E*THIRTEEN HELIX RACE 12-SPEED 9-52T CASSETTE REVIEW
WIDEST RANGE IN THE BIZ
Words by Robert Johnston | Photos by Finlay Anderson
Aftermarket cassettes have their work cut out. After all, offering something over and above the established performance that the “big S’s” offer is always going to be a difficult task, with their years of expertise and huge engineering development budgets. But with a little out-the-box thinking and by defying convention, brands like e*thirteen present some promising offerings, such as the Helix Race 12-speed cassette, available in 9-52T and the e-focused 13-52T range options. We’ve been logging countless miles on both, and today it’s time to share our thoughts on the widest range mountain bike cassette on the market.
ABOUT THE E*THIRTEEN HELIX RACE 12-SPEED 9-52T CASSETTE
By equipping the uniquely designed 2-piece Helix Race 12-speed cassette with a 9T small cog and 52T large cog, e*thirteen was able to deliver a best-in-class 578% range. For context, a SRAM Eagle 10-52T packs 520% range, and Shimano 12-speed offerings max out at 510%.
The two-piece construction of the Helix Race 12-spd cassette is made to fit a SRAM XD and XDr freehub, but uses a unique system for its attachment. Certain hubs that are out-of-spec (such as Hope) require the use of shims.
The first, aluminum portion of the cassette contains a 52T and 43T cog. It sits on the splines of the XD and a pinch bolt secures it in place. The remainder of the cassette (9-36T) is forged and machined. It sits on an engineered plastic bushing, and “locks” into the alloy portion of the cassette with a slight turn. There are six tabs where the alloy and steel portions interface, spreading the load. Finally a small hex bolt is added to the alloy portion as a failsafe to prevent the steel section from unthreading.
e*thirteen claims the Helix Race 12-speed cassette to be compatible with chains from SRAM, Shimano and KMC. It should work great with Shimano, TRP and SRAM 12-speed systems (including Eagle AXS), with T-Type being an exception due to the different cassette spacing. A SRAM Flat Top chain should work fine, though may wear the e*thirteen cassette quicker due to larger rollers.
The two-piece design of the e*thirteen Helix Race cassette allows for each portion to be replaced separately, and e*thirteen makes these available to purchase. The full Helix Race 12-speed cassette retails for $345.95 / £319.95 / €348.95, with a choice of five standard colors. There’s also a PVD-coated Intergalactic colorway with claimed extended wear life, which retails for $379.95 / £349.95 / €383.15.
THE DIRT
I wanted to give the e*thirteen Helix cassette a truly long-term test, as what use is a fancy cassette if it’s going to wear out fast or be vulnerable to dodgy shifts? I’m not going to say that I log the most miles in the saddle of any rider, but the e*thirteen cassette has found itself on five different test bikes at this point, and is still good to go for some more. I’m a big fan of the system e*thirteen uses to fix the cassette to a SRAM XD driver body, removing the need to deal with sticky threads or any high torque moments with a chain whip. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the Hope driver body needs some adaptor shims to work, which don’t appear to be the neatest solution, but will likely do the job. Regardless, on various other SRAM XD freehub bodies I’ve not heard a peep out of it when pedaling, contrary to my expectations for some creaking to set in after some dusty laps. It has also avoided coming loose at any point, much to my relief.
Shifting performance is solid. It doesn’t quite have the smooth shifting under load of the likes of a Hyperglide+ cassette, but you can keep most of the power on and the chain will slot into the next cog with reasonable accuracy. I haven’t found the e*thirteen cassette to be any more sensitive to derailleur setup, and I’ve enjoyed success temporarily stealing the wheel to go onto a variety of different Shimano and SRAM 12spd drivetrains without complaint. It even survived some time on a T-Type setup, though I do believe big SRAM will shun you if they catch whiff of such a travesty.
Having the cassette go all the way down to 9t is pretty genius, so long as you’re not a rider who’s regularly topping out their drivetrain on extended road pedals. The 9T is slightly more “rumbly”, for lack of a better term, so should be reserved mainly for hard sprinting efforts rather than long stints. But its inclusion allows you to down-size your front ring by 3T without losing top-end, effectively pushing the 51T up to a 56T. Of course, you should check frame clearance and account for a slight change to your suspension kinematic by doing so, but it allows for a very spin-friendly drivetrain setup without an even more ridiculous “dinner plate” rear cog.
I can’t put a mileage on my time on board the e*thirteen cassette, but I can say that it’s held up amicably to a whole load of riding. Through some proper crunching high torque shifts, there’s a little scarring that’s developed on the alloy cogs, but no proper damage that’s going to threaten its lifespan. There’s some scarring and some sharpening of the teeth, but no broken teeth or slipping of a chain – even a new chain – in use. And with the knowledge that you can replace the three alloy cogs and keep the steel units going for longer without the expense and waste is neat too.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Overall, as a great looking, solid performing cassette with exceptional range, the e*thirteen Helix Race cassette is a really good offering. If you’re able to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the extra-wide range, then it’s a particularly solid product. 
Price: $345.95 / £319.95 / €348.95
Website: Ethirteen.com
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