Industry Nine brings its legendary fast engaging hubs to drop bar bikes with the new SOLix wheelsets and hubs
Industry Nine SOLiX line packs 605 points of engagement and comes in two distinct configurations; SOLiX SL for road and fast gravel or SOLiX G for gravel
Industry Nine has launched a new range of SOLix wheelsets and hubs aimed at drop bar riders. Industry Nine is known for producing some of the best mountain bike hubs with legendary high engagement and build quality, the new SOLix hubs offer a similar instantaneous pick-up and are available as a hub only or built up with a range of carbon rims which should position Industry Nine amongst the best gravel bike wheels on the market.
Industry Nine already has the 1/1 road hub, however, while the 1/1s have 90 points of engagement (POE), the new hubs boast 605 POE which translates to just 0.59 degrees before the hub engages. The super fast engagement should give the SOLix hubs an almost instantaneous pick-up when you start pedaling. This is achieved using an ultra-fine 121 tooth driver ring and five leaf sprung pawls that work in phases.
The hubs are said to offer less spinning friction and enhanced durability by using higher load bearings protected by replaceable full-contact radial lip seals. Additionally, SOLiX uses the same bearing sizes on the drive and non-drive side to evenly distribute the load placed on the hub shells.
The new SOLix wheel range will see the SOLix hubs built up with several different carbon rims. These fall into two specific categories, the SOLiX G wheels are designed to take riders further afield on drop bar adventures, and SOLiX SL wheels are tailored for road, aero road, and gravel racers.
Industry Nine SOLiX G wheelsets
Industry Nine SOLiX G wheelsets come with three alloy and one carbon rim options, ranging from 18mm to 25mm deep. Industry Nine uses 24 straight pull, one-piece aluminum spokes that thread directly into the hub flange.
If you are looking for a set of 650b wheels, there is a single SOLIX G UL250A alloy rimmed wheelset option. The wheels are centerlock only and all freehubs standards are covered, with compatible SRAM XD-R, Shimano HG, Shimano MS-R, and Campagnolo N3W choices.
- SOLIX G UL250C: 19MM DEEP | 25MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM | 1320G |€2565/SET
- SOLIX G AR25: 25MM DEEP | 21.5MM INTERNAL WIDTH | ALLOY RIM |1520G | €1505/SET
- SOLIX G UL250A: 18MM DEEP | 25MM INTERNAL WIDTH | ALLOY RIM | 700C: 1420G | 650B: 1350G | €1505/SET
- SOLIX G GRCX: 19MM DEEP, 24.5MM INTERNAL WIDTH | ALLOY RIM | 1520G | €1505/SET
Industry Nine SOLiX SL wheelsets
The SOLiX SL wheelsets use the same hub and spoke count but utilize lighter straight-pull Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes to shave off some weight, saving roughly 50g over the SOLix G wheelset with the same rims.
Industry Nine offers seven carbon rims and two alloy wheelsets. The rim profiles cover everything from shallow climbing rims to deeper CFD-designed aero models in depths up to 65mm deep.
The SOLiX SL wheelsets also support SRAM XD-R, Shimano HG, Shimano MS-R, and Campagnolo N3W freehubs and are centerlock rotors only.
- SOLIX SL 35: 35MM DEEP | 21MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM |1340G | €2460/SET
- SOLIX SL 35/45: 35MM FRONT / 45MM REAR DEEP | 21MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM | 1400G | €2475/SET
- SOLIX SL 45: 45MM DEEP | 21MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM |1450G | €2490/SET
- SOLIX SL 45/65: 45MM FRONT / 65MM REAR DEEP | 21MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM | 1490G | €2505/SET
- SOLIX SL 65: 65MM DEEP | 21MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM |1530G | €2520/SET
- SOLIX SL AR40: 40MM DEEP | 25MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM |1430G | €2490/SET
- SOLIX SL AR25: 25MM DEEP | 21.5MM INTERNAL WIDTH | ALLOY RIM |1470G | €1390/SET
- SOLIX SL UL250C: 19MM DEEP | 25MM INTERNAL WIDTH | CARBON RIM | 1270G | €2460/SET
- SOLIX SL UL250A: 18MM DEEP | 25MM INTERNAL WIDTH | ALLOY RIM | 1370G | €1390/SET
All the wheels can be customized using the Industry Nine custom wheel designer which gives customers the option to choose from 11 anodized hub colors and nine spoke nipple colors.
If you would prefer to build your own wheels, the SOLix hubs are available as a front and rear set. Unlike complete wheels, the SOLix Classic hub set has scalloped hub flanges for J-Bend spokes, in either 24 or 28-hole configurations. Customers can choose from 11 different anodized colors and SRAM XD-R, Shimano HG, Shimano MS-R, or Campagnolo N3W freehubs. The hubs on their own weigh 110g for the front and 223g for the rear. The SOLix Classic hub set is set to retail for €744.
Graham Cottingham joined the BikePerfect team as our senior tech writer in 2020. With over 20 years of riding experience, he has dabbled in downhill, enduro, and gravel racing. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has embraced bikepacking over the last few years and likes nothing more than strapping some bags to his bike and covering big miles to explore Scotland's wildernesses. When he isn’t shredding the gnar in the Tweed Valley, sleeping in bushes, or tinkering with bikes, he is writing tech reviews for BikePerfect.
Rides: Cotic SolarisMax, Stooge MK4, 24 Bicycles Le Toy 3, Surly Steamroller
Height: 177cm
Weight: 71kg