They sound good, they look good and they ride GREAT. The combination of price, stiffness, quality and weight is exceptional with this wheelset.
Wheel Specs: Industry Nine 27.5 Trail wheelset – 32 hole, blue hubs and spokes, XD1 driver, 15mm front, 142mm rear
Retail Price: $1195
Weight: 1574 grams with tubeless tape and valve stems
I’ve ridden these wheels 600+ miles extensively in some pretty demanding test conditions including at home in Sedona, Bellingham, Squamish and Whistler BC without any issues and the wheels are as round and true as the day they first went on my Kona Process 134 test sled.
Being 145 lbs, I don’t always need the stiffest wheels nor normally notice the difference over super high spoke tensioned carbon hoops. That being said, I definitely noticed a reasonable difference over the stock 32 hole double butted WTB/Hope wheelset that the Kona 134 SUP comes with, but the biggest difference I noticed was the weight while accelerating and throwing the bike around midair.
The 28mm external/23.4 internal rim widths give a wide enough bed for most of the current trail tires. Although I am a fan of wider rims, the weight penalty may not be worth it especially if you’re in those less rocky/rooty areas where you can run lower pressures without worrying about dinging a rim or snake biting a casing.
What I really love about the wheels is the confidence I have in their build quality and craftsmanship. The beautiful CNC hubs and spokes come right out of the Industry Nine facility in North Caroline where the wheels are built. The 32 oversized aluminum spokes and 120 point/3 degrees freehub engagement deliver instant power transfer. The high quality sounding free hub buzz nearly negates the need for a bell. I personally love the sound of the freehub, but if you wish to remain more stealthy, just apply a liberal amount of “DuMonde Tech Freehub Grease” within the freehub to quiet things down.
There is not really anything I don’t like about these wheels, but it would be nice to have a wider rim. In that case just go with a set of Industry Nine Enduro wheels that are almost 2 mm wider and only around 100 grams heavier.
Overall Rating: 9.5 out of 10 The Industry Nine Trail wheelset is one of my favorite upgrades to any bike, they add that colorful customization bling with impeccable quality and performance that I can trust no matter where I’m riding.
