True to their word as we recently reported, Enve is now shipping the first products that are the result of the Smart Enve collaboration. The 6.7 Smart Enve System rims and wheels are now the first aero wheels available to the public resulting from the extensive wind tunnel testing at the hand of top aerodynamicist Simon Smart.
The Smart Enve system claims to be the first wheel system to truly address transient real world aerodynamics in order to produce a wheel that is fast in all circumstances regardless of wind angle. While the 6.7 is the only combination currently available, it is the start of at least three different combinations that will be released that will also include the 3.4 and the 8.9.
In addition to the release of the 6.7 wheelset, Enve also just announced a contest in which two lucky winners will receive one pair of new Enve Composite wheels! In order to win, riders must submit 2 photos, a 2-minute video, 2 paragraphs, or any combination thereof that illustrates why they deserve a fresh new pair of wheels.
For more details on the contest, and the official word on the release of the 6.7s, jump past the break!
Contest Details:
TWO lucky individuals will win ONE pair of ENVE wheels, simply by doing the following:
Contest Rules:
Submit 2 photos, a 2-minute video, 2 paragraphs, or any combination thereof that illustrates why you should be riding some new ENVE wheels this summer.
So how do you win? . . . We’ll let our Facebook fans and your friends decide.
To enter, go to www.facebook.com/envecompositescycling, click on the “Like” button, look through our photos, videos, products and decide just how you want to enter the contest.
Submit your 2 photos, 2-minute video or 2 paragraphs to: contest@envecomposites.com
We will post the entries on the ENVE Composites Facebook page starting June 1st and the winner will be announced on August 1, 2011.
The winner will be determined by the number of “Likes” their entry receives as well as the number of “Likes” the ENVE fan page receives during the time it is posted. (Yes, we can track that down to the hour!).
All contestants will be notified prior to their entry being posted to our Facebook page so that you will know ahead of time, the day your entry will be posted so you can rally your people to help you win the wheelset of your dreams.
ENVE reserves the right to retain and to use all media submitted by entrants during the ENVE “2 for 2” contest for use in future print, social, web, and other media applications.
Enve Composites now shipping UCI Approved Smart Enve System 6.7 Rims and Wheelsets
June 2, 2011 – Ogden, UT, USA – Nearly two years after Enve Composites entered into a long term technical collaboration with Aerodynamicist Simon Smart, and hundreds of hours of research and development later, the UCI-approved Smart Enve System 6.7 tubulars are now shipping to distributors and dealers around the globe.
The Smart Enve System was developed at the Drag2Zero facility at the Mercedes GP Petronas wind tunnel and on the road with the following metrics in mind: speed, stability, strength, stiffness and weight. “It was critical that the new aero wheel line be built upon the same values as our existing wheels. We wanted to take the characteristics we became known for . . . strength, durability, light weight and stiffness; and introduce them to the aerodynamic arena,” stated Enve Composites founder Jason Schiers.
“The Smart Enve System optimizes the interface between the frame surfaces and the wheels, creating an integrated system”, said Smart. “Because the front and rear wheels interact differently with the air and the rest of the bicycle, it made sense to design them as front and rear specific wheels. The rim shapes are optimized to ensure predictable airflow attachment at higher yaw angles thus reducing drag and improving ride performance.” The front wheel is 26mm wide and 60mm deep, while the rear wheel is 24mm wide and 70mm deep.
The Smart Enve System maximizes stability and rideability in the broadest range of wind conditions possible. Traditionally, wheel testing in the wind tunnel is done in a steady state where the wheel is held at a constant angle for a period of time. In the real world wind, gusts, gaps between hedgerows, cars and buildings will cause instantaneous changes in wind angle.
To optimize wheel stability it was clear that an in-depth application of transient (unsteady) aerodynamics was necessary. Smart explained, “It’s only in recent years that Formula One has started to look at transient aerodynamics. Early in my career as a trackside engineer we discovered that the race car was not producing the down force that it did in the wind tunnel. This led to an extensive correlation study to understand the differences between steady state wind tunnel data and transient real world aerodynamics. The information gathered then has been directly applied to the Smart Enve System rims to make them the most rideable wheels available.” The team’s research in the wind tunnel showed that the wheels with poor stability had a non-linear steering torque response curve. The Smart Enve System wheels have a linear response curve resulting in more predictable handling. Ultimately, more stability means more confidence and less energy expended trying to maintain your desired course of travel.
From a structural standpoint, the Enve engineers were faced with the challenge of creating the strongest, stiffest and lightest aero rims possible. According to Enve lead Engineer Kevin Nelson, “The
Smart Enve System rims retain all the design features that have helped establish Enve rims as the most reliable rims on the market.” Those features include patented molded in spoke and valve stem holes and continuous fiber construction. The new Smart Enve System rims also feature a new braking surface that vastly improves wet weather braking performance, is highly heat resistant, and improves overall stopping power.
About Enve Composites
Located in Ogden, Utah, Enve Composites is a manufacturer of handmade carbon fiber bicycle rims and components. Enve is a company made up of passionate cyclists that have created a unique brand and complete product offering based on a riding lifestyle. Combined, Enve employees have over 30 years of carbon and bicycle experience and have designed and innovated some of the world’s most respected products in the bicycle as well as other outdoor industries. ENVE designs and manufactures 100% of their rims in America.
About Smart
Simon Smart, an ex-Formula One aerodynamicist with fifteen years of engineering experience at the highest level of motor sport, earned global recognition for his design and development of the Giant Trinity and Scott Plasma 3 TT frames in the wind tunnel – both manufacturers realizing overnight success in the Pro Tour with wins in the team and individual time trials. Smart’s business, Smart Aero Technology, is based on the same site as the Mercedes GP – Petronas team headquarters and wind tunnel in Brackley, Northhamptonshire in the United Kingdom.
Smart is renowned as one of the most successful time trial frame designers in the world with no less than six bikes in the top ten at the 2010 Tour de France individual time trial in Bordeaux alone. Smart also co-developed the Scott Foil aero road frame as ridden by the 2010 HTC – Columbia Team, and his distinctive designs have influenced many time trial and triathlon bicycles on the market today.
