We’ve seen ‘e-optimised’ components and products before, everything from dubious e-MTB saddles and even e-MTB shoes, to the more justifiable e-MTB suspension forks. But given the sheer volume of electric mountain bikes on the trails these days, it’s hardly surprising that component brands are searching for the next hot ticket product to bring to market.
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While I might scoff at some e-MTB-specific components, there are a couple of areas where I do believe dedicated parts make sense: the drivetrain and wheels. Specifically the rear wheel, which has to cope with more torque, a heavier system weight and increased year-round use.
In fact, torque is one of the biggest headline figures when purchasing a new e-MTB. With Avinox putting out a claimed maximum of 120Nm and other brands playing catch-up, our poor freehubs and rear axles are being asked to shift more weight and handle more power than ever before.
Race Face was one of the brands that jumped on the e-MTB wheel bandwagon early with its Turbine eMTB wheels, which launched last year. The Turbine gave e-MTB riders a quality alloy wheelset upgrade, featuring a hub rated for higher torque and front and rear specific spoke counts to add strength at the back and compliance up front.
Now carbon enters the mix with the release of the Race Face Era eMTB wheelset, which delivers the same 130Nm hub rating but with the added tunability and modest weight savings that carbon offers.
Compared to the 29in Turbine alloy wheels, the carbon Era eMTB saves 256g. On its own, that’s not a huge amount, but the flexibility of carbon manufacturing allows Race Face to fine-tune layups, resins and rim profiles to achieve the desired ride characteristics without compromising strength.
As we saw with the original Era rims, for the e-MTB version Race Face has tuned the front rim for compliance using a shallower 18.5mm rim profile, while the rear gets a taller 22.6mm profile for added strength. Combine those front and rear specific profiles with 28 spokes up front, 32 at the rear and different spoke gauges, and Race Face claims a 15% reduction in lateral flex compared to the standard Era. That should make them better suited to 50lb+ e-MTBs with 180mm of travel, charging hard through bike park corners.
Another neat feature is the Anvil Edge bead wall, which adds strength to the rim and should help reduce the likelihood of tyre damage and punctures on hard impacts, although we would need to put a set to the test to confirm that.
It’s also good to see that Race Face has stuck with easy-to-source J bend spokes and brass nipples, which are far less prone to corrosion than alloy, especially given that e-MTBs tend to be ridden hard all year round.
At the hub end, the rear features three-degree engagement and what Race Face claims is best-in-class sealing, although the press release does not provide supporting data. The hub internals have also been upgraded with a steel axle, presumably to reduce flex and limit premature bearing wear.
The cherry on top is a lifetime warranty, including crash coverage, although we have not yet dug into the finer details, such as whether that means free or discounted replacements. Still, it is good to see Race Face backing the wheels with a strong support programme.
The Era eMTB will be available through dealers and distributors worldwide and can be purchased as a complete wheelset or as individual front and rear wheels. A full set would cost you £1,648, and the front wheel only is priced at £799.
