Industry Nine drops new Premium Carbon mountain bike wheelsets and the brand's first ever e-MTB-specific model
The range features the brands front and rear-specific Duo rim design and all new strength and ride quality improvements
Manufactured and handbuilt in Asheville, NC, USA, Industry Nine are renowned for making some of the best mountain bike wheels, along with the highest-performing hubs and components. Coming in an array of fitment options and a host of custom color that allows riders to mix and match to suit.
Industry Nine says they deliver the best cycling components on the planet and introduce their latest generation of Premium Carbon mountain bike wheelsets. The new range covers all genres of mountain bike riding from the agile XC race wheels to power-taming e-MTB options.
Industry Nine has continued its partnership with We Are One Composite for the new array of wheels, and places emphasis across the range on pinch flat reduction, impact resistance and ride quality. The brand's most popular Trail and Enduro wheels now feature the Duo Concept, a design philosophy that assigns front and rear-specific rims aimed to optimize contact patch, ride quality and rim strength. Industry Nine also adds that their new carbon wheel range also comes with a Lifetime Warranty, that not only covers the rim, but also the hub shells, spokes and machined internals. The brand says the newest family of wheels will give top performance, a host of ride quality improvements, and we explored the range to see what's new...
Hydra Ultralite 300
First up is the Hydra Ultralite 300 built for XC racing weighing in at 1,470g and coming in a 29-inch sizing option. They are now 2mm wider and 1mm deeper than the previous Ultralite 280 which Industry Nine says will give increased torsional stiffness, better tire support, and improved strength-to-width ratio versus the UL280. The tire width is from 2.2 inches to 2.5 inches and has a 30mm inner width with a direct thread aluminum spoke count of 24. They come with the Industry Nine fully customizable anodized color options, with pricing starting at $2,350 / €2,515.
Hydra Trail
The new Trail wheelsets come in two options – the 300/290 Duo 24 and the 300/290 Duo 32. The Duo 24 has a 30mm front and a 29mm rear sizing with a new 1mm shallower rim profile that the brand says will improve radial compliance. A wider rear bead wall is also added for improved strength and to reduce pinch flats. Sized at 29-inch they have a 24-spoke count with an inner width of 30mm at the front and 29mm on the rear. Weighing in at 1,550g they start at $2,350 / €2,515.
Also new to the Industry Nine Trail range is the 32-spoke version called the 300/290 Duo 32 designed for more demanding trail riding and weighing in at a heavier 1,640g for the set. Featuring the same improved strength additions as its 24-spoke sibling, with a 30mm front and 29mm rear rim width. These start at $2,380 / €2,550 and both versions have the same customizable anodized color options and warranty.
Hydra Enduro
On the Enduro side of the range Industry Nine has dropped four new wheelsets – the 325/310 Duo 24, 325/310 Duo 32, 310 and the e-MTB-specific 350. The 325/310 Duo 24 is a 24-spoke All Mountain enduro wheelset weighing in at 1,650g, with a 32.5mm front and 31mm rear rim width. Featuring the same new 1mm shallower rim profile as the trail versions, they come in 29-inch sizing and start at $2,350 / €2,515.
The 325/310 Duo 32 version comes in either a 29-inch or MX (Mullet) choice aimed for more aggressive riding with a 32-spoke count and the same 32.5mm front and 31mm rim widths. Weighing in at either 1,740g or 1,650g depending on the setup chosen. They start at $2,380 / €2,550.
The 310 wheelset is sized at 27.5 inches with a 32-spoke count and a 31mm inner rim width on both wheels. Like the other enduro offerings they have the same newly added bead wall strength improvements, and weigh in at 1,620g priced at $2,380 / €2,550. The customizable color options and warranty is also included.
The e-MTB-specific wheels, named the 350, are Industry Nine’s first electric mountain bike-specific rim design. Featuring a heavier and stronger carbon layup schedule that they claim increases impact strength, optimized for e-MTB hammering. With a 35mm inner rim width, they come in either 27.5-inch, 29-inch or MX choices, can fit tires from 2.3-inch to 2.8-inch and weigh in at either 1,700g, 1,870g or 1,785g. Pricing starts at $2,380 / €2,550.
Grade 310
Last up is the Grade 310 designed for Downhill, Freeride or e-MTB. The Grade 310 is a big-hitting wheel that comes in 27.5-inch sizing with a 32-spoke count. Again, it has the strength-improving heavier and stronger carbon layup schedule, the new 1mm shallower rim profile, and the wider rear bead wall also for improved strength and reduced pinch flats. Available in 27.5-inch, 29-inch or MX choices they weigh in at either 1,910g, 1,835g or 1,760g, and are priced $2,380 / €2,550.
All the new wheelsets are available now and more information can be found at Industrynine.com.
Paul Brett joined BikePerfect as a staff writer in 2022. He has been an avid cyclist for as long as he can remember, initially catching the mountain biking bug in the 1990s, and he raced mountain bikes for over a decade before injury cut short a glittering career. An award-winning photographer, when not riding a bike, he can be found at the side of a cyclocross track or a downhill mountain bike world championship shooting the action. Paul was the founder, editor and writer of Proper Cycling magazine, and he's traveled the world interviewing some of the biggest names in mountain biking and writing about some of the biggest cycling brands.
Current rides: Canyon Inflite, Specialized Diverge, Marin Alpine Trail 2
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