ENVE Wheels with Chris King Hubs

Road in depth

ENVE SES 4.5 wheels on Chris King R45 Disc hubs

ENVE's all-round aero road rim on Chris King's RingDrive road disc hub. The SES 4.5 is 50mm deep in front and 56mm in the rear, 25mm inside and hookless, at 411 and 415 grams; with the R45 Disc hubs, rims and hubs come to about 1,244 grams before spokes and nipples. We have laced ENVE 4.5 rims to R45 hubs since 2015.

• Calm in a crosswind. ENVE shapes the shallower front for stability in gusts and the deeper rear for straight-line speed and stiffness under power, so you get real aero without a time-trial rim's handling.
• A seat for internal nipples. A molded cone behind each hole lets the nipple pivot like a ball in a socket, so the spoke leaves at the angle the nipple sits. ENVE says that means less truing and fewer fatigue breaks.
• Made in Utah. ENVE molds the SES 4.5 in Ogden, Utah.
• Or the SES 4.5 Pro. Lighter, developed with UAE Team Emirates for mountain stages: 23.5mm inside, 49/55mm deep and 369/383 grams, and hooked, so you are not limited to hookless-rated tires.

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Gravel in depth

ENVE G23 gravel wheels on Chris King R45 Disc hubs

ENVE's shallow carbon gravel rim on the same R45 Disc hubs, and the ENVE gravel rim we have laced to Chris King most. The G23 is 23mm inside and 25mm deep for 35 to 45mm tires, about 330 grams, molded in Ogden, Utah. The R45 Disc's 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axles are what most gravel bikes use.

• A bead that protects the tire. The wide, blunt hookless bead squeezes the tire on a hard hit instead of cutting it.
• Tough for its weight. ENVE says the G23 tests close to its cross-country M Series rims for toughness.
• Molded spoke holes. No hole is drilled through the carbon.
• Or the G SES 4.5 Pro. For fast gravel courses: 49mm front and 55mm rear, 30mm inside for 44 to 52mm tires, about 455 and 450 grams, with a 3.8mm hookless sidewall for pinch-flat protection.

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Mountain in depth

ENVE M6 trail wheels on Chris King MTB hubs

The trail rim we build most, on the Chris King MTB hub. The M6 front is 32mm inside for 2.4 to 2.6 inch tires at 430 grams; the rear is 29mm inside at 445 grams, to keep the tire supported when you stand on the pedals. Both are shallow, so the rim gives a little on a long rocky descent instead of beating you up.

• RingDrive on the trail. The MTB rear engages all 72 teeth at once and picks up in five degrees, quick for technical climbing and quiet at rest.
• Bearings that are rebuilt, not replaced. Chris King makes its own steel bearings with matched races, behind labyrinth seals that shrug off pressure washing. They adjust, rebuild and get smoother as they run in.
• Boost, in 6-bolt or Centerlock. 15x110 Boost front (20x110 on the 6-bolt), 12x148 Boost or 12x157 rear: about 176 and 366 grams in 6-bolt, 166 and 336 grams in Centerlock.
• Racing? The M5 Pro. ENVE's cross-country rim, 29mm front and 27mm rear inside at 345 and 360 grams, built to finish a World Cup course. For downhill, the M9 Pro is made for World Cup racing and bike parks.

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Road in depth

ENVE SES 3.4 wheels on Chris King R45 Disc hubs

The SES rim ENVE points most road riders to first, on the same R45 Disc hubs. It is 39mm deep in front and 43mm in the rear, 25mm inside and hookless, at 370 and 378 grams: about 1,166 grams of rims and hubs, light enough for climbs and aero enough to feel on the flat. It is one of the ENVE and Chris King pairs we have built most.

• Two shapes, front and rear. The 39mm front stays calm in crosswinds; the 43mm rear is shaped for straight-line aero and stiffness under power.
• Made around a 28mm tire. The 25mm hookless bed is optimized for a 28 to 29mm tubeless tire and is comfortable at around 60 psi.
• Molded spoke holes. ENVE forms its spoke holes in the mold instead of drilling them, so the carbon fibers stay uncut.

