Industry Nine Ultralite CX 240 TRA Carbon Wheelset - Tubeless for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

Carbon fiber rims continue to showcase on range-topping wheelsets for a reason: they're much lighter so accelerations and decelerations are easier, and stiffness is improved for enhanced handling and added responsiveness. It's no secret that dropping rotational weight pays more dividends than static weight, and new wheels can make for one of the most significant upgrades on your bike. This is super important in a racing scenario, however, it can be appreciated on any ride as well. If you're looking for a high-performance set of hoops to turbocharge your all-road hot rod, have a look at the Tubeless Ultralite CX 240 TRA Carbon Wheelset and revel in its beauty and quick engagement, while marveling its jaw-dropping 1325-gram weight.

The Pillar Carbon rims utilized on this wheelset aern't some open mold special of the month hoops, it's a collaborative effort between Industry Nine and the composite wizards at Reynolds Cycling. Its profile features a 28mm outer and 24mm inner width for plumping up 33 to 55mm wide tires and features Reynolds' MR5 technology. MR5 focuses on five key elements — the spoke face, nipple bed, tire channel, rim sidewall, and hookless bead — and results in optimized resin formulas and carbon layups for the structural loads seen by those rim areas. The resulting design is its Twin Pillar hookless bead walls for flawless tubeless performance, excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and of course, optimized ride characteristics.

The Ultralite CX 240 TRA showcases I9's new Torch Road Alloy platform using 24 aluminum spokes per wheel in a 2:1 lacing pattern to keep weight down and better balance spoke tensions on either side of the wheels. Instead of the steel spokes we're used to seeing on its drop bar wheel offerings, the new TRS wheels use 7075 aluminum and thread directly into the hub shell. As such, the spokes are straight pull and they have a 25% greater cross section then comparable 14/15 double butted steel spokes which helps provide more tensile strength. Also, on traditional steel spokes, threads are rolled, not cut. This is done to add strength, however, it creates a stress riser where the thread channel is narrower than the diameter of spoke itself.

Industry Nine doesn't need to roll its threads and instead they're created during the machining process, a bonus of being able to manufacture them in-house. The threads, therefore, are actually larger than the spoke itself offering a strong interface with the hub. Another defining feature on these wheels is the lack of spoke nipples. Flats are machined on the spokes themselves allowing for a standard 15-gauge wrench and conventional truing methods to be utilized, all without having to remove the tire, sealant, and rim tape when it comes time to true the wheels, which borders on next to never.

The new TRA hubs feature a set of three pawls spaced six degrees apart. This allows for 60 points of contact for a super low lag time between coasting and pawl engagement for a more responsive ride. The hardened drive ring is crafted from tool grade steel and is so durable and the profiling is so precise that its cut with a process known as electrical discharge machining. It's truly remarkable how quickly the pedaling input is while retaining smooth, drag-free coasting.