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EB15: Reynolds upgrades BlackLabel MTB wheels w/ Industry Nine hubs, Discontinues (almost) all alloy rims

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Industry Nine, which has been running carbon rims on their own premium level mountain bike wheels is no stranger to partnering with Reynolds. Their first carbon rim wheels were using Reynold’s XC rims, and I9’s current carbon MTB rims are made for them in Reynold’s U.S. factory.

Now, the relationship is going the other way, too, as Reynolds announces that all of their BLACKLABEL mountain bike wheels will be built using Industry Nine’s U.S. made hubs. That’s a big departure from the DT Swiss 240s used when the BLACKLABEL series debuted in early 2014. The new I9 hubs are a custom design just for Reynolds with a Centerlock rotor mount, but will use the Asheville, NC, brand’s well known Torch 6-pawl internals.

The original XC, TR and AM wheels all carried a $2,400 price tag. With the new “Reynolds Straight Pull Hubs by I9”, the price changes to $2,500, but there’s much more to them than just new hubs…

 

 

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The I9 internals provide 3° of rotation for ultra quick engagement. Those parts, the shell, and everything else to do with the hubs is made in Asheville.

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The wheels will ship with QR endcaps and 15mm front/12×142 rear end caps, plus a CenterLock to 6-bolt adapter.

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All but the 27.5+ rims are asymmetric, and all of them are now hookless. That’s done to reduce the chance of impact damage and ease tire installation. They’re manufactured to the ETRTO standard, which they say will also improve tire compatibility across the board. The asymmetry keeps spoke tension more even for a stronger wheel. They use bladed spokes, which they say provides better wheel compliance.

Models, weights and specs are:

  • Trail 29er: 1,545g – 25mm internal width – 28/28 spokes
  • Trail 27.5: 1,525g – 25mm internal width – 28/28 spokes
  • Enduro 29er: 1,585g – 28mm internal width – 28/28 spokes
  • Enduro 27.5: 1,565g – 28mm internal width – 28/28 spokes
  • 27.5 Plus: 1,625g – 40mm internal width – 28/28 spokes

All wheels are $2,500 except the Plus wheelset, which is $2,600 (Euro pricing is €2,273 and €2,364, respectively). The 27.5+ wheel set will only come with Boost hub spacing for aftermaket. All wheels start shipping in December in limited numbers, more coming early next spring.

The wheels will all get bright colors out of the box, but you’ll be able to order sticker kits aftermarket to match it to your bike. Prices and colors are TBD, but there’ll be four for each wheelset.

They’re also developing an 80mm wide carbon rim for Borealis that’ll be shown in September and will be built with the new I9 hubs.

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Across both road and mountain, the Stratus Pro wheels are the only aftermarket alloy wheels that will stay in the line. There are no more alloy mountain bikes wheels, and the Stratus are on the high end of the scale. Why? They’re focused on the high end of the aftermarket only now.

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The 46 Aero carbon wheels get a new disc brake version that stretches rim width to 19mm internal, sitting at 26.2mm external. In making the change, they removed the outside Step Hook, an aerodynamics enhancing feature that becomes less valuable when running wider tires, which they say a lot of riders are using on this wheel. It also had the side benefit of shaving a bit of weight, too. wheelset weight is 1,625g.

ReynoldsCycling.com

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RoDe
RoDe
9 years ago

Wow that is a big gamble to dump all aluminium rims and just go for the carbon high end. I’m still contemplating carbon rims, but still not sure because of price and I would hate ruining $1000 rims.

Chasejj
Chasejj
9 years ago

Hmmmmm. Carbon Chicom made rims, Hubs using questionable drive system (compared to bulletproof CK or DT systems) and all for similar to ENVE (US made ) wheels.
I don’t get it.
I build my own using Chicom Nextie CF rims (also asymetric) and CK hubs with DT Aero’s for 1/2 that amount. Go buy Jobst Brandt’s book and build 2 pairs for yourself.

JMG DC
JMG DC
9 years ago

Chasejj: How do you know the rims are “Chicom made”?

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

@JMG- I think chase is syaing his own carbon rims are Chinese-made.
@chase- Is I9’s drive system untrustworthy? I haven’t heard anything bad about I9’s in this regard. I do wonder if it’s good to have wheels that are so stiff- carbon rims + big tube aluminum spokes.

Matt
Matt
9 years ago

I built Ibis 941 rims on I9 classic hubs with Sapim spokes for half the cost of those complete wheels.

Shawn
Shawn
9 years ago

Chasejj: I also question your statement of the I9 drive system being questionable; I owned two pre-torch 26″ I9 Enduro wheelsets (one with j-bend spokes and one with their straight pull AL) and I am currently on the new 27.5 Torch Enduro wheels. I will say that I replaced bearings more frequently than I liked on the Pre-Torch Enduro’s (current Torch’s are still going strong), but the drive system is bullet proof. This is coming from 240lb guy that has killed many an inferior hub.

Recreational Cyclist
Recreational Cyclist
9 years ago

I still don’t get why they want to hang on to center lock hubs. Really narrows down your rotor choices and I would guess that most buy the adapter to use 6 bolt rotors. Just buy the same wheel straight from I9 ready to go with 6 bolt rotors. There hubs are rock solid I have had a few sets with zero issues.

chasejj
chasejj
9 years ago

Drive system questionable. I will not ride standard drive pawl style freehubs after blowing up several over the years. I only run axially engaged cog based hubs (ala CK,DT). Just my own preference and needs. I just stated that for my own opinion. I9 probably holds up for most, just that I won’t for the previous reasons.

