The cycling industry, mountainbiking in particular, is experiencing so many technological advancements these past few years. Among the many, the introduction of several wheel sizes is probably one that would revolutionize the whole industry all together. Much attempt has been made bringing up new standards, and if do so remember how Tom Ritchey, one of the well-know founders and pillars of the mountain biking scene, has tried to do this with a modification from another wheel standard. This movement, apparently, is experiencing a generation revival.
Niner, the premier 29 inch wheel brand, is founded in Colorado by passionate riders whom constantly push the boundaries of the sport. They certainly believe adapting to the 29 inch wheel is such that opens up so much for the mountainbike to realize its full potential. Since 2007, they persistently push not just the 29 inch wheel standard into the market, but also technological advancement one after another, to improve the build and geometry of their bikes all together. As seen with the major players in the industry themselves, the 29 incher is here to stay.
PMTB has been lucky enough to be invited by Grantrail Cycles (GTC) to cover the Niner brand technical seminar this 1st of March at Rockwell Center. Together with retailers and partners of GTC, the event is facilitated by none other than the Niner guys themselves who flew from Colorado to deliver the good news personally. They are showcasing their whole product line and a few significant updates from their current models. To further expand their scope, theyre introducing a new product and a whole new riding discipline that goes with it that are surely going to keep the local cycling scene a-buzz.
[/url]According to Barret James, Product Manager for Niner, their company and brand is formed by passion. Everyone in the company takes special times off to ride and that also means they get to personally suggest improvements to their product line. What keeps the company unique is not the 29 inch wheel per se, for pretty much everyone in the industry has followed their lead already, but the technologies they adapt to, to keep their product line fresh and innovative.
Among the many technologies presented, this author finds two technologies that truly set Niner apart from the competition: Airform and their proprietary CVA Suspension Technology.
Perhaps everyone has heard of Hydroform already together with its benefits in producing intricate frame designs. Airform, on the other hand, takes what Hydroform can do and then pushes it further, producing more robust designs by keeping the tubes at even higher pressures without deforming the tube mold. This results to more precise wall thickness and reduced material. Benefits on their product line are astounding. Their full-suspension frames get much sturdier builds especially on the high-stress areas and also is the case with their hardtail frames, which get plenty of weight advantages through reduction of welded material. Their model updates benefit highly since the introduction of this process.
Another impressive technology is their CVA Suspension Technology. This 29er-specific suspension design has slacker head tube and keeps the bottom bracket (BB) height low, in fact lower than the axle height. This further improves stability and control while also makes riding a full-suspension Niner bike more of riding IN the bike, rather than riding on the bike, as is often the case for 29er versions in the market. Chain growth is also further reduced to a 13mm overall, but that only happens on the first 20% sag. Further compression leads to no chain growth at all, which in effect makes a consistent power transfer without pedal feedback to the suspension to boot.
Their carbon build process is equally impressive as they use another proprietary method: the EPS Process, where they use a Styrofoam mold to stitch a carbon cloth on to. This keeps the design and wall thickness consistent and through an industry secret method, they can shrink the mold and pull it out leaving nothing inside the carbon shell. Also, all Niner suspension bikes use more durable Enduro bearings that maximize the number of bearings in a surface area and have better water resistance.
These exciting technologies have kept the audience tuned into what Niner has got to offer to the table, which now leads to the equally exciting product line launch. The following are the Niner product models:
Niner Full-suspension Bikes
RIP 9 RDO and RIP 9 Alloy
With the emergence of the Enduro MTB discipline, Niner gives a full 5-inch of travel on this offering. It is compatible with 140mm forks, has big bearings, and is secured by 142mm maxles. Since the Niner personnel are riders themselves, they have given proper due diligence in choosing the perfect suspension for each model. They have given the RIP 9 RDO a Kashima-coated Fox Float CTD, which feels as if you have more suspension than you have, and on the other hand, Rockshox Monarch for the RIP 9 Alloy. RIP 9 RDO also benefits from having ISCG 05 tensioner mounts and carbon linkages, making it a surprisingly light and capable 6 lbs. frame. Airform gives the RIP 9 Alloy update a 250 gram reduction.
The product line has won awards internationally, especially this year winning the Gold award at Eurobike.
WFO 9
Possibly unheard of yet from the 29 inch market, Niner has launched last September a very capable gravity-oriented 150mm travel frame with the WFO 9. The 67 degree head tube angle is perfect for those downhill stretches, plus the added benefit of the 29ers rolling advantages means serious business.
