ENVE Will Replace Your Rim, No Questions Asked

Jun 20, 2019
by Mike Levy  
Enve E Wheels


Have you ever heard the noise that a carbon fiber rim makes when it fails? If you listen really closely when it happens, you might just be able to hear the sound of money being sucked right out of your bank account. Some riders have even reported hearing a flushing toilet over the noise of crunching carbon at the moment of impact, but that's never been substantiated. A few things we do know, however, is that carbon rims are expensive, and that expensive certainly doesn't equal indestructible. Scary combo, right? It is for many riders, which is one of the reasons that the folks at ENVE now offer their ''No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Incident Protection'' on the US-made carbon products that fill their catalog.

It's exactly what it sounds like, too: ENVE will replace their damaged component, no questions asked, regardless of if it was a JRA kinda thing, a cased jump, a big crash, or even if the dog thought your M6 Series rim might taste delicious.

Okay, they'll probably make sure you're the original owner, and they might ask for a proof-of-purchase, so maybe it should be called the Two-Questions-Asked Lifetime Incident Protection, but it's still pretty good.

ENVE's products aren't exactly inexpensive - rims go for $999 USD on their own, and wheels range from $2,550 to $3,000 USD depending on your hub fetish - but we all know that doesn't mean that they can't fail.

When spending that sort of coin, I'd want to be looked after and I bet most of you feel the same.

''Originally, it was a typical five-year warranty covering manufacturing defects, materials, and workmanship. And we've been confident enough in our product to cover ride damage since 2011,'' ENVE's Jake Pantone told me earlier today. That started way back in 2007, a time when a five-year warranty on wheels was almost unheard of.
Enve E Wheels
This ENVE rim cracked during our testing last year and would have been replaced free of charge.

"We also had our Lifetime Loyalty Guarantee," he explained, a program where ENVE would sell you a replacement component at 50-percent off the retail price, regardless of how it happened. "In practice, those incidents when we charged people happened very rarely,'' Pantone replied when asked how common that was, which brings us to today's announcement.

Thing is, there are a bunch of companies who've been selling carbon wheels for years and have made sure that customers know they have a no-questions-asked replacement policy. I don't know about you, but if I was dropping thousands of dollars that I don't actually have on a set of carbon wheels, I'd probably choose the ones I know will get replaced free of charge; you'd have to be pretty brave to do otherwise. Pantone explained over the phone that while ENVE has essentially been doing exactly that for years now, it wasn't something that many people knew about. Today, it becomes official.


photo
photo
It's not just rims; all of ENVE's carbon products are covered, mountain or road.

Let's pretend for a few minutes that we're all in the market for a new set of carbon wheels. Would ENVE's No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Incident Protection sway you towards their catalog?

Posted In:
Industry News Wheels ENVE


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250 Comments
  • 229 4
 Me: "Will you replace my rims with M730s?"
ENVE: "But don't you ride decade-old, urban camo Sun Doublewides?"
Me: "You said NO questions!"
  • 16 0
 Legendary doublewides
  • 4 1
 You can get your doublewides replaced... Just as soon as you get out of the hospital for a hit that huge... LOL
  • 4 3
 And then you wonder...no questions asked rim replacement? How much do they cost to produce that they can uphold this business model long term or even budget for it short term? It's almost like they're charging far too much in the first place and they spend pennies on the dollar to produce the rims initially. Weird.
  • 3 1
 @freekandy: the cost isn't in producing, it's in developing, testing and making tools for the production.
The carbon itself and labour is cheap
  • 1 0
 @skorp: good carbon isn't that cheap yet
  • 205 12
 No, I’d still buy AL wheels, and then spend the additional 2k on any of the following: A bike holiday, a big ass 4K tv, a hard tail, a set of RPF1s for my non existent GT86, a dog, a lot of beer, etc etc.
  • 13 1
 smart man Mojo
  • 88 4
 What if you already had all that stuff and still had the money . That's who these are for .
  • 2 0
 It all adds up in a lifetime.
  • 26 2
 TE37 > RPF1
  • 8 0
 Amen on the dog
  • 27 4
 @markg1150: Hookers
  • 21 5
 @Geochemistry: And blow.
  • 77 0
 Id buy a apple computer stand.
  • 5 4
 No time off the bike because of broken parts is priceless. Ive broken and warranties more carbon rims than I’d like to admit. Spent the better part of a summer on a $200 wheel while I warrantied a carbon rear rim 3 times.
  • 1 1
 @slaphaus they’re both overrated imo. work vskf????
  • 9 6
 Hookers and Blow
  • 5 1
 @lognar: right and let’s ask who covers shipping, rebuild labor, etc?
  • 3 0
 @markg1150: Does Enve make carbon-fiber dental implants?
  • 5 0
 @Dropthedebt: username checks out..
  • 1 1
 @bubbrubb: no questions, they said
  • 1 0
 I picked up my superstar carbon wheelset second hand like new for £150, now that's real world spending!
  • 5 0
 @theredbike: best response ever..
  • 1 0
 @slaphaus: for sheer Gucci factor maybe, I 3 RPF1
  • 126 5
 Amazing the power of a honest review. Maybe less sugar and more spice moving forward?
  • 164 8
 #Bringbackpaulaston
  • 7 1
 For real, lots of sugar coating. Maybe should called them "glazed reviews".

I'm not surprised about this review. It's not all products that get the glaze, but I think the manufacturers that really help drive clicks with big time products. So the more prominent companies where there is give and take (all bikes are 'given' not rented)...those get Glazed.
  • 1 0
 @rideonjon: Uh, he’s gone? How the hell did I miss that?
  • 7 1
 @ninjatarian: Yup he left shortly after the very fair review he gave on the Enve rims that broke while he was testing them.
  • 10 1
 left? Or fired?
  • 10 4
 @lognar: No idea,but i'd lean towards the later.
  • 3 1
 Well said. These rims are still doodoo imo. Buy WEAO's
  • 17 0
 @rideonjon: Nice conspiracy but he has gone on record saying that his leaving PB was already in place before the review was written or published and other editors have stated int he comments that it was one of the best pieces of journalism they have had on here.

