I got good and ripe sweating and stewing in the juices of months’ worth of indecision trying to settle on a new wheelset. But when it got down to it there really wasn’t a choice.....I was on the fence, however, as far as rims, looking at 819s and 5.1s mostly but couldn’t settle. Each had their own advantages and disadvantages.....Finally Brandi at I9 put an end to my suffering by suggesting I just sit tight awhile and wait on the I9 proprietary rims due out in the late winter. I waited. And it was worth the wait. As I’m honestly not knowledgeable enough to give anything but a subjective review I can’t contribute much beyond my maintenance experience and riding an average of four days a week over the last five or so months on these wheels.
The I9 Enduro rims are wide - 28mm, super stiff, and with a Stans rig I’ve run them tubeless without an issue using both tubeless and standard tires (Specialized, Schwalbe and WTB ). I followed the prescribed re-tensioning schedule and have had zero hub problems, front or rear. If you are taking your wheels to a shop for service I would recommend using a mechanic familiar with I9 wheels as there are some nuances ( I’m told) with the spokes, etc.
I’ve had the rear trued twice. The first time was an unfortunate flat at speed. I’d cased a rock, flatted and cased another rock. I was afraid to look but the wheel took it remarkably well. Threw in a tube and rode 20 miles out, rode the rest of the week before getting it trued. The second incident involved a stick, my derailleur and spokes, again at speed....I lost a spoke, a hanger and a lot of wind....somehow no teeth...
These things are an absolute dream. Super stiff and fast. The engagement is truly remarkable......There is a difference in the engagement between I9 and Kings, worth checking out...... A world apart from the older Crossmax XLs, stiffer than CKs laced to 819s ( this, however, is still a favorite wheelset )......I think I’ve mentioned “stiff” three times now....I’m faster on these wheels than I have been on any others.....I have more fun on these wheels...I won’t step in to the I9 vs CK ring.....both are great products.....the conversion / versatility aspect of these wheels is HUGE....I can only say that this is the best wheelset of its kind I’ve ridden.....and there is that frequently mentioned sound....BZZZZZZZZ is the sound of bliss....Additionally, and not lastly, I9 Customer Service is stellar, always a huge consideration in my choice when I’m dropping a load of cash....If you are considering I9 Enduro Hubs, give a lot of thought to their rims as well....truly kicka@@
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sunshynjunky
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Date Reviewed: April 1, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Commando Loop
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Strengths:
Stiff light strong smooth incredible engagement
Weaknesses:
??.....They look too sick??? (If thats possible)
Similar Products Used:
Mavic, Dt Swiss, Shimano,
Bike Setup:
Turner RFX (08), Avid Codes, RS Totem (6"), XO group RaceFace stem bars headset
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is... all you will want to hear is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
These are solidly the best wheels on the market
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
swade
a Weekend Warrior
from Independence KY Date Reviewed: March 28, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Brown County, IN
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Purchased At:
Reser Bicycle, Newpo
Strengths:
Unique, look great, perform even better
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
WTB, Mavic
Bike Setup:
09 Yeti 575, Fox rp23 and 36 talas rc2, xtr, thomson, king, I9 enduro build with Mavic 819's Blue hubs with alsternating blue and black spokes.
Bottom Line:
If you are in this price range, get them now. Had my new bike for a little while with a different set of wheels on. Once I switched not only did it drop significant weight but the bike felt like a rocket ship. I was blown away by the acceleration. Consistently ride 1-2 gears higher in all conditions. The word stiff does not do them justice, it's beyond that. The slightest pressure on the pedals translates immediately into acceleration. On my first ride it felt like I was trying to keep up with my bike all day, like someone faster than me was actually pedaling it! It still feels like that. I jump everthing I can find too and these wheels just laugh at it. I researched everthing out there for months driving myself crazy over it. Came down to these, crossmax, king's or fulcrum and my bike shop recommended I9's hands down. I'm glad they did. They were worth the wait and I hear the lead time is continuing to get shorter. Did I mention they're the sweetest looking wheels you'll ever see.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Iwan
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Town, South Africa Date Reviewed: February 2, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Tokai, Eden, Harkerville at night
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1.00
Purchased At:
William's Bike Shop
Strengths:
Light for what it is and can do
Strong and build tough
Beautifully made
Stiff
Durable
Weaknesses:
Can be on the expensive side, but no more than a CK wheelset
Similar Products Used:
CK wheelset
DT 1750
Bike Setup:
On Ibis Mojo at the moment, but will go onto a Morewood Mbuzi in the next week or two. Mojo is build with 36 Talas, Joplin and other hard hitting gear
Bottom Line:
I have had these for over 6months now and they run as straight and true as the day I bought them. Hubs engage faster than CK's and have been just reliable and sounds awesome! After a very wet and muddy winter the bearings are still 100% and run as smooth as ever.
