Recently, I had the chance to head down to Asheville to check out Industry Nine’s new A35 stems. OK, I didn’t drive down to Asheville just to check out some new stems. The main reason I was down there was really to get the scoop on the new Hydra drive mechanism, but the stems were an added bonus – and something that would be launching earlier than the new hubs.

But that trip meant that I was able to get on a very early Hydra equipped hubset (before it even had a name). The idea being that I could have plenty of miles on the hubset and have the review ready to go by the time of the official launch. You don’t have to ask me twice to ride a new hubset from I9, especially when it’s built into a wheelset as sweet as this.
My choice for the Hydra test mule was Industry Nine’s Enduro310 Carbon 24 hole wheels. I had just received a new Stumpjumper tester from Specialized, and the wide carbon rims were a perfect match for the 29 x 2.6″ tires. At the same time, I was hopeful that the lower 24 hole spoke count would be a better match for me, as I often find carbon wheels to have an overly stiff ride quality for smaller riders like me . Given the inherent stiffness of the Industry Nine aluminum spoke system, this seems like an even greater consideration when choosing a wheelset. Fortunately, I9 gives you the option with the Enduro310 of running 32 spokes for larger (260lbs/118kg max), or more aggressive riders, or the 24 spokes for those that don’t need the extra strength (220lb/100kg max).
As soon as my tires touched the dirt on the new wheels, the bike was transformed. It’s hard to pinpoint what came first – the unbelievable drive out of the rear hub, or the silky smooth ride quality from the wheels (and 120 tpi Maxxis 2.6″ tires).