Regarding the rims-Show me aside from a couple of Prototype and oddball efforts a CF rim that isn’t Chicom?

chasejj
chasejj
9 years ago

RecCyclist-“I still don’t get why they want to hang on to center lock hubs. Really narrows down your rotor choices and I would guess that most buy the adapter to use 6 bolt rotors. Just buy the same wheel straight from I9 ready to go with 6 bolt rotors. There hubs are rock solid I have had a few sets with zero issues.”

Because in an honest evaluation of all the issues Centerlock is superior to 6 bolt. 6 Bolt is just out there in enormous numbers.
Shimano owns the best idea for mounting rotors. It is not even close.
Once you own a CL hub and rotors you will agree.

Dave
Dave
9 years ago

I have run I9 wheels / hubs and I love them. They have been bullet proof for me. The thing that I like about Reynolds is that the wheels ride exceptionally well. Plus if you buy a set of Reynolds wheels and break them because of a crash or rider error and have the RAP program (if do not and why wouldn’t you) Reynolds either fixes or replaces the wheel for free.

No other company does this. And BTW the RAP card is free as long as you demo a set of wheels at a Reynolds dealer and register your wheels.

It gives me piece of mind that if I crash or break my wheels Reynolds has my back. AND FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

Shame Centerlock doesn’t work with Lefties…

Omair
9 years ago

Why would anyone ditch an awesome ratchet system like DT swiss or CK for a pawl system, 3 engagement points instead of the 36 or 72, besides what’s up with ditching aluminum? Above comment is right, get some top tier Taiwanese rims and build them up with CK or DT and not pay half as much!

PsiSquared
PsiSquared
9 years ago

The idea that all “Chicom” rims are equal is flawed at best. That’s as ripe as saying that all US made products are the best products in the world. The smart move is to evaluate each product on its own, not on its country of manufacture.

Of course none of this applies to Italian electronics in cars or in motorcycles.

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

@Omair- pawls have worked fine for everyone for many years. The first ratchet ring rear hub I am aware of that was on the market was the DT-Hugi hub from around 1993; it had 18 points of engagement. After that to my knowledge came the King hub, with a ratchet ring and 72 points of engagement. So having a ratchet ring doesn’t automatically mean more points of engagement than a pawl-based hub. And, although it’s not connected with the ring design itself, King rear hubs almost always have a bit of play in them. So having a ratchet ring is not an absolute guarantee of superiority, and having pawls is not an absolute guarantee of inferiority.

Fartknocker
Fartknocker
9 years ago

I have cracked a star ratchet in a DT 240, and a persistantly dragging inboard bearing in another 240. A friend had a CK SS hub that had so much drag, it would spin backward 1:1 when he held it up and back- pedaled. As preivious posted stated, nothing is perfect.
Except bro-wheels built with Chi-com carbon rims. I built a set for like $5.

Chasejj
Chasejj
9 years ago

Fartknocker-Nice name BTW. 🙂

If you have a CK with play adjust it. If it drags pull the freehub and clean and lube it. When new, CK’s are so tightly toleranced they need time to mesh all the working gears. After a few hundred miles they break in and get much quieter and free wheeling.
The beauty is they never fail, at least never in my knowledge. They are literally built like a fine watch. Disassemble one and see it yourself.

Chasejj
Chasejj
9 years ago

For the record-I certainly never said all Chicom rims are the same. I have built a few LB sets and recently a Nextie set. Since they have gone to the hookless style of rim layup. They have been fantastic. Both of brands have been great and cheap compared to ENVE. I think ENVE’s are fantastic BTW . But they exceed any value/dollar ratio I can justify just as these do. If the pricing was as similar as these are to ENVE. I would go ENVE everytime.

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

@Chase- I have seen several King rear hubs, even ones owned by shop mechanics, that had play. I had three different rear hubs, and all forced me to choose between pedaling drag and no play, or play and no pedaling drag. This was well, well after the break in period, and even when using the absolute lowest friction lube to known to humankind (well, to me, anyway), Triflo. (They also dragged when using Ring Drive Lube or whatever it’s called). I’ve seen the same thing on around 15 or more rear King hubs. IMO, hubs should not be built like fine watches, which live on a rich person’s wrist and are subject to no loads or bad weather, but like equipment that bears a rider’s full body weight thrown with maximum force, often magnified several times through the high torque of low gears, and in poor weather. So why did I keep buying their hubs? Because the play didn’t affect my ride, and because they had other merits (fast engagement and light). And because King’s marketing is so good that people repeat what King says as if it were their own personally discovered truth.

Omair
9 years ago

@Tim I wasn’t talking about engagement per se, rather how the hubs engage, with a star ratchet it’s all 18 or 36 points engaging and distributing the drive force equally, with a pawl system that is down to 3, better engineering in my book.

tk2
tk2
9 years ago

I’ve used multiple hubs over the years,
Seen a lot of stuff break too wrenching in shops. Seen CK break and star rachets fail and crack, Hope hubshells crack. Only hubs I have seen go strong are I9
I also use I9 on all my bikes now, never had any issues, 120 engagement points via 6 pawls (more than DT or CK)

PTK
PTK
9 years ago

Own a pair of R27.5AM alu wheelset. 3rd rear wheel in a year… 1st died after 4 month of riding. 2nd was skipping 3-4 teeth at the first ride. 3rd rear wheel, still skipping a tooth under heavy load…Great front wheel, very stiff, and quick engagement of the rear hub, but…

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