Enve 4.5 vs. Reserve 42/49

[boots2000]

I am considering some new wheels. Narrowed down to Enve 4.5 and Reserve 42/49 (with 240 or 180 hubs).
What would you get and why?

[wheelbuilder]

I am considering some new wheels. Narrowed down to Enve 4.5 and Reserve 42/49 (with 240 or 180 hubs).
What would you get and why?

Regardless of rim, get the 180's with sinc. Those hubs have a smoothness you can literally feel in your hand compared to 240. No exaggeration. Not sure what the deal is with them but it is real.

[208]

I'd go the reserve because they're brand spank and I like their design philosophy. But I'm biased and already decided on Reserve for my next wheels. Picking between the 52|63 and 42|49 myself right now.

[counterintelligence]

I have 4.5s and and I was planning to switch to the 42|49s with the 180 hubs until i saw they weren't available to buy yet. The Enve 4.5s are great wheels and they're deeper than the 42|49 so maybe more aero. The 42|49 are slightly wider externally at the front and lighter than the enves. The Enve are more "fussy" in setup - Enve says you should use their rim tape, and there's no pressure relief in the rim itself so they also say you should use their valve stem pressure relief nut that comes with the wheels too. Both the rip tape and the valve nut come with the wheels so it's not a major deal but it's something to pay attention to.

I'm switching to Reserve wheels (I bought a different set since i can't buy 42|49 yet) because until I have more peace of mind I want to move away from hookless and I like that Reserve makes wheels with wide(r) external dimensions and there are fewer rules to how you set them up / can use them on an ongoing basis.

[Mocs123]

I'd go with the Reserves simply because I don't like hookless wheels.

[RaffiCA]

Igot 52|63 TA with DT240, no issues whatsoever, pretty quick once you up to proper speed. Would pick this again, but if you are looking for shallover (hills, more acceleration perhaps) then 42/49.

Hooked and wide wheels the way to go for me.

[208]

Igot 52|63 TA with DT240, no issues whatsoever, pretty quick once you up to proper speed. Would pick this again, but if you are looking for shallover (hills, more acceleration perhaps) then 42/49.

Hooked and wide wheels the way to go for me.

hey mate i'm in the middle of picking between 42|49 and 52|63, just curious about your average ride, how much elevation gain are you facing?

just not sure which I should go for. the 52|63 look so cool, but then I kinda think 42|49 should be better overall for me. My usual 90min ride might have something like 400-600m elevation with just rolling hills kinda thing.

[boots2000]

For me, I think of my favorite kind of ride or training. That would be 3-4 hours 1500-2500 of vertical. I think the 42/49 better fits this.

Igot 52|63 TA with DT240, no issues whatsoever, pretty quick once you up to proper speed. Would pick this again, but if you are looking for shallover (hills, more acceleration perhaps) then 42/49.

Hooked and wide wheels the way to go for me.

hey mate i'm in the middle of picking between 42|49 and 52|63, just curious about your average ride, how much elevation gain are you facing?

just not sure which I should go for. the 52|63 look so cool, but then I kinda think 42|49 should be better overall for me. My usual 90min ride might have something like 400-600m elevation with just rolling hills kinda thing.

[tiberiade]

Not fully answering your question, but I have Enve 4.5 and Lightbicyle WR50 with DT180 hubs and I prefer the Lightbicycle. As mentioned above the DT180 hubs are really great.

[apaz]

hey mate i'm in the middle of picking between 42|49 and 52|63, just curious about your average ride, how much elevation gain are you facing?

just not sure which I should go for. the 52|63 look so cool, but then I kinda think 42|49 should be better overall for me. My usual 90min ride might have something like 400-600m elevation with just rolling hills kinda thing.

Got your PM but unfortunately, I'm not able to respond to PMs yet.

To answer your question, the 40|44 are probably the best all-around wheels that I've had to date. They're reasonably light, spin up fast, and have a good aero compromise. They're also quite comfortable when the road surface gets ugly. Lately I've been riding them with 32mm GP5000s on my endurance bike and am quite pleased with the combination.

The 52|63 are definitely tuned to the aero side of the spectrum. They're a bit slower to get up to speed, but once there tend to hold it well. I don't notice them being a drag on climbs so for rolling terrain I'm very happy on them. While they are comfortable, they are quite a bit stiffer than the 40|44 so the ride is a bit less forgiving. I use them on an aero bike and feel they're most appropriate there.

The 40|44 were the first set I purchased and completely sold me on Reserve. I think that they are the best intro to the brand, but if I were buying today I would likely go with the 42|49 instead. Reserve is making tons of investments into research and they're learning a lot in the process. My assumption is that the 42|49 maintains all of the positive qualities of the 40|44 while dialing up the aero performance.

[208]

hey mate i'm in the middle of picking between 42|49 and 52|63, just curious about your average ride, how much elevation gain are you facing?

just not sure which I should go for. the 52|63 look so cool, but then I kinda think 42|49 should be better overall for me. My usual 90min ride might have something like 400-600m elevation with just rolling hills kinda thing.

Got your PM but unfortunately, I'm not able to respond to PMs yet.

To answer your question, the 40|44 are probably the best all-around wheels that I've had to date. They're reasonably light, spin up fast, and have a good aero compromise. They're also quite comfortable when the road surface gets ugly. Lately I've been riding them with 32mm GP5000s on my endurance bike and am quite pleased with the combination.

The 52|63 are definitely tuned to the aero side of the spectrum. They're a bit slower to get up to speed, but once there tend to hold it well. I don't notice them being a drag on climbs so for rolling terrain I'm very happy on them. While they are comfortable, they are quite a bit stiffer than the 40|44 so the ride is a bit less forgiving. I use them on an aero bike and feel they're most appropriate there.

The 40|44 were the first set I purchased and completely sold me on Reserve. I think that they are the best intro to the brand, but if I were buying today I would likely go with the 42|49 instead. Reserve is making tons of investments into research and they're learning a lot in the process. My assumption is that the 42|49 maintains all of the positive qualities of the 40|44 while dialing up the aero performance.

eyy thanks man appreciate it a lot!

[208]

For me, I think of my favorite kind of ride or training. That would be 3-4 hours 1500-2500 of vertical. I think the 42/49 better fits this.

Igot 52|63 TA with DT240, no issues whatsoever, pretty quick once you up to proper speed. Would pick this again, but if you are looking for shallover (hills, more acceleration perhaps) then 42/49.

Hooked and wide wheels the way to go for me.

hey mate i'm in the middle of picking between 42|49 and 52|63, just curious about your average ride, how much elevation gain are you facing?

just not sure which I should go for. the 52|63 look so cool, but then I kinda think 42|49 should be better overall for me. My usual 90min ride might have something like 400-600m elevation with just rolling hills kinda thing.

thanks a lot mate!

[okx]

Does anyone seen 42|49 in stock in Europe?

[Singlish]

Not fully answering your question, but I have Enve 4.5 and Lightbicyle WR50 with DT180 hubs and I prefer the Lightbicycle. As mentioned above the DT180 hubs are really great.

Interesting. Care to elaborate as to why? All three of these wheels are on my potential list for the next bike.

[tokyolovestory]

Not fully answering your question, but I have Enve 4.5 and Lightbicyle WR50 with DT180 hubs and I prefer the Lightbicycle. As mentioned above the DT180 hubs are really great.

Interesting. Care to elaborate as to why? All three of these wheels are on my potential list for the next bike.

I think it is because of hubs, but it is possible to build a pair of Enve wheels with DT Swiss 180 or 240.