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INDUSTRY NINE VS. CHRIS KING
The hottest competition in mountain biking…
When it comes to component parts for mountain biking, there are many great rivalries.
- Shimano vs. SRAM
- Rock Shox vs. Fox
- DT Swiss vs. Mavic
The Industry Nine vs. Chris King hub debate is one rivalry that has gotten a lot of press over the last couple of years. The rookie, Industry Nine, has stepped in to try to claim the title. In every great match-up, the race is pretty close. I have owned or currently own both of these incredible hubs. How do they measure up?
Note: I will be comparing Industry Nine’s straight pull hubs against Chris King’s. Industry Nine does make a “classic” hub that accepts j-bend spokes, but for the purpose of the head to head match up, I wanted to use the most popular of each.
QUALITY
When you reach this price point in component parts, there is a certain level of quality that is expected of the manufacturer. This is one area that both Industry Nine and Chris King do not disappoint. Both companies use the finest materials with very stringent quality control measures to insure that every hub that goes out the door is one of their best. Choosing one hub or the other at this level is almost impossible.
The Industry Nine hubs come standard with a 7068 alloy cassette body that is a claimed 20% stronger than regular 7075. King uses 7075 with a stainless steel option (I have that option) and there have been some reports of certain cassettes notching the cassette bodies. There are also some fitment issues with certain cassettes and King hubs that require a spacer (Shimano XT). I switched to SRAM for this reason.
Round One goes to….Industry Nine
There is no clear winner here. The designs are different but the quality is what you would expect from components of this caliber. The reason I9 took the round is because of the little annoyances on King's end. Overall, both of these hubs are premium quality components.
PERFORMANCE
Both of these great hub companies deliver in spades what most are trying to achieve. Industry Nine is the “king” of engagement. Their 6 pawl 120 point (3 degrees) engagement drive mechanism is the leader in the industry. With their 6 pawl design, 3 of the A-2 tool steel pawls are enagaged at a time providing 9 points of contact. You truly don’t know how great the instant power transfer is until you ride I9 hubs and then switch to another brand. You find out what you were missing. The straight pull spokes also create a stiffer wheel design than your traditional j-bend spoke design. Stiffer wheels equal less deflection and a more stable ride on the trail. They also have several gauge thicknesses to choose from.
The Chris King drive mechanism is no slouch, and until Industry Nine entered the market, it was the drive to beat. Their patented RingDrive provides 72 points of engagement and is one of the quickest in the industry. King's RingDrive engages all 72 points simultaneously providing a stronger drive mechanism. On the wheel build, you are at the mercy of the builder. Most qualified wheel builders can make a bulletproof set of Chris Kings. Chad at Red Barn Bikes built up my set for the Terremoto and they have been flawless through some intense thrashings. Some of King’s hubs in the wrong hands can cause you headaches. With different spoke options (gauge and straight vs. double butted), you can customize the build for your needs.
Round 2 goes to…Industry Nine
It is hard to argue with stiffer wheels and faster engagement. Industry Nine came to the ring ready to throw down in this area. They are now the best performing wheels on the market. The bar has been raised.
RELIABILITY
With these hubs, you expect them to last a long time with regular service for this price. Chris King hubs have been around since the early 90’s, and at every trailhead you can find a satisfied King customer. Their hubs are proven and they work every time.
Industry Nine is the new kid on the block and they are showing great promise in this area. Their standards for manufacturing should hold them among the top of respected mountain biking part suppliers.
Round 3 goes to…Chris King
Until Industry Nine gets the long-term track record like King already has…Chris King will rule the reliability category. This is not saying that I9 may not take this over…they just need more trail time to take the title.
MAINTENANCE
Both of these hub sets require regular maintenance. My King hubs required bearing preload adjusting after the first 6 hours and j-bend wheels require truing and tensioning on a regular basis (no matter who builds them) to make sure they perform correctly. The re-greasing procedure is incredibly easy and can be done by any rider with a willing to try.
Industry Nine is in the same boat as King here. It is recommended that the spoke tension is checked after the first couple of rides and re-greasing is with the Kings on the easy level.
Round 4 goes to…Draw
Every hub, or component for that matter, is going to require regular maintenance to insure proper function. The trick is making it easy for the end user, and both companies to do a great job at this. Both companies offer technical pdf documents on servicing their hubs. As a added bonus, Chris King also has a video section that you need to check out.