JET 9 RDO, JET 9 Carbon and JET 9 Alloy
The most popular of their full-suspension line, the JET 9 is Niners Cross Country (XC) specific frame. Through research, they found out XC riders are demanding for more and at the same time the XC tracks are becoming just as exciting. They have updated the JET 9 from 80mm to 100mm of travel. Best of all, for the Asian market, the JET 9 comes with an XS (extra-small) size, perfect for the female demographic.
Niner Hardtail Bikes
The innovative technologies Niner has adapted to have certainly made a great impression and followers in the market just might take them on soon. But for Niner and its people, making bikes is still driven by passion and the ride, and together they wish everyone to experience the same. Niner, in partnership with their distributors, is opening their lines for demos. As Todd specifically stated, theres no other way to convince people on owning a Niner bike but through experiencing it. They start doing this in the U.S. by opening up their vans up the trails and letting people ride the bikes for demo. Right now, they are letting our local Niner distributors do the same.
SIR 9
Steel is forever as they say, and being best at making steel frames, Niner gives this iteration the best tubes in the market: Reynolds 853. The SIR 9 utilizes DZB or Dual Zone Butting for those high-stress areas. The headtube is made from Reynolds 631.
Quite noticeable in the SIR 9 on demo is the odd-looking handlebar, which looks like it has been flipped and permanently setup by accident. Barret is quick to point out that this is their in-house built Low Top RDO Bar. This compensates for the high headtube placement and as they say, they are serious in fitting the Niner to the rider.
ROS 9
Their All Mountain offering and many of the Niner employees favorite, ROS 9 is unique for its tucked-in seat-tube design. This 4130 CroMoly build can perform very agile turns and popping a wheelie a breeze. It is just as capable as riding to ones favorite trail and making it back home; truly an all-arounder.
It has a stealth dropper port at its seat tube to fit a dropper seat post of choice. As often is the internal cabling from all Niner models, ROS 9 looks cleaner with a one-by (1x) setup.
EMD
Niner needs an introductory frame and the EMD is the best ambassador for the job. EMD is their entry-level aluminum frame and new converts love the ride on first try. It is made of their proprietary EP6 Aluminum on the main triangle and is one of the few 29er frames in the market with a tapered headtube. It also comes with XS size, perfect for Philippine converts.
RLT
Needless to say, the star of the show needs a royal reveal. Their newest frame set, the RLT, which stands for Road Less Travelled, is unveiled from the box. Thanks to Grantrail Cycles quick builder, the beautiful pastel grey colored frame is a true beauty once built. The reveal is made this way so other bike builders themselves may see how it is done properly from the ground up.
Internal cable routing may take full cable housing through the port from the top tube and is fed down and through the bottom bracket. Having full cable housing does good to a much more consistent shifting and braking.
The model as presented is the first to come to the Philippines and this author is lucky to be the first to sit on the build. It comes in sizes 48, 50, 53, 56 and 58. For reference, standing at 54, this author seems to beg for a smaller size than the size 50 demo.
Conversely, this new model carves out a whole new segment called Gravel Grinders, which is rapidly becoming popular in the U.S.. Imagine riding the road cross country then perchance have the itch to hit the trails you saw by the roadside? Thats where Gravel Grinders come in.
What sets it apart from Cyclocross (CX) is that the RLT can take the road comfortably with a more stable ride. This is due to the longer chain stays, a slacker head tube angle and lower BB height than typical CX bikes. The tubes are hydro-formed and are designed to resemble that of AIR 9 frames which are shock-absorbing and compliant. The demo unit comes in with in-house built dropper bars never before seen from typical Road and CX bikes. Its top-end is straight and long for the rider to negotiate the trails better and then bends sharply to its droppers for the high-speed road.
Being new doesnt mean it still has to prove its worth. According to Todd Grant, Niner Sales and Marketing Manager, the RLT has won Gear of the Show at the highly-competitive Interbike, and together with its promotion with one of the biggest outdoor magazines in the U.S., they have sold out their RLT stocks in one day, kicking their production into overdrive to make demand. This in turn has made Niner the title sponsor for the Gravel Grinders race in the U.S.
Stay tuned for demo schedule announcements from your nearest Niner distributor.
Thank you Grantrail Cycles for letting PMTB and its followers have first crack on this good news. See you at the trails everyone!
