ÂÂ
BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Industry Nine, known for their signature mountain bike hubs and spokes (and their notoriously long lead times!) introduced a new line of road hubs, rims and complete wheels that look every bit as polished and sharp as their off road predecessors.  I9’s Jeff Baucom shows them off in the video above, and you can click the images below to enlarge (NOTE: Video includes mountain bike wheels and all hubs, which will be detailed in the next post).
 
 
Shown here is the Ego wheelset. At 1450 grams, they’re pretty darn light, and the cornucopia of color options will let you match just about any bike or team color combo.  Rim colors are white or black, and MSRP is $1,100, which includes ceramic bearings.
Read “more” for additional photos of these and their ID and SuperEgo Carbon-rimmed road wheels, plus all the technical specs and mechanical differences between their mountain and road hubs…
Industry Nine’s road bike wheels have been in development for four long years.  The result, as you’ll see in these pictures, is beautiful.  Technically, there are a lot of internal differences in the hub to reduce drag and weight.
First, they cut the number of engagement pawls in half, from six to three.  Next, they got rid of the “mini” teeth on each pawl and lowered the angle of attack.  Then, they reduced the number of teeth in the drive ring.  To top it all off, they put ceramic bearings throughout the hub.  Presto! Less drag and lower weight while adhering to the strict tolerances and quality of manufacturing Industry Nine is known for.
The Super Ego is the carbon-rimmed version of the Ego.  The 280g rims are made by Edge Composites and are 38mm deep and, like the Ego, run 18 spokes on the front, 24 on the rear.  They’re available in both clincher (1340g) and tubular (1100g).  The cool thing about the wheel design is the spoke nipples are at the hub, so if you’re running tubular, you don’t have to unglue the tire to true the wheel.
Close up of the carbon tubular rim.
The ID uses a 68mm deep Edge Composites carbon fiber rim, and also comes in clincher (1540g) and tubular (1240g).
Common elements and tech specs:
- 18 F / 24 R spoke counts
- Machined and Cold Forged bladed 7075 aluminum spokes
- Hub/Spoke Colors include Red, Black, Silver, Orange, Green, Blue, Pink, Purple, Brown, Gold and Pewter.  Custom charges apply for colors other than Red, Black and Silver
- Campagnolo or Shimano freehubs available
