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TPE16: e*thirteen loads up 7 speed DH Cassette with custom rear hub

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e13 headquarters tour dh cassette hub 7 speed prototype tires

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…

e13 headquarters tour dh cassette hub 7 speed prototype tires-4

e13 headquarters tour dh cassette hub 7 speed prototype tires-7 e13 headquarters tour dh cassette hub 7 speed prototype tires-6

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.

e13 headquarters tour dh cassette hub 7 speed prototype tires-3

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.

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thesteve4761
thesteve4761
8 years ago

$1100 for the pair, or for just the rear wheel?

Dominic Bruys Porter
8 years ago

Says “wheelset”

Man, i was wondering if this would ever be a thing. It’s been a long time coming. I just wonder how flexible the setup is or is this iteration going to be a flash in the pan?

S. Molnar
S. Molnar
8 years ago

I have a great idea for how to achieve less wheel dish, spend less money, and still have seven gears: you skip the cassette completely and attach the cogs to a device that screws onto the hub and that contains the freewheeling mechanism itself. I’m calling my invention the “freewheel”.

billo
billo
8 years ago

I wanna run that with a 2x crank on my trail bike!

Skip
8 years ago

I may be one of the few who miss the old freewheel system. I was able to disassemble and give them a good cleaning. Free-hubs are a bit more complex to do that with, but with some of my home made tooling I can do it. The best part of course was being able to buy and replace single cogs . My all time favorite was the Suntour freewheel. I do have some wheels that I can pop the free-hub body off and clean and lube the paws, those are good wheels. Just cannot buy single replacement cogs any more.

that guy
that guy
8 years ago

That price should be for a single wheel.

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