Meet the Hydra
Industry Nine has spent the past two and a half years developing the Hydra, nearly quadrupled the engagement of their flagship model, and, once again, revolutionized what a hub should do.
Hydra Highlights
- 690 points of engagement, or .52° between each engagement
- Increased durability and bearing life
- Lower Drag
- 11 Anodized Color options
- Machined in Asheville, North Carolina
Next Level Performance
All New Drive-Ring and Pawl System
While the shell and hub themselves actually look quite similar to what you are used to seeing on the Industry Nine Torch Hubs, the insides of the hub are completely revamped in the Hydra. Gone is the 60 tooth drive-ring that has been a mainstay of Industry Nine hubs for the past number of years and, in its place, it an all new 115 tooth model.
The Torch hubs featured a 2-phase pawl system. At any given time, half of the 6 pawls in the Torch hub were engaged. Rotate the freehub 3 degrees and the other 3 pawls would engage.
With the Hydra, I9 has moved to an innovative 6 phase engagement system. This means that at any given time one of the pawls in engaged on the 115 tooth drive-ring, and the system uses the flex in the system to achieve 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pawl contact to distribute the load.

That New i9 Buzz
Lightweight Performance
Coming in at only 404g for a Centerlock XD set and 466g for the 6-bolt Shimano set, the Hydra is ready for anything from an XC race bike to a downhill rig.


What’s the point?
Didn’t we have enough engagement already?
Rolling Resistance and Bearing Life
If there was any downside to the Torch hubs, it was that the 2 phase, 6-pawl engagement system led to a system that had slightly more rolling resistance. This was because so many points of the freehub were engaging with the drive-ring over any given period of time.
Industry Nine has completely addressed this concern with the Hydra. The 6-phase system significantly cuts down on rolling resistance.
“Hydra also tempers uncontrolled axle and bearing movements conventional designs can’t mechanically limit, thus improving bearing life and decreasing resistance.” – Industry Nine
Pick Up Your Hydra Wheelset Now
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