For years DH bikes have been going to fewer gears, not more. The idea is a simpler drivetrain with less weight since they generally don’t need lower gearing. But the concept has a bit of a flaw. Instead of utilizing the full cassette body, the mini cassettes make use of a spacer to shrink the free hub body down to size. e*thirteen saw that as room for improvement which is where their new DH hub and cassette concept originated.
Adding a wider hub and getting rid of the free hub body, the LG1R setup is an interesting beast…
By getting rid of a few gears it not only makes for a simpler, lighter drivetrain, it also opens up the hub to a stronger design. Taking advantage of that space that was previous taken up with a spacer, e*thirteen was able to create a stiffer wheel with a near symmetrical build. Using a 150/157mm rear axle, the wider flanges are only 1mm off from a true symmetrical build which results in a stiffer wheel.
The hub is unique in that it doesn’t actually use a free hub. Instead the cassette and free hub are one piece with an aluminum 21t cog that is one piece with the pawls. The rest of the 9-21 7speed cassette is steel and bolted to the 21t cog. Built with a 3 pawl free hub design, the cassette provides 6 degrees of engagement with a 60t ratchet ring.
Sold laced to the LG1 Race carbon rim, wheels will be sold individually so you can run the 7 speed hub option or standard free hub/cassette. With the cassette, the LG1 Race Carbon wheelset comes in at a claimed 2100g and will sell for $1050-1100 with the cassette. The rim itself is a hookless carbon design with a 27mm inner width and the wheels include tubeless tape, valves, and extra spokes/nipples/washers. Wheels are now shipping to OEMs with aftermarket availability in the middle of April.
