There’s been no shortage of limited or special edition bikes and components lately. From high-end eMTBs to US-made steel bikes, it seems like nearly every brand has been producing something special in limited quantities. Not to be outdone, Reserve Wheels is getting in on the action with a limited run of its ever-popular 30|HD Carbon rims laced to e*13’s slick new Sidekick Hubs.
This setup employs Reserve’s 30|HD Carbon rims, which are already well-liked among aggressive riders for their balanced ride quality, impressive durability, and lifetime warranty. Now riders have the option to buy them as a set with the unique e*13 Sidekick Hubs, which claim to eliminate pedal kickback, provide a chainless ride feel, and create less drivetrain noise.
The Sidekick Hubs claim to isolate your drivetrain from suspension while freewheeling by creating a “deadband” area. This deadband is tuneable, allowing riders to choose between 12, 15, and 18 degrees, depending on their preferences and suspension kinematics. And with threaded end caps, the deadband adjustment can be done without tools. If you’ve been plagued by pedal kickback, these hubs could be the answer to improving your bike’s suspension performance. The concept is quite similar to OChain, although the Sidekick system is housed cleanly inside the rear hub.
Reserve 30|HD x e*13 Sidekick Hubs: Pricing and Availability
The Reserve 30|HD x e*13 Sidekick Wheelsets are available now and sell for $2,199. They come with an XD Freehub body, a 6-bolt brake rotor interface, and are available in 29-inch or mixed wheel size configurations. Reserve says they only produced a limited run of these special wheels, so you’ll probably want to act fast if you’re interested in picking up a set. Unfortunately, these wheels are exclusive to the North American market, so you’ll need to build up a set yourself if you live elsewhere in the world.
The 30|HD Carbon is also available as a rim only ($649/each) for custom wheel builds, or as a wheelset built up with DT Swiss 350 DEG 90T hubs ($1,799).
