ENVE

G27 650b Disc Brake Wheelset - Tubeless

Unless you've been living under a rock that hasn't been kicked up by a gravel going bicycle wheel, you've no doubt noticed the industry's fastest growing segment of the market. It's no longer a fringe discipline with riders cobbling together repurposed gear, gravel riding and racing has come into its own with bikes and components dedicated to riding over mixed terrain. We're fans here too, taking advantage of the versatility of the bikes and its ability to create new riding adventures. Just like we've seen in road and mountain riding, tire and rim widths in gravel are ever-increasing as the larger volume tires result in more traction and comfort over chunky B-roads. ENVE Composites took its experience in crafting carbon fiber and a synergy of road and mountain technology when designing its gravel-specific lineup of wheels and the resulting G27 650b Disc Brake Wheelset is the culmination of its efforts. Laced up to 24h DT Swiss 240 hubs with your choice of 11-speed road or XD drivers in common road disc spacing and axle diameters, these wheels are ready for a week-long bikepacking excursion to a multi-surface bike race, and everything in-between. As part of ENVE's first ever gravel specific rim lineup, these tubeless hoops are super lightweight at 320-grams, helping you tackle those repeated climbs that rack up the ascension numbers. This particular wheelset is for 650b compatible bikes and is plenty durable for everyday riding while providing an added boost on race day.

As we mentioned above, this is the first gravel-specific rim from ENVE and it included features that help it excel in gravel training and racing. It received valuable feedback from its in-house riders and sponsored racers with its development with a goal to build a super lightweight set of hoops packing the durability needed to prevent you from becoming stranded with a mechanical in the middle of nowhere. One of these key features learned from its mountain bike tech is the inclusion of its wide rim bead that virtually says goodbye to rims cutting lightweight tires during bottom out as well as providing a more durable surface when bashing into chunky rocks.

Hookless rim beads first appeared on ENVE's last generation M-Series and are currently used on all of its mountain rims. They provide a vast improvement over the former XC, AM, and DH rims' traditional hook beads by offering easier tubeless setup, improved rim durability, and increased weight savings. After a few seasons, the only complaint with the M-Series stemmed from its narrow bead hook which could prove sharp on bottom outs, often leading to sliced tires. With the G27, it employs a wider, 4.5mm thick, hookless bead that's the culmination of over 2 years of development put into its mountain rims met to address both rim and tire durability. The rim shape features a broader leading edge on the bead which creates a more forgiving platform for the tire to bottom out, thus creating a 50-60% less chance of pinch or snake-bite style flats. The design also allows for over 30% greater impact resistance at the rim when smashing through washboard descents and embedded stones. You can now confidently run lower tire pressure, improving traction while decreasing rolling resistance, without fear of a dreaded pinch flat miles away from civilization. The 27mm internal width on the G27 is designed for gravel tires between 2.0 to 2.2-inches wide providing the ideal profile for improved cornering stability, braking, and rolling efficiency.

What's really surprising about the wheelset is how durable the rim is given its feather weight. The team and its sponsored athletes put countless miles on samples and refused to decrease the weight if it meant a drop in durability and the feedback fueled the exact carbon laminate, resin, layup, spoke counts, and even lacing patterns to achieve the desired durability, weight, and all important ride qualities for the wheel's intended use. The end result builds the G27 which is a no-compromise gravel wheelset and the lower rim depth, relative to its road offerings, offers greater vertical compliance helping to reduce fatigue over the long miles in the saddle without losing its prized lateral stiffness which corners like it's on rails. The front and rear 24-hole count further improves the ride comfort and sheds every gram possible.

Unique to every ENVE rim is the patented molded in-spoke holes, nipple seats, and valve holes, offering the highest strength-to-weight ratio in the industry. The nipple pocket is super strong and pull through is a thing of the past. When laying up the rim, ENVE places pins in the layup at the spoke hole locations so it can maintain continuous fiber integrity versus the industry standard of drilling post cure, which cuts into the fibers and weakens the structure. This results in increased rim rigidity, a stronger anchor point for the nipples and weight savings at the spoke face.

The internal nipples are able to articulate in their pockets much like a ball-and-socket joint. This yields a higher and more uniform spoke tension key to strong, true wheels from day one and throughout the many years of ownership. To save every gram possible, ENVE removes the bladder after curing where other composite manufacturers leave the rim-shaping, inflatable bladder in the rim. This process takes more time and expertise, but the end result is a lighter wheelset and one that is more perfectly balanced.

This particular build sees the 650b G27 rims laced to the industry's much-lauded DT Swiss 240. Options for 15mm or 12mm front axles exist, so choose the one that your fork requires. These hubs use Centerlock rotor mounts and can be used with 6-bolt rotors with adapters. Standard HG 11-speed road freehub or XD drivers for SRAM cassettes are available. The 240s are prized for their lightweight construction, superior durability, and tool-free service. ENVE recommends tires greater between 2.0 and 2.2-inches and offers a 5-year warranty and lifetime crash replacement for the original owner.