss Stop yellow carbon-specific pads.
The 65s are fast. They accelerate rapidly and cling to speed enthusiastically. We did most of our test miles on a Felt AR2 and the pairing was a great combination – light, stiff and truly aero. On our favourite 19-mile test loop we cut a minute from our best time.
Climbing out of the saddle in a low gear can induce some brake rub if the pads are set close to the rim, but the low weight means that heading uphill on the 65s is a pleasure regardless. Braking is also very impressive, even in the wet.