Industry Nine

Cross Country 26in Wheelset

Without a doubt, most think of their luscious anodized hubs and spokes when the name Industry Nine is mentioned. Over the last few years, Industry Nine has seemingly dominated mountain biking -- appearing on podiums with Team Morewood and in countless pictures of bikes and buzz on MTBR. Despite their gorgeous aesthetic, that's the last reason they're worth considering.

The stock Industry Nine XC Wheelset is built around an ingenious hub/spoke design laced to the new lightweight and sturdy Industry Nine rims. They are 23mm wide and have a welded joint and eyelets at the spoke holes for durability. The spokes are machined to a diameter of .100" from ultra light 7075-T6 aluminum. "Aluminum," you ask? Yep. It's not only possible, but borderline genius as they are designed specifically to address the two weakest points found in a traditional steel spoke -- the j-bend, and the threading -- the two spots spokes generally fail. Industry Nine eliminates the j-bend altogether as each spoke threads directly into the hub. In fact, the threaded portion of each spoke has a root diameter greater than that of the spoke itself, making it super strong. The end result is a gorgeous, lightweight aluminum spoke with strength equal to a 14/15g double butted stainless steel spoke.

No worries though, no special tools are needed -- a standard .126 spoke wrench still does the trick. Each wheel uses 32 spokes laced in a 3-cross pattern. This displaces impacts across a broader area, provides optimum stiffness, torsional strength, and keeps your wheels true longer. After all, that's the point isn't it? And, should you have one fail on the trail, you can fix it in a snap -- just pull the tire to the side, drop it in, and thread it into place. You'll receive two spare spokes of each size with your wheelset purchase.

The Industry Nine hubs are the nerve center of the wheelset. The hub shells and axles are machined from 7075-T6 aluminum and they accept a six bolt rotor -- they're both strong and stunning and can be relied upon for years to come. The cassette body is machined from 7068 aluminum for lightness and durability. There are just an incredible 3 degrees of rotation between the 120 engagement points. Any of you faced with technical climbs will understand just how important a performance advantage this is -- no wasted motion, seemingly instant engagement. Out of the box, it delivers a distinctive buzz that mellows with age. And tested beyond 700 ft-pounds of force (like your super-chipped Ford Power Stroke diesel engine), Industry Nine has experienced zero drive mechanism failures. For the cherry on top, Industry Nine uses hardened 17-4 Stainless Steel endcaps -- chances are, they'll outlast you.

Industry Nine is a company fueled by engineers that set out to "do it better." The name is derived from the fact that they are the ninth company to be spawned from the parent company, Turnamics, which designs and manufacturers everything from robots that build robots to assault knives to killer wheels -- and, they do this all in beautiful Asheville, NC. After visiting them and their 60 CNC machines, we understood that production will likely never be a problem!

Clint Spiegel is the owner of Turnamics, and chief engineer who conceptualized the revolutionary design that makes these wheels so special. Clint is a longtime cyclist who consistently asks, "How can I do this better?" Not so different than most of us, but Clint has been blessed with a brilliant engineering mind and a bevy of CNC machines at his disposal. So, he decided to reinvent the wheel. And, something tells us he's not going to stop with the Industry Nine XC Wheelset.

The stock Industry Nine XC Wheelset is available with matching spokes and hubs in anodized red or black laced to black Industry Nine rims. The front hub is ready for a 15mm thru-axle and the rear uses a standard quick release. If you'd rather have a quick release front hub, we most likely have the small parts on hand for the conversion, just let us know. And, the rear can convert to 10 x 135 thru-axle with the appropriate conversion kit. If these color options aren't what you had in mind, and if you'd like something custom, give us a ring or drop us a line as Industry Nine can customize a wheelset in most any color combination on any rim -- it will require a wait of 10-12 weeks though. Skewers are not included. 1620g

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