The M60 and M70 are offered in standard and high volume profiles. \u00a0Sensibly, ENVE chose to leave the XC and DH ends of the spectrum with just one profile per discipline. \u00a0Anyhow, we recently jumped aboard a set of the new wider, shallower rims laced to the ever trusty DT-Swiss 240 hubs. \u00a0In case you haven’t already heard, the point of “High Volume” rims is to broaden your tires’ footprint a bit while providing it with more\u00a0volume.<\/p>\n
High Volume wheels are generally stiffer and stronger, and in adding tire volume, they allow you to run lower pressures, thus providing more traction. \u00a0Long story short, they provide a host of benefits. \u00a0Let’s see how they’ve been holding up to the last few months of abuse.<\/p>\n
Rim Depth: 30mm When we first started planning our time on this wheelset, we knew we wanted to ride a couple of different tires to see how they fared. \u00a0We spent time with a relatively narrow and round profile Maxxis Shorty, a middle of the road and rather square profiled Specialized Butcher and most recently a bulbous Michelin Wild Grip’r…Each tire suited different conditions but was familiar to us from past trail time so we had a solid basis for comparison.<\/p>\n Our\u00a0wheels arrived with centerlock hubs which are meant for Shimano rotors. \u00a0The bike we planned to test on was fitted with SRAM Guide Ultimates so we ordered adapters – the first ones were DT Swiss and they sucked. \u00a0The Shimano ones pictured below proved to be far superior so remember that if\u00a0you find yourself in the market for adapters.<\/p>\n Moving on and more importantly, ENVE offer both standard DT Swiss 240 and Chris King hubs as options for complete wheelsets that ship directly from them. \u00a0It’s worth noting that ENVE turn these out in a rather impressive 48 hours. \u00a0They’re also available with HG and XD drivers. \u00a0If you are just after the rims, no problem\u00a0– you can order a pair in either 28 or 32 hole and lace them as you’d like.<\/p>\n Our only minor gripe\u00a0before hitting the trails was that the hubs weren’t fitted\u00a0with the 54 tooth star ratchet upgrade. \u00a0Instead it shipped with the rather pedestrian feeling 18 tooth ratchet. \u00a0To swap to the 54 tooth is an easy tool free job, and reasonably priced, but for the cost\u00a0of this wheelset, we feel it should be included as a fast engagement does improve the on trail experience\u00a0dramatically. \u00a0Specifically by offering quicker\u00a0response our of corners and on technical climbs. \u00a0With that in mind we have no complaints about the DT Swiss 240 hubs. \u00a0We’ve been using them in various forms\/dimensions for years and they’re fantastic – smooth, light and tool free.<\/p>\n As far as setup went, the rim tape that ENVE provides is thick, durable and easy to apply. \u00a0The M70 Thirty HV’s were easy to set up tubeless. \u00a0In fact, we never once ran them with tubes. Hookless rims can be tough to set up if the rim doesn’t have a drop center. \u00a0Fortunately these rims did, although it wasn’t too deep. That’s a good thing though; it made tubeless inflation a snap, even with a cheap floor pump. \u00a0Beyond simply inflating tires, it is also easier to install\/remove tires when they have a mildly pronounced drop center as well. Our first ride on the M70 Thirty HV wheels left us with a lot to take in. \u00a0Immediately we noticed the stiffness, even compared with other carbon offerings ranging from 28mm to 41mm that we’ve tested recently. \u00a0Compared to the standard M70 wheels that we’d ridden in the past they were substantially more rigid but not too much so – rather, they were just right. \u00a0 Perhaps our initial shock was partly due to running our default tire pressures which are somewhat high. \u00a0Those pressures would eventually come down, but we were no less impressed with the stiffness or the handling…<\/p>\n As mentioned above we’ve tested a 28mm wide carbon wheelset and a 41mm wide wheelset in the last year or so. \u00a0With both wheelsets it was important to keep tire profile in mind when choosing tires. \u00a0For instance – a wider, rounder tire was more apt to fold over and squirm the narrow 28mm \u00a0wheelset. \u00a0On the contrary, square shaped tire profiles didn’t fare as well on the 41mm wheelset as they became vague when transitioning into corners.<\/p>\n We found that the 36mm outer diameter of the ENVE M70 Thirty HV rims\u00a0struck the perfect balance of increased volume without \u00a0throwing off the profile of any of the 3 tires we tested. \u00a0ENVE recommends tires in the 2.4″\u00a0– 2.5″ range for these rims and it was no surprise that we had the best results with a 2.35″ tire that actually measured at 2.42″. \u00a0With that in mind, we ran 2.3″ tires that measured accurately and had no complaints with regard to the\u00a0profile it took on when mounted to these wheels.<\/p>\n![\"_DSC6780\"](\"http:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC6780.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDetails<\/h3>\n
\nExternal Rim Width: 36mm
\nInternal Rim Width: 30mm
\nBuilt Weight Set: 1602 grams
\nRim Weight Set: 938 grams
\nPrice:\u00a0$2718(as tested)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>First Impressions<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\nOn the Trail<\/h3>\n
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