The new Nine Gs Exos bicycle wheel system is a notable newcomer on a market already overflowing with many options to choose from but is certainly not a package to be discounted. Breaking into this arena is a difficult task for an already well established large company, let alone a smaller up-and-coming company. However, Nine Gs is not solely bringing “just another” wheel system to the market; they have created a system with unique features that few wheels on the market offer today.

The Complete Package

The Nine Gs Exos wheel platform is based around the long time favorite, and tried and trued, DT240 hub system from DT Swiss. This makes for a nice lightweight set up along with the piece of mind that comes from DT’s renowned durability, seen most famously in their hubs. The high-end DT240 hub’s compliment the wheel system quite nicely. Staying with DT products, the Nine Gs Exos wheels are paired with DT’s top-of-the-line Aerolite spokes to keep the weight and aerodynamic drag low, yet still retain stiffness. Rounding out the system is Nine Gs unique (and arguably revolutionary) rim design. The exact details of the rims composition and design can only be seen behind locked doors, but from the outside the rims feature a deep 55mm carbon rim section to improve aerodynamics. Improving aerodynamics even further seems to be a very slight airfoil shape on the rims sidewalls. They are not the traditional “V-shape” as seen on many of today’s carbon deep section wheel sets. This airfoil rim shape has proven to be very aerodynamic over and over again by independent wind tunnel studies. The Nine Gs proprietary section design for these rims is based on a symmetrical NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) airfoil for airplane wings. According to the Nine Gs web site, the purpose of the modification is to achieve low drag at most racing conditions, and improve lateral stability for strong crosswinds.

One of the single most unique features about these wheels has to be one of the most overlooked features on modern carbon wheel sets: the braking surface. Some companies are now starting to come up with improvements for the all-important braking track, but Nine Gs has addressed this issue head-on with a patent pending solution. Instead of the usual featureless carbon brake track, Nine Gs has developed a raised brake track on top of the structural carbon. By using a special epoxy, the braking surface features a corrugated texture to increase friction and get you to a stop quicker than ever before on carbon rims. To compete with other lightweight wheel systems on the market, the complete package stay’s true to its claimed weight of 1390 grams. All of this for a competitive price of $1,999.

The Ride Report

Just looking at these wheels, they look like they want to be taken out for a fast ride or pushed to their limits during a race. That is exactly what these wheels are designed to do. Laced up with a 20/24 front/rear spoke combination they look stiff. They certainly don’t disappoint as they feel stiffer than any other wheel I have been on. Whether or not the actual stiffness values are actually higher than other wheel sets (that has yet to be seen), the very fact that they feel stiffer than other wheel sets is a very good thing! Due to this perceived added stiffness, the wheels corner like a dream and go exactly where you want them to go. There is no need to correct your line during hard turns.

The wheels climb very well given they are by no means in this day and age a climbing specific wheel and still weigh nearly half a pound more than most climbing specific wheels. Somehow, they still seem to carry over their speed from the flat lands to the hills and climbs. When seated, it is especially noticeable that the rear wheel has absolutely no flex to it and propels you up climbs. When standing on a climb, the feel of the wheels is amazing. They continuously dart forward as if they were some sub-1000 gram “climbing only” wheel set. Simple put, they excel the most on flat and rolling terrain yet still excel amazingly well on climbs.

Comfort has always been at the forefront of design, to some degree, since the beginning of the bicycle phenomenon. Many companies are addressing this area by creating super narrow seat stays on their bicycle frames or using special integrated seat posts to deflect and absorb some of the road shock. Yet one of the most important factors in comfort are the wheels paired with a proper tire. The test wheels were outfitted with the ever-popular Vittoria Corsa Evo-CX race tubulars. Testing was conducted with a pressure of 120psi – a normal pressure to race on during dry days. Given that the wheels feel very stiff it’s usually safe to assume the wheels are not going to be the most comfortable wheel out there. This holds true for these wheels as well. Though, they are not uncomfortably stiff. They are definitively a wheel that you can ride great distances on but you start to notice the ride become a little bit more jarring after 90-100 miles compared to your typical training wheel set. However, these wheels seem to be about the same if not slightly more comfortable than many other high-end carbon wheel sets. For racers and fast recreational riders, the comfort factor is a negligible aspect in the overall performance of the system.

