One of the most buzz worthy trends at Interbike was how companies planned to get around the Micro Spline Road block. Other than DT Swiss, at that point, Shimano hadn’t given any other company the go ahead to create their own freehubs that would be compatible with the new Shimano XTR M9100 12 speed cassette. Today, another company has thrown their pawls into the ring – Industry Nine.
Yes, in exciting news for anyone with a current Industry Nine Torch series mountain hub, you’ll soon have a Micro Spline compatible option should you choose to upgrade to the latest XTR group. It’s worth noting that the new group isn’t even available yet, so the fact that Industry Nine’s own Micro Spline freehubs won’t ship until the end of 2018 shouldn’t be a big deal.
Industry Nine states that the new standard will be available as an option on all of their current MTB wheels and hubs, plus as a replacement item for existing Torch hubs. While White Industries seemingly figured out a way around the Shimano patent, Industry Nine will be the first officially licensed North American hub manufacturer to offer Micro Spline.
In the press release, Industry Nine’s VP Jacob McGahey stated, “We are happy to build on our relationship with Shimano and flattered to be one of the few brands offered a license for Micro Spline. This partnership allows our brand to continue offering all major axle and drivetrain specs – which riders have come to expect from Industry Nine.”
Expect full pricing and availability info by the end of the year.