If they didn't want that kind of thing published they would not publish it, not publish it and then fire the guy who wrote it.
  • 3 1
 @rideonjon: Ja, where is Paul? Enve take him out?
  • 6 9
 @Patrick9-32: Sorry i'm not a social media whore,i don't follow on instagram or like on facebook.So i guess i missed that.
  • 8 1
 @rideonjon: It was posted on pinkbike.

Careful you don't dislocate your shoulder patting yourself on the back though.
  • 5 2
 @rideonjon: Instead, you'll just make baseless conjectures in the Pinkbike comment section!
  • 1 0
 @Patrick9-32: Thanks for the answer. Glad he wasn't fired!
  • 1 2
 @TheR: Yes ...yes i do.

Dickhead.
  • 1 1
 @Patrick9-32: Where is the article?
  • 1 2
 @Patrick9-32: So where is the article you called me out on Patrick?
  • 2 1
 @rideonjon: It was in the comments on an article where another product was reviewed favourably. Pinkbike's search is not up to finding it. Congratulations, you win this internet fight. Careful you don't dislocate your shoulder patting yourself on the back. Wink
  • 1 2
 @Patrick9-32: Bullshit,no article no deal.Pat your self on the back for being an a*shole.
  • 2 0
 @rideonjon: Are you really still bent out of shape over a couple internet comments from a month ago? go ride your f*ckin bike and chill out.
  • 92 1
 You can by 2 1/2 WeAreOne carbon rims for the price of envy.
I jammed a 2” stick into my rear wheel at high speeed, ripped out 3 spokes, destroying the spoke holes. I shipped my hub to WeAreOne, they built it and sent it back within a week and only charged for shipping rather than a wheel build. Fanboy for life right here
  • 29 2
 OH CANADA!!!!! Smile
  • 7 0
 Damn!! Yeah the untold side of a rim warranty is the cost to get the damn thing rebuilt. WeAreOne REALLY showed up there for you man. Geez. That a pretty awesome.
  • 4 0
 And the more I do the math, WeAreOne carbon wheel build price point is inline/close to a good alum build with the added bonus of the warranty.

Custom build rear PRO 4 wheel is ~$500ish
Custom build front PRO 4 wheel is ~$350ish

Couple bucks short of the Agent wheel set but you get the idea. You almost can justify....
  • 18 0
 From what I've seen, We Are One and Santa Cruz are the two companies I would deal with for Carbon wheels. Both make a good product, and both stand behind it. Santa Cruz is insane, I had a cracked Reserve rear rim on an I9 hub, and they sent me a prebuilt wheel at no charge within 48 hours. Yes, including a free brand new I9 rear hub already built up and ready to slap on the bike. Big ups to both companies.
  • 3 0
 That level of service actually sounds worth the carbon tax.
  • 2 0
 WR1 have the best carbon wheels, hands down. no question.
  • 1 0
 Im sold. Next wheelset
  • 8 1
 @leon-forfar: Which is crazy because We Are One is literally a couple of guys in a shop in Kamloops, BC... Down by the River!
  • 31 0
 @plyawn: So They Are Two?
  • 2 0
 Same for me with my reserve 30... new wheel back in the bike in under 30 hours.
  • 6 8
 The enve name is more prestigious. It's worth it to me.
  • 4 0
 @thesharkman: hahaha!
  • 1 0
 @MtbSince84: but, together They Are One... with us!
  • 1 0
 @thesharkman: prestige makes you hella fast on the downs.
  • 1 0
 @leon-forfar:
Did you had to return the “old” wheel?
  • 1 0
 @Neliogouveia: Not with mine, but others have been told to hag on to the old hub for the rep to pick up.
  • 57 5
 Their markup is already thousands of percent higher than the competition. This is a no brainer for them considering the reputation is in the shitter after the last PB review. The cost of one of their wheels likely covers an amount of rims that would never reasonably be used.
  • 13 40
flag JohanG (Jun 20, 2019 at 15:46) (Below Threshold)
 Their rep is not in the shitter. This site is not all consumers; please get over yourself!
  • 19 3
 @JohanG: probably wouldn't have to revise your warranty if your rep wasn't in the shitter.
  • 6 3
 I think @rezrov's math is in the shitter. Regardless of one's opinion of Enve's quality/value, if their markup was "thousands of percent higher than the competition" then their cost for a $999 msrp rim would be sub-$20 even if one assumes their competitor is selling at cost (0% markup).

