After years of making some of the best, and consequently most expensive wheels on the market, ENVE has something new to announce. Thanks to improvements they’ve made to their manufacturing capabilities and investments in technologies over the years, the brand is now introducing an all new category of wheels. Their new Foundation Collection is still made in the USA, and still offers a lot of proprietary ENVE technology, but it does so at an all new price point.
On the mountain side, the Foundation Collection kicks off with the new AM30 carbon wheelsets. Paying homage to the original ENVE AM wheelset, the AM30s are positioned as a set of all mountain wheels for daily rides from casual trail rides to full on big mountain missions. 
Built with a new rim shape, the AM30 features a 30mm internal width to fit tires from 2.3″ to 2.6″. Because of that, ENVE claims the rim will pair well with bikes running anything from 110 to 180mm travel and in both 27.5 or 29″ wheels.
The rims feature offset spoke holes for more balanced spoke tensions, and you’ll also note the external nipples. New for ENVE MTB rims, the company states that the new lower 20mm profile of the AM30 rim requires external nipples to prevent the spoke from puncturing tubeless tape under hard hits.
However, even with the external nipples, the rims still feature ENVE’s patented molded spoke holes. This claims to improve the strength of the rims by keeping the carbon fibers continuous instead of drilling through them and compromising the strength.
You’ll also still find a wide hookless bead with a larger leading edge to prevent pinch flats. ENVE claims this reduces the need for tire inserts, decreasing the overall weight and reducing the hassle of installing tires and inserts onto the rim.
Offered in 27.5 or 29″ sizes with Industry Nine 1 / 1 hubs in Boost or Super Boost spacing, claimed weights are listed as 1748g/1852g for a complete wheelset respectively. The rims themselves check in at 470/510g each, and each is 28h and built with Sapim Race spokes.
While the AM30s will still be a pricey upgrade at $1600, you’re getting a lot of ENVE tech for the price – especially compared with their M-Series which are priced between $2,500 and $3,000 for a wheelset with similar all-mountain intentions. They’re also backed by a lifetime incident protection program and 5 year warranty. The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, while the incident protection program claims to cover any damage caused to their wheels while riding, crashing, or transporting your bike.
The AM30s are available now.
Learn more at Enve.com.
