Despite being a fairly new company on the scene, ENVE quickly earned a reputation for superb cycling products. From their cutting-edge, USA-made wheelsets, to their strong, stiff, just-right-dimensions cockpit components, they almost always seemed to hit the bulls-eye. While they started with a road focus, their mountain bikes wheels were no exception.

One area in which many customers wish ENVE could improve, however, was price. Which is where the new Foundation wheel series comes in. Engineered to the same meticulous standards as any other ENVE product, the Foundation series brings ENVE quality as well as the companys very generous Lifetime Incident Protection policy to a more generous price point.

The Foundation series rims are virtually identical to ENVEs top-shelf SES-series (road) and M-series (M), with the exception of using a slightly less-complicated carbon layup that adds a very small amount of weight. Otherwise, the same wide hookless bead construction, asymmetrical construction, molded carbon spoke holes, and tubeless compatibility that make ENVEs mountain bike rims so remarkable are all still to be found here. Like the M-series wheels, the Foundation AM30s are also built on premium, USA-made Industry Nine hubs, although they utilize the classic 1/1 hubs, and not the newer Hydra hubs as the M-series. The Chris King hub upgrade is also not available on the Foundation AM30 wheelset.

The Foundation AM30 wheels are available in 27.5 and 29 versions, weighing 1748g and 1852g respectively. Internal rim width is 30mm, and rim depth is 20mm. The front axle is 15x110mm, while the rear is available in either 12x148mm or 12x157mm configurations. The hubs use CenterLock rotor interfaces, and both Shimano/HG and SRAM XD freehub bodies are available.

SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel Size: 29"
Inner Rim Width (mm): 30mm
Tubeless Compatible: Yes
Anti-pinch Flat Technology: Wide Hookless Bead
Molded Spoke Holes & Valve Stem: Yes
Spoke Nipple Location: ExternalSpoke: Sapim Race
Hub Model: I9 1/1
Wheelset Weights: 1852g
Warranty: Lifetime Incident Protection & 5 Year Factory Warranty