ENVE XC28 Carbon Wheel - Tubeless Front, Black, CL, Boost

"What Our Gearhead® Experts Are Saying:""The rim shape is pulled straight from the M-series lineage, and you can feel it in how the wheel holds a line through chunky terrain. Wide hookless bead means I'm not patching pinch flats every other ride, and the INNERDRIVE hub engages with that satisfying immediacy that makes hard pedaling out of corners feel worthwhile.""Hard starts, punishing climbs, technical descents—cross-country racing has never asked so little of riders while demanding so much of their equipment. ENVE's Foundation XC28 Wheels exist at that intersection. Carbon construction drawn from the M5 and M6 lineage, built for riders who train and race hard and can't justify flagship pricing every build cycle. The rim profile's shallow 21mm depth keeps the wheel compliant over rough ground while the 28mm internal width seats a 2. 4-inch tire squarely for predictable cornering and traction. ENVE's patented Molded Spoke Holes keep carbon fibers continuous around each hole rather than cutting through them, which means higher spoke tension, less truing, and a rim that simply stays true longer. Add the Wide Hookless Bead's 3. 8mm leading edge, designed to dissipate impact energy and cut pinch-flat risk by more than half, and the XC28 starts to feel less like a budget option and more like a deliberate one. The INNERDRIVE Foundation hub handles the rest: oversized 42mm ratchets positioned inboard over the bearings, automatic preload adjustment, and enough engagement authority to handle E-MTB assist up to 75 Nm without complaint."

Price: $630.00 from Backcountry