LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheelset / Cranks Release and Review

e*thirteen has been around for quite a while and through these years they have managed to become one of the most proven and trustworthy component brands in the mountain bike industry. From their notorious Chainguides and Bashguards to their failsafe carbon wheels. We have seen e*thirteen components lead racers to many Downhill World Cup wins as Aaron Gwin has proven for the past couple years. e*thirteen has finally released the newest version of their Carbon wheels and cranks that we were lucky enough to test out the past couple weeks.

LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheels

Carbon Wheels, love them or hate them, there is no denying the fact that they do offer a smooth, sturdy, and stiff ride for any rider. Although not every rider can justify the use of Carbon wheels, E*thirteen has now introduced a carbon wheel that is not only affordable for most riders, but a reliable Carbon Wheel backed by a lifetime warranty. Yes, a lifetime warranty on a carbon wheel. Now most riders will not have to worry about dealing with a warranty as these wheels are meant to take the abuse of almost any rider including the pros. We have been testing these wheels since the end of January and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Stiff, straight, light, and loud; the LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheelset holds up to the name e*thirteen has created for itself.

What’s the Difference?

The LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheelset does feature a few differences from its predecessors and although they might not be obvious just by looking at the wheel, they are making quite a difference in the overall performance of the wheel. Now featuring a 30mm width instead of 31mm as we had seen on previous models, the ½ mm reduction on each sidewall allowed e*thirteen to redistribute this material to give the rim significant impact improvement. The rims will continue to feature the same “hookless” design we have seen on previous models.

Now let’s not forget the hubs. These will continue as the trusty bear can we have learned to trust that will also continue to feature a 6-bolt rotor mounting design. The rear hub will feature 60 points of engagement which is just enough slack to provide the rider with quick engagement and not a lot of drag. Riders will have the option to choose between a fully machined aluminum XD or Shimano Freehub. As a sweet bonus, The Wheels will also come pre-wrapped in Tubeless Tape, including E*thirteen Plasma Tubeless Valves, Spare spokes, and nipples in the box.

Specs

Internal Width: 30mm
Wheels Size: 27.5” or 29”
Hookless Rim
Freehub: SRAM XD or Shimano 11-speed Freehub
Engagement: 60 POE
Front Hub Spacing: 15x110mm, 20x110mm
Rear Hub Spacing: 12x148mm Boost, 12x150mm, 12x157mm
Extras: e*thirteen Tubeless Rim tape, Plasma Tubeless Valve, Spare Spokes and Nipples
Price: $584 Front, $715 Rear

Installation

Installation is super easy as the wheels will come out of the box with Tubeless tape and a valve already installed. You simply just need to install your tire, which wasn’t too difficult to install unlike other carbon rims on the market; fill it with sealant, mount your rotors and cassette and go. The entire setup time could take any home mechanics under 20-minutes to complete. Maybe a little longer if you decide to run e*thirteen tires and have to match up the logos perfectly.

Initial impressions

So initially riding the LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheelset, I was in between bikes so I had our boy Zack hop on the wheels with the simple task of riding them as hard as he possibly could. If anyone has seen Zack ride, you know that he took this very serious and did just that. The reason I chose Zack for the task was simply that he rides hard and is a big guy that doesn’t always have the right line choice causing him to go through wheels often. Most riders also don’t choose the best lines so it seemed fitting to have Zack on board.

His initial impression was great! The wheel spun fast, had good engagement, were super stiff and even better he didn’t have to ride with extra caution because the wheels weren’t his. Weeks of testing and these held up to multiple flats on Suicide Trail which features pretty much nothing but sharp jagged rocks. Zack must have gone through 4 different sets of tires before finally settling on a spare with a lighter casing. Doing this proved to be a bad idea as, after only 3 rides on this lighter casing tire, Zack managed to ding a rock and crack the rim. Although he was not stranded on the trail. The design of e*thirteen’s rim left the tire sealed and Zack was able to finish the trail and even ride miles back to his house on the road without losing pressure.

The failure was a disappointment but not entirely surprising given the circumstances with tire choice and lower tire pressure. BUT luckily e*thirteen decided to back each wheel with a lifetime warranty and to prove this we reached out to e*thirteen just as a normal customer would in that situation. Within a matter of minutes, a support agent had the situation figured out with a replacement already on it’s way to us. If that doesn’t scream good customer service then I don’t know what does. I later asked e*thirteen for a statement on the situation.

