RACE FACE ERA WHEELSET REVIEW

Words by Travis Reill  |  Photos by Sourpatch

This spring, Robert visited our friends at Race Face and was handed a set of their new Era carbon wheels. He put a handful of miles on the wheelset on trails in the Santa Cruz area and was pleased with their performance — as far as initial impressions go. After Robert spent some time on the Eras, he passed them along to me for proper long-term test.

For their new Era wheels, Race Face didn’t go with the traditional model many of us are used to regarding carbon wheels. Where we commonly see an emphasis on vertical compliance and lateral stiffness, Race Face focused on the lateral compliance of the Era’s carbon, trusting the vertical compliance to other components of the bike. How different is Race Face’s take on carbon hoops, and did stepping away from traditional ideas of carbon wheels pay off? Read on to find out.

ABOUT THE RACE FACE ERA WHEELSET

The promises of carbon wheels are enticing to many. A more vertically compliant wheel that soaks up the rough chatter paired with lateral stiffness that holds in corners better than their alloy counterparts. Carbon wheel manufacturers seem to be trying to get closer and closer to the line before lateral stiffness turns to harshness while keeping the wheel vertically compliant.

However, Race Face seemed to walk away from that line with the new Era carbon wheels. Instead of trying to create the most laterally stiff wheel they could, Race Face created a wheelset with more lateral compliance than carbon wheel seekers may traditionally be used to. And while the wheels still have good vertical compliance, that wasn’t Race Face’s focus with the Eras. Race Face believes the chatter-absorbing, smooth ride we are often looking for in a carbon rim isn’t only from vertical compliance but lateral compliance as well. They also point out that handlebars can have more vertical compliance than a carbon rim, not to mention the vertical compliance from tires and a suspension fork.

What resulted was Race Face’s new Era wheels built with trail and all-mountain riding in mind, with a focus on creating a more laterally compliant wheel. Lateral compliance was added to the Era wheels, allowing them to deflect off rocks and roots better — or any other obstacle encountered on the trail — without a “pinball” feeling. Race Face claims that the Era’s ability to deflect and snap back into place instills more confidence because a rider will be able to hold their lines better.

This lateral compliance is specific to the front and the rear wheel. While both rims share the same 30mm inner width and 28 spoke count, the front rim has a shallower 18.6mm depth, while the rear rim is 4mm deeper, at 22.6mm. The shallower front creates a more compliant wheel laterally when compared to the deeper rear rim. Race Face has 27.5 front and rear, 29 front and rear, or mixed-wheel build options.

The Era wheels also feature Race Face’s Anvil Edge. This is a thicker bead wall, designed to help to prevent pinch flats to the tire from significant impacts and to add strength to the most vulnerable area. Also helping with the overall performance of the Eras is the asymmetrical design and 4mm offset of the spoke holes, helping to balance spoke tension and create a stronger wheel.

Race Face uses its legendary Vault hub, engaging quickly with its 3-degrees or 120 points of engagement. Despite a high-engaging hub, Race Face uses low-drag springs to reduce resistance when coasting. The Vault hub sees an atypical drive mechanism, with the pawls and drive ring in “reversed” positions compared to other hubs. Race Face also uses larger, more spaced-out bearings inside the Vault hub, creating a large hub shell which adds to the stiffness of the rear wheel. Vault hubs are offered in boost and super boost spacing for the rear hub (the front hub, of course, is boost only), and with a choice of XD or Microspline drivers. Currently, Vault hubs are only offered for 6-bolt rotors, although Race Face says a Centerlock option is on the way.

Despite the oversized Vault hub, the Race Face Era wheels come in at a respectable weight for a trail/all-mountain wheel. My first impression was that due to the size of the Vault hubs, the Eras would surely weigh quite a bit more than other wheels I’ve ridden, but the looks are deceiving. The overall weight of the Race Face Eras is 1750 grams for the 29er wheelset on test, and 1692 grams for the 27.5 version.

THE DIRT

I spent the last several weeks of spring and all of summer on the new Race Face Era wheels. From carbon to aluminum frames, the Era wheels spent time on a few different bikes. I’m a big fan of carbon wheels on an alloy frame, so the Eras spent the majority of testing time on my alloy Stumpjumper Evo. The Eras rolled on a Maxxis Assegai/DHR tire combo that was familiar to me and complimented the trail/all-mountain genre these wheels fall into.

