tag
Bikes are an extension of the rider in every sense of the word. Not only do the wheels and bars act as our contact points to the terra firma, but everything becomes more than the sum of its parts. Those parts bin grips or meticulously color-matched fasteners all create a piece of rolling poetry. Found art, master-planned, functional, beautiful.
Partnering with We Are One Carbon Composites, Industry Nine is pleased to announce their new carbon MTB wheels, which are made in North America. From XC racing, backcountry riding, Enduro and Downhill, Industry Nine has some wheels for every branch of MTB riding.
It had been years since I’ve ridden singlespeed and to be honest, I was pretty reluctant to do so here in Santa Fe. We’ve been in town for about two months now and it’s taken a while to get used to the elevation. Our house is at 6,800′ and the local trails start around 7,000′, shooting up to 12,000′. It’s a lot to take in but for the more flowy cross-country trails, I felt like I could get away with one gear and I knew just the bike for it!
My Retrotec is one of those “forever” machines. I could never sell it as it feels like it’s a part of this website. Plus, the maker – Mr. Curtis Inglis – is just such a stand up guy. When you ride a Retrotec, you put a smile on Curtis’ face and if you’ve ever met the guy, you know that’s well worth it!
Probably the best April Fools product video we saw was from Industry Nine with their volume knob end caps. Well, the reception was so warm, they decided to make them for real and yes, they go to eleven. Today, April 17th, through next Friday, April 24th, you can order Frequency Adjusting Ratchet Technology – F.A.R.T. – volume knob endcaps. These will fit Hydra and Torch rear hubs with 12x axles only, excluding 12×135 or 12×150. Once the ordering window has closed on Friday, April 24th, at 12:00am Eastern, there will not be any more orders taken. I9 will only make as many as are pre-ordered!
Proceeds go to local musicians who lost money due to the Covid 19 lockdown. Head to Industry Nine to order one (they’re at the very bottom of the page).
It doesn’t matter if you want Enduro or XC wheels, Industry Nine’s newly designed MTB wheel catalog has the right wheelset for your staple bike. Each of these newly-engineered and re-designed carbon rims come paired with the new 6-pawl Hydra hub, direct thread straight-pull spokes, and a lifetime warranty. Customize your own design, like Spencer did for his Orbea Loki, or go with jet black at Industry Nine’s ano lab or through your local dealer.
Well, here’s something new from Industry Nine I don’t think anyone was expecting. Got a noisey hub? Use their new Frequency Adjust Ratchet Technology. Poaching illegal trails and wanna go into stealth mode? Frequency Adjust Ratchet Technology is there for you. There are many uses for FART.
The world has been brought to its knees over the Covid 19 pandemic and while our current administration hasn’t enacted the Defense Production Act, manufacturers like Industry Nine have picked up the torch themselves. Read on for their recent announcement:
Industry Nine is in a position to help with manufacturing parts needed and assisting supply efforts in combating the virus outbreak. At our disposal are dozens of CNC machines ready to make parts in short supply like ventilator components. Our engineering teams have years of robotics and automation experience ready to support companies producing PPE like masks and gloves. We’re reaching out to our contact network to find ways to support these industries in need, but now we’re calling on our dedicated followers to help us connect with other manufacturers or suppliers. If you think you can help us in this effort please email: tips@industrynine.net
Please share with or tag people/friends who may be of help. Thank you all – please be safe!
Do you know of other companies doing so? Link them in the comments!
The seed was planted last summer during a weekend visit to Cameron Falconer’s compound in Quincy to ride singletrack in Plumas National Forest, one of my favorite local playgrounds. I already had a 5-year-old Falconer hardtail that I loved and rode everywhere, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Well, there actually was something wrong with my bike on that Saturday (a component failure), so I borrowed one of Cameron’s personal steel hardtails to ride on Sunday. Luckily for me we ride roughly the same size bike. Cameron has experimented with quite a few geometries over the years since he made my last bike, and the loaner I was on happened to be one of his latest designs. We were riding big chunky rough stuff in the Lakes Basin area and I was bouncing through big rock gardens more comfortably than with my old bike, feeling a lot more stable, and by the end of the ride I was like, “BUILD ME ONE LIKE THIS.
