WHY IS THIS A SUPER BIKE?
- Incredible attention to detail in every aspect, from design to manufacture and spec to detail, means there's not one ounce of excess aboard this sleek steed
- Suspension specifically designed around the demands of 29ers and their slightly tweaked geometry
- Special racy paint developed to help save weight
Big-wheeled dream machine from the Colorado Rockies
Back when 29ers rolled from being solely the domain of bearded shed-dwellers to wider acceptance, the big brands scrambled out wagon-wheelers to hurriedly bolster their ranges. But for one company big-wheelers aren't just an add-on. Niner are committed to, if not fanatical about, 29ers. So much so, that they've only ever produced bikes with the largest of wheels. They now boast no fewer than 18 in their line-up, and the Jet 9 RDO Ltd sits as king.
Regeneration
In the dark, clean surroundings of the workshop at the rear of their distributors Jungle's warehouse, Niner's latest firebrand machine sits quietly for our cameras. It's a bike designed not to change minds on lighthearted lunchtime trail missions but to bludgeon and bully its benefits home on the racetrack. Yes, Niner offer a 29er for just about every type of riding, but this one is aimed at travelling as fast as possible for the longest period of time possible.
The 2015 bike has been re-engineered from the skin up, Doctor Who style, with an all-new lay-up process producing an even stiffer frame feel while a svelte carbon fibre upper suspension link maximises weight savings. The Jet 9 RDO is the chosen steed of two pro race teams in the US and as such has its gaze fixed unblinkingly on podiums. The bike sat before us is the limited edition top-of-the-range version boasting RockShox’s new upside-down RS-1 fork and SRAM’s revolutionary XX1 drivetrain. All in tastefully matching black, red and grey livery, naturally.
The rear suspension is perhaps the flashiest incarnation yet of the brand’s patented CVA system, which is designed specifically around 29in wheels. It takes into account the added BB drop of the largest wheel size and uses a parallel link set-up to produce extremely efficient suspension performance, no matter what gear the bike is in or how hard the rider is working. Because the lower linkage is positioned beneath the BB, the force generated by chain tension acting on the rear axle pulls the two linkages in opposite directions, isolating the drivetrain from the rear triangle. In other words, the Jet 9 RDO is very clever about how it goes fast.
Warpaint
The Limited Edition emerges from the Niner factory in ready-to win-trim. Whether it’s technical cross-country riding or multi-day stage events that you’re into, there’s not a hint of excess weight on the Jet 9 RDO. In medium, it weighs in at less than a scant 10.2kg (22.5lb) all in. The new lightweight lay-up contributes to this, as of course does the money-no-object spec sheet, but Niner weren’t content to simply stop there. They even worked out a way to glean 40 to 50g off the weight of each frame by using new, racier paint.
Everything from the 1x11 drivetrain to the own-brand carbon fibre bar and seatpost screams ‘speed’. But this is backed up with a 142x12mm rear through-axle and a beefy tapered head tube to ensure that once you get it up to speed, the Jet 9 RDO remains blissfully easy to control and sticks to its lines like a cruise missile.
There’s something incomparably seductive about a bike as dedicated to performance and speed as the Niner. From the smallest of its nooks and crevices, the Jet 9 RDO Limited Edition is a big-wheeler born to go fast and to win races.
WORTH THE WEIGHT
So how light can you make a bike that’s ready to tackle multi-day stage races across continents? Try a claimed 10.2kg (22.5lb) in medium. In racing every gram counts. This bike will have you picking the raisins out of your Alpen...
SUM OF ITS PARTS
Niner realise that how a bike rides depends on a lot more than just what its frame is doing. They’ve designed and engineered their own carbon fibre handlebar and seatpost to help eke out every tiny advantage possible.
11 TIMES THE FUN
This is a rangetopping build so what else could the Coloradan brand use to propel it forward other than SRAM’s award-winning XX1 11-speed drivetrain?
DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL
The Jet 9 RDO’s clean lines are thanks in part to some extensive detailing. The internal cable routing starts either side of the head badge, Enduro Magnetite Black sealed cartridge bearings are used throughout and even the paint they’ve used this year is 40 to 50g lighter per frame than before.
A CLASS ACT
Many brands are happy to simply stamp their name on the head tube. Niner have gone to the extent of making the head tube badge the entry point for the Jet 9 RDO’s internal cable routing. It’s a touch of pure class.
LIMITED SUPPLY
Only 50 Jet 9 RDO Limited Editions complete with the custom-coloured RockShox RS-1 fork will be produced. Better get your order in now!
THE TRAVELATOR
The Jet 9 RDO offers 100mm (3.9in) of travel in Limited Edition trim courtesy of a RockShox RS-1 fork and a customvalved Fox Float CTD rear shock. The geometry allows up to a 130mm (5.1in) fork to be fitted to allow for even more set-up options, and Niner boast boldly that owners will experience one of the most efficient power transfers in the business.