I'm pretty sure that Enve isn't making their rims for $20 each.
  • 5 3
 @Inertiaman: Just a bit of hyperbole Wink , but at the same time I'd wager they're being manufactured at under $100 a pop. Light Bicycles sells them retail for $200, and they seemingly have better QC considering they don't have any reviews saying "my rim exploded IMMEDIATELY and had evidence of poor manufacturing right out of the box."
  • 3 17
flag JohanG (Jun 20, 2019 at 21:14) (Below Threshold)
 @theredbike: You are seeing a causative relationship where there is no evidence for one. Proximity of events is not causality - critical thinking 101. And no, Pinkbike is not the locus of the cycling community lolz.
  • 8 1
 @JohanG: not that I actually critically think about my PB comments but I'm still pretty confident that shitty reviews, shitty customer experience and shitty warranty is linked to a shitty reputation. If i did have to think about it really hard tho i would probably say your pretentious comments are pretty shitty too.
  • 52 7
 I would essentially chalk this up to the power of the PinkBike community? Enve got so much bad publicity over the last year for all the negatives on costings, damage, and sugar coating claims...and now they've landed on a "no questions asked" policy. Way to go PinkBike commenters - holding companies accountable for their short comings...pretty damn cool.
  • 6 6
 I don't know. Several of their competitors offer a similar crash replacement policy. I personally rather buy a product from a company that does a 50% discount on the replacement rather than one that gets you the no questions asked replacement for free. Because the cost of that policy that also caters for all the idiots who intentionally destroy their rims because they want the latest model, those costs are somehow financed by your purchase. It doesn't necessarily trigger Enve to increase the quality of their products. Because it doesn't matter whether the rim fails when it shouldn't or when it should, they still need to send "free" replacements. Whereas when they only send free replacements when there are manufacturing errors, there is actually an incentive to improve their processes.
  • 11 0
 @ccolagio Yeah soon Sick isn't even going to charge for one of their frames which is great if you don't mind riding an imaginary bike.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: i agree. Also they can play on the 'free' side when it comes to taking a long time to get your wheels back to you. ''It will be 6 months, becuase its free''. Pay a reduced amount to someone else and you have some bang to press them for a fast return.
  • 1 0
 @h82crash: A mate of mine has one. I've ridden it and it was good. Albeit he had to buy from the actual manufacturer and not from Sick, although the order was placed via them.
  • 39 1
 Damage control in multiple ways
  • 24 1
 They have to keep things rolling somehow.
  • 13 0
 They really need a break.
  • 12 1
 I'm envesioning a lower price
  • 13 0
 You guys cracked some jokes right there.
  • 22 0
 @hirvi: ***rimshot***
  • 6 4
 These are some very wheel written puns.
  • 11 0
 We spoke about this guys come on...
  • 6 0
 @reindeln: They share a common element.
  • 11 0
 @sngltrkmnd: carbon copies of each other, one might say.
  • 2 1
 @kyytaM: This comment wins, hands down. The rest of our comments don’t have the fiber to match it, even if we bound them together.
  • 34 4
 No disrespect to Enve but at no time have i or would i consider their wheels, even on a dream build, i would just chuck some nice alloy rims on, of which there are plenty of choices.
  • 14 2
 You Sir speak nothing but common sense ,
  • 23 7
 I'd feel embarrassed if I woke up after a drunken night and found a set of ENVE's on my bike!
  • 10 1
 I feel like I'd have to be REALLY AWESOME on the bike to ride around on wheels that cost more than many peoples whole bike. Not sure I'd want that pressure lol.
  • 5 10
flag deadmeat25 (Jun 20, 2019 at 16:15) (Below Threshold)
 @GlassGuy: I'd feel embarrassed if I woke up after a drunken night and found i'd written that...
  • 8 0
 @Svinyard: A few of my riding buddies have $10k full carbon wonderbikes with custom tuned suspension and are always upgrading this and that, none of them can even bunny hop and wouldn't dare hit a gap jump.... unfortunately not everyone shares your sensible realness like I do, if one day my $2500k bike holds me back, I might look at upgrading.
  • 3 0
 @ctd07: i have nothing against those kinds of people, if they have the cash than why not?
but yeah, there is no reason to have enves on your bike other than to be a symbol of status.
i would have a nice set of alloy wheels any day, at least you know when they are bad, and i have (on races) ridden down on the rim without a problem(and the rim lived for like a year until i replaced before the next season) on a carbon wheel i would be afraid of it breaking and ending up stranded
  • 2 1
 But they have cool stickers!
  • 2 0
 I got a used set of XCs for my single speed bike for the price of the 240 hubs they're built with, otherwise I'd never own a set.

I popped a nipple during a race and the wheel was completely rideable but felt super wierd. When I was done and found it I was sort of impressed.

I wasn't impressed that to had to find a wierd nipple, dismount my tire and re-do my tubeless setup. Such a pain in the butt.

My i9 wheels feel super similar at 1/3 the value. Next time I get wheels I'll be looking at i9/Reynolds again
  • 2 0
 @GlassGuy: I would buy my bike roses and promise to go to couples counseling with it after a night like that.
  • 32 3
 Is this what is refered to as the Paul Aston effect?
  • 3 2
 Brilliant!!!!!!!
  • 3 1
 Paul Aston quit work for PB shortly after this, so maybe there is an Enve effect also (he said in an interview that those things were not connected, but I still do not believe it).
  • 31 4
 will they replace them with misaligned spoke holes and carbon fiber sticking out?
  • 43 2
 Wow, give a mouse a cookie and he's going to want FINISHED carbon wheels.
  • 5 1
 No, you'll have to properly break them first. I think this actually lowers the number of claims. Not everyone destroying their rims survives, let alone manages to file the claim. As for the misaligned spokes, as long as it is within their tolerances it is no reason for a warranty claim.

