It’s not a new idea, nor is it without potential side effects, but if just a fraction of the claimed benefits from E*Thirteen’s new Sidekick hub are accurate, then this could solve a problem that’s been hampering suspension performance since day one. Built-in to the new Sidekick hub is a mechanism that allows free movement of the chain in both directions while coasting, which is claimed to eliminate pedal kickback during big hits and smooth out chain vibration over trail chatter. The result is better grip, improved control, and reduced rider fatigue. The hub is available separately, or built in to complete wheel sets that E*Thirteen hope can compete with the best wheels on the market.

The E*Thirteen Sidekick hub uses a larger shell to accommodate the dead stroke mechanism.

If all that sounds familiar, it’s essentially the same claims made by chainring/spider brand Ochain – now used by seemingly the whole UCI Downhill World Cup field – a device that sits between the crank and the chainring. However, E*Thirteen claims its system is superior as it interrupts the negative effects of pedal kickback at source, with reduced chain slap being a bonus.

Three different ‘pawl pushers’ allow riders to vary the amount of float.

So how does it work?

Inside the enlarged hub body is a two-part pawl system (a sprung bar that engages with the ratchet teeth). When coasting, one pawl is constantly engaged with the ratchet ring as it would in a normal hub. The other three pawls are sprung back, away from the ratchet, leaving them free to rotate with the hub. But at a certain point, those disengaged pawls hit the chamfered edge of the inner ring (E*Thirteen calls them pawl pushers) and are forced outward to engage with the ratchet teeth. The distance they can rotate before being pushed out into the ratchet can be tuned by the rider to individual tastes, and different terrain, by swapping the central pawl pusher part. This job can be done without tools, and there are three pawl pusher options allowing either 12º, 15º, or 18º of float – or deadband in E*Thirteen parlance.

Inside the new E*Thirteen Sidekick hubs you can see the three primary pawls reside in the freehub body and remain retracted until they rotate clockwise far enough to hit the angled ramps of the pawl pusher (the red part), and engage with the toothed ratchet ring.

What are the benefits?

The general idea is to reduce pedal kickback and chain vibration, which manifests in sharp jolts and slaps felt through the rider’s feet, and which can impede the ability of the suspension to move quickly, particularly on big, square-edge hits. But also chain vibration can cause feedback to the rider as well as unwanted noise. Basically it’s said to replicate that mystical chainless feel that everyone raves about. Something Aaron Gwin is keen to highlight in his testimonial: “Running the new Sidekick hub kind of makes my bike feel the way it did in Leogang when I won that race without a chain“, he said.

Aaron Gwin is a fan, saying it makes his Crestline DH bike feel like his old chainless Specialized Demo on which he won that famous Leogang World Cup.

E*Thirteen also claims it creates more active suspension while braking, and that flat pedal riders particularly will feel the benefits, which makes sense in that it will feel less like their feet can get blown off, even if any reduction in pedal kickback will be the same whichever pedal system you use. Another benefit touted by this technology is less friction, where the minimal drag helps carry speed. According to Joe Breedon of the Intense Factory Team, “the new Sidekick hub feels like cheating. We’ve done the testing. The difference in friction without pawl drag, and how much faster it is, gives us a huge advantage time-wise over everyone else.”

Data-logging suggests the suspension is more active with the Sidekick hub, particularly in the middle of the travel.

Is there any science to back this up?

Sure, E*Thirteen has used the Motion Instruments system to data log rear wheel and shock performance with and without the Sidekick hub. According to E*Thirteen, the tests revealed a marked improvement in time spent in the mid-stroke of travel, where the bike was more active. It’s worth noting that the effects will vary across different bikes designs, but if your bike has lots of anti-squat, then the effects of the Sidekick should be most obvious.

Here you can see the main drive pawls are disengaged with 15º of float. As they contact the curved profile of the pawl pusher, they are forced out against the ratchet teeth.

“Using data acquisition I was able to test and quantify the effects of the Sidekick hub. It’s easy to see that the rear end of the bike is more active, especially in the larger mid-stroke of the shock.

In our tests we saw a cumulative increase of up to 44% in time spent across the 11%-70% travel ranges with DH bikes. Results will vary for different bike designs. It was also really impressive to see 20% less crank movement in comparison to the standard hub, meaning the cranks and pedals are more stable and subjected to less accelerations.”

– Nick Lester (Downamics Data Acquisition – Muc-Off Young Guns)

Dakotah Norton has been testing the new hub, alongside teammate Ronan Dunne and the Intense Factory Team.

Are there any downsides?

Of course there are compromises to be made with any system that decouples the chain from the rear hub drive mechanism. One is a slight lag when commencing pedalling before the freehub engages. Due to the angle of the pawl pushers, this shouldn’t be felt as an annoying jolt, but there will be a delay compared to a fast engaging freehub. Also there is a benefit to be had from loading up the suspension through the drivetrain into supportive turns – as the bike loads into the berm and the suspension compresses, this lets you apply more force through the drivetrain, push the bike into the ground for traction, and get fired out of the turn as the bike extends. How this will be affected by the Sidekick hub mechanism remains to be seen. E*Thirteen states that the engagement is ‘crisp and familiar’, compared to the ‘elastic’ feeling found with the Ochain design. There is also a small weight penalty to the design, and of course, you will have to buy new wheels (or get new wheels built).

The Sidekick hub is designed for downhill, enduro, and e-bike use. In fact e-bike owners might find that motor rattle is also reduced in conjunction with a Sidekick hub.

You can buy the E*Thirteen Sidekick hubs separately and individually, or built into complete wheelsets with E*Thirteen’s new rims.

What about pricing?

The Sidekick hub is not cheap. In the UK it costs £469.95 (€499.95 / $499.95). It’s available with XD, Microspline, Mini-HG and an integrated 7-speed DH cassette (an extra £90). Available widths are Boost, Super Boost, 157 x 12mm and 148mm DH. The axle is steel and the hub shell is 6061-T6 alloy, and it is compatible with standard J-bend spokes. The weight is 452g for the Boost hub with XD. Matching front hubs are also available for £159.95 (€169.95 / $169.95).

The new E*Thirteen Sylvan Sidekick wheel.

E*Thirteen Sylvan and Flux Sidekick complete wheel options

E*Thirteen also has fully built wheels with the Sidekick hub. These are the Flux and Sylvan, where the Flux has a specific rim designs optimised for enduro and DH riding, and the Sylvan is aimed at all-mountain/trail use.

Prices are:

• Sylvan Sidekick wheels alloy – £349.95 (€379.95 / $379.95) front /  £569.95 (€629.95 / $629.95) rear
• Sylvan Sidekick wheels carbon – £709.95 (€779.95 / $779.95) front /  £1,019.95 (€1,119.95 / $1,119.95) rear

The new E*Thirteen Grappler Sidekick hubs.

• Grappler Sidekick Flux wheels alloy (Enduro) – £349.95 (€379.95 / $379.95) front /  £589.95 (€649.95 / $649.95) rear
• Grappler Sidekick Flux wheels carbon (Enduro) – £729.95 (€799.95 / $799.95) front /  £1,099.95 (€1,199.95 / $1,199.95) rear
• Grappler Sidekick Flux wheels alloy (DH) – £349.95 (€379.95 / $379.95) front /  £599.95-699.95 (€659.95-799.95 / $659.95-799.95) rear
• Grappler Sidekick Flux wheels carbon (DH) – £769.95 (€849.95 / $849.95) front /  £1,249.95-£1,389.95 (€1,349.95-1,499.95 / $1,349.95-1,499.95) rear