CyclistNew Enve Foundation AR40 wheels bring all-road capability to brands lower-priced wheel rangeEnve has launched the Foundation AR40 wheelset. Its name gives away its main features, with a 40mm deep rim with 25mm internal width designed for all-road use.The brand says its aero-tuned for tyres of 29mm or 30mm width and offers drag reduction thats greater than youd expect for the wheelsets 1,515g weight and UK price of 1,800. Related Posts Enve launches 1,295g SES 4.5 Pro wheels and bead hooks are back Best gravel bike wheels 2026 Best road bike wheels 2026 reviewed Hooked vs hookless rims: Pros, cons and which is right for you Patented Wide Hookless rimsEnve says that with its Foundation wheelsets it aims to provide the highest quality sub-$1,500 wheelset on the market.To achieve the lower prices than its flagship SES wheels, it uses less complex rim construction with the same rim depth front and rear, while it aims for reliability and efficient manufacturing, rather than prioritising low weight.As youd expect from the all-road designation, the Enve Foundation AR40 wheelset is designed primarily for road use, but is happy to stray off-road for gravel riding and racing. Enve says that the wheels have been tested to its gravel wheelset standards.Its not the first brand to designate its wheels for all-road use, with the Fulcrum Sharq wheelset aimed at the same niche between aero road wheels and gravel bike wheels.The Foundation AR40 rim is tubeless-ready and has a hookless bead thats 3.6mm wide, conforming to Enves Wide Hookless design, which it claims helps to reduce the likelihood of pinch flats. With the 25mm internal rim width, this leads to a 32.2mm external rim width.Rather than drilling the spoke holes into the rims, which would cut the carbon fibre strands, Enve uses a patented process that moulds the carbon fibres around the spoke holes and valve hole. It says that this increases rim strength and allows it to produce a lighter rim with higher spoke tension. It uses 24 Sapim CX-Ray J-bend spokes front and rear, with brass nipples.Enve claims a 1,515g wheelset weight with rim tape and valves, with the wheel rims each contributing 425g. The front wheel has a 690g claimed weight and the rear wheel 825g.The new wheelset has been wind tunnel tested at 32kmh/20mph and 48kmh/30mph and benchmarked against other wheelsets from Enve and Reserve. Enve claims that the multiple testing speeds ensure that theres a performance advantage for riders of all abilities.Despite being optimised for tyres around 30mm, Enve states that the AR40 is compatible with any tyre over 28mm wide. Its rated for tyre pressures up to 80psi/5.5 bar.Enve recommends using tubeless tyres, as it believes they are the fastest tyres available today, regardless of whether theyre run with or without tubes, since this is where tyre brands are focussing their R&D spend.The AR40 wheels are equipped with Enves Foundation grade hubs with steel bearings, which use the same Innerdrive 42mm diameter steel ratchet freehub as Enves Premium hubs and include components that are interchangeable with them.Enve claims the Innerdrive design offers automatic bearing pre-load and longer bearing life, as well as low maintenance and easy servicing. The wheels are available with Shimano 11/12-speed, Shimano Micro Spline and SRAM XDR freehubs.The Enve Foundation AR40 wheels are priced at $630 for the front and $770 for the rear, for a $1,400 total wheelset price. Enve points out that this hasnt changed since the Foundation wheel range was launched five years ago. The UK price is 1,800.The post New Enve Foundation AR40 wheels bring all-road capability to brands lower-priced wheel range appeared first on Cyclist.