Description
Specifications
Rim | |
Series | Gnar |
Wheel Size | 29″ |
Tire Compatibility | Tubeless |
Rim Depth | 24.5mm |
Inner Width | 30mm |
Outer Width | 37mm |
Rim Profile | Asymmetric |
Offset | 3.5mm |
Bead Type | Hookless |
Other | |
Assembly Method | Handbuilt |
Rim Finish | Glossy Black |
Max Tire Pressure | 50psi/3.4bar |
Extras | Rim Tape(Installed), Tubeless Valves(Installed) |
Weight (Pair) | 1615g ±30g |
Rider Weight Limit | 275lbs/125kg |
Recommended Tire Sizes | 2.2″-3.1″ |
Intended Use | Cross Country / Trail/ All Mountain / e-MTB |
ERD | 590mm |
Hub | |
Front Hub Spacing | 15x100mm / 15x110mm |
Rear Hub Spacing | 12x142mm / 12x148mm |
Bearing | Please see FAQ data on the product page |
Brake Compatibility | Disc (6-bolt) |
Freehub Type | 8 Pawls 80T/320POE |
Freehub Compatibility | Shimano HG / SRAM XD / Shimano MS |
Spoke | |
Front Spoke Pattern | 3X/3X |
Rear Spoke Pattern | 3X/3X |
Spoke Count | 28F/28R |
Spoke Type | Sapim CX-Ray |
Nipple Type | Sapim Secure Lock |
29er Gnar Trail Emtb Carbon Wheelset

RIM
Elitewheels has left no stone unturned when designing the 29er Gnar Trail’s rim. The asymmetric rim profile of the 29er Gnar Trail leads to better stress balance, greater lateral stiffness, and strength at the spoke holes.
38 layers of carbon fiber are placed at each spoke hole to offer reinforcement. This further improves the strength and stiffness of the rim. The rim bead has been made 17% thicker to improve impact resistance
In addition, during the rim production process, internal inflatable bladders from a special material are used to produce smoother walls, eliminating wrinkles and voids, allowing for an even stronger and more reliable rim that can be made lighter, as over-engineering is not necessary. We use genuine Toray T700 and T800 carbon fiber, which is superior to generic varieties in terms of weight and impact resistance.
But these are not just words. Using our custom impact test rig, we can demonstrate how the rim’s design and manufacture stacks up. The measured impact energy (J) at first sign of failure is 126 Joules, giving you peace of mind that the Gnar Trail 29er truly is a rugged wheel.
The rims are designed to make fitting tubeless hookless wheels simple, requiring just a floor pump.
HUB
The Elitewheels Frequency hubs are made of 6061 aluminum alloy and feature S&S 6903(Hubs), S&S 17287(Freehub) Bearing. These large bearings in the front and rear hubs offer an increased contact area, providing a better force distribution, resulting in lower rolling resistance and better durability.
Both the front and rear hubs are forged and then machined using our own Fanuc CNC equipment. The rear hub features an engagement system of 8 pawls and 80 ratchets. Pawls are staggered into 4 groups of 2 pawls. The other pawls are simultaneously preloaded. This allows for 320 true points (or 1.125º) of engagement. This means exceptionally fast and efficient power transfer no matter the riding you do. Each pawl has two claws, spreading the driving force over a larger surface area, therefore maximizing the contact points and extending the life of the freehub.
Hub servicing has been made easy with no need for special tools.
SPOKES
Sapim CX-Ray spokes come standard. We take precautions to ensure that spoke windup is minimized, so wheels don’t go out of true. After the initial truing, the wheel is stress relieved. This process is repeated again. The wheels are stress relieved a total of 16 times. We see this as an essential quality control standard. As a result, our wheels are guaranteed to stay within 0.2mm of true.
The 3.5mm spoke offset minimizes the right and left spoke tension difference. This makes for a stronger and more laterally stiff wheel, giving you more control.
EMTB
The 29er Gnar Trail has been designed to be used on eMTBs. In order to deal with the additional stresses wheels are subjected to during eMTB riding, this wheelset has been designed from the ground up. The rear wheel has been carefully engineered to handle the additional torque from an electric motor. Extra reinforcement has also been added to improve impact resistance when encountering obstacles.
Greg Paniagua (verified owner) –
I received the gnar trail wheels 3 days ago and after riding them for the first time I must admit it has transformed my bike for the better. The build quality is excellent and they are incredibly light at 1643g with tape and valves for how wide and burly they are. The high engagement rear hub just adds to the premium feel while being loud but not obnoxiously so.Overall I highly recommend these as a big upgrade to any bike using aluminum wheels. I do wish Elite would offer their high engagement hub as an upgrade to all of their other wheel options as I would certainly purchase their Pro 33 for my race bike.
Patrick (store manager) –
Hello Greg. It is nice to see that you are satisfied with the wheels. Thank you for sharing your experience with them. As for having the having the option to select the Frequency hubs on other MTB wheels, that may be a possibility. Your recommendation is appreciated.
William P Smith (verified owner) –
I recently purchased the 29er Gnar Trail wheelset for my Fezzari Delano Peak trail bike and I could not be happier. The quality is on par, if not superior to, other carbon wheels I have ridden. The Frequency hubs are robust and I doubt I will have any issues with them even thought I weigh 220 lbs in my riding gear. If the need presents itself, I will absolutely purchase another set of Elite Wheels!
Patrick (store manager) –
Hello William. It is great that you are enjoying the 29er Gnar Trail wheels. Thank you for sharing your experience. Happy riding!
Peter Halliday (verified owner) –
Just received a pair of Gnar wheels, what can i say fantastic wheels delivered on time, completely night and day compared to the stock wheel which came with my Trek Fuel Exe.
Patrick (store manager) –
Hi Peter. Thank you for sharing your experience. It is great to hear that they have been a worthwhile upgrade. They have been specifically designed for ebikes like the Trek Fuel Exe. If you have any pictures out riding, you are welcome to share them with us.
Rob Lovelace (verified owner) –
Upgraded from the 29er Pro36 wheel set which was an excellent wheel set. The new Gnar Trail builds upon that wheel set with a stronger and beefier rim profile, but still a great weight and compliance profile. The new hubs feel and look beefier than the previous Elite hubs on the Pro36’s. The Pro36’s utilize the ratchet system where these use pawls and springs. I much prefer the pawls/springs combo as I had a little slippage with the ratchets (upgraded to 60T). The buzz is noticeable but not as annoying as i9 Hydra’s. The hubs have a really cool silver/black fade anodizing finish. The Sapin CX Ray straight pull spokes are great spoke and the asymmetric rim profile is very strong. I’ve put about 120 miles on these since receiving them and they have been great. From time of order to receiving the wheel set on the east coast was about 3 weeks. Went with the black decals and with the new dark grey rim color looks great. I did love the marble look of the Pro36’s but these look just as dope! Thanks for another great wheel set Elite!