Race Face Era eMTB Wheels
Internal Width: 30 mm
Versions Available:
- Front: 29’’ only; 15 x 110 mm or 20 x 110 mm axle
- Rear: 27.5’’ or 29’’; 12 x 148 mm axle
Rim Material: Carbon Fiber
Stated Weights (wheelset w/o tape or valves, w/ XD driver): 1,929 g (29″) / 1,883 g (mullet)
Blister’s Measured Weights (w/ rim tape and valves):
- Era eMTB front wheel: 857 g
- Era eMTB rear wheel (27.5’’, Microspline): 1,069 g
- Wheelset: 1,926 g
MSRP:
- Front: $813 USD / $1,025 CAD / €799 EU / $1,299 AUD
- Rear: $866 USD / $1,125 CAD / €849 EU / $1,399 AUD
- Wheelset: $1,679 USD / $2,150 CAD / €1,648 EU / $2,698 AUD
Intro
Race Face’s Era carbon wheels have been around for a while now, and are a bit of a sleeper option for their combination of reasonable price, low weight, and solid ride feel. But they’re only rated for eMTBs with up to 65 Nm of torque, which rules them out for a lot of full-power bikes.
Now there’s a new Era eMTB wheelset, which draws a lot of design cues from the standard Era wheels, but in a beefed-up design to handle the added abuse of full-power eMTBs (or just punishing riders who want a stronger wheel in general). Here’s the rundown:
Design
The Era eMTB wheels aren’t wildly different from the standard Era wheels that have been in Race Face’s lineup for a while now. They share the same rim profiles, with front- and rear-specific designs, both of which get a 30 mm internal / 37.2 mm external width. The front rim is shallower, with an 18.6 mm cross-section depth, matched to a 22.6 mm deep rear, and the spoke bed is offset to even out the bracing angles. The idea there is to make the front wheel more compliant, while increasing strength out back where it’s most needed.
The Era eMTB rims get a beefier carbon layup than the standard ones — same shape, more material. The spoke count has also been increased in the rear, to 32 from 28, and the Era eMTB wheels use standard J-bend spokes instead of straight pull ones on the Era wheels. The Era eMTB’s spokes are also thicker (1.7 mm middle section front / 1.8 mm rear, vs. 1.65 mm at both ends for the Era). They’re offered in Boost spacing only (15 or 20 mm front, via swappable end caps), with options for a 27.5’’ or 29’’ rear wheel. The front wheel is 29’’ only.
Race Face’s Vault hubs are shared between both versions of the Era wheels as well. They use a distinctive large-diameter hub shell, with an interesting pawl-driven ratchet design in the rear hub. Unlike most pawl-driven hubs, the pawls reside in the hub shell, with the ratchet ring attached to the freehub body. The Vault hub gets 120 points of engagement from a 60-tooth ratchet ring, mated to six pawls (engaging in two staggered sets of three each).
That freehub mechanism is the same across both the standard and eMTB Era wheels (and the aftermarket Vault hubs). The eMTB wheels just sub in a steel rear axle for added strength, while the standard version gets a lighter aluminum one.
All those tweaks add up to the Era eMTB wheels being a claimed ~180 grams heavier than the standard Era for the pair for an equivalent spec on both. The Era eMTB wheels are also only offered with six-bolt hubs, while the standard ones have a centerlock option.
The Era eMTB wheels are rated for a total system weight (rider + bike) of 150 kg / 330 lb, and drive systems with up to 130 Nm of torque. That’s a slight weight bump from the standard Era wheels (140 kg / 306 lb) and a big step up in torque (65 Nm for the regular Era).
Bottom Line (For Now)
With the ever-growing popularity of eMTBs and rapid increases in their motor outputs, it’s no surprise that Race Face felt the need to offer a version of its flagship wheelset that could handle the demands of a full-power drive unit. We’ve already got a pair of Era eMTB wheels in for review, so stay tuned to find out how we get along with them after many more miles.