They laugh at rock gardens, drops and jumps yet are fairly light. What more could you want?
Was gonna 4 for value as they are expensive, but compared to CK they are right on the money and you get spare spokes! Also the hubs are adaptable for 20mm front and 12mm rear. So 5 chilis it is!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
smuff9
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta Date Reviewed: December 23, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Bear Creek/Pinhoti
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$850.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Outside rotational weight. INSTANT engagement! Does look cool, even if you only went black on black
Weaknesses:
None yet, though I am worried about the toughness of the aluminum spokes
Bike Setup:
08' Santa Cruz Heckler, fox coil-over, revelation fork.
Bottom Line:
Absolutely love these. I can't speak for how they'll hold up in the long run as I only have two rides on these so far but the difference in the ride is unbelievable. I definitely notice that it's a little easier to climb even though they are the same weight overall as my last wheelset. I'm guessing it's because of the lack of nipples/less outside rotational weight. But the biggest thing is the instant engagement. Makes a huge difference in slow technical climbs. Also noticed a fairly big difference in the stiffness on the quick turning downhill runs. Definitely no remorse in buying these.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al
a Weekend Warrior
from Alhambra Date Reviewed: January 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Rock-it
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$850.00
Purchased At:
LSB
Strengths:
Looks good, light, instant engagement
Weaknesses:
long lead time
Similar Products Used:
Kings, shimano, bontreger
Bike Setup:
Maverick ML8, Duc32, XO, XTR 2.35" Nevegals
Bottom Line:
This my second set my first one is on my Ibis I love it so much I sold my kings and get this one.
great product this is a black on black and ztr 355 the wheel weight 1470g with 24mm front hub. cheaper than kings and at least 50% faster engagement and not to mention twice louder.
the wheelset look so good and sound great high pitch buzz that turn head a great conversation piece.
Don't forget to re-tighten your wheel after a few ride when you first get the wheel after that it stay true.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter
a Downhiller
from Foster Cityc, CA, USA Date Reviewed: July 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Soquel Demonstration Forest
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Stiff, strong, beautiful, light, and fast. Oh, and great customer service!!
Weaknesses:
$$$ But totally worth it
Similar Products Used:
King's to Single Tracks
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Bullet, I9 wheels, the rest is overshadowed.
Bottom Line:
These Wheels are amazing. The first ride felt totally weird, I had never ridden such a stiff wheelset. On the second ride, I could feel them tracking so much better. I have cased on them hard enough to snap my BB, but the wheels stayed true. They are even really easy to true. I lost the 20mm adapters, so they are sending them out for free! Seriously, if you are looking for an upgrade, or need something that will truely last, look to I9. And do the custom colors, there is no point in black or silver. You gotta be flash. I got Purple hubs and spokes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Graeme
a Cross Country Rider
from Christchurch, New Zealand Date Reviewed: April 30, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Billy T
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
In order of importance: 1) Uber Stiff 2) 3 degree engagement 3) Light 4) Look cool 5) Sound cool
Weaknesses:
ummmm... - might be hard to get fixed quickly - cost a lot
Similar Products Used:
Crossmax (SL I think, demo only)
Bike Setup:
Blur classic, Fox, Thompson, XT/XTR etc
Bottom Line:
I have the Enduro hubs with DT Swiss 4.2d rims. Unbelieveable handling improvement, like having a new bike. Rapid engagement rear hub sooo nice in many situations, I'd never appreciated how important this is. Can often ride 1 gear higher when climbing because they accelerate so easily. Bike is now 1lb lighter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chuck
a
from Denver, Colorado Date Reviewed: February 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
light, stiff and smooth
Weaknesses:
$
Similar Products Used:
819
Bike Setup:
intense
Bottom Line:
Buy these wheels
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
