ENVE Carbon Fiber Cycling Wheel Care

ENVE CARBON FIBER CYCLING WHEEL CARE

MAY 19TH, 2015

ENVE Carbon FIBER CYCLING WHEELS Require Special Care and Maintenance

At ENVE, we believe carbon fiber is most often the best material to achieve the performance we are seeking from our cycling wheels and components. We choose to build products out of carbon fiber due to its high strength, low weight, and our ability to fine tune the performance of the end product. However, as with all performance products, special care and maintenance are required to ensure your ENVE products perform optimally and safely for many years to come.

Pre-Ride Inspection

Before each ride, inspect your ENVE Brake Pads to confirm they are:

  • Free of debris
  • Not glazed over
    • Glazed pads surface should be filed to restore original surface finish
  • Not worn beyond the wear indicator

Before each ride, inspect your rims’ braking surfaces to confirm they are free from:

  • Bulges
  • Chips
  • Cracks
  • Excessive pad compound build-up
  • Fiber lifting or peeling from the brake track
  • Any irregularity that is new since your last ride

If you notice any of these conditions during your pre-ride inspection, do not ride on the affected wheel. Call ENVE Customer Service to determine whether you need a warranty or crash replacement wheel.

Braking

To achieve the braking performance that we have designed into ENVE’s carbon wheels, follow these steps every time you ride.

  • Always use ENVE brake pads on ENVE carbon wheels with a molded-in braking surface. Failure to do so voids your wheels’ warranty and may cause unsafe braking performance.
  • Use proper braking technique.
    • Distribute braking force as evenly as possible between your front and rear brakes.
    • Avoid prolonged braking, such as “dragging” your brakes, which can cause a dangerous amount of heat buildup in carbon rims.
    • Use shorter, more powerful periods of braking. This allows carbon rims to dissipate heat buildup between braking periods.
    • Use your body to help you decelerate by sitting more upright. The extra drag on your body makes a notable difference.
  • If you feel a pulsing or surging sensation in the bike or brake levers while riding or braking, stop your ride. Call ENVE Customer Service to determine whether you need a warranty or crash replacement wheel.

Crashing

While we pride ourselves on the durability and toughness of ENVE products, they are not indestructible. In our sport, crashes, and impacts against debris, pot holes, rocks, and roots are inevitable. Each time you crash or experience a memorable impact, thoroughly inspect your wheels. Carefully examine all rim surfaces to ensure that there are no cracks, chips, or fiber peels. If impact damage occurs under normal riding circumstances, the damaged wheel will be covered by your 5 Year Warranty. If you ran your wheel over with your car in the parking lot, or your buddy stuck his skewer into your wheel, we have our Lifetime Loyalty Guarantee to get you up and rolling as quickly as possible.

General Care and Maintenance

Some general maintenance should be followed to ensure your wheels continue looking like the performance products that they are.

  • Regularly wash your rims with a mild soap and water. A clean rim not only looks better but is easier to inspect for damage.
  • Store your wheels in a dry location.
    • Let them dry out after a wet ride
  • Store your wheels away from direct sunlight as UV light can discolor resin over time.
  • When you change your tires, have your wheels inspected for trueness and spoke tension. A properly built wheel will not require re-tensioning or truing any more frequently than the intervals at which you change your tires.
  • When installing and removing tires, use tire levers as a last resort. Never use metal levers, screw drivers, kitchen knives, or any object other than a plastic tire lever.
  • To clean and remove tubular glue from a carbon rim, use acetone or alcohol. Never use a metal object such as skewers, kitchen knives, screwdrivers, or metal tire levers to scrape glue from carbon rims.
  • Glazed brake pads may be refreshed using a file to remove the glazing and restore the original surface finish. Pads must be replaced when they are worn beyond the wear indicator.

When in doubt, do not hesitate to contact ENVE Customer Service at 877-358-2869 or support@enve.com. Enjoy the ride!