Enve released its first dedicated gravel wheelset back in 2018. In the subsequent eight years the discipline has both flourished and diversified. This is reflected in the sheer volume of products released, but also the added nuance that many of them now have.
The US brand has responded in kind with its latest gravel hoops, the G SES, which it's promoting as “the fastest gravel wheels ever built”. Quite some claim.
The new wheelsets lineup consists of the G SES 6.7 Pro and the G SES 4.5 Pro and 4.5, echoing two of the rim depth options offered in the SES road range.
Enve, who sponsor UAE Team Emirates and thus benefit from the expertise, and publicity, that Tadej Pogačar, brings, has adopted a similar approach to the development of these wheels, using the real world insights gained from winning a host of prestigious gravel events, including UCI World Gravel races and the Gravel World Championships.
Enve says the G SES wheels are there to match the demands of modern gravel riding. This means continuing to deliver the durability and resistance to flats that it’s always tried to achieve in its gravel wheels but now ensuring that they are optimised around the higher speeds of today, where large-volume tyres are the norm and aerodynamic advantages are essential for winning on the biggest stages.
The 6.7 Pro is promoted as the “world’s most aerodynamically efficient gravel wheel”. No small claim, but with so many wheel manufacturers moving to carbon spokes, sticking with narrower steel spokes in this case, maybe somewhat of a cheat code. Who knows.
Enve says it does of course. To back it up Enve has detailed results from testing the 6.7 Pro against a number of its own wheels as well as those from other US brands, including wheels from local boys, Zipp and Reserve.
At 32kph it says the 6.7 Pro is 8 watts faster on average (achieved using 40, 44 and 48mm tyres) than the baseline model in the test, its own wheelset. This increases to 25 watts at 48kph. The difference to the G SES 4.5 Pro wheel is significantly less, as is the number to Zipp’s XPLR and the Reserve 40/44 GR; the percentage difference in drag reduction from the baseline at 32kph between the G SES 6.7 Pro and these three options is 1.9%, 3.5% and 5.8% respectively.
Whether this kind of data matters to you is likely down to your own capabilities and the kind of riding you do. If you’re competing at the sharp end of significant gravel events then I’m guessing you’d be happy to take any advantage you can get. Enve says as much, going on to state that the advantage of the 6.7 Pro is “clear everywhere but the hilliest of courses"; at a claimed 1,580g for a pair they compare favourably to other deep section aero wheels – especially considering the very wide rim bed at 35mm – but are significantly heavier than a modern high-end all-rounder.
The G SES 4.5 and 4.5 Pro uses the template provided by the road going SES 4.5, seeking to bring a blend of attributes to create a versatile wheel that’s able to excel across a range of terrain.
Enve acknowledges that in focusing on aerodynamic speed, the 6.7 wheel has to make compromises in other areas, such as its performance when the trail points up, whereas the 4.5 models still deliver aero benefits but also a reduction in weight and an improvement in handling across more challenging surfaces>
In terms of weight, the 4.5 Pro saves around 100g compared to the 6.7 Pro, while the 4.5 is only 15g lighter due to a switch from Alpha Ultralight spokes to Sapim CX-Rays and the use of the Innerdrive Premium hub rather than the Pro model, which features ceramic bearings and a light 40t ratchet resulting in a 60g saving over the Premium model.
To ensure that the new G SES series can handle the impacts associated with off-road usage, ENVE calls on its experience making mountain bike wheels. It borrows the Wide Hookless Bead technology, created to limit pinch flats by creating a wider, blunt leading edge that better absorbs impacts.
Similarly each of the G SES models uses the same approach as the Tour de France-winning SES road wheels, namely differing rim shapes front and rear to better deal with the differing airflow that results from the wheel's position on the bike. In the case of this G SES 6.7 Pro this means a front rim depth of 60mm and rear that measures 67mm. With the SES G 4.5 Pro and 4.5 these are 49mm and 55mm respectively.
Tyre and rim width optimisation is also carried over from the SES road wheels with the aim of maintaining a smooth transition of the airflow over the rim's sidewall. In terms of measurements, the 6.7 Pro has a super wide internal rim width of 35mm and a sidewall width of 3.8mm, while the 4.5 models have a 30mm internal width with the same sidewall width. The result, Enve says, is three sets of gravel wheels that deliver aero savings on the wide tyre sizes - 44mm to 52mm - that dominate today's gravel riding.
The Enve G SES 6.7 Pro and 4.5 Pro are priced at $1,400 for the front wheel and $1,700 for the rear, while the Enve G SES 4.5 retails at $1,250 for the front wheel and $1,550 for the rear.