[OB1]

I've been running I9's for almost 2 years now. Not sure why....I must me masochistic. If I send my wheels in to I9 to be trued up, I won't break a spoke for a couple months. But if I, or any of 3 other shops i've used, true up my wheels...I continue my normal 1-2 broken spokes per month routine. I've spent years in BMX, and a few years downhilling. Ive never broken a spoke while simply riding bike with any other wheelsets. And I've built a lot of wheelsets for other people out of my old sponsors bike shop. So I feel like I know enough about tensioning. But these aluminum spokes get brittle over time.

In the past, I9 has given me great customer service. That might be why I've stayed on their wheels. But now I find out that all my bearings are trash. One of them is even frozen solid. Not to mention my I9 rims are beyond help. I called up I9 but the guy answering the phone just wants to sell me uber expensive new rims and bearings at retail cost. The guy I used to talk to is in a different dept now. So I'm on my own. Time to get off I9's, and grab my new sponsors wheelsets..Canfield.

Here's my question to you guys....where can I get some generic bearings online to replace my I9 bearings? And does anyone know the exact ID of these I9 rims so I can buy a set of "other" rims and simply swap out without needing new spokes. Cause we all know how expensive THAT would be with I9.

 

[Zark]

bearings should be simple to figure out. Take out the axle and read the bearing number off the bearing. You can get the ERD from the rim by disassembling the wheel and measuring it, but thats probably not the answer you are looking for.

As for the spoke breakage, sounds like the shops you are using aren't using a spoke tension meter. I9's are picky about tension and spoke tension should be brought down on the wheel when replacing a spoke, then retensioned.

 

[IH8Rice]

do you actually use a tensionometer or are you going by feel? their wheels rely greatly on properly tensioned spokes

and you are upset that they are trying to sell something at retail prices to a retail customer??

 

[profro]

Geeze. For someone who has built a lot of wheels you'd think you could figure out how much rim ID could vary to not require new spokes. Plus take the bearing to a bearing shop and have them size a replacement or take a set of calipers, measure them yourself and look them up online.

I9 has always been great for replacing things, but you can't fault a company for charging you for replacement parts.

 

[illnotsick]

You've been using a wheelset for 2 years and you're complaining that you have to replace the rims and hub bearings....

 

[demo 9]

(knocks on wood) i have never broken a spoke in the 6 sets of i9 wheels i own, Chances are if you are breaking them, the spoke tension isnt correct. just because the rim is true does NOT mean the spokes are all properly tensioned. IF your rim wants to be an "egg" and it is held back to a circle by your spokes, half of them are going to be tighter, half of them looser. I personally blame the rim,(which you say is toast) i would bet if you swapped rims (even if its another i9 rim) and re-tensioned (correctly) this would not happen. I dont use a tensionometer on my wheels, and they hold up and last great. (im sure i9 DOES NOT recommend this) however, i have personally found, that if you are in "range" and all evenly tensioned, they hold up great. I am sure riding style has alot to do with it as well, but im no baby, so take that for what it is.

Also worth mentioning, you can probably swap to many other rims, the nice part about i9 spokes, is that they have more threads than they need, so you can "fudge" it a little bit. Thats not to say you can do whatever you want, but i have found that i havent had to swap spokes yet, as long as i was careful with the build.

Just personal experiences of course

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

(knocks on wood) i have never broken a spoke in the 6 sets of i9 wheels i own, Chances are if you are breaking them, the spoke tension isnt correct. just because the rim is true does NOT mean the spokes are all properly tensioned. IF your rim wants to be an "egg" and it is held back to a circle by your spokes, half of them are going to be tighter, half of them looser. I personally blame the rim,(which you say is toast) i would bet if you swapped rims (even if its another i9 rim) and re-tensioned (correctly) this would not happen. I dont use a tensionometer on my wheels, and they hold up and last great. (im sure i9 DOES NOT recommend this) however, i have personally found, that if you are in "range" and all evenly tensioned, they hold up great. I am sure riding style has alot to do with it as well, but im no baby, so take that for what it is.

Also worth mentioning, you can probably swap to many other rims, the nice part about i9 spokes, is that they have more threads than they need, so you can "fudge" it a little bit. Thats not to say you can do whatever you want, but i have found that i havent had to swap spokes yet, as long as i was careful with the build.

Just personal experiences of course

why doesnt he just buy a full set of spokes, hubs, and rims to build a new set himself?

 

[demo 9]

why doesnt he just buy a full set of spokes, hubs, and rims to build a new set himself?

dont get me started

 

[Tetreault]

i9 stuff works, its good, and its expensive, and proprietary. this is why u myself have never found a need to own a set. They seem to work great from what i've heard but if you aren't just exactly right with them things go wrong, i thought it was biking not plutonium handling here.

take out the bearings and figure out the specs yourself, order a few online, get them working again, and then sell them, ride the piss out of your new wheels and forget about it

 

[J]

Two years is a loonng time for a wheel set

 

[ucsbMTBmember]

find the number on the bearing. then try mcmastercarr or vbxbearings.com to find it. those are usually the cheapest places. And was for a wheelset, yeah its two years on aluminum spokes. replace all of them and the rim. If you only replace 1 or two at a time the other ones are still fatigued and gonna break.

