ENVE G SES 4.5 Pro Wheelset

The ENVE G SES 4.5 Pro Wheelset addresses a tension that emerged as gravel racing gained speed: wide-volume tires are necessary for stability and flat resistance on rough terrain, but wide tires mounted to standard-width rims create significant aerodynamic drag at the rim-to-tire transition. ENVE built the G SES line to close that gap. The 4.5 Pro pairs a 30mm internal width — matched to tire widths of 44 to 52mm — with asymmetric rim depths engineered to work with modern gravel tire sizes rather than fight them. The rim profile keeps airflow clean across the junction where rim sidewall meets tire casing, which is where most of the aerodynamic opportunity in this category exists. At 1,480 grams for the complete wheelset including tape and valves, the G SES 4.5 Pro is competitive for an aero-gravel carbon wheelset at this depth.

The asymmetric rim depths — 49mm at the front, 55mm at the rear — reflect how gravel terrain actually loads a wheel. A deeper front rim introduces steering weight and crosswind sensitivity that on technical or exposed terrain costs more than the aerodynamic gain is worth. A deeper rear captures efficiency gains without affecting the rider's ability to steer. Both rims use ENVE's Wide Hookless Bead technology, drawn from the M Series mountain wheel platform. The hookless bead creates a blunt shoulder at the rim edge that distributes impact energy across a wider area rather than concentrating it at a single point, which reduces the likelihood of pinch flats on rocky or rutted sections. The hookless design is tubeless-only: these rims require tubeless-compatible tires with sealant. The rim sidewall measures 3.8mm; both front and rear are laced with 24 spokes. Every G SES rim is manufactured at ENVE's facility in Ogden, Utah — the same building where ENVE designs, tests, and assembles all of its premium wheels — giving them visibility and control over material quality that distributed manufacturing can't replicate.

The Innerdrive Pro hub is the meaningful upgrade over the standard G SES 4.5. ENVE built it by applying the professional hop-up kit developed for its race teams — the same package used on the Premium Straight-Pull hubs that have been raced in the World Tour — to the G SES gravel platform. That kit includes an ultralight hub shell, an ultralight 40-tooth Pro ratchet, a light-action ratchet spring that reduces drivetrain drag on climbs and sustained tempo, and ENVE Pro Ceramic Bearings. The 40-tooth ratchet delivers fast, clean pickup. The light-action spring minimizes the rotational drag that accumulates over long efforts — the kind of detail that adds up over a five-hour gravel race in a way that a shorter ride won't reveal. The same spoke alignment feature from the Premium Straight-Pull hubs carries over to minimize spoke twisting during builds and after sustained hard riding. The complete Innerdrive Pro hubset weighs 281 grams — front hub at 87 grams, rear at 194 grams — which is 60 grams lighter than ENVE's Premium Innerdrive.

The G SES 4.5 Pro ships as a complete tubeless wheelset with tape and valves included. It uses 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axles with Centerlock disc mounts — lockrings are not included. Four freehub configurations are available: HG11 for Shimano and SRAM 11-speed, XDR for SRAM AXS 12-speed, Campagnolo N3W, and Microspline for Shimano 12-speed. The wheelset comes in Silver or White. At the 4.5 depth profile, the G SES positions itself as the versatile option in ENVE's gravel lineup — effective across the full range of terrain where gravel racing unfolds, from fast open roads to technical rocky sections, without the crosswind sensitivity or steering weight of a deeper wheel. For the rider who wants one aero carbon wheelset that works everywhere the course takes them, the 4.5 Pro makes a clear argument.