ENVE Foundation Wheels Vs. Zipp, Mavic, Campagnolo, and EVERYBODY ELSE! (UPDATED VERSION)

ENVE supplied the wheels to me at no charge, and I was not paid for the review by either ENVE or Competitive Cyclist. I am, however, in the Competitive Cyclist Affiliate program, so if you click below, every purchase you make helps support my channel:Show more

https://competitivecyclist.g39l.net/3DJMn

If you’re shopping for aftermarket wheels, there’s a dizzying array of choices and you can very easily sink into PARALYSIS by ANALYSIS if you’re not careful. So, I’m here to make this easy for you - close all those browser tabs and just buy a set of ENVE foundation wheels. Dollar for dollar, I just can’t find anything better.

OK. So...bear with me here because this is gonna get nerdy...the Foundation 45’s are 45mm deep versus a front/rear depth of 39 and 43 on the 3.4’s and 49 and 55 on the 4.5’s. The 5.6’s are 54 and 63, but they’re not tubeless. Both version s of the 303 are 45 AND tubeless front and rear - just like the foundations. If we look at the foundation 65’s, they’re more aligned with the ENVE 5.6 and fall in between zipp’s 404 and 808. They’re a bit too deep for my tastes, and I didn’t get to test a pair but the data on ENVE’s site puts them in the same aerodynamic range as their DEEPEST wheels with one YUGE difference: they’re tubeless, so you get the added benefit of lower rolling resistance. Here’s what I mean: on paper, the 1600 dollar Foundation 65 could possibly be the FASTEST wheel that ENVE makes. The charts on enves site show a difference of only 1.78 more watts of aerodynamic drag than the SES 7.8 wheels, a number that’s EASILY overcome by the improved rolling resistance of tubeless tires. And...I’m just gonna leave that...right here...and move on to the wheel I actually, physically tested, the 45’s.

At a high level, you get the same carbon, you get ENVE’s patented molded spoke holes (which are more durable than drilled holes), and you get a really nice set of house-brand hubs with NTN steel bearings. The premium wheels have STAINLESS steel bearings and a slightly lighter hub shell. Both versions have Sapim spokes, but the Foundations have the slightly heavier CX-Sprint instead of the CX-ray. The sprints are more durable and stiffer, where the rays are lighter, springier, and more aero. The 45’s weigh 1541 grams versus 1417 on the 3.4 AR and 1525 on the Zipp 303S. The new firecrest 303 is 40 mils deep and because of the shallower depth they hit 1352g.

But it’s the internal and external rim width that really separates the 45’s from ENVE’s premium line. The 45’s and 65’s have an internal width of 21mm and an external width of 28mm. The 3.4’s clock in at 25 and 32. Both have the wide hookless system for increased durability and ease of installation but what this means is you can’t really run anything smaller than 28 on the AR series AND that your tires are going to balloon up about 2-3mm on the AR’s (for example, my 30’s measure just over 32 on the 4.5’s but the 28’s I had on the 45’s measured true to size, with no balooning. It’s not a huge thing, but if you prefer 25’s and 28’s because you’re a pure road rider who sticks to the pavement then the Foundations might be the better choice.

I’ve also had the expectation that to get ALL THAT I’d need to spend premium bucks on premium wheels. Cutting corners was not allowed. And, man - I gotta be honest - if there was some way to subject myself to a blindfolded test of each set, I’d be VERY hard-pressed to tell you which is which and I couldn’t look you in the eyes say my $3500 4.5’s are any measurable percentage better than these $1600 Foundations. I mean sure - if you look at the numbers and throw the premium wheels in the wind tunnel they test better. And this comes back to my echoing refrain of “if you’re the type of guy who doesn’t want to leave anything on the table…” then sure - step up to the 3.4’s or 4.5’s and upgrade to the King hubs like I did.

But if you’re not gonna lie awake at night wondering if the extra grand will get you to the top step of the podium - which it very well might - then I just can’t make a case for the higher end wheels. The Foundations are just. That. Good. They check all my boxes and they’re perfectly balanced. So balanced, in fact, that after a few months with the 45’s I just can’t let them go - I bought this demo set for myself.

I don’t know if ENVE wants to hear that or not, and I don’t know if they’re worried about cannibalizing sales of the high end stuff. Who knows...maybe they looked around and figured out that a lot of guys like me have a road race bike and a gravel race bike and that they can sell us, effectively, two for the price of one.