Weight Weenies

Have Enve 4.5s which I love with a few notable drawbacks:

-They are a little flexy
-Everything holds together fine, but the rim itself feels quite thin
-They handle wind decently, but they are deep wheels and have made a couple of descents feel sketchy
-They aren’t heavy, but they also aren’t light (1,506g)

My bike (Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 Hi-Mod 2 in 58) has ballooned in weight due to the following:

-S-Works Power Saddle (the 3D printed one)
-Tire pressure monitors
-Wiring up the drivetrain (no longer semi-wireless, fully wired)
-Adding climbing shifters
-Coefficient RR bar (nice, but heavy)
-11-34t cassette
-OSPW system (Kogel Kolossus)

All-in-all I’m at just shy of 8kg on a bike that can easily be made 7-7.2kg. I’m more of an aero weenie than a weight weenie, but I do like to climb.

My needs:

-I’m 6’3, 80-85kg. FTP is around 335, has been up to 350.
-I ride mostly alone
-Occasionally will do a road bike TT, but generally do competitive fondos
-All of my rides are hilly (typically 80-120ft of climbing per mile), and most are on mediocre to very poor surfaces. I was beaten up today on 100k ride with the Enves and Corsa Pro 28s pumped to 65psi.
-I don’t really want multiple wheel sets.


Ideas:

-I could go shallower
-I could just get wider tires
-I could go deeper (that doesn’t make much sense)

Comfort and control are becoming more important to me, but I do love times when I can get out on a flat and really open up. I also love climbing.

Any suggestions? I like hookless and actually probably prefer it.


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https://www.enve.com/learn/tire-pressure/ recommends 58psi for your weight (82kg) and https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure recommends 56.7/60.3psi. I think you can try to drop a few psi. Your can also consider 30c on the back, which won't affect drag much.

yingyu wrote:https://www.enve.com/learn/tire-pressure/ recommends 58psi for your weight (82kg) and https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure recommends 56.7/60.3psi. I think you can try to drop a few psi. Your can also consider 30c on the back, which won't affect drag much.

I’m worried about dropping the pressure too much, because I feel like it’s risking the rims. Between the rocks, debris, potholes, and speed bumps around here , it’s kind of crazy. There’s already a nick on the rim from where there was a rim impact. That’s with careful riding and higher pressure than I’d like 65-70. Corsa Pros in 28c inflate to 30mm.

I need something that’s solid, preferably compliant, and probably immune to cross winds. That’s probably less than 50mm deep and wider internal rim width.

Part of me just wants to run 32c tires, but I’m pretty sure that’s going to cancel out the majority of aero benefits, so I almost might as well go with Enve 2.3s.

I’m leaning toward the 353s, which are very tough wheels, but I don’t really want to spend a ton of money. I have some experience with them having owned them in the past. The 454s are probably the better overall wheel, but really need 25s to be fast and I’m wanting to go the other direction.

I don’t really care for the philosophy of the Enve 3.4s. I’ve also considered the Reserve 40/44.

Any other ideas?


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Down to the 353s and the 2.3s. Leaning 353 and I’ve owned a pair and liked them, just hate the price. The hubs are cool, but finicky.

Any thoughts?


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353 have been pretty durable for me (but I am only 62kg). You can consider 30c rear for additional protection. I also have Enve 2.3 but they are too unaero and not as comfortable.

I actually want to sell my 2.3 to suitable friends, but stronger ones would want more aero wheels, and weaker ones most likely don't ride much and can't deal with tubeless.

The Cognition v1 hubs on my 202 NSWs are pretty bad.

1) The front hub axle got corroded and I had to lightly sand it to get it smooth enough to fit new bearings.
2) They really can only be used with Cognition oil or Phil Wood Bio Lube. Pretty much anything else becomes too viscous in freezing temps.
3) The v1’s magnet based ratchet is horrible to service due to the magnets always wanting to flip over or push themselves out of their seats. The v2 uses a simplified freehub mechanism where the magnets are replaced by an elastomer spring, which is also eyebrow raising…
4) The endcaps are super loose

TobinHatesYou wrote:The Cognition v1 hubs on my 202 NSWs are pretty bad.

1) The front hub axle got corroded and I had to lightly sand it to get it smooth enough to fit new bearings.
2) They really can only be used with Cognition oil or Phil Wood Bio Lube. Pretty much anything else becomes too viscous in freezing temps.
3) The v1’s magnet based ratchet is horrible to service due to the magnets always wanting to flip over or push themselves out of their seats. The v2 uses a simplified freehub mechanism where the magnets are replaced by an elastomer spring, which is also eyebrow raising…
4) The endcaps are super loose

I actually have Phil Wood Bio Lube. Briefly had some 353s and liked them and some 454s. The 454s were noisy and required a bunch of lube to shut up. I can’t remember: can you use grease on the front hub?


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Any guess as to how many watts I’d be giving up aero-wise Enve 4.5 vs 2.3 vs 353 at 22mph/35kph?


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Plots from https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Thi ... _8334.html can give you some ideas. Enve 2.3 is notably less aero than others. The tests were done with 27c, which might not be optimally aero for some wheels.

You might be overthinking it a bit. Enve makes good wheels. Not the best but good enough for world tour team (UAE) to use them.

I don't see a reason to go for the lightest set up here. In fact I would go with something stiffer and wide internal. Zipp 303 Firecrest is more aero, wider, cheaper, at least as stiff at 353s and only 1400grams. I've used 303FC on gravel and road, put them through hell and so far they were bomb proof.

353s are better suited for ligher rider, at 80kg and 330ftp you won't climb any faster by having slighly ligher wheelset. Total system weight in what matters. You'll likely go faster on 303FC due to lower PSI and more comfort and save $$$.

If you simply want superlight climbing wheels just go with Enve's 2.3 or Roval Aplinist. I own the second one and it's amazing.

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I have tentatively gone with two wheels: Alpinist CLs and Enve 6.7s. Through the magic of sales and deals, the wheelsets together cost less than the 353s on sale.

Of course, I’m second guessing myself and wondering whether I should’ve just stuck with the 4.5s and put on 30c tires.

I could also get 303FCs for a good price.


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