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WTB HTZ i30 e-bike wheelset review

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Liam Mercer's picture

Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.

Product reviews

The HTZ i30 wheelset takes WTB's known durability and adds some very cool e-bike-specific features. While there’s little in the way of compliance, they’re as amazingly robust and the extra mass combined with the stiffness can elevate any e-mountain bike’s ride.

 

WTB HTZ i30 - Technical details

The HTZ i30 wheelset is WTB’s first attempt at the e-MTB-specific wheelset concept. Designed for those that want to push themselves and their bikes without fear of wrecking the rims, this wheelset benefits from a range of features all with the aim of boosting durability. 

First off, the 6069 alloy, asymmetrically designed rims get walls that are 20% thicker than the brand’s non-e-bike specific offerings and the freehub body is made using heat-treated steel. The wheels are laced using 13-gauge butted spokes that are oversized at the hub to increase stiffness and help counteract the higher braking and acceleration forces typical of full-fat e-bikes.

There's also internal I-beam internal support inside of the rims which further increases strength.

In that rim, WTB has built in its known Solid Strip tech (which is a nylon strip that sits between the rim and rim tape) to give a smoother interface between the tyre and rim when setting up tubeless. Not only is this designed to make tubeless setups easier, but it stops air from escaping through the spoke holes, says the brand.

There’s also an On-Ramp profile that’s shaped to provide a consistent slope away from the valley of the rim. This helps the tyre’s bead slip to place when inflating.

2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset rear hub.jpg
2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset rear hub.jpg, by Liam Mercer


The freehub has been designed specifically for use on e-bikes, so its body has been built from heat-treated steel that’s said to eliminate gouging while minimising the chance of pawl socket failure, or skipping under load. That freehub employs six pawls, each of which engages simultaneously to better distribute the load under pedalling. The outer diameter of the rear axle sleeve has been upped to 17mm. WTB says that this reduces axle flex in corners, and when pedalling. This freehub then offers 8.5-degrees of engagement. 

Finally, double-stacked sealed Enduro bearings are at the inboard end of the freehub body. Cleverly, a rotor-mounted heat sink sits behind the six-bolt rotor mount. We’re told that this dissipates heat up to 10% more effectively on longer descents. This has been added to keep brakes cool, and performing as best they can.

2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset sinks.jpg
2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset sinks.jpg, by Liam Mercer


As for weight, the HTZ i30 wheelset certainly isn’t light, tipping the scales at 2,662g. With that in mind, it may be best left to full e-bikes, rather than those of the lightweight variety. It is comparable to competing e-bike-specific wheels, however.

WTB HTZ i30 - Performance

WTB’s efforts in rim profile design, with a bid to make tubeless installation easy, have not been in vain. The WTB Verdict tyres popped into place with little issue.

Though when tipping the wheels into their first trail, that’s where it became clear that the HTZ isn’t your average wheelset. Straight away they showed a keenness to gather momentum solely due to the extra weight that had been added to the bike. The 8.5-degree freehub pickup feels urgent, though it's not the quickest around which is a small price to pay for reliability and peace of mind.

Adding heat sinks to a wheelset to dissipate braking heat is a super-serious addition and, when riding, better braking performance isn’t something I’ve noticed, to be honest. This is something that is hard to quantify though.

2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset rim.jpg
2023 wtb htz i30 wheelset rim.jpg, by Liam Mercer


The stiffness built in through the inclusion of those seriously fat spokes and the thick rim walls is also incredibly obvious. Flex is almost non-existent when railing corners and the absurd level of stiffness helps the wheel track, and hold its line through questionable terrain. 

Though, while confidence-inspiring, the stiffness offers incredibly little flex to absorb vibrations. So there’s a noticeable sting felt on bigger hits, and chattery vibrations are transmitted straight to the hands.

2023 wtb htz i30 front hub.jpg
2023 wtb htz i30 front hub.jpg, by Liam Mercer


But the real benefit of this wheelset is its all-out strength. There's a knuckle-shaped root on my test circuit that I know will dent a rim and the HTZ shrugged off the impact as if it never happened. And even after several jaunts through loose rock gardens, it’s showing no scratches and it still remains perfectly true.

And the same goes for the bearings. After the test period, they're still spinning as smoothly as they did when the wheels were unboxed.

WTB HTZ i30 - Verdict

At £600, the HTZ i30 wheelset is pricier than many e-MTB-specific wheels but few have received the attention to detail that’s present here. Hunt’s E_Enduro Wide wheels come with thick rim walls and large hub bodies with heat sinks but offer all of that for £150 less than the HTZ set.

Then Hope’s Fortus 30 wheels get triple-cavity construction for strength, though lack heat sinks. The Fortus 30 wheelset also costs £450.

Though pricier than its competition, the WTB HTZ i30 wheelset isn’t one to be shrugged off. The wheel's combination of strength and stiffness adds a level of confidence and durability that’s tough to find elsewhere.

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