Enve 3.4/Easton EC90 SL/Reynolds 46?

hamanto

Hi guys, my first post here
I have been road cycling for roughly a year now, looking to do some racing in the coming season
currently riding a Canyon Ultimate CF frame with Fulcrum Racing 7s, good solid training wheels but I want to get a new pair of Carbon Aero tubular wheels for the races, also as a little treat for myself

I'm looking at the following 3 sets at the moment,
1. ENVE 3.4
2. EASTON EC90 SL
3. REYNOLDS 46

I weigh around 90kgs right now, thanks to 20 years of rugby training, and I don't think it's likely that I will get any lighter, so the wheels must be strong enough
My usual training routes: around 40% flat, 30% hilly and 30% mountains, road condition is fine
although the new set of wheels is mainly for racing purpose, I do want to use them in training as well, at least when the weather is fine (I do roughly 1000 miles per month)

given all of the above information, which one of the three do you guys think is the best for me?
I'm also open to suggestions, as long as:
1. weighs around 1200g
2. no handbuilds (I know I could get better if I go handbuilds, but my LBSs are really unreliable and there's no point of suggesting me one because I live somewhere far east)
3. no zipps, shimanos or ffwds (just personal preference)
4. budget: £1800 max
5. no second hands

thanks guys!

imposter2.0

What kind of racing - and how tall are you for that 90kg ??

hamanto

Imposter wrote:

What kind of racing - and how tall are you for that 90kg ??

I don't intend to sign up for anything too serious, amateur races, mostly one-day races and perhaps a little bit of TT
I'm 6'2" btw

imposter2.0

You're not going to like this, but I would focus on losing around 10kg first. Tubs and deep section carbons might be desirable, but are of limited use in bunch racing - maybe a bit more useful for TTs. That's not to say you shouldn't have them, but there are a lot more things I would sort before going down that route. The Fulcrum 7s will be fine to race on in any case...

hamanto

Imposter wrote:

You're not going to like this, but I would focus on losing around 10kg first. Tubs and deep section carbons might be desirable, but are of limited use in bunch racing - maybe a bit more useful for TTs. That's not to say you shouldn't have them, but there are a lot more things I would sort before going down that route. The Fulcrum 7s will be fine to race on in any case...

I do understand that the effects of losing 10kg would be far greater than a brand new set of wheels, but realistically it is not possible because I'm a semi-pro rugby player, I am getting closer and closer to retirement though

The 7s are great for its price and I have nothing to complain about them, but the idea of adding a pair of deep sections is just too tempting

max888

3.4s by miles. Much better aerodynamically. The other two have basic, old generation V-shapes. The Enves have a new wider rim shape and are very aerodynamic as well as very strong. With Chris King hubs they will carry you well.

gaddster

I've got a set of the easton ec90sl wheels and I weigh the same as you, don't race or plan on it though. For me they've been pretty good, they roll very well and I've not managed to get them to flex when out of the saddle, so they're certainly stiff. Build quality seems good, not had to take a spoke key to them ever and I've ridden them on some fairly bad roads. I did have to get the freehub replaced under warranty as the bearings went, they sent me an updated version as a replacement which has been fine so all good there. A word on the braking. Even using the recommended pads I don't find them as great as the reviews say they are, they're not bad bad but if you plan on doing alot of hill descents then think about it and they can be a bit twitchy in high winds. I'd look at the enve 3.4's if I was buying again and lived in a more suitable area although they're big money!

hamanto

thanks for the replies guys
the 3.4s are definitely on top of my list right now, but its also on top of the price list by quite a margin as well
I'm just thinking if a less-experienced cyclist like myself can really tell the difference between these threes? are there anyone who has experiences with the 3.4s?

gaddster: can you tell me a little bit more about the ec90s, is the ride harsh? are they any good when ascending? thanks again

ugo.santalucia

hamanto wrote:

thanks for the replies guys
the 3.4s are definitely on top of my list right now, but its also on top of the price list by quite a margin as well
I'm just thinking if a less-experienced cyclist like myself can really tell the difference between these threes? are there anyone who has experiences with the 3.4s?

gaddster: can you tell me a little bit more about the ec90s, is the ride harsh? are they any good when ascending? thanks again

Do you ride with a proton barrier around you? I strongly recommend one as seen in scifi films to avoid anyone crashing into you and lead you to appreciate the real difference between the Enve and your Fulcrum...

Sober up, these stuff are meant to be used to absorb the sun rays outside a cafe', not raced at amateur level

spasypaddy

i agree with ugo, you'd be better placed to get a shallow rim, with 32 three crossed spokes that have been tied in the middle, with brass nipples.

gaddster

I suppose ascending is only as good as the rider ultimately, they are nice and responsive though and wound up pretty tight. I wouldn't buy them for climbing if that's your aim. I've never considered them an overly harsh ride and I do run 25mm tyres so that is going to help, there are probably many other factors which could influence the ride.

If you can afford it and afford replacements in the event of a crash then why not. It's your money.

Where are you based?

hamanto

ugo.santalucia wrote:

hamanto wrote:

thanks for the replies guys
the 3.4s are definitely on top of my list right now, but its also on top of the price list by quite a margin as well
I'm just thinking if a less-experienced cyclist like myself can really tell the difference between these threes? are there anyone who has experiences with the 3.4s?

gaddster: can you tell me a little bit more about the ec90s, is the ride harsh? are they any good when ascending? thanks again

Do you ride with a proton barrier around you? I strongly recommend one as seen in scifi films to avoid anyone crashing into you and lead you to appreciate the real difference between the Enve and your Fulcrum...

