How To: Servicing Industry Nine Hydra Hubs

Industry Nine manufactures some of the nicest cycling wheels on the market. When the American company launched their latest creation, the all new Hydra wheels, they again raised the bar for both innovation and performance. Industry Nine's Hydra wheels feature an independently phased 6-pawl mechanical drive system with 690 points of engagement over a full 360 degrees of rotation. What that means is it only takes .52 degrees of freehub rotation before the next pawl is engaged and driving the system. You will find Hydra technology on both Industry Nine's System chassis and Classic hubs, including the S-Series wheels.

In this mountain bike How To, we are going to be servicing both front and rear Industry Nine Hydra hubs. Just like bleeding your brakes or servicing your suspension, over time, your hubs need some love too. We will be replacing all of the bearings in both the front and rear hubs as well as inspecting the pawls and drive system. Follow along step by step to have your wheels running like new again!

What Tools Do We Need?

Having the right tools for the job is only going to make your life easier when removing and pressing in new bearings. Lucky for you guys, Industry Nine makes their own bearing press tools! Before we start, it will be best to remove both front and rear brake rotors along with the cassette to service the hubs. This will just make things easier down the road. 

• Industry Nine Hydra hub bearing replacement kit
• Industry Nine bearing removal and press kit
• Maxima Waterproof grease 
• Dumonde Tech Pro X freehub grease 
• Plastic Mallet or hammer
• Razor blade
• Clean shop towels

1. Starting with the Rear Wheel - Remove End Caps

We will begin with the rear wheel first and start by removing the outside end caps. Remove the non-drive side end cap by hand and then use the Industry Nine punch to pull out the drive side cap. The drive side cap can be a little tight sometimes but it is just an o-ring holding it in place. Be sure not to damage the o-rings inside the end caps.

2. Remove Freehub Body

Now that both end caps are off, it's time to slide off the freehub body from hub axle. You will either have a Shimano HG, Shimano Microspline, or a Sram XD driver body on your hub. Removing each of these is exactly the same. Grab a hold of the freehub body and pull directly away from the hub shell. The driver mechanism will slide along the axle of the hub shell and you will see the pawls and drive ring exposed as you are removing the freehub. Remove the freehub slowly so that you don't accidentally lose any of the six pawls. This was more of an issue with the coil sprung pawls on Torch, but still the pawls can be removed so be careful not to lose any of those.  

3. Remove Pawls and Springs Inside Driver Mechanism (OPTIONAL)

It's not 100% necessary to disassemble the drive system, but this is a great chance to clean the system to make sure everything is running as smooth as possible. Inside this particular hub is very dirty so I'm going to go ahead and tear down the driver mechanism. Lift each of the 6 pawls by hand out from the freehub body. To remove each of the leaf springs, use a razor blade to get underneath the spring and push it out of its socket. Wipe all of the all freehub grease away and clean everything thoroughly.

4. Remove Freehub Bearings

Use the silver punch to knock out the bearing on the outside of the freehub first. You will have to push the bearing spacer to side to do so. Once you remove the first bearing, pull out the bearing spacer and then knock out the second freehub bearing. You can either use a large socket to allow each of the bearings to slide all the way out or the edge of a workbench. 

5. Press Freehub Bearings

Wipe clean all of the old grease and grime that worked its way inside the hub. Apply a thin layer of Maxima waterproof grease to both new bearings and bearing surfaces on the hub. Use the black anodized Industry Nine freehub bearing press tool (B#152610//7) to press in the first of the two freehub bearings. The outside bearing (MR 15267LLU/LLB) on one side has a grey bearing shield and on the other side a black shield. The grey bearing shield should face outwards. Tap with a plastic mallet until the bearing is fully seated in the freehub. Grease the bearing spacer, slide it inside the freehub, and press in the second freehub bearing (DR 152610 LLB). The inside freehub bearing uses a blue bearing shield on both sides so it's orientation doesn't matter.  