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What the Chris King R45 Disc brings to the road and gravel builds

The R45 Disc we build with is Centerlock, 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axle, about 152 grams front and 266 grams rear, made in Portland, Oregon. Check your fork and frame before you order.

• RingDrive. Two heat-treated stainless steel rings mesh across all 45 teeth at once instead of a few pawls, so a hard effort spreads around the whole ring and the hub picks up every 8 degrees.
• A driver you can change. The Gen 4 driver swaps between Shimano 11-speed road and SRAM XDR in a couple of minutes with a T10 Torx.

Questions about these builds

SES 3.4 or SES 4.5 on the R45 Disc?

Both have a 25mm hookless bed and build onto the same R45 Disc hubs in 24 hole. The SES 3.4 is 39/43mm deep at 370 and 378 grams, the better all-rounder and climber. The SES 4.5 is 50/56mm deep at 411 and 415 grams, and on a flat, fast road the extra depth is worth real time.

G23 or G SES 4.5 Pro for gravel?

The G23 is the shallow, light choice for climbing and rough, technical courses: 25mm deep, 23mm inside for 35 to 45mm tires, about 330 grams a rim. The G SES 4.5 Pro is the aero choice for fast courses on 44 to 52mm tires: 49/55mm deep and 30mm inside. Both build onto the R45 Disc in 24 hole.

M6 or M5 Pro on Chris King MTB hubs?

The M6 is the trail rim: 32mm front and 29mm rear inside for 2.4 to 2.6 inch tires. The M5 Pro is ENVE's cross-country race rim: 29mm and 27mm inside for 2.2 to 2.4 inch tires, at 345 and 360 grams. The M6 builds in 28 hole; the M5 Pro is 24 hole, on the Centerlock MTB hub.

Which Chris King hub for a gravel bike, and which for a mountain bike?

Most gravel bikes use 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axles, which is the R45 Disc. Mountain bikes on Boost spacing (110mm front, 148mm or 157mm rear) take the Chris King MTB hub, in 6-bolt or Centerlock.

SES 4.5 or SES 4.5 Pro on the R45 Disc?

Pick the SES 4.5 for the wider 25mm bed, at 411 and 415 grams; it is the one we recommend for racing and fast, flat roads. Pick the SES 4.5 Pro to save 74 grams across the pair (369 and 383 grams) and to run tires that are not rated for hookless rims; its bed is 23.5mm. Both are 24 hole, take internal nipples and build onto the same R45 Disc hubs.

What does the R45's 45-point engagement mean on the road?

The hub picks up within 8 degrees of rotation, so it feels direct when you get back on the pedals out of a corner. Because RingDrive meshes every tooth at once, the load is spread around the ring rather than resting on a few pawls.

Which cassettes fit the R45 Disc?

The Gen 4 driver comes in Shimano 11-speed road or SRAM XDR, and you can swap one for the other later with a T10 Torx and no rebuild.

Mountain bike

ENVE mountain rims on Chris King MTB hubs

The Chris King MTB hub comes in two versions here: ISO 6-bolt in 28 or 32 hole (Boost 110mm front, 148mm or 157mm rear) and Centerlock in 24, 28 or 32 hole. The M5 Pro is a 24 hole rim, so its card uses the Centerlock hub; the others use the 6-bolt hub, and you can switch to the other hub in the builder. The M8 is 28 hole in front and 32 hole in the rear.

ENVE M5 Pro on Chris King MTB Centerlock29/27mm inside · 20mm deep · 24 hole · hooklessStart building this pair →ENVE M6 on Chris King MTB 6-bolt32/29mm inside · 21mm deep · 28 hole · hooklessStart building this pair →ENVE M8 on Chris King MTB 6-bolt32/29mm inside · 20.9/21mm deep · 28/32 hole · hooklessStart building this pair →ENVE M9 Pro on Chris King MTB 6-bolt29mm inside · 22mm deep · 32 hole · hooklessStart building this pair →ENVE AM30 on Chris King MTB 6-bolt30mm inside · 20mm deep · 28 hole · hooklessStart building this pair →

From our truing stand

ENVE wheels on Chris King hubs we’ve built

Our order records show more than 80 ENVE wheels laced to Chris King hubs since 2009. These are a few of them.