Let me expand on the responses so far and explain the reasoning behind this.
Lift is generated by rotational flows forming from the bluff body (the wheel) with the media (air). Depending on the wind speed and fluid properties and the interaction between the body, viscous forces will be generated and lift will be the resultant, a force that you will notice that is perpendicular to the angle of attack of the airfoil (wheel).
Broken down, the air will stick to itself and the wheel and create vortex flows, which will result in a force we call lift. This lift will be what you will see as âwatts savedâ, or a push slightly in the direction of travel. The deeper the wheel (in general) the greater the lift forces. However, 2 things occurring here:
The media and shape of the bluff body are a complicated interaction so not all deep shapes result in the same lift forces being generated. This is a PhD+ studied field and there is extensive research being done in terms of efficiencies of airfoils with different media and fluid speeds. Long story short, its crazy complex and a âfast looking wheelâ (ie deep) is not always the fastest. And it may be fastest at some yaw angles or at some wind speeds, but it may fail to generate lift at others
Stalling or flow separation; where the flow fails to attach to the body and becomes unattached to the body, lift ceases and you âstallâ. This causes a cascade of problems as you will likely see flow detachment/re-attachment occurring which will be a violent âshakeâ of the wheel at specific wind speeds or yaw angles. Resonance can also become a factor and again, complex and fluids is amazing but also crazy chaotic so we look at lab tests for results.
Lastly, while lab tests are great, you should really look for white papers or at least experimental setups for basing your decisions on which wheel is faster. Yes the SES line is fast, its been tested in the lab by 3rd parties and has been shown to be a top wheel. According to ENVE, the new wheels are also fast. Itâs up to you to take their word for it.
I know that may be a bit too much information, but fluids is complicated. A shallower wheel will in general have less violent flow attachment/reattachment occurring and/or a higher stall angle, but thats a generalization. When in doubt look at reviews and 3rd party tests by legit places.
Hope this helps
edit: I think I failed to answer the actual question. Because larger lift forces are generated by deeper wheels, my assumption would be most likely you see a greater magnitude of forces occuring with respect to lift. When you see flow detatchment/reattachment (some may call this pressure fluctuation but in actuality its flow separation and attachment, pressure is just a resultant of this phenomena) you will see wild forces being generated. If you can reduce the magnitude of the fluctuation (reduce flow separation or limit detachment or trip the flow) you can make a more stable wheel, or a more âpredictable wheelâ. This is what you should be paying for. Deeper wheels will result in general in larger lifting forces, which may result in harder to handle in crosswinds. Kinda a catch 22, but with good engineering you can make the fluctuation predictable
It really comes down to how windy it gets where you live. I ride 50mm wheels. They were my first set of deep wheels. After getting used to them I ride them everywhere. On days where the wind is 12-15mph+ you definitely get the nervous feeling of not being able to ride with no hands.
Sometimes I wish I had bought a spare 35mm front for those windy days when you still want to ride. And honestly, over 20mph and I wonât go out on the road bike anyway.
So for an all-around wheelset, Iâd get the 45s. As previously stated most of the time we ride under 10 degrees yaw anyway. Most of the time you are giving away very few watts.
If one wanted a fast group ride on calm days wheelset or TT/triathlon wheelset then go for the 65s. Here you are wanting every watt you can get.
The final solution is to split the difference - 45mm front, 65mm rear. Some people even prefer this look.
We do group rides in wind like that and the ENVE 5.6 are very well behaved. Iâve never had an issue on the flats. These are 54mm front and 63mm rear. In winds like that even shallow box section alloy wheels will feel some gusts.
Kansas is indeed pretty windy⌠there is simply nothing to âstopâ the wind so therefore it blows!
I ended up going with the 45s, mainly out of fear and due to the fact they are my first set of deep wheels. They are supposed to arrive here tomorrow. I will likely go out with them sometime this week and report back!
If you donât want to spend $1600 on ENVEs, thatâs fine. Donât do it. All I know is that a few years ago you couldnât get into EVNE for under $3000, so $1600 is a pretty damn good deal for nearly all of the same tech that goes into the much more expensive wheels. Sure, you can find wheels for less, but that doesnât mean theyâre of the same quality (or even close to it).
Iâm not here to tell you how to plan your budget. I just gave my opinion on the price point compared to previous ENVEs and the current catalog.
My wife thinks spending more than $500 on a bike is crazy, and all cycling gear is overpriced. And Iâm being completely serious when I say that. So I guess it is all a matter of perspective. I bought ENVE because they had no weight limit, great specs/reputation, and a great warranty. They have replaced two wheels no questions asked and at zero out-of-pocket costs (they paid for shipping).
The ENVE warranty/crash replacement is absolutely unparalleled. The details like that are what make all the difference when comparing manufacturers and cost.
Well, this goes the other way around too. Just because a wheelset costs half the price of the ENVEs doesnât mean they are of a worse quality. Look at Yeoleo wheels for example. Theyâre about half the price but youâll be hard pressed to find any negative reviews on them.
The one thing the ENVEs do have going for them if the warranty. That simply cannot be beat.
Budget conscious is keeping your stock wheels, or buying used. Some of my fastest Strava segments are on the stock Bontrager alloy wheels that came with the bike.
You also have to consider who is reviewing Yeoleo wheels versus who is reviewing ENVE, then look at what percentage of those people have used both. I bet youâll find that itâs a pretty small number.
IMO this will destroy ENVE. They are one of a very few fortunate brands that transcends all logic behind pricing structure. People buy ENVE precisely BECAUSE they are expensive. Itâs like ridiculously expensive watches. Nobody needs a watch when you already have a smartphone in your pocket. But just walking aroubd with a wad of $100 bills on your wrist would look a bit silly.
I submit that enve lowering the price of their wheels will cause them to sell less wheels.
replace âtheyâ with âcarsâ and âbrandsâ with âproduct categoriesâ and I actually believe people have lost their collective minds. Nobody needs to drive around in a $40-60K SUV and yet I see them all over the road. Perspective.
These wheels are being termed âaccessibleâ or âbudget consciousâ because if you were considering buying enves before at $2500 but felt they were just outside of your price range then these are now more âaccessibleâ. Budget, value and affordability are all relative. Relative to the market, to your income, to your perceived worth. One personâs budget conscious decision is anotherâs dream purchase.
But if people here really want to get up in arms about enve selling a $1600 wheelset then I hope they never find out about Zippâs 454 and 858 NSW wheels. (They sell for $4000+/wheelset)
Edit: Thats the price of the 454âs. The 858âs are actually $4500.
I bought ENVE because they had no weight limit, great specs/reputation, and a great warranty. They have replaced two wheels no questions asked and at zero out-of-pocket costs (they paid for shipping).