Jacinta, aka J, was on the hunt for a new bicycle. She had some money set aside and began looking at the options out there. There was always the option for custom, but J eventually grew a liking for Bearclaw Bicycle Co’s offerings. The Thunderhawk checked all the boxes but she wanted to make it her own. Enter the wizards at Black Magic Paint…
From NC to BC, cutting edge carbon technology meets the groundbreaking Industry Nine Hydra hub and aluminum spoke chassis. Introducing the largest i9 carbon mountain wheel offering to date, available now. The collection includes the Ultralite 280, Trail 280, Enduro 315, Grade 315 and Enduro 355. The new carbon rims are built on a partnership with Canadian carbon manufacturer, We Are One Composites and are hand laid in Kamloops, BC.
With a complete lineup of ten new carbon mountain bike wheelsets, the new collection provides high-performance options across all disciplines of riding, from XC to Downhill. We Are One represents an ideal partner thanks to their unrivaled quality and reputation in carbon manufacturing as well as logistical advantages from manufacturing in North America. The collaboration allows for quicker and more efficient delivery, a shorter prototyping phase, increased ordering flexibility, and avoids tariff uncertainty surrounding manufacturing abroad.
Riders have the full assortment of 11 anodized color options as well as fitment options for all modern mountain bike specs. The wheels will be offered in either 24 or 32 spoke counts depending on the application of the wheel. Every wheelset is backed by a Lifetime Warranty. The new era of Industry Nine carbon mountain wheels starts at $2,250 and is available now. For more information visit www.industrynine.com.
MTB wheels, especially the ones with aluminum rims, are easily the most abused product in my bike closet. They’re also the hardest to review, honestly. Reviewing wheels accurately and in a comprehensive way can be as elusive as a fast friend’s wheel in the woods. When Industry Nine gave me a set of their Backcountry 360 wheels, featuring their new Hydra hubs last year, I was amazed at not only the build quality of the wheels but the vast improvement of their newly-engineered Hydra hubs. Read on below.
Industry Nine’s ENDURO S 101 28H – for trail to all-mountain – and TRAIL S 101 28H – for XC to aggressive trail – run the gamut of mountain wheelsets with i9’s 101 Classic hubs, j-bend spokes, and a 2-year warranty. Best of all is the price, starting at $750 for the wheelset. Head to Industry Nine for all the details and your local dealer to order!
After their A35 stem’s success, Industry Nine decided to adapt the 35mm clamp stem to the 31.8 platform. These A318 stems are machined in the USA, right in Asheville, North Carolina, from domestically sourced 7075 aluminum billet, come in a variety of color options – 11 to be exact! – and since all of I9’s parts are anodized in house, you can expect consistent color matching.
Bozeman, Montana is a magical place to mountain bike in the summertime. Last year’s trip was epic, so this year we wanted to re-visit this quaint little mountain town. While we were there last month, I was able to shoot Adam Sklar’s latest project, the Sweet Spot 29er MTB. While Adam usually takes on custom bikes, the Sweet Spot will be the brand’s first production model. The Sweet Spot is made in Bozeman, Montana, just like all Sklar Bikes. The aim here is to lower wait times, while not sacrificing quality. It also enables Adam to sell a model that is in-line with his philosophy on mountain bikes.
Want to ride in the Pisgah National Forest with the team from Industry Nine? Well, mark your calendars for September 13th. Loose Gravel is a weekend of camping, group rides, beer, music and more, all sponsored and thrown by Industry Nine. The weekend is $60, so buy tickets now and check out more details below.
Most cyclists, and even non-cyclists, who enjoy the type of bike racing that involves going up and down hills know the name Eddy Merckx and of course The Tour de France. Road racing, and the companies associated with it, do a great job of embracing its European heritage and consistently reminding us of how the sport evolved into what it is today. This makes it easy easy to get pulled into the romanticized parts of road racing when companies like Campagnolo, Colnago, and Bianchi do such a great job of celebrating their places in what makes the sport special.
With the new Hydra hubs on the market, customers are wondering just how different they sound when compared to Industry Nine’s Torch hubs. Well, here’s a video showcasing the difference.
Here’s a more in-depth look at Industry Nine’s new Hydra and 101 hubs versus their Legacy line.
