e*thirteen Sidekick Hub: Zero Kickback for E-MTB Riders
Anyone who has climbed a rocky trail on an e-bike knows the feeling: the chain is under load, the rear wheel hits a bump, and that jolt kicks straight back into the pedals. It is called pedal kickback, and it is one of those small annoyances that adds up over a long ride. The e*thirteen Sidekick hub is built specifically to get rid of it, and it is one of the more interesting drivetrain components we have gotten hands-on with lately here at Hi Power Cycles. If you are running a trail or enduro e-MTB like the 2026 Trailblazer, this is worth understanding.
What Makes the Sidekick Hub Different
Most rear hubs force a tradeoff. You get either fast, reliable engagement or a smooth, low-drag freewheel — rarely both, and almost never with zero pedal kickback thrown in. e*thirteen built the Sidekick Rear MTB Hub to do all three at once: it eliminates pedal kickback, cuts freewheeling drag down to near zero, and coasts nearly silent instead of the usual buzzing freehub click. For riders who spend real time on technical, rooty, rocky terrain, that combination changes how the bike feels underfoot on every climb and every rock garden.
Built for Trail, All-Mountain, Enduro, and E-MTB Riding
e*thirteen designed the Sidekick hub around the demands of aggressive off-road riding, and it shows in who it is aimed at:
- Trail and all-mountain riders who want smoother power delivery over chunky terrain
- Enduro racers who need consistent, predictable pedal feel through rock gardens and root sections
- E-MTB riders who want to isolate the ride feel from motor and chain feedback on technical descents
That is squarely the terrain our Trailblazer and Trailblazer Pro full-carbon enduro e-bikes are built for, which is exactly why this kind of hub tech is on our radar.
Where a Hub Like This Fits on an HPC Build
Drivetrain feel matters as much as raw power on a performance e-bike. A rear hub that removes pedal kickback and freewheel drag pairs naturally with a wide-range cassette setup, like the Shimano SLX 12-Speed Cassette (10-51T) we stock for Trailblazer builds — giving you both smooth engagement and the low-end range needed for steep, technical climbing. If you are speccing out or upgrading a build, browse our full lineup in the Electric Bikes collection to see how these components come together on a complete machine.
The Bottom Line
Small components like the e*thirteen Sidekick hub do not grab headlines the way a new motor or battery does, but they are exactly the kind of detail that separates a bike that just has power from one that actually rides well on demanding trails. If you are building or upgrading a trail, all-mountain, enduro, or E-MTB setup and want to talk drivetrain options, reach out to the Hi Power Cycles team — we are happy to help you spec the right hub and cassette combo for how you actually ride.
