Growing their line-up of aero SES carbon rim brake wheels, the newest SES 5.6s take over from the 4.5s as ENVE’s fastest all-around road race wheel. ENVE understandably has put a lot of their road wheel development towards disc brakes as of late, but with a refined carbon brake track design and new SES shaping they are also able to offer improved speed and stability for the bulk of road racers still coming to a stop with rim brakes.
ENVE SES 5.6 mid-depth aero carbon road race wheels
The Smart ENVE System (SES) 5.6 rim brake wheelset is the latest, faster iteration of the carbon producer’s all-rounder road racing wheels designed for optimal aero performance with 25mm tires.
Besides a boost in speed thanks to the next gen SES shape, the new mid-depth 5.6s are said to maintain more stable handling in difficult & changing wind conditions, even compared to the more shallow 4.5s.
Tech-wise the big update is that the new SES 5.6 wheelset now gets a 20mm wide internal tubeless-ready, full-carbon rim, letting racers benefit from lower rolling resistance, better grip & fewer flats. Of course these are proper road race wheels and will see racing under ENVE-sponsored pros, so there is a SES 5.6 Tubular version as well sharing the same overall rim dimensions.
Tech Details
Both tubeless & tubular versions of the new SES 5.6 share the same overall rim dimensions. The front wheels use slightly wider and more shallow rims 29mm x 54mm overall, and 20 hole drilling. Out back rims are deeper for more aerodynamic benefit where they have less impact on bike stability in the wind, coming in at 28mm x 63mm deep, paired with 24 spokes. Even with the slightly 6&7mm extra depth over the 4.5 wheels, the new SES 5.6s add less than 30g overall for the wheelset.
SES 5.6 Tubeless clincher rims weigh 489g front/513g rear, and build up into a 1558g wheelset with DT Swiss 240s hubs, or 1550g with Chris King R45s. SES 5.6 Tubular rims a bit lighter at 404g front/420g rear, and build into 1380g/1372g complete wheelsets with 240/R45 hubs, respectively.
Both style rims share ENVE’s molded, textured full-carbon brake track that they claim works just as well in either wet or dry conditions. They also feature a ‘high-temp resin system’ that does not build up excessive heat under long & heavy braking.
Live the rest of the ENVE rim line, the new SES 5.6s rims are manufactured by hand in their Ogden, UT factory. They are built with molded-in spoke holes, fully removable bladders after layup, and come out of the mold finished without the need for gram-adding paint.
Pricing & Availability
The new ENVE SES 5.6 wheels are available now direct from ENVE or through local dealer shops. The SES 5.6 Tubular wheels start at $2700 with DT hubs, while the SES 5.6 Tubeless clincher version brings that up to $2900. Rims should also be available on their own for $900 each for the tubulars or $975 for a tubeless clincher.