I quit caring about warranty a long time ago. I broke a RaceFace component JRA and wanted to return it for warranty. But they refused as it wasn't a production error (which warranty is for). It was a design flaw, but it was produced according to the design.
  • 4 1
 @vinay: Can you elaborate on the design flaw? Curious.
  • 7 4
 @sherbet: I like my top tube low so that I can slide my saddle really low when out on the trails. My previous bike was a DMR Switchback with a 16" seattube. With a 400mm seatpost installed (100mm min insertion) I could raise the saddle just up to XC height. Which I set it to at the time when riding over the road to the trails. Obviously I didn't sit still (I'm on platforms too) so there was a bit of bounce. The seatpost was from RaceFace. Not sure what model but it was for XC. Which I thought should be fine for on the road. When hitting the dirt, I slid it down into the frame. At some point it didn't go down anymore and I saw that it was bent. The DMR takes a 26.8mm seatpost (which is quite thin) and apparently the bending loads at full length were too large. I was probably between 70 and 75kg at the time, fully geared up (with Camelbak too). I explained it to them, their response was that it is an XC post and not for jumping. I explained again that it clearly bent when fully extended when just riding on the road and that I slide it down when jumping and this clearly didn't cause the bent (as it was down in the seattube). They repeated again that I shouldn't come for warranty because I have been jumping with that post installed. That's when I gave up. I've had NC17, Azonic etc posts after that and all of them bent. I think they just don't do the full simulations and tests for the small 26.8mm diameter posts. I never asked NC17 and Azonic for warranty though. I just replaced the post, eventually for something from Thomson. But I never raised that seatpost. I decided that seated pedaling on a high saddle just isn't for me Wink . My current frame (BTR Ranger, see pictures) takes a much larger diameter seatpost and even though I could technically raise that saddle up to XC height and it will probably survive, I never bothered. I usually actually leave it lower than in the picture. I just had it that high because I clamped it at the seatpost during the build so I needed some length to hold onto.
  • 18 22
flag deadmeat25 (Jun 20, 2019 at 16:14) (Below Threshold)
 @vinay: Jesus that was boring...
  • 19 1
 @deadmeat25: Dude, I literally asked.
  • 2 6
flag Dropthedebt (Jun 20, 2019 at 18:48) (Below Threshold)
 @vinay:
Cool story Beer
  • 4 0
 Yeah, it kind of felt stupid at the time but it made me realize what "lifetime warranty (on production errors)" really is and how much I should care for such a selling point. If there is a clear production error, it needs to be sorted no matter when it reveals. If it is regular wear and tear, well that's on me. If I think it wears too quickly, I'll get a competitors product next time. I much rather do that than deal with a defensive warranty department.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Completely agree with you. Most of the time you're paying upfront for your "lifetime warranty" replacement anyways.
  • 2 0
 @slovenian6474: Even worse. When Race Face released their "no question asked wheel replacement policy" showing in an ad (!) how someone rode over a wheel and got a replacement, it was just another confirmation for me to never ever buy a wheel from them. Because when you do, you actually pay for the people who are this stupid and still feel entitled to claim a free replacement wheel. See, stupid stuff happens to everyone. Even to people who aren't all that stupid. That's fine. But it is essential to acknowledge that it was your own fault and you need to cough up for a replacement. I'm not going to fund those who lack that basic bit of common sense.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: The only way to break even is to expect to USE that warranty. Whether legitimately or "being stupid". Otherwise buy a less expensive product and replace it as needed, if it ever does need replacing.
  • 1 0
 @slovenian6474: Well yeah, or my approach: don't buy from a company that has that kind of warranty. There are enough good companies out there. Planet X used to be a hardcore dirtjump/trials brand. They now use the Planet X brand name for road and CX bikes and the mountainbikes are OnOne now. Either way they were so confident in their hardcore frames that they also had a "if you manage to break it, we'll get you a free replacement" until they realized people were intentionally destroying frames. Backing their car over it when they wanted a new frame. That's when they stopped doing offering the warranty and do a 50% crash replacement, which seems to be the right way to do it. But the whole advertisement RaceFace did with their wheels. That you can indeed be stupid enough to destroy it with your car and they'll still replace it. That's enough reason to not buy their product. Same goes for Enve now.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: that’s how @raceface rolls, stay away from their carbon cranks. Snapped a pre-cinch Sixc crank at the pedal (I’m 145 lbs) in a bike park which resulted in crash and injury. they said it wasn’t warranty, crash replacement... which all said and done was almost $500 as shipping, labor, crank, bb, bbtool, chainring were needed as they had just moved to the new design.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: Count your lucky stars man. Some of the worst wheels I've had the displeasure of riding. Absolute garbage backed up by garbage service. Few companies have fallen as far as the pathetic joke known as Race Face. They should team up with Sick.
  • 1 0
 @myfriendgoose: it’s because they’re part of Fox, and they bow to the shareholder and stock price not the consumer.
  • 2 0
 @bubbrubb: Regardless, garbage products from garbage people. f*ck raceface.
  • 27 6
 To answer the question, "no". There is nothing that would make me consider riding that brand.
  • 20 3
 Not even a super sick logo?
  • 18 1
 Really, we need to be thanking companies like Santa Cruz and WeAreOne, for offering competitive options that forced Enve to do this.

WeAreOne offers 100% coverage with no replacement fee for anything that happens on your bike, and 50% off a "crash" replacement if you happen to run over your rim with your car or the like.

Santa Cruz is essentially the same, though they don't specify a %off for non-riding accidents.

