Honestly I wouldn’t touch I9’s. I’ve just written this on pink bike but its relevant here
bought a set of Reynolds carbon AM 29er wheels laced to I9 torch hubs. Within two months they needed a full bearing replacement, front and rear. a month later the free hub bearings went again, the inner race collapsed completely which allowed the cassette to lunch on the rear mech. A new free hub, mech and another set of bearings later, they lasted another 3 dry months before the wobble came back again. At which point I sold them and built up some LB’s on Hope ProII’s. Another bonus was that the seals were so loose on the free hub that taking the back wheel out, the cassette would just fall off, spitting springs and pawls everywhere. Always nice when you’re fixing a puncture mid ride and that happens. I’d care a spare couple of pawls in my back pocket to replace them when the inevitable happened.
Another set on an all out XC race bike were laced to some STans 355’s – new old stock 26ers, Again, three races in (these were my race only wheels) I had the dreaded bearing wobble and again it lunched another free hub. Speaking to the UK importer, they said that the free hubs were a weak point and that they’d changed the design. So another £80 and three months later it shat itself again.
I’ll never have another set – they’re rubbish. They look lovely and with the red hubs and red spokes they looked pimp, but they don’t last. I rank them up there with Crank Bros products – function follows form.
I’ve had Tune and King too, the King was lovely but crazy money. The Tune was nice enough but nothing special. I’d still go Hope every time and put up with the weight penalty.
