Winter is coming and ENVE is ready w/ new Fat Fork & M685 fat bike wheels

It finally happened. ENVE is making a fat bike rim. Not only that, but they’re also making a fat bike fork – and both look like they’ll certainly stand out in a very crowded market.

Starting up front, the new ENVE Fat Fork charges straight to the head of the rigid fat bike fork world. Borrowing from their development of other types of rigid forks, the carbon Fat Fork is molded in one piece for strength and also to keep the weight down. The Fat Fork which will clear up to 5″ tires weighs just 748g (claimed). More importantly, as more bikes switch over to 27.5″ fat wheels and tires, the Fat Fork can adapt. Using a reversible dropout chip, the fork can change its rake from 42mm to 51mm which ENVE says will optimize the handling for both wheel sizes. Because of that, there is one model of fork that will work with both 26″ and 27.5″ wheels and tires.

Running post mount 160mm brakes, the fork has a 1.5″ tapered steerer tube with a 490mm axle to crown measurement, and a 15 x 150mm axle. Brake routing is internal through the left leg, and official tire clearance is listed as 26 x 5.2″ or 27.5 x 4.8″. Fat Forks will sell for $625, and are available for pre-order with forks shipping at the end of November.

M685 Wheels

We weren’t sure if we’d ever see an ENVE fat bike rim, but here it is. Part of the M6 family, the M685 rims have an 85mm internal width with a 94mm external width. Since they have the M6 designation, that means that they pass the same trail test standards as the other M6 products making them a perfect option for year-round fat biking, not just in the snow. The rims also include the M6’s patented Wide Hookless Bead design which is said to reduce the chance of pinch flatting by 50%.

In what they call an ENVE first, the rims have an asymmetric molded spoke hole design which keeps the spokes in the center of the rim and away from the snow, while allowing for the wide bracing angles of fat bike hubs.

The rim profile is also designed so that it sheds mud, snow, and other debris rather than having it sit on top of a flat rim and adding weight to wheel as you ride. After their own testing, ENVE decided this was a better way to go even though the rims are slightly heavier, since it could result in much more weight in accumulated snow and ice if it was a flat rim.

While the chart above shows 27.5″ rims, the M685s will also be available in 26″ rims and complete wheels as well. The 27.5″ rim has a claimed weight of 600g, and while the 26″ rim weight isn’t listed we’d assume it will be less.

Sold as a complete wheelset with Industry Nine hubs, the wheels will initially be offered in 150/197mm hub spacings – no word on 177mm for the completes. Even if they don’t offer it, you could still pick up the rim only option and build them yourself with a 32h hub. The complete wheelset with I9 hubs and 27.5″ rims has a claimed weight of 2060g.

Individual rims will be offered for $999 each, while complete wheelsets start at $2,800 for the 27.5 I9 build. Like the fork, the wheels are available for pre-order now, with delivery starting at the end of November.

enve.com