Once known mainly for its chainguides, e*thirteen continues to expand its range of cranks, pedals, chainrings and wheelsets. New for this season is the TRS Race wheelset, which has 23.4mm wide tubeless rims, speedy hubs, easy serviceability and a claimed weight of just 1,634g for the 27.5in (650b) size.
Trimming the fat
E*thirteen literally shaved the weight to hit that impressive number, machining away excess aluminium in between the spoke holes much like Mavic, Bontrager, and Fulcrum have done in the past. In addition to shedding extra grams, the bare aluminium sections left behind lend an admittedly trick appearance to the tubeless-compatible rims. Claimed inner/outer width is 23.4mm/28mm.
E*thirteen laces those rims with quad-butted stainless steel spokes to its own TRS Race hubset, which features enormous 77mm diameter flanges and carbon fibre centre sections that the company says improves wheel stiffness and responsiveness. Helping things along even further in that department is a six-degree engagement speed on the rear hub.
We'll have to wait until we've got our hands on a long-term sample to verify these claims, but long-term durability on the hubs is promising. Compared to most hubs these days, which rely on oversized aluminium axles with pop-on caps, e*thirteen has gone a more conservative route with steel axles and ends that firmly thread into place to provide a more solid connection between the dropouts. New pressurised seals have been added this year in response to e*thirteen's UK market, too, the aluminium freehub bodies are armoured with steel splines to prevent the cogs from digging in, and the whole setup rolls on angular contact bearings.
In addition to the 1,634g 27.5in set, e*thirteen will also offer the TRS Race wheels in 26in and 29in diameters, too. Claimed weight on those is 1,575g and 1,705g respectively, and all versions will include both standard Shimano/SRAM and SRAM XD driver bodies, spare spokes and nipples, and multiple axle end caps.
Retail price is US$1,199 across the board (international pricing to be confirmed) with expected availability around 1 May.
New TRS Race cranks and chainguides
Accompanying the new TRS Race wheels are the new TRS Race crankset and chainguide.
The TRS Race crank once again features e*thirteen's 30mm diameter aluminium spindle but with more aggressively machined forged aluminium arms that help bring the claimed weight down to just 665g including a 34-tooth spiderless chainring and bottom bracket. Speaking of which, e*thirteen's spindle design is similar to the 386 EVO format in that it'll work with a wide range of shell standards, including standard threaded, BB92, BB30 and PF30.
1x versions will be available with 28-38T chainring sizes, all with alternating thick-thin tooth profiles for use without chainguides. There will also be a double option available in 22/36T or 24/38T sizes. Retail price is US$369 without bottom bracket cups.
Security-minded riders who want to stick with their double-chainring drivetrains will also get the new TRS Race Dual Guide, which is built with a lightweight ISCG05 or threaded-compatible carbon fibre boomerang, red anodised aluminium hardware, and a quiet-running stepped lower roller.
E*thirteen claims the new carbon fibre boomerang is 30 percent stronger than the equivalent aluminium piece, while weighing just 74g. An even-lighter single-ring version is also available, which weighs just 58g.
Retail price for the dual guide is US$219. The single-ring version is slightly cheaper at US$199. International pricing to be confirmed.
Other tweaks
E*thirteen has also made some improvements to other components. TRS and LG1 aluminium crank spindles will now use a longer and less aggressive one-degree taper for a more secure fit that simultaneously requires less torque to install, LG1 cranks switch to a standard spiderless chainring for a lighter and stiffer setup, bottom bracket preload collars are now easier to install and adjust, and the popular Guidering M thick-thin chainrings will soon be available in an anodised blue finish.