I just shipped back the Niner RIP 9 RDO that I had in for review. If you read my review, (didn’t see it? Catch up here) you’ll know that I raved about this bike! It rode supremely well in a wide variety of situations. And while Niner could easily rest on their laurels and give this bike a few more years before a refresh, they’re not content to just sit around and let the money flow in. Au contraire, my friends! Niner is constantly innovating and pushing the envelope, and their flagship RIP 9 RDO is no exception.
New Carbon and New Color
While the Carbon in the RIP 9 RDO was already fantastic, Niner has tweaked the way they do the carbon layup with their new RDO Carbon Compaction. Here are the details straight from Niner:
Niner RDO level products take our commitment to quality one step further via Niner’s RDO Carbon Compaction System. Now used throughout the Niner RDO lineup, this CCS utilizes rigid internal molds and results in tighter, more consistent compaction of the carbon layers, yielding increased precision in wall thickness and significantly reduced resin pooling in the final product, allowing us to aim for better ride tuning, increased strength and durability along with the weight reduction that results from a more efficient process.
As you’ll note, they’ve also added carbon linkage pieces on the RDO, which replace some previous alloy pieces, thus making for an even lighter frame! Add in the brand-new color option, and this is a refresh that could put the Niner RIP 9 RDO back at the top of your wishlist.
New Build Options
Niner has released a wide variety of new build options across all of their frames and models. The good news? Many of these new options are perfect for budget-minded mountain bikers! Niner has heard your pleas, and is now offering their fantastic frames in an affordable component package.
While this is most definitely a good call for their alloy frames, interestingly Niner is also offering budget-basement builds for their top-end RDO carbon frames as well. For example, here are the builds for the new RIP 9 RDO:
According to Niner’s website, the 2-star RIP 9 RDO build, for instance, sports an MSRP of $4,199. Just over four grand for a fully-built bike with a top-end frame from a company that boasts a cult-like following? I’d say that’s not bad… not bad at all!
Considering other example costs, such as the 1-star Deore build on the alloy RIP 9 at $2,599 and the 2-star SLX build on the Air 9 at $2,199, Niner has vastly expanded the range and market that they’re competing in. While yes, Niner still isn’t in the entry-level mountain bike game, buying a complete Niner has become way more attainable for the average joe mountain biker–and I think that’s a good thing for everyone!
Check out NinerBikes.com for complete build kit and pricing options across Niner’s entire catalogue.
Pics
Check out more detail pics of the new Niner RIP 9 RDO here:
All photos courtesy of Niner.
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am a huge Ninerd. I own and love my blue RIP.9.RDO. It is the shizzle, lemme tell you.
So….the carbon compaction is cool, but, am I the only one that thinks this color scheme is hideous? And by hideous, I mean it should be called “WTF” if it were the color of a sweater in a J Crew catalog. I love the black with green neon letters, but is that white paint or a shade akin to periwinkle…and if so, why? I repeat, why Chris Sugai?
Was not the creamsickle Jet 9 the wake-up lapse in ROYGBIV judgement for 2014?
Does it glow in the dark? If so, please only ride this at night.
Do you agree that this bike, a noble steed, would look better with almost any other color paint? Even chartreuse would be rad-der, a throwback to the throwback Nomad this year…a sort of “yeah, Niners can hang with 80’s colors too”?
Niner, ‘splain thyself?
Quick singletracks poll: what do you think?
Unlike Delphinide, I am the farthest thing from a Ninerd. With that said I think that for the most part Niner has done a good job with colors and decals. However, this one is horrible. The “flat white” looks more like “mild mint” or something. It might be better had they not thrown the black and green on the bike. Those sections of the bike look like they were taken out of the parts bin and stuck on the bike without repainting them.
Totally agree w/ you guys on the color. There is NOTHING exciting about that paint scheme. I look forward to seeing the Niner bikes for the smooth lines and awesome color schemes. FAIL.