650b wheelset
Stans 355 ZTR, Industry Nine Classic Hubs & DT Swiss Competition Double Butted Spokes
I picked up a set of Industry Nine Classic Hubs about 11 months ago. I wasn’t sure what bike I would use them on, I had a brand new wheelset built up 13 months ago and two spare wheelsets laying around the garage. Not in any rush, I set them on my office desk and there they sat for the longest time.
While the months pasted by I caught a bug… the 650b bug and instantly knew how I was going to put the I9 hubs to use. So I ordered my 650b frame, and dropped the I9 hubs off at the local bike shop for a wheel build.
Considering there aren’t many choices for 650b rims, I opt’d to go with the Stans 355 ZTR 650b rims, laced up with DT Swiss Competition Double Butted spokes and the Industry Nine Classic Hubs. I got my wheelset back, a couple of weeks later my 650b frame arrive and I built her up.
I’ve hammer the hell out of this wheelset on some very difficult terrain and brutalized the wheelset a few weeks ago while riding in the Pisgah National Forest. Matt at Ultimate Bike did a bang up job lacing the wheelset up and it’s quite obvious to me that without his excellent wheel building skills, knowledge and experience I wouldn’t have the great wheelset I have. I’ve put this wheelset through the wringer, ridden terrain that I would consider is beyond what the Stans 355 ZTR rim is designed to handle and had one nasty (almost vertical… land on the front wheel) endo that should have folded a wheel up like a taco… yet the front wheel is still true, round and solid as the day it was built and the same goes for the rear wheel.
The Stans 355 ZTR rims have exceeded all my expectations and I’m really impressed with the beating I’ve dished out to these rims. I haven’t converted this wheelset to tubeless as of yet and I’ve been really pleased with the fact that I didn’t get a pinch flat while riding the rocky terrain of the Pisgahs. I suspect that this is directly related to the lower sidewalls of the 355 ZTR rims and why I haven’t experience any pinch flats at all. The Pacenti Neo-Moto and Quai-Moto tires I have installed on the Stans 355 ZTR rims seated up nicely during inflation and considering how tight these tires where during the installation, I suspect that they’ll seat up perfectly once I make the conversion to tubeless.
Some thoughts and comments on the Industry Nine Classic Hubs
As for the Industry Nine hubs, the first thing I noticed on my first ride is the sound the I9 Classics make is like a low constant hum. This constant humming sound is produced by the speedy paw engagement of the I9 hubs. The paw engagement is practically instantaneous, solid and with only 3 degrees between the engagement, you can’t find another hub that will engage as fast. The I9 rear hub also spins easily, with little to practically no resistance coming from the paws and the front hub spins like there’s no tomorrow.
As for the craftsmanship… these hubs are beautifully designed, machined with attention to detail and precision, they’re tight and show no play in the freehub at all. I’m really digging them! I’m confident that I’ll have this hub set for many years to come. I’ve actually got plans to build up a second wheelset for my 650b and the hubs I plan to use are another set of Industry Nine Classics.
Mickey
(1 votes, average: 7 out of 7)
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