First Look: E*Thirteen's New Sylvan, Grappler & Optimus Wheels

Both the Race Carbon and Race Alloy rims are said to have improved impact resistance over their predecessors, some of the to the tune of several hundred percent. I've had my hands on the E*Thirteen Sylvan Race Carbon wheels, and have had the joy of one single ride on them. My Hope HB 916 will roll on this 29"/27.5" setup for the foreseeable, likely for the whole of the 2024 season, or until something catastrophic happens. E*Thirteen reports a 709% impact resistance improvement for the Sylvan Race Carbon rim over the TRS Race Carbon rim, so the likelihood of said catastrophe seems low. Either way, a more detailed long-term review will be provided somewhere down the line.



The Sylvan Race Carbon rim has a 4mm offset at the rim bed, a feature that enables the spoke lengths and tensions between the drive and non-drive sides to be more equally balanced. That gives a wheel that is stiffer laterally, and thus beneficial for the rigors of all-mountain riding. It has a depth of 23mm.

Not shown is the much more affordable Race Alloy wheelset. This one gets a welded rim that is shallower at 20mm. E*Thirteen claim it has a 366% improvement in impact strength over the outgoing TRS Plus aluminum rim.


The Sylvan wheels come in a standard version, or an e*spec version - the latter for use on SL type eMTBs. Both run the same rims, hub shell and drive ring, but they differ in terms of the drive mechanism. The Race SL driver houses four double-stepped pawls, with timing offset such that only two are engaged at any instance; that gives a faster 3° engagement. Meanwhile, the e*spec version has only three double-stepped pawls, but all of them engage simultaneously to give 6° engagement. It also gets 32 spokes (rear only), instead of the standard 28.

A well at the center of the rim is there to make seating of tubeless tires easier - and it works. That combined with the Quick Fill tubeless valves made life extra easy. On the front, I mounted a Continental Kryptotal Enduro, and on the rear a Vittoria Mazza Enduro. Both were seated onto the rim with inflation from a regular floor pump, and removal of the valve core was not necessary.


After two rides, I noticed a discoloration on the rims. E*Thirteen say this is not a structural issue, and is only caused by a lack of pigmentation in the resin used on these unpainted rims. A full statement from E*Thirteen, below.

"First off, there is nothing structurally wrong with the rim. What we are seeing is a superficial glass scrim layer that, since the rims are unpainted, we use as a protective layer against abrasion and dings. The sidewall area in question is the part of the rim that is under compression from the mold without the air bladder. That sometimes results in some inconsistent resin outflow which is the white discoloration we see on the sidewall. Before the rims are built into wheels, the rims are polished with a wax material that actually makes a nice, uniform surface. That wax eventually can wear off and the discoloration then shows up. We are working on a solution in which we add some black pigment to the resin so this color inconsistency will not be visible. The choice to not paint carbon rims is important for environmental, worker health, and strength reasons. Rims come out of the mold and are not sanded, which means workers are not exposed to carbon dust. Additionally, there is no requirement to filter air and water in the facility due to sanding and painting. Last, we do not allow any sandpaper or other abrasive materials to touch the rims once they're removed from the mold. That means we can build them as light and strong as they can be without the concern of over sanding which can lead to inconsistency in impact strength of the rim. We understand that the marks aren't ideal and anyone unhappy with their e*thirteen wheels can get in touch with out support team and we will get them taken care of" - E*Thirteen.

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The Grappler Enduro wheels get the Enduro hub with a lighter weight aluminum axle, while the Enduro e*spec wheels get the e*spec hubs with an oversized hub shell, stronger steel axle, and a third 6808 bearing in the driver for improved durability.

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Warranty

The Race SL and Grappler hubs of the new Optimus, Sylvan and Grappler wheels come with a 5-year warranty, as do the rims of all of the aluminum wheels. Meanwhile, E*Thirteen continue to offer a lifetime warranty on their carbon rims. Each wheel is sold separately, and the prices quoted include pre-installed rim tape and the rather impressive Quick Fill tubeless valves, as well as a couple of spare spokes.