In any case, I have no idea why you'd choose to pay a 220% (compared to WAO) or 167% (compared to SC) premium for Enve stickers, but it's a great thing for riders that companies like WAO and SC have pushed the market in this direction.
  • 2 0
 Bontrager recently stepped up with a two year, no-cost warranty, and Crank Brothers' Synthesis wheel system offers a lifetime warranty like SC and WA1.
  • 26 20
 Say what you want about ENVE products chances are you haven't rode their wheels or cockpits..... I've had three different carbon manufacturers wheelset and ENVE M730 and M70 HV are hands down the best wheelsets I've rode!!! The feel and liveliness blow the competition away!! I also have a M7 cockpit the the feel is unreal!! Sure I did crack the rear M730 but it wasn't catastrophic and was able to finish the ride 10miles back to my truck with no air loss.... ENVE replaced that M730 within the following week! Also I am not a Dentist just your avg Joe who like quality USA made components
  • 62 2
 I bet they wish you did the PB review.
  • 21 4
 I have Light Bicycle enduro carbon hoops and have smashed them through everything on my enduro bike, no issues. ENVE M90's didn't even last 3 months on my trail bike. I'll let you do the math there.....
  • 14 6
 Save your money and get we are one next time 100% made in Canada better quality better product, best warranty and cheaper.
  • 7 2
 I have done wheel tests for them. A friend is a engineer there. And they are very best wheels I have rode also. I’ve seen there “competitions” wheels run on the same test course. And a lot fail first run!!
  • 12 2
 Try using more exclamation marks next time
  • 3 0
 @h20-50: what you said but, an alloy rim I grabbed on sale for £12
  • 8 0
 For me, the M70HV's have indeed been worth it. They are drastically stiffer than an alloy wheel, which improved cornering and snappiness. I had lost that moving up to a 29" wheel, so I was happy to get it back. I have been smashing and bashing them for almost 4 years now. I have hit rocks hard enough to pinch the rim through the sidewall and tread on three different occasions with no rim damage. With DH casing DHF's I cracked a rear rim on Freight Train, but I kept riding almost two full days at WBP before it broke up enough to lose air. Was replaced with just a photo of the crack and serial number.
  • 1 1
 @ybsurf: but tariffs
  • 3 1
 I feel like people will justify spending all that money on a questionable product by looking for all the supposed great qualities(that may or may not actually exist). ENVE stuff may not be any better at all, but the power of suggestion and being influenced by a big price point can certainly affect one's judgment. The mind is a powerful thing!
  • 5 2
 "I had a good experience and therefore cannot understand why literally hundreds of people who did have issues are complaining!"

You can get a product that's of similar or higher quality, for a lower price, from a company that has already proven they're more accepting of warranty than Enve. You having a good experience amounts to literally nothing in this case aside from a humble brag.
  • 3 2
 I don't get it. How many people actually ride Enve rims and other brand rims (preferably more different rims) at a comparable price point for it to make sense that they are the best rims they've ever ridden. Sure if you've ridden Enve rims and some rims a tenth of the price I sure expect Enve should have some qualities (that you liked) which you didn't find in the cheap rims. But different rims at a similar point, are Enve rims really the best?
  • 2 0
 @src248: !!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: €12?? Ah ffs haha
  • 2 1
 @savage47: so not only do engineers announce their profession without context - now we have their friends spreading the gospel of the P.Eng. Love it!
  • 3 1
 Have you tried the new apple computer stand.
  • 3 1
 @theredbike: Big Grin
  • 20 14
 haha the majority of comments on here are from people who have zero experience with ENVE and want to hate because thats what pinkbike told them to do. Stoked on my ENVE wheels. Been on ENVE wheels for the last 6 years and had a few replaced wheels no questions asked and been upgraded to the new M730 series wheels at zero cost. Beat the crap outta my wheels riding everything from freeride jumps to DH...never have to true these wheels, cant even imagine how many dented and destroyed aluminum wheels I would've had over the last 6 years. Or some crappy customer service I would have to deal with from a different carbon wheel company. ENVE's customer service has always been 5 star top notch. Good on them for stepping it up and offering a lifetime no questions asked policy. Yes they needed to do that from a competitive standpoint! I'm not an ENVY fanboy but believe in good customer service. Whatever wheel you ride a lifetime no questions asked policy and good customer service is a no brainer! If my wheel breaks, whatever...send me a new one!
  • 14 2
 A lot of us are simply put off by the price, versus the same performance from other, cheaper, manufacturers. I had a new hoop overnighted to me by WAO after an unfortunate incident, and a buddy of mine experienced a similar turn-around from Santa Cruz.

In the end, it’s Corvette vs Ferrari. The ZR-1 will match any “supercar” out there, for 1/3 of the price. I’d buy the Vette, but some folks put a lot of value in that name of the ladder.
  • 13 0
 Well I have several LightBicycle rimed wheels. Cant speak to the customer service because I haven't broken them. At the price of Enve- you should expect great CS, it's not really something to brag about.
  • 4 2
 @ski-or-die: price or not, I'll never be put off by a Ferrari Smile
  • 7 1
 @whatyousaid: Ferrari's also have amazing styling. ENVE wheels are just expensive.
  • 1 0
 Unless its their fault.....
  • 6 5
 @jayacheess: Ferrari's are like ENVE in that they are incredibly overpriced and incredibly unreliable.
  • 8 1
 Same old tired PB comments about carbon rims.

We'd love to think it was PB that forced the issue. I think it's more like "boutique" brands like Santa Cruz offering lifetime, no questions asked deals on fancy carbon rims.
  • 9 3
 So if it takes them 3+ tries to send you a finished one it won't cost you any extra? Well it's an improvement I suppose. But I can't help but feel they are fixing the wrong problem.
  • 3 0
 Usually the replacement component isn't covered under warranty, is it? At least it doesn't work like that with Kali helmets as otherwise it would be quite a cheap helmet subsciption. Most sensible offer would be that if you break their rim, they'll replace it with a competitors rim of choice. See, they say they are confident about the quality of their rims. This warranty would be the ultimate proof.
  • 11 2
 for $2k+, this is still an expensive rimjob.
  • 12 3
 Will they replace Paul Aston's?
  • 7 2
 I buy the product and the warranty should be part of my purchase, if I want to pass that along, let me... who keeps a 10 year old bicycle wheel receipt? They count on that and bounce... Yeti is another good example when my frame cracked... oh, it will be $2800 for a front triangle.... whaaaaat?

I purchase a $10k bike or $2k rims, that should be an item I can push with my sell of the item... isn't that how the auto industry works? I buy a new car with 5 year 50,000 mile warranty, I can sell it in 2 years, with the warranty still left on it.

