ENVE

Smart System 3.4 Disc Wheelset - Clincher - 2016

You've been exposed to ENVE fever everywhere lately, first from the glossies, then your ride crew, and now the guy who beat you racing last week. Face facts: it's about time you give your racing bike a set of hoops that can match its energy. The Clincher version of the ENVE Smart System 3.4 Disc Wheelset still remains at the forefront of wheel design, just as it was when ENVE partnered with aerodynamic guru Simon Smart a few years ago to jump from a V-shaped rim profile to a U-shaped one. Mount a set of 3.4's to your new gravel grinder, 'cross bike, or road racing machine and join the long list of cyclists raving about the 3.4's futuristic efficiency.

ENVE and Smart concerned themselves with enhancing stability across the often-changing conditions you're likely to experience on the roads with the 3.4, aiming to lessen the chances of over-correcting in crosswinds. They used a U-shaped rim profile to create a stable, predictable wheelset that relies on a wider, shallower front wheel and slimmer, deeper rear wheel to reduce drag without sacrificing stability. Bred for racing, each wheel is lovingly shaped in carbon fiber, with the molding bladder carefully removed after construction to save weight and establish the kind of of stiffness and responsive handling that sets the 3.4 apart from lower-end carbon wheelsets.

Accelerating out of loose corners and popping over climbs ranks high among a list of things your racing hoops need to do well, and ENVE's meticulous molding process takes more than just rim profile into account to make sure its wheelsets are up to the job. The holistic process involves molding spoke holes, nipple seats, and valve stem holes in a continuous routing process for a wheelset devoid of any stress points or seams along small, but crucial points. Don't be surprised if the added stiffness inspires you to test the limits of your racing bike, knowing you have the added reassurance of disc brakes to lend the responsive stopping power you need to stay [mostly] in-control.