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Industry Nine Classic Hubs

RideRMB

Monkey
Aug 29, 2007
394
0
'Da Hood
Just found out that QBP is now stocking (or atleast can get) the Classics. I'm wondering what people think about running these as a downhill wheelset laced to DPS32's or similar. I'd love to get the DH set but cannot afford it.


Thanks,
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
My buddy has them and seems to like them, but my opinion is that half the reason to have I9s is to have their spokes. So if it were me, I'd rather spend a couple hundred more and have a full wheelset.
 

big-ted

Danced with A, attacked by C, fired by D.
Sep 27, 2005
1,400
47
Vancouver, BC
My buddy has them and seems to like them, but my opinion is that half the reason to have I9s is to have their spokes. So if it were me, I'd rather spend a couple hundred more and have a full wheelset.
I disagree. The proprietary spokes would be a major deal-breaker for me, regardless of cost. Even if they are lighter, stiffer etc, I'll happily take the "good enough" performance of regular spokes and be able to get cheap replacements at the drop of a hat at the mountain.

That said, if I were in the market for a high-end hub, and if the I9 engagement/durability/ease of maintenance is all it's cracked up to be, I would consider the classics, for sure.

Not that any of my comments actually help the original poster, as I have no first hand experience, but people like me are exactly the reason I9 offer the classics it would seem.
 

RideRMB

Monkey
Aug 29, 2007
394
0
'Da Hood
Thanks guys. The main reason for not getting the DH strait pull wheels set is that I cannot get them at cost, where as I can get the hubs, rims, ect at cost.

I would also like to keep to the j-bend method anyways.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,192
media blackout
The proprietary spokes would be a major deal-breaker for me, regardless of cost. Even if they are lighter, stiffer etc, I'll happily take the "good enough" performance of regular spokes and be able to get cheap replacements at the drop of a hat at the mountain.
I thought I9 shipped with a few spare spokes for just this reason?
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
My thoughts are that you can buy a 72 point Hadley (with a Ti freehub) at retail for less than the I9 as cost..but you can also have access to Hadleys at cost, so the price differencs is quite significant with no real benefits IMO.

OR you could forgo the high engagement (not a big issue in high speed DH IMO) and get Hopes for MUCH less than either.
 
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dexter

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
3,053
99
Boise, Idaho
My thoughts are that you can buy a 72 point Hadley (with a Ti freehub) at retail for less than the I9 as cost..but you can also have access to Hadleys at cost, so the price differencs is quite significant with no real benefits IMO.

OR you could forgo the high engagement (not a big issue in high speed DH IMO) and get Hopes for MUCH less than either.
dont foget both of the other options are much lighter as well!
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
I was told an interesting idea from a very neat engineer dood. Basically, he said another benefit to fast engagement is to avoid that dead spot in the hub, and that massive jolt to the drivetrain once it engages. It basiclaly doesn't let you gain that speed that results in the hard pull on the drivetrain, thereby not stressing out your drivetrain as much, resulting in longer life.

An interesting concept. Think its valid?
 

big cal

Monkey
Nov 18, 2001
177
0
Melbourne, Australia
I was told an interesting idea from a very neat engineer dood. Basically, he said another benefit to fast engagement is to avoid that dead spot in the hub, and that massive jolt to the drivetrain once it engages. It basiclaly doesn't let you gain that speed that results in the hard pull on the drivetrain, thereby not stressing out your drivetrain as much, resulting in longer life.

An interesting concept. Think its valid?
I've had the same parts on my (DH bike) drivetrain for 4 years including the chain so no i don't give a crap about my drivetrain stress, as long as it's there when i need it and i don't have to think about it.
 

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
My thoughts are that you can buy a 72 point Hadley (with a Ti freehub) at retail for less than the I9 as cost..but you can also have access to Hadleys at cost, so the price differencs is quite significant with no real benefits IMO.

Interesting. Do you have a link to the Hadley Website?
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
Thanks guys. The main reason for not getting the DH strait pull wheels set is that I cannot get them at cost, where as I can get the hubs, rims, ect at cost.

I would also like to keep to the j-bend method anyways.
Why can't you get the completes at cost? curious...

