With 0.52° engagement, the brand new Industry Nine Hydra hub is 5.77 times quicker than their Torch hub…

For folks who enjoy methodically churning through technical singletrack, having a quick engagement hub driver is pure gold. It allows you to ratchet through rocky or rooty sections without hanging up your pedals or cranks on the obstacles at hand. In 2013, Asheville, NC-based Industry Nine changed the hub landscape by introducing its Torch Series, a hub driver with a quick 120 points of engagement. This was accomplished via a hardened steel 120-tooth drivering. The Torch system works with six pawls phased so only three touch the drivering at any given time. This results in a very quick engagement – three degrees at the crank. That’s fast for a bike hub, and one we’ve quite enjoyed around Pisgah, as well as in the Republic of Georgia, Armenia, and elsewhere. For comparison, rival Chris King hubs have 72 points of engagement.

Now, the Industry Nine Hydra has rewritten these rules with a monstrous leap to 690 points of engagement, or 0.52° between each engagement. This removes 2.48° play when compared to Torch and creates what would seem to be instant engagement. The new Hydra drive system does this by using an independently phased six pawl, 115-tooth drivering.

Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
  • Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
  • Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs

The innovative new design utilizes a continuously phased system, creating a procession of engagement points between pawl and drivering. The design utilizes the inherent flex of the axle to accomplish positive second, third, or fourth pawl contact. Hydra also tempers uncontrolled axle and bearing movements that conventional designs can’t mechanically limit, thus improving bearing life and decreasing resistance.

  • 6 pawl, 6 phase design
  • 28 hole or 32 hole
  • Improved internal layout to maximize performance, increase durability, and decrease drag
  • 115-tooth drivering
  • Hubs: System + Classic j-bend
  • 11 custom anodized colors
  • Wheelsets start at $975 MSRP
  • Hubsets start at $650 MSRP
Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
  • Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
  • Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs
  • Industry Nine Hydra, I9 hubs

In case you missed it, make sure to have a look at our Industry Nine site visit from 2017. Also, find our review of the Torch wheelset here, and stay tuned for a report on the new Hydra.

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