Buyer’s Guide – Hand-built E-bike wheels

E-bikes are heavy, fast and fun.

They’re hard on their drivetrains, and especially brutal on their wheels.

When the time comes to upgrade your wheels, it’s handy to know your options. In this article I explore the available rim, hub and spoke options so that you can make an informed purchase decision.

I can pair any rim with any hub option, to create a custom wheelset just for you.

The first piece of equipment that will show a weakness is probably your rims.
Dents and dings will cause the wheels to go out-of-true, and in the case of alloy rims, this means new rims will be needed sooner or later.

At some point, if your existing wheels aren’t up to standard, you’ll start breaking spokes.
This is normally due to metal fatigue, caused by the spokes flexing too much over time. This is a symptom of either sub-par spokes, incorrect spoke tension, or both.

Finally, hubs are subject to the extra weight and power of e-bike drivetrains and you might find that the freehub or bearings wear out prematurely.

What you ultimately want is a set of wheels that you can fit and forget.

When you commission me to build your next set of e-bike wheels, my focus is to provide you with a set of wheels with ultimate longevity, reliability and durability.

Let’s explore your options.
(Disclaimer: availability & pricing subject to change – information accurate at time of publication)

Rims

E-bike rims should be strong, really strong, and wide enough to suit up to 2.6″ 29er tyres. Here are the available options from my network of suppliers, for your next custom wheel build.

DT Swiss FR541

• Weight: 605g (29″)
  
• Inner width: 30mm
  
• Outer width 35mm
  
• Rim depth 21mm
  
• Suggested selling price: R2495.00
  
  

Stan’s Flow EX3

• Weight: 618g (29″)
  
• Inner width: 29mm
  
• Outer width: 32.6mm
  
• Rim depth: 17.9mm
  
• Suggested selling price: R2625.00
  
  

Spank 359

• Weight: 540g (29″)
  
• Inner width: 30.5mm
  
• Outer width: 35mm
  
• Rim depth: 19mm
  
• Suggested selling price: R2495.00
  
  
  
  
  

Rims compared:

Any of the above rims will be a perfect choice for your high-performance e-bike, and will give you years of reliable service and worry-free shredding.

27.5″ rims are also available.

All of these options will provide a hassle-free tubeless experience, and will work well with tyres up to 2.6″ wide.

The pricing of these rims is similar, so don’t let that be the deciding factor – choose the rims you feel will suit you and your bike best.

E-bike rated hubs:

In this article we’ll explore hubs that are e-bike rated, and have freehub mechanisms which are burly enough to handle the extra loads and demands of high-power e-bikes.

Hope Pro5E

• 54 points-of-engagement steel freehub
• Steel freehub bodies available in xD, HG and Microspline
• Suggested selling price for front & rear hub set: R7695.00

DT Swiss 350 Hybrid

• 24t star ratchet freehub mechanism
• Steel freehub body
• Suggested selling price for front & rear hub set: R7450.00

Spank Hex Hubs

• 120t, 6-pawl, high-engagement freehub system
• Steel Microspline and HG freehub body
• Suggested selling price for front and rear hub set: R7250.00

Hubs compared

*In my opinion, xD driver freehubs in alloy are ok for e-bikes because the cassettes screw onto the freehub, and are not held in place by splines like the Shimano cassettes.

Spokes & nipples

To effectively deal with the weight and power (and extra speed) of your e-bike, I opt to use heavy-duty butted spokes and black brass DSN nipples to assemble your wheels.

I use either Sapim Strong or Pillar PSB34 spokes, which share a single-butted 2.3mm to 2mm profile, as pictured below.

Wheelset combinations compared

Of course, one can mix and match any of these rims onto any of these hubs.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST YOUR FREE, NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE FOR YOUR NEXT SET OF WHEELS

Conclusion

When you invest in a new wheelset for your e-bike, choose wisely. Choose quality and durability.

You should be able to enjoy every second of your time out riding your bike, and not have to worry at all about your wheels.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote, by filling out the form HERE.