FFR Trikes
100 mW
I posted up in the general forum, but I know there's not always a lot of cross-pollination between the different sections of the site, so I figured I'd share my experiences with with all the non-hubbers over here...
I've been eyeing Industry Nine Wheels for a while, they're super light, super strong, straight pull, and they have super beefy freewheels. Plus, they're made down right down the road from our shop in Asheville, North Carolina.
Decided to give the guys a call a couple weeks back and rode one of the trikes over to their manufacturing facility. They gave me the grand tour and all I can say is wow! I9 is the ninth industry that runs out of a collective building owned by Turnamics, Inc. , they collectively own the expensive machines that are used to make parts for everything from robotics to rail cars to mountain bike wheels. It looks like they're making jewelry. My tour guide heckled the middle-aged woman that was laser-etching the hubs and not wearing sunglasses, hahaha. Good vibe in there.
I talked Clint (I9's owner) into designing a custom wheelset for our Transition 311 and 411 trikes, based off the KMX tadpoles. He was all for it after he took a blast around the parking lot on the 311R that I brought over. They did gold hubs and gold spokes for this set, but they can do almost any color combination, even rainbow-style spoke patterns or Rasti-colors.
A couple weeks later, they had the wheels all finished up and I dropped by to pick them up. They far exceeded my expectations. Fantastic work. Clint was even willing to make a few small changes to the endcaps while I was there. Top notch guy.
Here's a few shots of the wheels they designed for our KMX tadpoles. Endcaps can be swapped out to fit a large variety of different bikes and trikes.
On the 311R:
Initial impressions: First off, these shaved 1.5 lbs off my old Jetset wheelset! Precision finish is an understatement, these wheels are so precise that look like they should be used for medical applications. Cornering is improved, and while they are stiff, they actually feel less harsh on sharp potholes and railroad tracks. Also, the engagement on the rear freewheel is other worldly. There's absolutely no play in that thing. 120 engagement points!! It's also rated for over 700 ft-lbs of torque. And that's no typo. It's a great option for folks who are doing high power mid drives. Also, the whirr of the freewheel when coasting sounds fantastic. Not too loud, just a buttery smooth sound. I got a lot of "whoa!'s" from people on the initial cruise around town last night.
If anyone wants to pick up a set, for a two or three-wheeler, just let me know. They set us up as a dealer and we're happy to give 10% off to ES members. Keep riding!
Tommy
I've been eyeing Industry Nine Wheels for a while, they're super light, super strong, straight pull, and they have super beefy freewheels. Plus, they're made down right down the road from our shop in Asheville, North Carolina.
Decided to give the guys a call a couple weeks back and rode one of the trikes over to their manufacturing facility. They gave me the grand tour and all I can say is wow! I9 is the ninth industry that runs out of a collective building owned by Turnamics, Inc. , they collectively own the expensive machines that are used to make parts for everything from robotics to rail cars to mountain bike wheels. It looks like they're making jewelry. My tour guide heckled the middle-aged woman that was laser-etching the hubs and not wearing sunglasses, hahaha. Good vibe in there.
I talked Clint (I9's owner) into designing a custom wheelset for our Transition 311 and 411 trikes, based off the KMX tadpoles. He was all for it after he took a blast around the parking lot on the 311R that I brought over. They did gold hubs and gold spokes for this set, but they can do almost any color combination, even rainbow-style spoke patterns or Rasti-colors.
A couple weeks later, they had the wheels all finished up and I dropped by to pick them up. They far exceeded my expectations. Fantastic work. Clint was even willing to make a few small changes to the endcaps while I was there. Top notch guy.
Here's a few shots of the wheels they designed for our KMX tadpoles. Endcaps can be swapped out to fit a large variety of different bikes and trikes.
On the 311R:
Initial impressions: First off, these shaved 1.5 lbs off my old Jetset wheelset! Precision finish is an understatement, these wheels are so precise that look like they should be used for medical applications. Cornering is improved, and while they are stiff, they actually feel less harsh on sharp potholes and railroad tracks. Also, the engagement on the rear freewheel is other worldly. There's absolutely no play in that thing. 120 engagement points!! It's also rated for over 700 ft-lbs of torque. And that's no typo. It's a great option for folks who are doing high power mid drives. Also, the whirr of the freewheel when coasting sounds fantastic. Not too loud, just a buttery smooth sound. I got a lot of "whoa!'s" from people on the initial cruise around town last night.
If anyone wants to pick up a set, for a two or three-wheeler, just let me know. They set us up as a dealer and we're happy to give 10% off to ES members. Keep riding!
Tommy