 

[Uncle Cliffy]

Two years is a loonng time for a wheel set

Try 5! Granted, I don't ride my big bike every day, but I've had the same Hadley 823 wheelset for 5 seasons on 3 different bikes. They're hard to true now as some of the nipples have seized on the spokes, but they only have a slight wobble. I'd replace them, but they just keep going!

 

[daisycutter]

Try 5! Granted, I don't ride my big bike every day, but I've had the same Hadley 823 wheelset for 5 seasons on 3 different bikes. They're hard to true now as some of the nipples have seized on the spokes, but they only have a slight wobble. I'd replace them, but they just keep going!

+1
7 years on my Hadley's on 729s. The rims are a bit beat but the wheels still roll nice.

 

[quickneonrt]

I can't justify the price of I9s, I try but I can't. Not when Hadley and Kings last a lot longer before needing bearing replacement. Also I would rather use spokes I can get at any bike shop.

 

[Jeremy R]

I am going into my 5th year on the same set of I9's on my dh bike.
They are on their 3rd bike.
I am on my 4th rear rim, and second front rim.
Original spokes. The only spokes that I have ever broken came from a thrown chain into the spokes, and I broke one by slamming a rock. I have never broke an I9 spoke from just riding.
My rear bearings were replaced when I switched the wheels from a 135mm to a 150mm rear end, and the front hub bearings are the original ones.
Don't ride on the internet.

 

[bizutch]

OB1, you make no sense. The time it took to type this thread out and to search out a bearing compatible is time you could have used to buy new spokes and bearings from I9 and asked Jacob what other rims are the same inner diameter as the I9 rims. He will tell you. It's not a secret.

You should read this:

 

[demo 9]

I think its worth noting incase nobody knows, i9 hubs can throw bearings rather quickly if you have them too tight or too loose, the shop was telling me something about how the bearings are loaded from the side more-so than another hub, i know i ran a hub too tight a few years back and i only got a month out of the bearing, fixed and put proper tension, they are still good 2-3 years later. These are amazing wheels, they live up to the hype, but, they are very sensitive to tension in both the hub and the spoke.

 

[illnotsick]

I am going into my 5th year on the same set of I9's on my dh bike.
They are on their 3rd bike.
I am on my 4th rear rim, and second front rim.
Original spokes. The only spokes that I have ever broken came from a thrown chain into the spokes, and I broke one by slamming a rock. I have never broke an I9 spoke from just riding.
My rear bearings were replaced when I switched the wheels from a 135mm to a 150mm rear end, and the front hub bearings are the original ones.
Don't ride on the internet.

It's not the same wheel set if you've been through 6 rims and changed the rear hub

 

[Jeremy R]

It's not the same wheel set if you've been through 6 rims and changed the rear hub

The rear hub was converted to a 150mm rear end because that is what I needed for a new bike, not exactly the hubs fault.
The rims were replaced when they were dented so bad that they would not hold air. The wheels were not relaced, the rim was just switched over.
Pretty normal for DH wheels.
I did change Dh rims last year to I9 DH rims and I got through the whole season on one set.

 

[illnotsick]

The rear hub was converted to a 150mm rear end because that is what I needed for a new bike, not exactly the hubs fault.
The rims were replaced when they were dented so bad that they would not hold air. The wheels were not relaced, the rim was just switched over.
Pretty normal for DH wheels.
I did change Dh rims last year to I9 DH rims and I got through the whole season on one set.

Yes it is normal to have to change things because they break. But you said you were on the same set of I9's for 5 years, except you changed the rims 6 times and got a new hub. It's not the same wheel if it has a new hub and (6) new rim(s). You're still riding I9's and that's bad ass, but you're mistaken to say the same wheel set has lasted 5 years.

 

[demo 9]

^ illnotsick, not saying your right/or wrong,but an i9 hub can be coverted by just swapping a shell, something that doesnt break ever on any hub. to run a 135 to a 150, you just swap the shell and axle, the internals are probably the same, or at least could be, as for rims they dent, i consider wheels the hubs and spokes, but thats just me

 

[Jeremy R]

Yes it is normal to have to change things because they break. But you said you were on the same set of I9's for 5 years, except you changed the rims 6 times and got a new hub. It's not the same wheel if it has a new hub and (6) new rim(s). You're still riding I9's and that's bad ass, but you're mistaken to say the same wheel set has lasted 5 years.

Ha, you show me someone who is on the same Dh rims for 5 seasons straight, and I will personally hand deliver "The E-rider of the Universe" trophy right to his doorstep.

 

[William42]

jesus, I like I9, I've built up a set with jbends for a buddy and he likes them, and I may get a set for myself, but this fanboydem is over the top. He sent them to i9 and still only gets 2-3 months before spokes start breaking. I have never broken a spoke, despite hitting hard enough to fold rims. I'm on my 5th rim in the past year. Its not like he is a bad person because he isn't having good luck with them. Other people have had good luck, and he isn't slagging the company, he's just having enough of a headache he wants to switch to something else. Get over it.

