ENVE

SES 7.8 Carbon Road Wheelset - Clincher

Upgrade that new aero frame and get the most out of your TT efforts with the ENVE SES 7.8 Carbon Road Clincher Wheelset with ENVE Hubs. Since the 7.8s are billed as ENVE's fastest rims, it's only fitting that they're paired with the low weight and ceramic bearings of the manufacturer's carbon hubs. The rims are also designed with the current trend of wider tires in mind, so they generate maximum aerodynamic benefit when paired with the 25mm tires favored by the pros.

While going forward fast is important, ENVE recognizes that aerodynamics amount to naught if poor braking sends you off the road. To address this, the 7.8 incorporates ENVE's new molded-in, textured brake surface, which was first launched with the climbing-specific SES 2.2 wheelset. When paired with the included ENVE black brake pads, the new brake track nets a claimed 30% improvement over ENVE's previous brake track and pad combinations in conditions ranging from wet to dry. When you're carrying speed into corners and rolling into unexpected weather, it's comforting to know you can trust the braking surface to do what it's supposed to do.

Like the rest of ENVE's SES line, the 7.8 rims aren't subjected to static, arbitrary NACA shapes. Instead, the engineers let each wheel's depth requirements dictate the ideal dimensions in order to reduce lateral forces and increase aerodynamic benefits across a wide range of yaw angles. This approach is apparent in everything from the rim's rounded inner face to the different dimensions of the front and rear wheels.

Of course, we also recognize that aerodynamics and handling are absolutely meaningless if a wheelset crumbles at the first sign of less-than-optimal road conditions, so we expect ENVE's obsessive engineering to carry over into the wheels' materials and layup. ENVE routes the fibers around each hole in a 100% intact design — no cutting, machining, or drilling required. By continuously wrapping the fibers, ENVE adds strength, boosts rigidity, and allows for less material and a lighter rim. The use of a removable bladder also keeps weight down compared to other wheels, so the SES series boasts the highest claimed strength-to-weight ratio on the market.

As mentioned above, these SES 7.8 rims are laced to the all-new ENVE carbon hubs, which feature DT Swiss' venerable star ratchet engagement system. Unlike the standard 240s, though, the carbon hubs are built with CeramicSpeed bearings instead of stainless steel, putting them more on par with DT's 180 hubs. The hubs' weights also compare favorably to the top-end kit, with the carbon hubs weighing 74g (front) and 158g (rear) for a total claimed weight of just 232g — 92g lighter than DT's 240 set.