Industry Nine

i9 65 Carbon Disc Brake Wheelset - Tubeless

Optimized to reduce aerodynamic drag while crit and circuit racing, the i9 65 Carbon Disc Brake Tubeless Wheelset by Industry Nine gives you every advantage when split seconds determine who finishes on top. This tubeless, disc-equipped wheelset isn't the deepest option out there (we're looking at you, 80-millimeter deep wheels), but it does represent the upper limit for many crit and circuit racers. Although TT specialists and triathlon racers may disagree, 65 millimeters is about as deep as it gets for the dedicated roadie seeking an aerodynamic wheel, especially in crosswind scenarios where deeper options are inherently unstable.

Before going any further down the tech rabbit hole, it's important to note that Industry Nine has teamed up with Reynolds to create this stunning carbon wheelset. Reynold's legendary carbon rim is designed in Northern Utah, along the epic proving ground of the Wasatch Mountains. As you're probably aware, Industry Nine machines its Torch road hubs found here at its North Carolina facility. Not only is the machining exquisite, but the Torch's three-pawl driver maintains reliability up to a massive 700 ft/lbs of torque and spins up effortlessly with their 6-degree engagement.

Returning to these deep rims, Reynold's Dispersive Effect Termination (DET) effectively reduces aerodynamic drag by smoothing out turbulence, then reattaching it to an aerodynamic surface. The rim's deep dish is shaped in a NACA-profiled (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), tapered V-shape that ends with a sharp trailing edge. The shape smooths out airflow over the wheel, and when that air passes the spoke face, it's easily reattached at the rear of the rim to reduce stall. DET also means that this stall-free sweet spot extends to 20 degrees of yaw, which is a full 7.5 degrees more than the competition.

It's rare to have a real-world circumstance of straight-on air resistance. Most of the time, cyclists experience zero to 20 degrees of yaw, with a wind angle anywhere from zero to 100 degrees in relation to the bearing. A lot of deep rims in this situation act as sails, pulling the bike sideways during sudden changes in direction when it's blowing hard outside—an effect that's more noticeable as rim depth goes over 50 millimeters. Although it's impossible to fully cure this ailment, Reynolds' rim-shaping DET distributes side forces (e.g. cross winds), so that the center of pressure is pushed beyond the center of mass. Ultimately, this means the pulling of cross winds is much less pronounced, so they'll exhibit more predictability in windy conditions and feel less like sails.

Paired with a 26.2-millimeter outer width, you'll experience a notable gain in lateral stiffness, alongside the aforementioned aerodynamic gains and cross wind stability while racing and training. Centerlock disc compatibility eliminates the poor braking performance of traditional carbon wheels. Instead of pulsing, sketchy stops, disc brakes provide near-perfect responsiveness and high levels of modulation, all without the fear of overheating and melting the carbon braking surface during long descents encountered on hilly or mountainous terrain.