 

[Uncle Cliffy]

Ha, you show me someone who is on the same Dh rims for 5 seasons straight, and I will personally hand deliver "The E-rider of the Universe" trophy right to his doorstep.

"I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!"

 

[quickneonrt]

^ illnotsick, not saying your right/or wrong,but an i9 hub can be coverted by just swapping a shell, something that doesnt break ever on any hub. to run a 135 to a 150, you just swap the shell and axle, the internals are probably the same, or at least could be, as for rims they dent, i consider wheels the hubs and spokes, but thats just me

if you swap the shell, it is a new hub and you have to rebuild the wheel.

 

[demo 9]

if you swap the shell, it is a new hub and you have to rebuild the wheel.

facepalm for me, forgot about rebuilding, however, its a new hub SHELL, but not bearings, pawls, springthings, and spacers.

For anybody who doesnt know an i9 hub. left to right

threaded cone-bearing, spacer(stepped into axle) pawls/"u" springs-big expensive bearing-freehub body containing (2 bearings and a spacer between them) and a end cap

which is all on top of an axle

 

[G30RG3ryan]

Ha, you show me someone who is on the same Dh rims for 5 seasons straight, and I will personally hand deliver "The E-rider of the Universe" trophy right to his doorstep.

I'm on 3 years with my front I9 wheel (hubs/spokes/rim). Second year for the rear wheel. I'm getting there.

 

[demo 9]

I'm on 3 years with my front I9 wheel (hubs/spokes/rim). Second for the year. I'm getting there.

how old are your red fade to black ones i got, finally threw the front bearings this year?

 

[Jeremy R]

I'm on 3 years with my front I9 wheel (hubs/spokes/rim). Second year for the rear wheel. I'm getting there.

I hear ya man.
Well, the only reason I am on my second rim on my front wheel is because I originally had my I9's built up with DT 5.1 rims for DH.
But my front wheel is now going into its 4th season on the same rim, spokes, and hub.
Now I will probaly explode it this weekend for saying that but.....

 

[illnotsick]

Ha, you show me someone who is on the same Dh rims for 5 seasons straight, and I will personally hand deliver "The E-rider of the Universe" trophy right to his doorstep.

Here you go:

I am going into my 5th year on the same set of I9's on my dh bike.

When you get a new rim or hub, it's a new wheel. You aren't on the same set of I9's if you've replaced the rims 6 times.

 

[dropmachine]

Thats some real sweet detail nitpicking there. Way to go e-tective!

He meant the hubs and spokes, clearly.

 

[illnotsick]

Thats some real sweet detail nitpicking there. Way to go e-tective!

He meant the hubs and spokes, clearly.

Because it's clearly a great idea to keep using the same aluminum spokes every time you replace a destroyed rim

 

[dropmachine]

They haven't failed, so I guess it is.

 

[OB1]

This is the anonymous internet...so I knew there would be some dill hole replies. But also a couple helpful ones. Nobody asked cause they would rather flame...but no, these aren't the only set of rims or bearings that these wheels have seen over 2 years. I've had my share of issues with these I9's from the giddy up go. Even though I know guys who haven't had nearly the trouble I've had with their own sets.
To those of you who PM me in support with your own I9 issues....shame on you for not having the courage to post up in the thread and take the fan boi flaming like a man! I have a new set of C2's on the way. Anyone want to buy a set of I9's? They are in perfect condition...only ridden by my girlfriend on bike paths.

 

[bizutch]

... Anyone want to buy a set of I9's? They are in perfect condition...only ridden by my girlfriend on bike paths.

I'll give $50 since they're obviously a pile. I'll then run down the road to their headquarters and get 'em checked out and do them just like I did the last set, which is ride them gracelessly for 2 full seasons and a swap from 135 internals to 150 internals and change nothing but 1 spoke.


Oh, and my I9's...they were some of the first prototypes made.

Not saying you might not have some sort of valid issue, but your original post basically cried out:

"I lost my hook up buddy and I'm gonna piss and moan cause I don't get my buddy deal no more!"

I doubt anybody read past that part of your post.

Oh, and who is this George Ryan? No person who listens to Skynyrd should have input on modern technology....

 

[OB1]

Yeah...I do miss my "hook up." With the amount of problems I have had with their product, I do expect a company to be sympathetic. Especially when I put together a team that promoted their products. But my tears have all dried up now.

I still have the 1st pair of wheels I ever owned for DH. There's a few wobbles and scratches, but you just put um on and forget about it. 729's, double butted DT's, brass nipples, and formula hubs. Butter! Wish I could just run those instead of caring about any sponsors. I sure hope these Canfields are solid. I know he's using Formula hubs....so I'm hopeful. Chris stepped up to support our new west coast team with a fleet of Jedi's on the cheap. Gotta love boutique, rider owned companies. Hope the products are as solid as they look.