Industry Nine - Love or not

I want to love them but not sure if its the flash everyone has paid for - or are they worth the 1K..](*,)

 

$1k? You need to shop around a little more. I've had a set since they first came out and have just had 1 broken spoke. I've had Chris King before also, guess it ultimately depends on what kind of riding you do. The I9's are very stiff laterally due to the spoke design and the engagement is the same if not better than Kings.

 

I9 gets no love from me. I am one of those guys that likes standard parts. Their regular jbend hubs are nice, but their special home grown use there spokes only wheels are not for me. Bigest reason.........You head out on an epic ride, travelling many hours in a stuffy barely running motorhome. Break a spoke on your first run of the first day.........Does the LBS have a spoke? Or the ability to aquire one fast? Chances are no, will they have a regular Jbend style spoke??? Chances are, they will have something that will work. Maybe its a DB, maybe its a straight gauge, but you get to fix your wheel, and keep riding. On top of that, the I9 spokes have a different tension, and if the yahoo working on them doesnt do it right, your in for a broken wheel.

 

I don't care for the I9 wheels either, but in their defense, I believe the wheels do come with extra spokes. I don't know about you, but when I go on a road trip, I take spare parts - and taking along the spare spokes is really no big deal.

Even if the wheels don't come with spokes, why wait until some fail before buying extras? Buy 'em before you need 'em. Cheap insurance. Compared to the rest of my road trip spare parts box, a few spokes are insignificant in cost and space (I take an extra Saint or XT derailleur, cables, brake lines, chains, tires, rotors, and often a rear shock, etc.).

 

Mine weren't rolling so well after a year, despite hub and bearing maintenance. No broken spokes, but when I put my old XT wheels on while they were in the shop being trued, I couldn't believe how fast the 4 year old XT wheelset (bearings/hub never serviced) rolled and how quiet and peaceful it was without the freehub noise. Sold em.

 

Well yeah, that would be the easy answer. But seriously, how many people will drop the cash for a extra spokes when they are costing as much as the I9's......

Just a little more food for thought, I have yet to see an I9 wheel with a single or two broken spokes...seems its always Half the spokes.

 

The noise was another thing that concerned me - thanks for your comment..

What do you mean by "half" ? Are you saying that you have seen half the wheel spokes boken at one time on I9's ?

 

From my understanding, the extra spokes are included in the price of the wheelset.

 

There is this set of photos that has been floating around the internet for a few years that a lot of people use to bash I9s. Turns out the rider was using one of their wheelsets not recommended for DH.

 

A new wheel comes with extra spokes. I saw a broken spoke at Downieville.

The coasting noise is less annoying that CK's. PS - It acts as a bell substitute. If you follow the Niner slogan, "Pedal Damnit", it's quiet.

 

By half, I mean exactly that. There has been more than a few I9 pics on ride monkey, the ones that jsut popped up I havent seen before, but 823's double tracks ETC... with about half the spoke sheared at the threaded end right at the hub. Thats what I mean.
Almost as if its like a zipper as they break..... Its not a common thing, but it effs with my head.

Is the extra spok thing something that is new, or has it always been like that when buing the wheels built? I know alot of guys were ordering and building tha wheels themselves.


Oh yeah just to be clear, I dont know anything on there hoops themselves, just the hub system I have seen built with different hoops.

 

i love my I9 29er wheelset. The engagement is spectacular, they're very easy to service and they're extremely stiff.

If you're on the fence Id' say go for it.

 

im getting mine next week:clap:

 

Built wheels have come with extra spokes for year(s).

Hoops are whatever you want. I chose Stan's Arch.

 

Can someone please post pictures of your I9's.

 

Very cool, I know you can use whatever hoop your heart desires, but I thought they were making there own hoops now too.

Didnt know about the built wheels coming with extras...... makes them look more attractive.

 

Here's a couple of mine...I love them!:bang:




:beer:

 

Try Red Barn, ask for Chad, or Larry at Mountain High Cyclery. Sometimes, this time of year, there are wheels to be had, if you aren't fussy on color, for a great price. I'd rather listen to you ride on Kings, Hadley's or DT Swiss hubs.

 

they look cool, however...

my retarded opinion, which i have expressed before for what its worth, is that i no longer recommend them to myself or friends (though Burner should buy a set)

I have owned now 5 sets of Industry Nine Wheels => 1 geared 29er, 2 geared 26er sets, two 29er SS sets.

They are indeed pretty, very stiff...thus, for a 29er it may begin to make sense to some.

Especially the 6-pawl and not the lame 3-pawl, have amazing engagement, likely the best.

Customer service is outstanding and the owners/employees are genuinely very cool peeps.

My experience is that in particular their rear hubs are questionable in their QC/constistency. I had to have new hubs replaced due to quality issues.

I will say the argument of proprietary spokes is retarded, since only a retard would be retarded enough to not always have spares as supplies run low.

I do not like their spokes however and feel they snap/break easier which is a tangible consideration, depending on how hard and where you ride. Not because you cant get their spokes (see above) but because it simply sux to have spokes break/snap more than "normal".

I have 1 set left, on my single speed and that set remains fine.

p.s. only a savant would pay close to retail

 

Has anybody here have had any issues with the I9's HUBS?