Cover the product or stop with the gimmicks already...
  • 6 1
 I had my Enve wheel fail violently on me in a g out. Sounded like someone shot me with a shotgun.... I guess unfortunately I was one of the “very rarely” told this was going to cost you like $900. Went elsewhere and never looked back. So many better options out there... Still kinda bitter.
  • 6 0
 Every "lifetime warranty" I have tried to redeem was met with fierce debate about why the lifetime warranty didn't apply in my particular situation.
  • 16 11
 Man, ENVE really can't win with y'all at this point. Any company that provides a lifetime warranty like this should be commended. Kudos to all of them.
  • 32 7
 I stopped reading when I got to “y’all”.
  • 4 1
 They will replace it if its your fault forever but only for 5 years if it is theirs? Seems like a pile o crock. Ive had to warranty a set and they charged an upgrade fee as the rims that were defective were discontinued and all they had were the new ones. TBS. Not the American made I want. And not the service i paid for.
  • 3 0
 So, even some of the pro-voices write about them destroying several rims yet they remain faithful to the brand. I wonder, did you guys break your rims due to reckless riding, charging hard but within intended use or JRA?

I’m skeptic but not because the rims are failing, I expect many cases were due to reckless riding/charging hard in trail conditions not within intended use and/or bad line choices. What alienated me was the written response to Paul’s review and the problems they seem to have with quality control and workmanship.
  • 4 1
 My personal experience with ENVE’s customer service directly contradicts their claim that they’ve been NQA replacing rims for years. Same with my friends who’ve tried to get replacements after cracking rims. It’s one thing not to acknowledge why you’re instituting this new policy but another to throw totally unnecessary lies into the explanation.
  • 10 5
 so it basically took a bunch of other companies doing what they should have been doing anyways. k.
  • 4 1
 The sticking point is still the resale value. I'll never get what they're worth in 3 years to upgrade to the next standard or newest model. Is it really worth renting a set of rims for $500 a season?
  • 2 0
 same goes for most new bike builds over 5k. good luck getting anywhere near 10k in three years for a dentist build bike, you will be lucky to get half that.
  • 5 3
 Whether or not they are replaced no questions asked, for a wheel costing over 2k they should not crack in the first place. This keeps you off your bike while you're waiting for the warrantied replacement and rebuild, plus the cost to rebuild if you can't do it yourself. There are many other carbon options out there for a lot less money that won't break on you. Take for example Santa Cruz Reserve rims.
  • 8 7
 pbff every serious rider has a spare rear wheel to keep rolling. sorry for all you newbs who havent figured that out yet. If your riding hard you will break a wheel at some point.
  • 4 0
 I've seen broken Reserve rims, despite their claims everything breaks when subjected to enough force in the right way.
  • 8 2
 @whatyousaid: What a condescending arrogant little pleb.

Oh mighty mtb overlord, please bestow more of your infinite wisdom upon us so I may also be a god like you.
  • 6 1
 @Gratis: I fart in your general direction.
  • 19 17
 Love my Enve wheels!! They take everything I throw at them and I haven’t even had a pinch flat in over a year riding Garda, Dolomites, Rocky Mountains, North Shore, Kamloops, Peru, Whistler, Sun Peaks and many B.C. bike parks! Fan for life!!
  • 31 13
 Can you list your sponsors for us?
  • 10 10
 @sherbet: Yeah, doesn't mean much when they are supporting you..
  • 11 10
 @gnarnaimo: @sherbet you are missing the point. Do you see how often he rides/what he rides? I ride with Tippie for over a decade and he wouldn't ride something that he thinks is going to crumble beneath him, his neck is at risk, no amount of free rims or whatever sponsorship pays (there's literally hundreds of dollars to be made in the MTB industry, hardly way anyone gets into it).
  • 12 6
 @sherbet: pretty sure Tippie can get whatever wheel sponsor he wants, so Tippie, I'm listening.
  • 8 5
 Pretty sure when Kendall said he liked the Message people were instantly on him, why is Tippie an exception? He's a pro level athlete with affiliations.

I get he's a great rider, I'd never even venture to say otherwise. I will say that I don't know if he's sponsored by Enve and am curious to hear if he is. Can you guys stop being defensive?
  • 3 0
 So one set of wheels did all that riding? Or is that multiple sets?
  • 14 4
 @onemind123: Yep! one set on my bikes per year. And I pack a lot into a year!
  • 2 0
 @bretttippie: Thanks for testing these for us mere mortals!
  • 1 0
 @mulchee: Tippie's neck is the least thing at risk on his entire body. Looks like an old growth fir tree.
  • 7 5
 RIMS ARE DISPOSABLE ITEMS.

That is it.

Unless you are rocking DH casing with Cush Core 100% of the time, you are going to mess up a rim...and even then it still happens.

Alloy rims are not that much heavier, can be bent back a few times before being trash, can save a weekend away, and cost $75. I've had carbon rims. They ruined a weekend at Snowshoe when I got a flat bombing down a rock garden and I splintered them before I could slow down. Alloy woulda bent back and saved the weekend.

Carbon rims are dumb any anything other than an XC bike. Fight me
  • 3 1
 I can attest to the fact that Enve takes good care of people on their products. They replaced a m730 rim I butchered on some rocks after my sidewalk was cut. Just paid them a very reasonable price for the build. They even offered me a VERY good price on upgrading a set of older m60hvs that I have on a different bike to the newest generation.
  • 4 2
 Thanks ENVE for polluting the planet with your sh*tty unreliable carbon rims that cost a pair of eyes. You`re stricly doing what the bicycle industry shouldn`t do in term of ecology and image.
All my bikes have Spank aluminium rims laced for years and... nothing happened. Weird, isn`t it?
  • 1 0
 Before everyone gave into the marketing hype: "Take all my money"

After a couple of cracks: "Its okay its happens"

After we all knew we were just buying terrible CC products: (ENVE) Here will give you all our money to keep the consumer
  • 4 0
 So this includes old wheels? Aka I bought wheels a while back. Are they covered? Or is this just moving forward?
  • 1 0
 Same question. Mine are almost 4 years old, so still under warranty.
  • 1 0
 This is a good question. The link in the article to their website lists both the Lifetime Incident Protection and a 5-Year Limited Warranty. It seems there would be no need for the latter any more, unless it still applied to products purchased before a certain date.