Sober up, these stuff are meant to be used to absorb the sun rays outside a cafe', not raced at amateur level

I'm sorry but english is only my third language
actually what I meant was can I tell the differences between the 3.4s/ec90s/46s, not between the 7s/ENVEs, dunno if I get you wrong or not, but I guess it's irrelevant anyway
as for the proton barrier I only have £1800 to spend so if you know anyone who can sell me one under 1.8k I would be happy to have one

so you think it's better for me to stick with the 7s, or would you think that upgrading to something like Fulcrum 3s/ksyrium is a good idea?

thanks for your input anyway

ugo.santalucia

hamanto wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

hamanto wrote:

thanks for the replies guys
the 3.4s are definitely on top of my list right now, but its also on top of the price list by quite a margin as well
I'm just thinking if a less-experienced cyclist like myself can really tell the difference between these threes? are there anyone who has experiences with the 3.4s?

gaddster: can you tell me a little bit more about the ec90s, is the ride harsh? are they any good when ascending? thanks again

Do you ride with a proton barrier around you? I strongly recommend one as seen in scifi films to avoid anyone crashing into you and lead you to appreciate the real difference between the Enve and your Fulcrum...

Sober up, these stuff are meant to be used to absorb the sun rays outside a cafe', not raced at amateur level

I'm sorry but english is only my third language
actually what I meant was can I tell the differences between the 3.4s/ec90s/46s, not between the 7s/ENVEs, dunno if I get you wrong or not, but I guess it's irrelevant anyway
as for the proton barrier I only have £1800 to spend so if you know anyone who can sell me one under 1.8k I would be happy to have one

so you think it's better for me to stick with the 7s, or would you think that upgrading to something like Fulcrum 3s/ksyrium is a good idea?

thanks for your input anyway

OK, I'll keep the sarcasm for me.
What I think is that there are three possible applications for the wheels you mention

1) High end racing, where somebody is sponsoring you, so you can use and break those wheels at please

2) Leisure cycling in the sun, where these wheels will give you many hours of enjoyable riding on quiet roads

3) Racing against the clock (contre la montre) or time trialling, where the chances of crashing are pretty slim.

Amateur racing is a messy affair, where expensive equipment gets damaged often and you have nobody else to pay for replacements... so my advice is to stick to budget equipment for this type of racing... it is unlikely to win you any race... your legs and your tactics will win you races, not your wheels

hamanto

ugo.santalucia wrote:

OK, I'll keep the sarcasm for me.
What I think is that there are three possible applications for the wheels you mention

1) High end racing, where somebody is sponsoring you, so you can use and break those wheels at please

2) Leisure cycling in the sun, where these wheels will give you many hours of enjoyable riding on quiet roads

3) Racing against the clock (contre la montre) or time trialling, where the chances of crashing are pretty slim.

Amateur racing is a messy affair, where expensive equipment gets damaged often and you have nobody else to pay for replacements... so my advice is to stick to budget equipment for this type of racing... it is unlikely to win you any race... your legs and your tactics will win you races, not your wheels

haha now I get it, thanks for putting aside the sarcasm
what you just said reminded me some of the scary moments that I had in some sportives that I did, never once crashed, but very nearly, thanks for reminding me that, really helpful, so stick with the 7s in the racing thing

another very interest point that you've put forth is that these wheels can be use in leisure cycling under good conditions, which is exactly what I do for most of the time I spent on my bike, and I do intended to do some TT or perhaps some triathlon as well
and for those purposes, which one of these three do you think is the best?

thanks again ugo

ugo.santalucia

hamanto wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

OK, I'll keep the sarcasm for me.
What I think is that there are three possible applications for the wheels you mention

1) High end racing, where somebody is sponsoring you, so you can use and break those wheels at please

2) Leisure cycling in the sun, where these wheels will give you many hours of enjoyable riding on quiet roads

3) Racing against the clock (contre la montre) or time trialling, where the chances of crashing are pretty slim.

Amateur racing is a messy affair, where expensive equipment gets damaged often and you have nobody else to pay for replacements... so my advice is to stick to budget equipment for this type of racing... it is unlikely to win you any race... your legs and your tactics will win you races, not your wheels

haha now I get it, thanks for putting aside the sarcasm
what you just said reminded me some of the scary moments that I had in some sportives that I did, never once crashed, but very nearly, thanks for reminding me that, really helpful, so stick with the 7s in the racing thing

another very interest point that you've put forth is that these wheels can be use in leisure cycling under good conditions, which is exactly what I do for most of the time I spent on my bike, and I do intended to do some TT or perhaps some triathlon as well
and for those purposes, which one of these three do you think is the best?

thanks again ugo

No idea... I try to stay away from anything that cost more than a third of what you are prepared to spend

hamanto

gaddster wrote:

I suppose ascending is only as good as the rider ultimately, they are nice and responsive though and wound up pretty tight. I wouldn't buy them for climbing if that's your aim. I've never considered them an overly harsh ride and I do run 25mm tyres so that is going to help, there are probably many other factors which could influence the ride.

If you can afford it and afford replacements in the event of a crash then why not. It's your money.

Where are you based?

thanks for the info gaddster!
I live in somewhere in east asia

gaddster

Ah pity, I was going to say you could come and try mine but the distance makes it a little inconvenient! Still welcome if you make the trip.