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ENVE switches M-Series wheels to new i9 Hydra hubs…and drops prices!

Written by Greg Kopecky
ENVE-M-Series-Industry-Nine-Hydra-hubs-complete-builds
22 Comments
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It’s rare to find high end, made-in-America parts and brands team up and actually push prices down – but that’s what is happening today with ENVE and Industry Nine. The new fast-engaging Hydra hubs are now standard equipment on the M Series line of MTB wheels, and drop in price by over $400 per wheel set. While still a high-end product with a price that’s commensurate with the quality, this represents a big boost in attainability for would-be carbon wheel buyers.

ENVE-M-Series-Industry-Nine-Hydra-hubs-Centerlock

ENVE M SERIES CARBON + i9 HYDRA HUBS

This announcement comes hot on the heels of Industry Nine’s Hydra launch, with the new hubs featuring an impressive (insane?) 690 points of engagement and just 0.52° between engagements. Industry Nine hubs aren’t new to ENVE, but the Hydra is now the default option – and we imagine it’ll be popular given the price drop.

What exactly is that price? It now sits at $2550 (previously $2980). How do they do it? According to ENVE representatives, part of it is due to the efficiency of working with a US hub manufacturer – eliminating import duties and long lead times.

ENVE-M-Series-Industry-Nine-Hydra-hubs-complete-options

As in the past, you can mix and match hubs with different rims, which are better suited for different disciplines of mountain or gravel cycling.

ENVE-M-Series-Wheel-Chart-1200x0-c-default
Not sure which ENVE rim is right for you? This handy chart will help you decide.

These new builds are available effective immediately, and begin shipping this week. What if you’re a Chris King fan? Fear not – ENVE tells us that King hubs are still available on M-Series builds. Whatever your preference, it’s a good time to ride a mountain bike, with options like these available. Learn more about the M Series and more at the link below.

Learn more at ENVE.com

 
Greg Kopecky
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Dude on a bike
Dude on a bike
5 years ago

“Oh yea. Now these wheels only cost the price of a entry level aluminum mountain bike”

Said no one ever!

Isn’t technology great.

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Fred Porter
Fred Porter
5 years ago
Reply to  Dude on a bike

Dude, you make similar comments frequently. Is your expectation that the high end parts made in USA should be selling at the same prices as alloy rim machine built wheels from China?

Do you regularly visit auto enthusiast sites and complain that the Ferrari should be as affordable as a Chevy Malibu? Do you believe a Rolex should be sold in walmart along side a Timex?

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Bob
Bob
5 years ago
Reply to  Fred Porter

There is a vast difference in quality, performance and functionality that one could argue justifies the price difference between a Ferrari and Chevy, Rolex and Timex. Those differences don’t exist in the bike industry. So yes, they should cost the same. there are many companies that deliver carbon products of equal quality to Enve that are far far less expensive. When you buy Enve you are buying the image. Enve’s biggest strength is their marketing department.

Also, selling based on it being a USA made product is simply an emotional ploy to get US customers to feel all warm and fuzzy about their purchase. it adds no value to the product. If you want to feel good that you bought some US made product then fine but don’t be surprised when people point out that they cost double just for those 3 little words.

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Derek
Derek
5 years ago
Reply to  Bob

(deleted)

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Bob
Bob
5 years ago
Reply to  Derek

Feel free to “enlighten” me then oh wise one.

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roadstain
roadstain
5 years ago
Reply to  Bob

Bob, your comment is spot on. I forget what thread it was saying that we needed to make road bike “faster and lighter” in a comment. I have not seen bikes get lighter and -better- in over two decades. Bring into that the UCI minimums and we can have a real talk.

Few days ago myself and a friend (pro) went to a local club ride. We were chastised for both rolling 32 spoke wheels….seems the comments were no longer happening at 22mph…and even less as we pulled away from the local heros on their S-Works dream machines with Di2 and fancy wheels.

The kicker was the number of comments on par with “wow, you would think you would want lighter wheels on that frameset”….pretty sure the frame could not tell.

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i
i
5 years ago
Reply to  Bob

So anyone that wants to buy products made somewhere that has labor and environmental laws is foolish?

That says more about you than the ‘sucker’ that’s willing to pay for the words.

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Bob
Bob
5 years ago
Reply to  i

ah, yeah they are. i am sure they can feel good about themselves but the stuff they bought does not automatically perform any better because of how ethically it may have been made.

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Swim
Swim
5 years ago
Reply to  Bob

You’re paying for more than just performance. It’s not that hard to understand.

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Heffe
Heffe
5 years ago

The main criticism brought against Enve products is not that they aren’t good, but that the price is not commensurate with the quality.