QBP's prices are slightly high...same with companies like King. BTI does the same with Hadley....I think. Everything I've checked puts Hadley's prices in line with King and I9.

I lean towards I9 simply because every time I call, I speak with Brandy.
 

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
I own an I9 wheelset on the trailbike and hadley hubs on my dh.
Other than the hadley's coming a little loose on occasion they are pretty reliable, good hubs. It was my first quick engagement hub (72pt) and I really appreciated the instant response and smoothness after years of 24pt Shimano "jerkiness" ;)

So far the I9's are amazing. fast engagement, stiff wheels, cool buzzing sound... They came with some extra spokes. The really amazing part was loosing 1.5lbs of mass in my wheels. The bike instantly went faster and felt lighter everywhere. I worry about dumping this bike and the rocks and breaking a $10 spoke though ;) Seriously, I dumped my trailbike twice on Romero last weekend, one time trying to run it out and almost stepping on the wheel in a rock garden. To the wheels credit, it showed no signs of damage and I'm probably stressing about nothing.

I thought about it and these things tend to happen a lot more in downhill racing and practice. Alloy spokes and getting thrown onto rocks on an ejection just scares me a little I guess. Steel spokes may be weaker and less stiff, but are common to every bike shop and not a big deal to replace when the worst happens.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,192
media blackout
Interesting. Do you have a link to the Hadley Website?
Hadley doesn't have a site.
But they have a phone number and will gladly answer any questions you may have. I def agree, it's a little old school to not have a web site in this day and age. But they like to do things a little different, they like to talk to their customers, what a concept.
 

downhillracer

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2005
1,230
0
Sammamish, WA
But they have a phone number and will gladly answer any questions you may have. I def agree, it's a little old school to not have a web site in this day and age. But they like to do things a little different, they like to talk to their customers, what a concept.
Thats another reason why I choose to buy Hadley. Their customer service is great. The products are killer. Don't buy into the hype of lighter this and lighter that. The I9s that I have seen go through the ringer on DH rigs for a season have mass bearing problems. Its in the way the bearings are loaded. And god forbid you ever blow the thing apart you definitely won't have spares available at a race or at a resort, etc. But on the other hand my Hadleys have been going strong for 3 hard DH racing seasons and I love them. The engagement is so smooth and quick and they last and last.
 

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
But they have a phone number and will gladly answer any questions you may have. I def agree, it's a little old school to not have a web site in this day and age. But they like to do things a little different, they like to talk to their customers, what a concept.
I know Hadley doesn't have a website, I just wanted someone to say it for me.

I've raced on their hubs for a season. The freehub bearing siezed within the first month, which I was told to purchase an entire service kit to replace, (they couldn't offer a single bearing under good-faith warranty in response to a polite phonecall from a bike shop?) and frequent tightening to rid the reoccuring slop. On the bright side, atleast the service kit they sold me came in handy half way into the season when they required a mandatory rebuild? Like the Chris Kings I owned, I thought they were more trouble than the hype made them out to be. None of that matters though.

Aside from DT Swiss, the I9 hubs are the only ones I've actually had consistently good performance from. But I won't talk about them, being the overpriced, machined/built in the US, trickery of pixie dust that they are. Apparently Yeti and Intense already grabbed the rights to being cool for making flashy products in the US and charging high prices that reflect it.
 
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downhillracer

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2005
1,230
0
Sammamish, WA
Can you expand?
While I do not have personal experience in servicing these hubs because i have chossen to get stay away from them. I have been told by my mechanic and many people who own them that because of the design of the hub, the bearings get substantial side load when tightened up in a frame and thus wear more quickly than a normal hubs bearings would. I am not speaking from personal experience but I have seen the results. Two people i know have sold off there I-9s for different, more conventional hub types, chris king, hope, hadley, etc. Could have been isolated incidents but at least from what I have seen I believe that the hub design has a flaw.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
The side load placed on the hub when inserted into the frame is adjustable, as the NDS side has a bearing pre-load that's set into place by the user. Just like Kings (except the I9 threads are much, much finer...surprisingly fine...like woah.). I see it more on the road side of things than I do mtn, though....Campy, 2009 Zipp, White Industries, any loose bearing set up. I can see it being an issue if the user were to over load the bearings.

I'll keep an eye on mine and see what happens.