The most interesting feature, in my opinion, about these wheels is the very unique brake track. At first, I never suspected the corrugated braking surface to improve braking by leaps and bounds. I was wrong. Paired with a set of SwissStop Yellow carbon-specific brake pads, these wheels stop just as good as aluminum rimmed wheels and possibly a bit better. The braking is phenomenal in dry conditions; but even more surprising, the braking is even better, quicker, and faster in wet conditions. This was something totally unexpected. It’s almost always safe to assume that braking power takes a side step in wet conditions and is almost never expected to be anything close to dry condition braking, let alone better. Well, these wheels have surpassed that threshold and truly are better at braking in the wet weather.

Another issue that is sometimes overlooked about deep section wheels is their ability to maintain a straight line in windy conditions, specifically involving crosswinds. These wheels are a mid-range deep section wheel at 55mm deep which are bound to be more affected by wind compared to standard box section (low profile) wheels. And it is true that they are more affected by wind compared to low profile wheels. However, when compared to other deep section carbon wheel sets these wheels, for whatever reason, do not seem to be affected as much by crosswinds. That combined with my 130lbs frame says that the stability of these wheels, in cross winds, is not just a marketing scheme; they really do “shed” wind in a more stable way than most deep section carbon wheels. It is possibly that the rim section does “stall” at high angles of lateral cross wind reducing the aerodynamic force applied to the rim. Going by feel tells me that my upper body is much less stressed in windy conditions which can be a crucial element to staying relaxed in a peloton or out in a breakaway.

During the testing period, the wheels saw about 1,500 miles. Durability wise, the wheels are sound. The test set was already two years old and have seen many more miles than I have put on them. Structurally, they are holding up just fine. The wheels did need a slight touch-up to get them back to being perfectly true, but this is something that any high-end wheel will need after two years of utter abuse. The truing was virtually pain-free due to the external spoke nipples. Because the spokes are bladed, they do need to be held in place when being trued to resist their nature to twist. This is something very easily fixed by picking up one of DT’s bladed spoke holders. The aluminum DT240 free hub has been eaten up quite a bit by the torque put on the cassette. Unfortunately, when it comes to lightweight products sometimes it is necessary to use lighter materials and there are always trade-offs. This is one of them. The brake track has seen its better days too. The corrugated surface seems to be wearing down a little bit. The brake track is still raised, but the sharp corrugated points have been flattened from braking. The braking is still superb none-the-less.

The Verdict

Having ridden this wheel system over the winter months and into early spring, I can safely say these wheels are fantastic. They are the perfect all-around wheel. From flats, to rolling terrain, to hills, they truly perform better than most of the wheels I have sampled to date. Their nature to accelerate beyond limitations and propel you up hills is unquestionably phenomenal. Perhaps this is the reasoning behind the company name: Nine Gs. Nine Gs means “Nine times the acceleration of gravity, [which is] just a bit beyond the maximum forces of acceleration human beings can tolerate” according Nine Gs’ website.

For most high-end carbon wheels you either get one of the following: a super stiff wheel, a lightweight wheel, or an aerodynamic wheel. It’s rare to see all three attributes so tightly wound up in a package like the Nine Gs Exos wheel platform. And it’s even rarer to see all three attributes bundled in a package for less than $2000. Professional cyclist’s aside, most racers fund their cycling habit by themselves and cannot afford to get a specific wheel system for each type of race or ride they do. The Nine Gs Exos wheel platform solves this problem. Being a great all-around wheel, racers and fast recreational riders alike have a great new option to choose to fulfill their need for speed.

For more information, please visit Nine Gs website: www.ninegs.com.