Time and again, the accessory manufacturer E-Thirteen brings out parts that we wouldn't have expected. Lighter or cheaper than the competition, or both. For example, a few months ago, with the affordable retrofit cassettes and the super-light carbon cranks. Now the Americans are following up with two sets of lightweight carbon wheelsets, which should make lightweight fanatic touring riders, XC racers and gravel bikers happy. There is also an exciting model with a wider rim for trail riders.
Two jaw widths, 1800 and 2000 euros
First of all: the new carbon wheels from E-Thirteen are not exactly cheap - but nobody would have expected that. The XCX Race Carbon IW24 set with 24 millimetre rims for hardcore racers and gravel bikers costs € 1998. The more trail bike-orientated XCX Race Carbon IW28 set with 28 millimetre rims still costs 1778 euros. Nothing for the tight budget. If you're more on a budget, you're better off with a high-quality aluminium wheelset anyway.
XCX Race Carbon: Technical data and weights
The relatively low weight in combination with the lifetime guarantee that E-Thirteen gives on the wheels justifies the high price. In addition, the hubs were specially developed for the new wheels and can now be disassembled and reassembled without tools. Practical if you need to re-grease or change a bearing after a few thousand kilometres. The freehub engages every 6 degrees on both the Microspline and XD versions, and the spokes come from the upper DT Swiss range (IW24: DT Swiss Revolution triple butted, IW28: DT Swiss Comp Race triple butted).
However, the emphasis is clearly on lightweight construction: the IW24 rim weighs 340 grams, the IW28 380 grams. In total, the wheelsets have a system weight of 1350 grams (IW24) and 1520 grams (IW28).
All further information on the E-Thirteen XCX wheelsets can be found on the Website of E-Thirteen.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