It would not be unusual at all for the lifetime program to only cover purchases going forward (Santa Cruz had a similar policy when they implemented theirs), but it's not clear what Envy is doing here.
  • 5 4
 The M730s are AMAZING. They have saved me a lot of pinch-flat while riming out! The factory "insert" allows lower tire pressure and no need for overkill after-market tire inserts. I've had 0 issues with bars and stem either. Thanks Enve for the great products and standing behind them. I bet all the people doing the shit talking behind their keyboards on here have not ridden the newer generation products.
  • 1 0
 Although this makes me much more inclined to get their wheels compared to the chances of me buying them before, I definitely still won’t be buying them unless I win the lottery. I’d love the extra strength with my troubled history with Alu rims, but when you’re wheels cost as much as some low end full susses, it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.
  • 2 1
 I just had to replace my alloy rim after giving it a good ol smacking on a rock. Cost me $60 for a new E13 trs rim. Although most alloy rim company's don't have this 'no-questions' offer, I could break a good 15 or 16 rims for the price of 1 ENVE rim (that they'll probably only replace just once). Sure alloy isn't as strong and has its performance drawbacks (pretty unnoticeable for the average rider), but given carbon wheels track record so far, I'd take that gamble any day
  • 1 0
 Good to see they're finally realising how premium they are as a brand.

It's an interesting subject area, warranty. Across the industry there are cases of exceptional service, but more often than not... it's an absolute disaster. A big part of this comes from the change in the industry.