6. Install Pawls and Springs

Now that the freehub, pawls, and springs are clean and prepped, it's time to start installing each of the 6 pawls. First slide one pawl spring in to place with the correct orientation. Carefully pinch the pawl spring and slide in to its socket. Check the photo below to make sure both the pawl spring and pawl are oriented correctly! Work your way around the freehub one pawl at a time.

7. Remove Rear Hub Shell Bearings

There are two bearings inside the rear hub shell, one on each side. The best way to remove the rear hub bearings is using the hub axle itself. First strike the drive side of the axle to push out the non-drive side bearing. Remove the non-drive side bearing from the axle, slide the axle back in to the hub and strike the non-drive side of the axle to push out the drive side bearing. Discard the old bearings and wipe the hub shell and axle clean.

8. Press Rear Hub Shell Bearings

First grease each of the rear hub shell bearings and the bearing surfaces on the hub itself. Slide the anodized purple non-drive side rear bearing press (B#61804) on to the axle with the non-drive side bearing (61804 LLU/LLB) and tap the bearing in to place. The 61804 bearing uses a grey bearing shield on one side and a black shield on the other. Just like before, the grey side of the bearing should be facing outwards. Next slide the drive side bearing (MR15307 LLB) on to axle and use the anodize lime green bearing press (B#15307) to tap the bearing in to place. The 15307 bearing uses a blue bearing shields on both sides and so its orientation doesn't matter. 

9. Install Freehub Body

Before mating the freehub body back with hub shell, apply a dot of the Dumonde Tech Pro X freehub grease to each of the 6 pawls. Then apply a small amount of the same grease to the drive ring inside the hub shell. The more grease you use, the more quiet your hub will sound. Then slide the freehub body on to the rear hub axle and turn it counter clockwise to allow it to slide all the way in to place. Spin the freehub body counter clockwise and listen to the ratchet noise to make sure the drive mechanism is working as it should. The system will sound unhappy if one of the six pawls or springs is oriented incorrectly. 

10. Install Rear Hub End Caps

First clean both end caps and then apply a thin layer of Maxima waterproof grease to the inside. This grease helps create a moisture barrier so no water or grime can get inside your hubs. Slide both the drive side and non-drive side end caps in to place. Be careful not to pinch or damage the o-ring inside each end cap.

11. Now for the Front Wheel - Remove End Caps

It's best to remove the brake rotor and get it out of the way if you haven't already done so. Remove both end caps and set them to the side. The 20mm caps can usually be pulled off by hand. For 15mm end caps, use the silver punch to push them out one at a time. 

12. Remove Front Hub Shell Bearings

Use the silver punch to knock out one bearing at a time. After removing one bearing, remove the bearing spacer inside the center of the hub to make it easier to get to the second bearing. Clean the bearing spacer and hub shell before installing your new bearings. 

13. Press Front Hub Shell Bearings

Apply a thin layer of Maxima grease around the bearing and the bearing surface on the hubshell. Use the anodized purple bearing press (B#61804) to push in the first of the front hub shell bearings. Both front hub bearings (61804 LLU/LLB) use one grey bearing shield and one black shield. Be sure to press the front hub bearings in so that the grey shield is facing outwards. Then apply a thin layer of grease around the o-rings on the bearing spacer and slide it in to place. Then use the same bearing press tool to tap the second front hub shell bearing in to place. 

14. Install Front Hub End Caps

First clean both end caps and then apply a thin layer of Maxima waterproof grease to the inside. This grease helps create a moisture barrier so no water or grime can get inside your hubs. Slide both the drive side and non-drive side end caps in to place. Be careful not to pinch or damage the o-ring inside each end cap.

For info on the previous generation Torch wheels, check out our How To: Servicing Industry Nine Torch Hubs

About Me

Max Morgan is 27 years old, and lives in Brevard, North Carolina. Max grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and started racing downhill at the age of 15. He has now been racing professionally for the last 9 years, competing in the UCI World Cup series and U.S. Pro GRT series. To learn more about Max, check out Max's rider spotlight here! 
Instagram: @mxmorgan77