“Even though e*thirteen carbon wheels have withstood multiple World Cup DH races in a row, we know that no rim is indestructible. That's why we engineer our to fail in a way that protects the inner wall and bead channel above all else, which retains air pressure in the tire even after most breaks. This lets riders pedal home and racers roll to the finish line. However, rim breaks are happening less and less each year and rarely overall, which is why we provide the lifetime warranty" – e*thirteen

Long Term Review

It was now time for me to finally hop on these wheels to work on this review. I was not too surprised with the stiffness and low rolling resistance of the hubs as I had been riding the TRS Race Carbon wheels for the previous 8 months. It felt relatively the same and I doubt most riders would feel a noticeable difference in performance.

After a few months aboard the new LG1R Enduro Carbon Wheels, I have seen no sign up extensive wear in the hubs. The bearing continues to spin as freely as they did out of the box, and unlike previous versions of the hubs, they do not come loose after a few rides. You are left with a smooth, fast rolling wheelset that you do not have to think twice about.

When looking at the rims, I did choose the correct casing and even decided to run a set of e*thirteen tires, the LG1R AT Enduro up front and the LG1R SS Enduro in the rear so I had no issues on rockier trails like Zack. Being a rider that enjoys a stiffer bike, the rims held true to their stiffness not only in the corners but also on big drops.

Conclusion

The e*thirteen LG1R Carbon Enduro Wheels have proven to be fast, strong, and ultimately cheap in comparison to the competition. Everything a rider would be looking for in a wheelset. With e*thirteen’s lifetime warranty, I find it hard to find a better option for most buyers. My only recommendations to riders interested in the LG1R wheelset is to make sure you choose the correct tire casing for your body weight, riding style and the riding conditions you experience often. Maybe even run a tire insert if you really need to run a lighter tire. At the end of the day, the failure we experienced was complete user error but e*thirteen stood behind their product and supplied us with a brand new wheel that is still rolling to this day.

LG1R Enduro Crankset

E*thirteen has not always been a top choice for their Carbon Cranks, in fact, there is a bit of bad juju surround them as many riders experienced failures and instantly fled to social media to make matter worse. The fact of the matter is that e*thirteen has spent plenty of time refining their carbon cranks and have blessed up with the all-new LG1R Enduro Carbon Cranks.

What’s The Difference?

Bundling all the changes together, let’s start with the spindle, e*thirteen has moved the spindle to the non-drive side crank arm to help the user easily align their chainline, installing or adjusting chain guides, as overall help ease maintaining your drivetrain. Crank thickness has been decreased and the spindle reduced for a lighter overall weight and heel clearance. For ease of use, the cranks feature a self-extracting bolt as well as a preload adjuster as we have seen on many other cranks on the market. The chainring will be held on by an aluminum lockring to replace the steel model we saw last year and is installed using the same tool as an e*thirteen Threaded Bottom Bracket. The Crankset will weigh in at a total of 483g for the 73mm version with a 32t SL Chainring.

Installation

Installation is super easy. Paired with an e*thirteen threaded BB, The crankset slid right into place without any hassle. Using a few of the spacers include with the cranks I was able to align the chainline perfectly however I did have some troubles with the preload adjuster. This is just a plastic ring and after the first adjustment, I noticed the threads had already worn way and it was no longer usable. Not an issue though as the included spacer made up of the extra play.

Impressions

Right off the bat, the cranks are as stiff and they look. They are big and beefy. And there wasn’t a feeling of intense flex while hopping around on the cranks, including some of the heavier guys here at the shop. I did not experience any rubbing on the chainstays from flex under load or in corners. On drops, large or small the cranks held up incredibly well with no doubt in my mind that they would be fine. Now months after installation the cranks are holding up fine with countless amounts of laps on the local DH trails. The crank boots have withstood countless rock strikes and the cranks are still crack free although they are a little beat up now.

Conclusion

The e*thirteen LG1R Enduro Crankset is a very sturdy and reliable crankset that can withstand pretty much anything you want to throw at it. From those aggressive DH trails, you go full enduro on to the easier trails to a weekend pedal, the cranks will do it all. These cranks do not disappoint and really make up for the reputation they received in prior years.