Consumers didn't use to have any contact with brands apart from via a store. Now, with social media/good websites and direct to consumer selling - they expect the brand to respond.
  • 1 0
 I've ran Enve's in the past and even have their stem currently (very nice btw), however for my new wheel build buying a an Asian direct order brand (Carbon Fan) that gave me exactly what I wanted (width, layup, finish, all can be specified), for $160 each , just made more sense. It still has warranty (not lifetime) and is a known good product. Besides I run tire noodles these days which has really lowered my failures.
Heck the money I saved it enough to just keep my old wheels, as back ups.
  • 1 0
 Boyd Cycling Ridgeline wheelset. Low cost carbons with no problems. Been pushing a set to the limits for two years now with no problems. The big plus is that the owners are great people and take great care of thier customers.
  • 1 0
 I've had amazing experiences with my enve wheel sets. I used to ride brands like spank but, after breaking sets of those and no replacement warranty I moved to a brand that covers broken parts. Check out my posts in the spank forums.
So, im a guy who breaks wheels under the intended use while pushing my own limits. Sure, up front cost may be high but, the quality of customer service and the zero hassle of replacement pays for not having to buy aluminum rims that fail as well. Yeah, I've broken m90's but, I've also never had to pay a dime to get them replaced. Ask brands like spank(great wheels) Easton and dt Swiss to do that. Sure, there are cheaper options out there but what else are you buying with those brands. My warranties have already paid off the cost of the wheels.
  • 1 0
 As a wheel builder, I was excited to build my first Enve wheelset for my dad. Used Enve's ERD rim numbers off their site, putting in consideration the internal nipple lengths, only to have spokes that where far too short to build with. After contacting Enve and 3 rounds of bladed spoke orders later due to wrong lengths, the wheels finally where done and no thanks to Enve site numbers. Not impressed by the price or the incorrect simple tech specs for these rims. Sad, since I really perceived Enve to be a notch better than most. Sticking with alloy for now.
  • 1 0
 I blew up a first generation Enve hoop they offered me a matching M7 front for $400 and even built it for me making both ends of my bike match. You get what ya pay for. 1 more thing, the new plastic rim strip doo hickeys that prevent pinch flats work too.
  • 2 0
 There is a really really easy simple solution to this. Dont waste your money on this over priced substandard product. Stick to aluminium and save youeself an absulute fortune and ride with a 100% confidence.
  • 1 0
 Lifetime = until the bicycle industry decides they want to start making rims that are 28.22568 in diameter because they're "the perfect compromise between a smaller 27.5 wheels and the larger 29er wheels...best of both worlds!" because no, that's never happened before.
  • 7 3
 Enve m730 with onyx hubs are the best wheels I’ve ever owned.
  • 4 2
 They need to get rid of warehouse stocked goods before magically introducing ground braking wide and shallow rims generation?
  • 3 3
 The review did some damage the last year, I know the Aston well from years ago racing dh, he is a great bloke and knows what he is on about, BUT he doesn’t ride a bike like the average riders. Give a set of enve wheels to josh bender and expect them to break, give a set to same hill expect them to last a few races, give them to the average racer you is spending there own money and they will last for years,
  • 3 1
 But Aston received already faulty wheels from Enve what suggests issues with quality control, that was the point of his review.
  • 2 2
 I've seen tons of wheels break. I've seen lots of carbon rims break. Far above the rest though I have seen Enve rims fail ( Santa Cruz is becoming a close 2nd).
Enve has always been way more expensive and since I've seen more failures from them I've never felt motivated to pony up the dough.
  • 1 1
 That's just a straight up lie that you seen a lot of SC wheel failures
  • 1 2
 @freeridejerk888: O.k. Fanboi. Believe what you want. I've personally actually seen at 4 busted SC rims that a close riding buddy grenaded. He's 170lbs sopping wet.
Within my riding group at least two more dudes had similar issues. I just didn't actually see it.
  • 4 1
 I'm your average hack rider here in BC. I've had Enves for 3 years and never had a problem.
  • 3 1
 Or you just buy We Are One Composites wheels for half the price and have pretty much the same lifetime warrenty. Doesn't seem like they are worth all that extra cash....
  • 2 0
 Last night my wife came back from riding with some of the blokes from her work. Her rim was smashed tf. It wasn't Enve, I was just disappointed. Eek
  • 1 0
 When you have enough money in the bank, after years of selling selling high priced parts. You don't care if a few of them fail! Would anyone like to buy my $250.00 carbon stem for $50.00?
  • 2 2
 Broke 60/40s and they gave me 70/30s. Broke both of those and they got me 90s. Broke one of those and sold everything for aluminum. Great warranty, but just not for me anymore.
  • 3 1
 transferable warranty's great selling point for the new every year or two buyers when comes time to sell
  • 3 1
 Good things I don't give a fuck about having carbon rims and never have to worry. Alloy fer life.
  • 4 1
 I guess they got tired of people buying santa cruz rims
  • 3 1
 E13 and WAO offer this already and their carbon rims are a fraction of the price. Why would you buy Enve exactly?
  • 2 0
 Plenty of little guys have been doing this for a while - Sixth Element, NOBL followed them, WAO... ++++
  • 3 1
 So, their warranty is finally catching up to the competition... too bad they're still twice the price of the competition.
  • 3 0
 Color me impressed, Mr Pantone.
  • 3 2
 Nothing expresses a lack of confidence in your product quite like this... Goes to show that the 'Made in America' has as much value quality wise as 'Made in China'.
  • 3 1
 Awesome news! My M50s now carry a lifetime warranty. Hands down the best wheelset I've ever owned. You get what you pay for.
  • 6 8
 I'll go on a small rant here. I had purchased a sweet used Turner Sultan 29er a few years back...it was only a couple months old when I purchased it and everything was in perfect condition. It had some Enve XC hoops laced to King Hubs (one of the selling points) ...the whole thing was sick!! After the original 2.1's wore out I had replaced them w/ some 2.3's. After a couple of months I noticed that my front hoop looked deformed on the sidewall...almost like you took a heat gun to it. I called Enve and talked to their warranty person. I emailed them some photos. He asked me if the tire leaked any air...(tubeless) and it didn't. He had me take off tire to get the serial # and that's when I found I had split the rim down the center in a couple of spots.. a few inches long. I sent him the photos of that as well as the Serial #... He told me to stop riding it and to send it back with the receipt and they would warranty it. I told him that I bought the bike used and didn't have an original receipt. He said sorry, your on your own....New Hoop..Full price!!! Instead, I bought a set of Chinese Carbon Hoops F/R at a fraction of the price of my front hoop, and had re-laced them to my hubs.... That's what I got for buying a quality American product.....Thanks again Enve...NEVER AGAIN!!!
  • 2 2
 That is pretty rad of enve, but what I don’t understand is ... if a company truly stands behind the quality of their products, why is the warranty not transferable?
  • 2 0
 When you are sinking as a brand you pull out all the stops.
  • 4 4
 Choosing the brand name envy was a seriously neat marketing trick that sadly fissured the moment it was tested by reality. Road it is for them.
  • 2 2
 and is lifetime - the expected lifetime of a wheel-set? if so , how long is that?
5 years? 10 years? - it is most certainly not the lifetime of the owner
  • 2 1
 Unless the rim failure kills the owner.
  • 1 1
 f*cked my wheel the other day. All my fault. Bought a new mavic rim for $60. At that price you can't argue, alloy is the way to go.
  • 2 1
 Not in a million years. There are other carbon wheels in the market that are way cheaper and better. Thanks, but no thanks.
  • 1 0
 So what about the warranty for replacement rims/wheels? How many times can you bust one and get it replaced?
  • 2 0
 I don't care what people say about their rims their bars are incredible.
  • 1 0
 For the cost of them they may as well
  • 1 1
 Who can I whinge to, to replace the dozen broken tyre levers it takes to mount Maxxis tyres on ENVE M90 rims?
  • 1 0
 let the free market reign.
  • 2 1
 Now just got to earn 3,000 dollars....
  • 3 2
 buy SC for half the price
  • 3 2
 Enve is basically guarranteed to fail.... buy dtswiss
  • 1 0
 That sounds like a wheelie good warranty.
  • 1 2
 To answer the question, “no”. I use carbon rims, but as many others have stated ENVE pricing is still uncompetitive and their durability suspect.
  • 1 1
 It’s about time they offer this. They don’t live up to all the hype and aren’t worth the high costs
  • 1 0
 Yup..Plain and simple...DAMAGE CONTROL Smile
  • 5 5
 Damn if Envy. Now I KNOW we're overpaying.
  • 2 2
 Yep, too late! Even if free, I would not even touch a set!
  • 1 1
 I like making up stories, no sale for me.
  • 3 2
 People still buy Enves?
  • 1 0
 Enve = wheel membership.
  • 1 0
 Boats and hoes.
  • 1 2
 LMAO. I'd still never buy that junk. There even lower quaintly carbon than renthal and raceface
  • 1 2
 Can't wait to hear the caveat's to the warranty. They'll send you the rims, you build it yourself.
  • 1 1
 Carbon wheels are for sponsored riders or stupid people.
  • 7 8
 Let them have the carbon road game. Go away
  • 1 1
 April Fools in June!!!
  • 2 4
 Anyone who pays more than $500-$600 for any wheelset is utterly insane and they should contemplate that.
  • 1 0
 Well industry nine is double that and totally worth it
  • 2 0
 anyone who can't feel the difference between a $500 wheelset and a $3000 wheelset is a noob who has no business questioning the sanity of better riders with better paying jobs.
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