Today’s freshest product news from California has been beamed out by the crew at e*thirteen, who are launching a new lightweight carbon wheelset based on the current TRS Carbon hoops. Correctly labelled as the ‘TRSr SL Carbon’, the new wheelset drops no less than 150 earth-grams over the standard TRS Carbon set, with the use of new lightweight alloy hubshells and a slightly different carbon layup in the rims to help reduce rotational weight.
Despite the lower weight, e*thirteen is still claiming this is a durable trail wheelset, and one that will accept tyres up to 2.4in wide.
“Using what we learned from a deep-rooted downhill and enduro racing heritage, the SL wheel brings a proven level of strength and reliability to the all-mountain market. Weighing 150 grams less than its TRSr enduro counterpart, this 28mm internal width carbon wheelset delivers unrivaled balance and strength. The rims offer a perfect tire profile up to 2.4″ wide, and the all-aluminum hubs sport fast engagement and unparalleled durability. All wheels come tubeless ready with tape and valves installed.” – From e*thirteen.
e*thirteen SL Carbon Trail Wheels Features
- Lightweight carbon trail wheels
- Available in 27.5in and 29in diameters
- Full carbon fibre hookless bead rim construction
- 2.5mm thick sidewalls
- 28mm Internal rim width takes up to 2.4in wide tyres
- Lighter SL aluminium hubs
- Oversized drive-side flange diameter increases strength
- Increased spoke triangulation
- Fast 6° engagement freehub
- Claimed weight: 1650 grams (27.5in F+R)
- RRP: £1499
The carbon rims use the same profile as the current TRSr Carbon rim, which features a 28mm internal rim width for the ability to run tyres up to 2.4in wide. To reduce weight, e*thirteen has slimmed the sidewall thickness to 2.5mm down from 3mm. This brings weight down to just 388 grams for a 27.5in rim, which is pretty darn light for a trail-ready rim.
Interestingly, e*thirteen also state that even with the thinner sidewalls, “improving the carbon layup saves weight while gives riders far better distribution of force on impact“. That kind of suggests that the new SL Carbon rims are actually more durable than the current TRSr Carbon rims, though we’ll await confirmation on that one.
Weight has also been saved at the middle of the TRSr SL Carbon wheels by the way of a new hubset that’s based on 7075 alloy hubshells that are slightly shrunken over the current alloy/carbon hybrid hubshells. The flange diameter still remains decent at 61mm for the drive side and 57mm for the non-drive side on the rear hub, while the front hub is 57mm on both flanges. e*thirteen is a big proponent of this design, as it shortens the effective spoke length, increasing triangulation for a stiffer and stronger wheelset.
The new e*thirteen TRSr SL Carbon wheels will be available in both 27.5in and 29in diameters, and in Boost and non-Boost options for £1499 for the set, with a claimed weight of 1650 grams for the 27.5in wheelset.
Silverfish UK is the local distributor for e*thirteen, and more information about e*thirteen products can be learned via the The Hive website.