I have an older pair of 404's that are still great, but old and used. I just upgraded my road bike to Campy 12-speed and wanted to get a new set of 404's for racing. The new set does not disappoint! With the newer aerodynamic design they are very quick and climb like mountain goats. The old set is still fast but the new 404's are freaky fast! After riding them for a few hundred miles I reluctantly took them off because they will be used primarily for racing. The old set reminds me how great racing will be!
Was considering getting another set of ENVEs for gravel, have two sets for road already, but decided these were a better value for me. They seem to spin up and hold speed well on the harder surfaces. Haven't hit anything in the rougher stuff to change the true but I don't race or hammer it on rough terrainroads. I had some Rolf Vigor RS wheels on a previous bike and never had any truing issues with them so I expect these wheels to last also. I like having exposed spook nipples which makes future truing much easier. With ENVEs I would have to remove the tire and rim tape along with dealing with the sealant mess if tubeless. I was able to mount WTB 47mm tires without using tire levers, I am running tubes at this point.
Being 6ft-4in tall and having a 200-pound rider weight, I have a history of performance issues with several name brand wheels. So far, I have only good things to say about these wheels.
I rode the Ronde PDX Within the first 200 miles of ownership. These wheels silently climbed the steepest grades and handled beautifully while mounted to my Niner RLT. I experienced no spoke pinging or flexing creaks. Now after several hundred miles, the wheels are still true and are working perfectly. This set of wheels, with their 24 spoke count and wider rims, have exceeded my expectations. They are well assembled using quality parts. My set came with a signed certificate showing who hand built the wheels at the Eugene, Oregon factory.
I bought a new Freehub Body when I started hearing a weird clicking noise coming from my 2009 Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels. The plastic bushing was worn from age. Ordered this hub body replacement instead of trying to replace just the bushing, as I didn't want to risk damaging the splines inside the old hub body. The install was easy and my 2009 wheel feels like new!
