Last month I got a chance to stop by the Niner booth at Interbike to chat with Carla about big wheel bikes. Believe it or not, I still haven’t personally ridden a Niner so it was torture for me to see such beautiful 29ers on display with nowhere to ride them. Carla and I chatted about the recent endorsement from the former prez George W. and it sounds like “the decider” will be getting his own Niner bike (or two) very soon.
The Niner line-up for 2011 is mostly unchanged from 2010, though there was a hardtail version of the popular R.I.P. 9 on display (photo above). The R.I.P. 9, for those who aren’t familiar, is a 29er with 4.5 inches of travel and Niner’s exclusive CVA suspension technology. CVA stands for constantly variable arc and the company claims the design “works very differently from other full suspension bikes on the market” by placing the instant center in a more general location in front of the drivetrain. Judging by the videos and explanations posted online it certainly sounds like an innovative solution.
The recently re-introduced J.E.T. 9 with custom matched Rock Shox Reba XX fork.
CVA suspension technology is just one of the in-house designs being used by Niner. The company also produces its own eccentric bottom bracket design (called Bio-Centric) and sits on the cutting edge of frame design with tapered head tubes and integrated headsets. And let’s not forget the sexy Niner Carbon fork – is that thing even legal on a mountain bike? 🙂
One of the other things that I enjoy seeing from Niner is the different frame materials the company is using to build 29er bikes: aluminum (W.F.O., J.E.T. 9, etc.), steel (S.I.R. 9 and M.C.R. 9), scandium (AIR 9), and carbon (AIR 9 Carbon). Riders who are new to the 29er scene often assume 29er bikes are heavy or clunky on the trail so Niner uses these materials to deliver the lightest, most durable builds possible.
While I still haven’t gotten the chance to ride a Niner I’m stoked to see how the company constantly pushes 29er technology and design to the next level. Where will 29-inch wheels show up next? Watch Niner and you’ll see…