VERSATILITY
Industry Nine has brought hub versatility to a whole new level with their replaceable end caps. Now, the same front hub, can be for quick release, 15mm, 20mm, 24mm, or 25mm with the simple switch of the end caps. There is no other hub on the market that allows this kind of swap out. The rear can also be changed from quick release, 10mm and 12mm. So you bought a QR, 140mm fork and now you think a 20mm TA fork would have been a better purchase. No problem, swap out the end caps instead of the entire hub.
With Chris King hubs, you are stuck with what you purchased. There is no option available to convert your existing hubs. On the rear, King offers their “Fun Bolts” as a thru-axle type option, but you are not able to get a true 10mm for the 135mm width. This year, Chris King finally introduced a 150mm wide hub for the downhill/freeride market with a standard 12mm axle. This should make those riders incredibly happy.
Round 5 goes to…Industry Nine
The amount of options you have with an I9 hub is astounding. Moving wheels from bike to bike has never been this easy.
BLING FACTOR
Subtle bling vs. Out there color!
Each is bling’ed out in their own right, but Industry Nine made color cool again. From their wild fades to muli-colored spokes, color hasn’t been this widely accepted since the 90’s.
Round 6 goes to…Industry Nine
While the I9’s are available in all black, they have created a niche for themselves with the color options. Industry Nine produces the best-looking hubs on the planet. When you combine that with their spokes, the combination is unbeatable.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Exceptional customer service at this level is expected, not a bonus. I have dealt with both companies on certain CS levels and while neither one is bad, Industry Nine is more involved with their customer base and the industry.
Chris King does a much better job of providing information online for it's users. There is a multitude of explanations and technical information. Currently, Industry Nine's website is difficult to manuver at best. During a recent tour, I did get the inside track on their new website that is going to be released soon. I won't say much, but just imagine building your own wheel/color combo with real life pictures before purchasing.
Round 7 goes to…Industry Nine
The Asheville, NC companies know how to do CS right.
PRICE
Both of these sets are high priced hubs.
Round 8 goes to…Chris King
While not getting into too much price detail, a better deal can be found on the Kings when comparing black hub/black spoke combos. When you add in Industry Nine’s wait time, Chris King takes this category without much argument.
THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS VOTE
INDUSTRY NINE COMPONENTRY
The new kid on the block takes the match. With time, it appears that Industry Nine is going for the knock out. They have come to the market with performance and options that no one else in the industry can touch. If King wants to stay at the top of its game, they need to take a serious look at what Industry Nine has been able to accomplish over this short period of time.
Which hub do you think wins the match-up? Submit your comments below and vote in the poll.
Resources:
- Industry Nine's Website
- Chris King's Website
- Special thanks to Trailadvent for chipping in with this article - Heal up quick.
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June 5th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I am boring so I’ll stick with my Hadleys.
hellbellys last blog post..My "punk" pages
June 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
@hellbelly: Hadley makes a great hub. You can also hear it from miles away!
June 7th, 2008 at 11:51 am
still waiting to try my i9s, should be soon
June 7th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Great review RS, really good oil on two awesome company’s, Ive not had the pleasure of I9s other than some friendly info from my OS friends, but had a great 3years with my Kings, I loved your review formatt and thought it reflected nicely the new boys on the block and the industry leader heavy weights, Ive always admired Kings engineeering of the ring drive, so will be very interesting to see where I9 go and what they do and what CK do to counter puch there moves, can only be good for us and them!
I also have Hadley’s and have had a great run with them, what they lack though is the overall contact of these too, though I would not hesitate to but them again, but the review is about CK and I9!
I took from this the overall packages an information from both companies the CS the qualities, the niggles each may have, options etc, I may never afford to have the 19s but I can’t help admire them, though there options make it compelling in saving s over time, I also hope to have Kings again one day maybe on a single speed.
Cheers for the mention too, was a pleasure helping where I could!
July 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
hmmm. a problem with this type of review is that it assumes all factors have equal weight. 2nd, its a 1-0 or 0-1 with no sense of measuring of how close or far off they are in one aspect. personally, i think reliability should weigh more than the others and assuming performance goes to I9, it is not a 1-0 probably 1-.9 for I9 fans. i definitely agree that bling goes to I9 a 1-.4 in my book.