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Easton launches superlight tubular road wheels

Published September 2, 2014
Updates to clarify how spokes are replaced.

Editor's note: This story was originally published Aug. 27. This version is updated to clarify how the E100 spokes are replaced in case of damage. We also added a photo of the spoke ring and the new rim shape.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Easton Cycling, under its new ownership shared with Race Face, is showing a variety of new wheels at Eurobike, including a superlight road tubular set with carbon spokes, as well as 650b versions of some of its popular mountain bike wheels. The brand also has a new 700c disc-compatible wheelset for cyclocross or gravel road racing.

The E100 tubular road wheel is the brand's most radical new offering, and with an MSRP of $3,800, it should be. The E100 weighs just 1,050 grams per set, with a 45 mm-deep rim with Easton's Fantom Rim aero profile and tensioned carbon spokes. The wheels are serviceable because the spokes and a ring hub flange are molded separately for each side. So if one spoke breaks, all the spokes on that side of the wheel can be replaced.  

The wheel has been in development for several years.

"The E100 is beyond the normal development cycle, utilizing technologies that haven't been seen before in the bike industry, resulting in a wheel that is lighter than anything we've ever made," said Easton product manager Adam Marriott.

Marriott said in-house testing included shooting a steel rod into a spinning wheel to see how the carbon reacted.

Also on the road side, Easton is launching a redesigned EC90 SL Carbon Clincher and Carbon Tubular. Both wheels now have the Fantom Rim profile. MSRP starts at $2,400 for those, with the tubular set weighing just 1,175 grams.

On the mountain bike side, Easton is now offering its Haven Carbon in 27.5-inch; the company is touting the $2,200 Haven set as the lightest enduro wheel on the market. The aluminum-rimmed Havoc wheel is also now available in 27.5-inch, and the new size has already been raced by the Lapierre and Devinici Downhill World Cup teams.

 

The spokes on each side of the wheel, along with their hub ring, can be replaced.
Topics associated with this article: Eurobike

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