Industry Nine Hydra Trail S 29in Boost Wheelset for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides
$975.00
$585.00
$877.50
Get ready to hit the trail at warp-speed with Industry Nine's new Hydra Trail S 29in Boost Wheelset. These fancy new hoops combine the classic Trail rim with the quickest new hub on the block — the I9 Hydra, which offers engagement that's so quick you won't know you even put the power down before you start rolling forward. That's because the hubs took some tech from the classics that came before it, and rolled right into the future with 690 points of engagement that propel you forward with 0.52-degree engagement, for the fastest hub we have yet to see on the market. This particular wheelbuild laces up Hydra hubs with I9's alloy Trail rims using straight-pull steel spokes, designed to simplify the build a bit, dropping down the price, so you can keep some of your upgrade budget safe for other components.
The Hydra hubs build on Industry Nine's previous drive system, the Torch, which is pretty easy to spot if you take a peek at the internals. You'll spot a similar pawl layout that we've seen before in the Torch, and the same pristine machining coming straight from Asheville, North Carolina. Like the old Torch hub, the Hydra features a 6 pawl design, but the drive ring amps things up to a 115-tooth drive ring, as opposed to the 60-tooth used in the Torch, crating a whopping 690 points of engagement, blowing the 120 points of engagement of the Torch out of the water. These 690 points of contact translate directly to the snappiest hubs we've ever seen, with only 0.52-degrees of engagement, propelling you forward just about the instant you put any power down. Furthermore, the engineers opted to keep things simple for those of us who tinker on our bikes at home, making the hub fully serviceable without any proprietary tools.
When it comes to tackling the mountain we don't think everyone should have to break the bank, and the designers at I9 don't think so either, which is why this particular model laces up the classic Trail rims to the Hydra hub using the more economical steel spokes, which is where this wheelset gets its "S" designation. The high-performance straight-pull system still offers stiff control with 28-spokes, but with a more conventional, approachable package that fits the pocketbook of those of us who don't want to blow this year's bike-upgrade-budget in one place. The Trail rims used are the same you'll find in the higher-end builds, with lightweight construction, and a moderate 27-millimeter internal width that accommodates 2.2-to-2.5-inch tires, finding the balance between reduced rolling resistance and plush control in corners.
Specifications
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