ENVE has introduced the INNERDRIVE System housed in a new Premium Straight Pull hubshell. The bike & accessories specialist notes that the complete system reduces weight, improves the user experience, and increases durability over ENVE’s previous generation hubs.
The Premium Straight Pull with INNERDRIVE hubset is immediately available on SES road and G Series gravel wheelsets, in addition to a hub-only option.
“The hub is the heart of the wheel system,” said ENVE VP oF Product & Brand, Jake Pantone. “That being the case, a wheel’s quality and performance are often judged by the hub’s reliability.
“Over the last 10 years we have been on a mission to develop a hub that appropriately matches the quality and performance of ENVE’s rims. The new INNERDRIVE System is our solution that when paired with the refinements designed into our new straight pull hubshells, sets a new industry benchmark for hub reliability and performance.”
Focusing on a ratchet system rather a pawl system, ENVE set out to deliver its first 100% ENVE designed drive mechanism, INNERDRIVE. By positioning the ratchets and bearings closer together and farther inboard, axle stress is reduced while bearing life is prolonged.
The ratchets themselves are made from a proprietary hardened steel alloy and oversized to 42 mm in diameter, allowing for a broad range of tooth counts and engagement options to fine tune the hub to a rider’s needs and preferences.
Elite level road racers may prefer the lower rolling resistance of the 40t ratchets, while off-road riders traveling technical terrain may opt for the higher engagement delivered by the 80 and 100 tooth options.
Originally introduced in 2019, Perfect Preload is an accompanying system that further prolongs bearing life by eliminating the need for bearing preload adjustments. Using a tuned wave washer, bearing preload is optimized from the factory and dynamically adjusted over the life of the hub. This system produces a fixed pre-load setting that helps to eliminate bearing slop and the need for riders to adjust pre-load.
ENVE’s Director of Marketing, Neil Shirley said, “Knowing what the Premium Straight Pull Hubs have already endured over the course of the 2023 season with the UAE Team Emirates logging tens of thousands of miles, and winning numerous Grand Tour stages on them, we’re confident in the performance of such a critical component of the wheel system.
“Developing the INNERDRIVE System with the team is an incredible opportunity that delivers an enormous amount of feedback in a short period of time.”
The Premium Straight Pull hubs with INNERDRIVE System are available on SES and G Series wheels, in addition to a hubset-only option priced at US$750 a set. Hubs are available in 24 hole with HG, XDR, MS, and N3W freehub options in 12×100 and 12×142 axle configurations. Additionally, the ENVE INNERDRIVE System is available to OEM for licensing opportunities.
