There are mountain bikes. There are nice mountain bikes. And then there are mountain bikes so nice you just have to paint the words “damn it” on them. The new Jet 9 RDO from Niner is firmly in the latter category. Your humble author wants one of these bikes in a way that is both ill-advised and obscene. Unfortunately, writing pays only slightly better than interpretive dance.
But we can dream, and when we full-squish XC riders dream, we do it about bikes a lot like the Jet 9 RDO. RDO stands for Race Day Optimized, which means that this is the no-compromise version of Niner’s already super sweet Jet 9.
Of course, if you want something with a little more squish (Rip 9), or a little less (Air 9), Niner has you covered there too. It just so happens that of their stable, this bike would be your author’s first choice.
Just have a gander at some of this gleaming red paint over naked carbon. Scandalous!
I’ve also had a chance to get my hands on one of the pictured Fox Float CTD shocks, and they’re really cool. But let’s stay on (single) track.
Here’s Niner talking about the Jet 9 RDO:
At 100mm of travel, this is the full suspension bike most likely to be found in MTB stage races, in epic endurance races and on the podium. For this newest incarnation, we’ve incorporated a new RDO carbon layup, reduced the weight, added an RS1 fork option and pushed the aesthetics to reflect the new Niner racing program.
That weight loss in this new Jet 9 RDO is 70 grams for a frame weight of 22.5 lbs in medium. That’s if you spring for the Limited Edition build kit with SRAM XX1 and carbon Stan’s wheels.
As you probably know by now, running more than one chainring up front is for nerds, but on the other hand, Niner refers to their dedicated fan base as “ninerds,” so maybe it’s okay. Whatever the case, the Limited Edition build comes in at an eye-watering $9,999 MSRP, but you can snag a frame for $2,899.
Check out Niner’s page on the Jet 9 RDO for more specs and build options, and buy it damn it. Niner, send me one, damn it!