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SJC
SJC
5 years ago
Reply to  Heffe

FWIW, they’re now only $100 more than i9’s in-house carbon wheels and roughly in line with most other high-end carbon wheels. Still a ton of money, and if I were spending that kind of money, I’d probably still go for the i9s for the custom color options (which bring the price up to ENVE’s level), but it’s less crazy than before.

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Aaron
Aaron
5 years ago
Reply to  Heffe

All I can say is that when you buy ENVE wheels, you are getting one of the best (if not THE best) warranty that any wheel manufacturer offers. And… you pay for that peace of mind. I’ve never seen an ENVE rim break… can’t say the same for other carbon rim manufacturers.

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Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward
5 years ago
Reply to  Aaron

Maybe you should check the Google about your broken enve theory.

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Martin
Martin
5 years ago
Reply to  Aaron

Aaron You probably have seen not enough wheels and rims in your life. As wheelbuilder and mechanic with over 20 years experience in cycling industry I’ve seen lots of broken Enve rims, especially road ones with overheating braking track, delaminating carbon fibre layers along braking track etc. I cannot say that warranty customer service was bad but awaiting time for rim replacement was very long, too long. When something happend in the middle of the season that was big chance that customer could ended up with no wheels to the end of that season. For the price they were asking for their carbon rims that was unacceptable. I remember times were Enve was starting their business and to be fairly onest they would have not existed to these days without Chris King co-operation. Their rims were nothing special at all and far overpriced.

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Thesteve4761
Thesteve4761
5 years ago
Reply to  Martin

You’re about right, just got the wrong cooperative brand.

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Eli
Eli
5 years ago
Reply to  Aaron

Enve:
https://www.enve.com/en/support/warranty/
so 5 years for defects only. 50% for anything else and for after 5 years

Reynolds:
https://reynoldscycling.com/pages/warranty-guarantee
lifetime for basically everything (So no matter how your wheels may be damaged, Reynolds will repair or replace them free of charge.)

Bontreger:
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/carbon_care_wheels/
2 year replace for any reason, cheap repair costs after that. Not sure about defects after 2 years

I’m too lazy to keep looking :-p

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Uncle Tio
Uncle Tio
5 years ago
Reply to  Eli

ENVE 5 year warranty covers damage from impact.

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Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
5 years ago

I’ve got to imagine that Enve has felt some effect from Reserve wheels. Warranty from Santa Cruz is second to none on wheels with a lower MSRP. I know there is the 100% American vs Import/built in USA, but can they at least match the warranty? Enve is offering 5 years on true rim defects, and 50% off plus “fees” if it’s your fault. They say they can tell the difference between garage door impacts and aggressive riding. Maybe so, but I don’t want to pay more money for a brand that’s nitpicky. In my experience Santa Claus will hook you up no matter what..

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slowbobonabike
slowbobonabike
5 years ago

Funny as no one mentions that Enve is now owned by a chinese corporation after being bought by a french company belonging to a finnish group. When they sold themselves to Amer it made the news but, very strangely, not when Anta Group bought the whole brand portfolio of Amer Sports (Salomon, Arctery’x, Mavic, Enve, Suunto, Wilson, etc.). It’s been two months now and not a word on such a major industry news…

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Velofreak
Velofreak
5 years ago

Not only this price is a rip off, current price at 50% would be a rip off.

And please, stop it with J-bend spokes, same thing for Chris king. Get on straight pull, please… such a high price for fricking j-bend spokes…

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Tim
Tim
5 years ago
Reply to  Velofreak

What’s wrong with j-bend spokes? Is straight pull really so vastly superior? I for one doubt it.

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Greg Kopecky
Author
Greg Kopecky
5 years ago
Reply to  Tim

@Tim, there is nothing wrong with J-bend spokes, aside from the fact that they arguably don’t look as cool as straight pull. In fact, having worked for a couple big wheel manufacturers and built a lot of wheels, J-bend are generally known to be more reliable – or at a minimum – easier to design a reliable wheel / hub system around. Straight pull spokes can build up in to great wheels, but it isn’t always easy to stop spoke twist and design for both good bracing angles, and good spoke retention in the case of a crash or one-or-more broken spokes (and the loss of spoke tension that results). It almost always adds not-insignificant cost to overcome these issues for what amounts to an aesthetic benefit. Or sometimes the solutions are seen as cheap… things like press-fit plastic retainers that pop in to retain the spokes into the hub flanges. Front rim brake hubs are easier to pull off, with some well-established players having long-term reliability and success (i.e. Zipp, Hed, Mavic, etc). Rear wheels and disc brakes are more difficult.

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