With direct input from Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates—XRG over two seasons, ENVE is pleased to introduce its SES 4.5 PRO—a wheel that has already amassed 25+ victories this season.
“Progress at the highest level is incremental and iterative, and we redefined the benchmark SES 4.5 to deliver more speed and less weight. Winning everything from the Tour de France to World Championships and Ronde van Vlaanderen, Pogačar elevated the SES 4.5 to be the most dominant wheel in the pro peloton, conquering cobbled classics, steep mountain summits, and the most grueling terrain with unparalleled speed. He prioritized aerodynamic supremacy over sheer weight savings, trusting the SES 4.5’s class-leading efficiency to deliver results. However, he and UAE Team Emirates envisioned something even more ambitious—a wheel that preserves the SES 4.5’s aero advantages while achieving the featherweight precision of elite climbing wheels,” says ENVE.
The SES 4.5 PRO was created after over a year of meticulous hub development, carbon laminate refinement, and manufacturing breakthroughs.
SES 4.5 PRO HIGHLIGHTS
• New rim laminate using higher modulus, lower areal weight carbon fiber • 23.5 mm inner-rim width meets ETRTO recommendation for 28 mm tires • Rim Depth Front/Rear: 49/55 • Innerdrive PRO Hub • ENVE PRO Ceramic Bearings • Lightweight rim graphics • Wheelset weight: 1295 grams (including valves and tape) • Wheelset price: $3750
ENVE PRO LINE
“As its name implies, PRO is a product developed in direct collaboration with the world’s top racers and represents the pinnacle of innovation—engineered and built for race-winning performance. The SES 4.5 PRO is the second product in ENVE’s road line to receive the designation after the SES Aero PRO One-Piece Handlebar,” adds ENVE.
SES 4.5 PRO CONSTRUCTION
The new rim design saves roughly 50 grams per rim over the SES 4.5. This is where the weight savings come from:
1. Reduced rim depth
2. Narrower overall rim width
3. By removing material from under the Wide Hookless Bead, pinch-flat and impact performance are preserved
4. A small hook is created by eliminating material from below the Wide Hookless Bead (critical tubeless dimensions are preserved with new channel manufacturing technique)
5. Low rolling resistance is preserved by achieving inner-rim width of 24.5 mm at widest point of channel
6. New materials allow for thinner sidewalls and channel
AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
The foundation of the Smart ENVE System (SES) philosophy is the concept of Real-World Fast. A performance philosophy that goes back to 2009 when ENVE partnered with leading aerodynamicist, Simon Smart. That means chasing maximum speed, but not at the cost of important performance attributes, such as weight, durability, and stability. The SES 4.5 PRO meets these requirements by preserving the SES 4.5’s patented shape and therefore its best-in-class aerodynamics and handling characteristics.
“Simply put, after nearly 10 years, the SES 4.5 shape continues to punch above its depth. That’s how ENVE came to be the wheel partner of UAE Team Emirates. Unbeknownst to ENVE, UAE had purchased the leading wheels on the market and independently tested them in the wind tunnel and on the road. The rest is history,” boasts ENVE.
INNERDRIVE GOES PRO
At the core of the SES 4.5 PRO wheel is the Innerdrive PRO Hubset, which brings ENVE’s proven driver technology to an ultralight straight-pull hub shell. After benchmarking the lightest hubson the market for weight, stiffness, and durability, ENVE refined Innerdrive for lightweight performance while maintaining the system’s reliability. At just 281 grams for the hubset (rear194 grams, front 87 grams), the Innerdrive PRO goes head-to-head with the lightest hubs outthere without sacrificing the stiffness required by the world’s best.
Utilizing the same Innerdrive technology featured in the Premium Straight-Pull hubs that have been raced in the World Tour for their second season, the Innerdrive PRO Hubset receives the very hop-up kit developed for ENVE’s professional teams. This includes a light-action ratchet spring for drag reduction and a 40-tooth count ratchet. Like the Premium Innerdrive Hub, the Innerdrive PRO Hub uses the same spoke alignment feature to reduce spoke twisting.
PRO CERAMIC BEARINGS
Bearing drag is influenced by numerous factors, including the bearing seals, ball bearings, races, and carrier. Other factors such as manufacturing consistency, tolerance, grease content and viscosity play roles as well. To control each of these variables, ENVE worked with a leading bearing vendor to create what we believe to be the best ceramic wheel bearing available.
ENVE’s new PRO Ceramic Bearings feature hardened stainless-steel races that won’t rust, grade 5 ceramic balls, non-contact seals on the interior-facing bearing for drag reduction, and low-contact seals on the outboard bearing faces to keep out debris.
“The ENVE Pro Ceramic Bearing solution is one that feels fast in-hand and promises reliability in the long run,” assures ENVE.
SES 4.5 PRO vs. SES 4.5 vs. SES 6.7
As with all of ENVE’s wheelsets, the SES 4.5 PRO is made in-house at its Ogden, Utah headquarters.
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