These wheels have a lot of “compliance” talk surrounding them, and I think it is important to clear up any misrepresentations or assumptions. Race Face’s focus on lateral rather than vertical compliance doesn’t mean the Eras are vertically stiff and harsh. In straight lines over the top of chundery tech, I felt that the Eras performed well in the vertical plane, absorbing the trail chatter and harsh blows well. Undoubtedly, the wheels were also aided by the compliance of my carbon handlebars, the tires, and the 150-170mm of suspension travel front and rear.

I would like to reiterate this as the point that Race Face is making. They didn’t focus all their attention on lateral compliance and say, “To hell with vertical compliance–make ‘em stiff!” If anything, the new Race Face Eras are on par, if not more vertically compliant than many of the carbon rims I’ve ridden. What Race Face did was point out that more factors of the bike are helping with vertical compliance, and to a more significant degree than the wheel can (and should). While we need vertical compliance for the quality ride we’re looking for in a carbon rim, Race Face believes that lateral compliance is just as, if not more, substantial.

So, they designed the Eras with more lateral compliance. To be clear, the wheels are in no way “flexy,” like the feel of an OEM alloy wheel. But I certainly felt more compliance laterally, especially on faster corners and berms where the trail was relatively smooth. Think flow trails with supportive turns. Trusting them entirely took me a few rides on the Race Face Era wheels. However, this was more about getting used to the wheels rather than any issue with them. The lateral compliance felt noticeably different in the corners — more laterally compliant than other carbon rims I’ve ridden — and I needed time to get used to that feeling and know it would hold the line well.

That said, my experience with the Era’s lateral compliance on some of the more technical trails I rode them on was great. Race Face’s claim that lateral compliance allows the wheel to deflect off obstacles and snap back into place seems to be true. On chunky bits and in chunky corners, I felt that the Eras helped me hold my line well and keep the bike composed. Without back-to-back testing, I can’t say for sure if I could ride chunky, higher-speed corners faster and more consistently on the Eras than other carbon hoops. Do I bounce around aimlessly on the “laterally stiffer” wheels? No. Regardless, Race Face’s claim that a bit more lateral compliance helps you stay on your line seems to have some weight to it.

It is tough to say how noticeably different the lateral compliance was in the front and rear wheels. I certainly didn’t notice if the shallower front rim profile was more compliant than the rear — rear wheels are a bit stiffer regardless due to a larger hub, wider spacing, and the fact that they sit in the frame. However, the compliance of both wheels seemed to work well together, and I certainly appreciate a beefier rear wheel that can withstand higher magnitude impacts.

So, what is the verdict? Are these my new go-to wheels? Probably not. For my personal preferences, I like a wheel with a bit more lateral stiffness. That said, I have the luxury of riding many different carbon wheelsets regularly. I’m not saying those carbon wheels are better, only that I prefer their ride characteristics more than the Eras. Someone else who likes a more laterally compliant wheel will say that I’m crazy and choose the Eras over the “rigid” wheels I prefer. One of our other testers, Drew Rohde also has a set on his personal bike and is known to favor compliance-enhancing equipment as he loves to ride loose, low-traction trails. He really likes how the wheels allow him to stay low, fast and committed on loose-over-hard pack rocks and dirt, whereas I spend a bit more time hitting trails with berms.

If the Race Face Eras were an upgrade from an alloy set, much of this compliance and stiffness talk wouldn’t apply. Regardless of the Era’s lateral compliance, they offer much more lateral stiffness than an alloy wheel — especially a lower-spec’d OEM wheelset. They also cost $400-$1000 less than some of the wheels I prefer and come with a lifetime warranty, including crashes. With keeping up on regular hub service and spoke tension, the Race Face Eras could easily go from bike to bike, lasting quite a while.

The Wolf’s Last Word

I appreciate Race Face’s take on carbon wheels with the new Era wheel. The compliance keeps you from being bumped off your lines in techy bits, but snap back for the poppy, confident feel you’re looking for in carbon. If you’re a rider who’s looking to shed a little weight from their alloy wheel-equipped bike, but wants to retain the comfort and traction of a more compliant wheel, the Era’s would be an excellent choice. Riders who regularly ride in areas where traction is scarce may appreciate the extra line-holding capabilities too.

Although the Eras were a bit too laterally compliant for my taste, it is hard to beat the quality, ride feel, and lifetime warranty for $1,600.

Price: $1,599
Website: Raceface.com

WHERE TO BUY
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