Niner Jet9 RDO Carbon Frame 2011: The JET9 RDO utilizes Niner's patented CYA 29er specific suspension design, that is designed to be efficient in all chain rings. It has also been increased to 100mm of travel in the rear. While it is optimized...
The Niner JET 9 RDO is a full carbon fiber full suspension bike from a company dedicated to ONLY 29ers and with a long history of cutting edge ideas and innovation. Expect this bike to give other carbon fiber 29ers like the Santa Cruz Tallboy and the Gary Fisher Superfly (and the forth coming Ibis 29er) a run for their money. Continue reading →
Strengths: Solid, stiff where it matters. Good looking in person. Good fit and finish.
Weaknesses: High quality does not come cheap. Ended up a bit heavier then I would prefer. Niner has a hard time meeting demand. Internal run shifting cables while look nice are going to be harder to service.
Bottom Line:
I rode a Niner Jet 9 alum SRAM X7 last season. I was so happy with that bike, I decided to go all out on a Jet 9 RDO from Hammerhead Bikes. This bike is the alum version on steroids. It does a fantastic job of getting the pedal stroke to the rear wheel. The extra 20mm of travel all the way around is a significant improvement, but the tight turning handling does not suffer. I went with the Fox TALAS 120 fork. What a world of improvement that is over my former RockShox Reba RL. Rarely use the 95mm setting. At first, the Enve wheels felt way too harsh. I have since lowered the tire pressure to 24 psi and that has really helped make these strong light wheels more comfortable.
Strengths: supper stiff, very efficient under pedaling, zero peddle induced motion. Climbs really well and decends with excellent stability and smoothness. FIrst full suspension bike I have had that you can climb out of the saddle with good efficiency
Weaknesses: nearly as quick at turning on single track as best 26 XC rigs. Not cheap, essecially since really high end wheels are need to keep a 29er quick at accelerating
Bottom Line:
Its hard to justify $6700 on a bike, but this one is really nice for cross country and light to medium down hill riding. Excellent climber and 29er descends much more confidently then a 26 inch bike. Less twitchy, roles over almost anything, less likely to kick the back out. Only area a light 26 XC bike would have on this is supper quick tight single track, but not by much. Excellent all around XC rig with the most efficient pedaling full suspension I have ever tried.
Similar Products Used: 26 Santa Cruz Blur XC carbon with Mavic SLR wheels (hey this bike is fun to)
Bike Setup: Haven carbon rims, Fox Talas 120/98mm shock. XTR
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Submitted by
jimmyray
a Cross Country Rider
from evergreen, co
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2012
Strengths: Great XC geometry-even with 120mm front fork. Have run both 100 & 120mm and works great in either w/o slowing down the steering. Really fun with 120mm though. so much more than just xc race, great trail bike also.
Carbon frame- light, stiff, great energy transfer from BB to forward momentum. low center of gravity. 5lbs frame
CVA- efficient when the trail turns upward w/o too much loss of energy for a 4" travel design. RP23 is great shock for frame
Can build up light,( I'm at 24 lbs), w/ high limits on your credit card.
Weaknesses: Tricky cable routing, until watching you tube video, then made sense. See video before attempting yourself.
Slight internal cable shifting noise when down shifting with size large frame and using XTR, working on issue, but minor deal
Price- Not the cheapest, but so far the best bike that I've own, and I've had my fair share over the past 20 years. Kudos to engineers at niner.
Bottom Line:
After almost 3 months on bike, pretty neat toy. Great acceleration, steering is quick and precise. Can build lightweight. Niner really got the geometry nailed on this model. I hope the durability is there, but with the 5 yr warranty, sounds like your covered.
Frame sizing has some crossover, so be careful and do your homework w/ geometry. I'm 5,11 and 34"inseam and could ride both Med and Large frame but went with Large and shorter stem and fits like a glove and you really feel in the bike, very neutral/natural fit.
CVA is tried and true and has a very efficient feel and BB doesn't feel too low.
Propedal is nice to have, open it up and this bike is so much more than a XC race bike and very trail worthy, especially w/ 120mm fork.
I was leery but glad shop talked me into longer travel to up the fun factor of this frame.
Give the guys a call at Golden Bikes, Golden, Co, they will do you right and have a lot of experience with these frames. Enjoy
Bike Setup: RDO-(large), Fox float 120, Full XTR 2x10, Easton EC90xc, Thomson cockpit-24lbs
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Submitted by
wasso67
a Cross Country Rider
from Pueblo, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2012
Strengths: Very stiff. Climbs and corners well. New Fox shock is really impressive.
Weaknesses: Internal cable routing is a bit tricky.
Bottom Line:
Having owned several suspension bikes, including the Al Jet-9 (which met an untimely demise), I can definitely notice a difference on this bike. First, it is noticeably lighter than the previous version. Mine comes in about 24 lbs.-probably could have been lighter with a different wheel spec. But about 3 lbs. lighter than the aluminum version-obviously not all frame weight-a combination of some lighter spec'd parts since I built the Al version 2 years ago. Needless to say the combination of a lighter frame and the new Fox shock makes a big difference in the climbing/accelerating department. My old bike was a little sluggish but had great traction. This thing is truly an upgrade. Standing, sitting it doesn't matter. Just crank away and you will be amazed. There is very little if any squishyness. I'm sure the shock moves, but I don't notice it like I do on the Yeti-which is a simple linkage design.
Second, the carbon frame soaks up a lot of trail vibration. I was amazed at how the little chatter just didn't get through like on my Al bike. A huge difference.
Third, because of the stiffness it corners like a beast. Almost as good as my Yeti 26er, not quite as flickable, but rock solid.
The frame has good mud clearance too. I haven't had the chance to take it out for more than a 20 mile ride so I'm not sure how it will work as a marathon type bike but I suspect it will shine on epic 50 milers. Also, I can't say enough about the new XT brakes-amazing power and modulation with the new ICE rotors. The XTR shifts amazingly crisp as always.
Lastly, I would like to thank the guys at Hammerhead Bikes. I'm really glad they recommended the SID XX fork. It is extremely light and I believe a shock with negative pressure can't be beat on a 29er for when you have to push the front wheel into a corner. These guys know their 29ers.
Bike Setup: Sid 29 XX Fork, XTR shifters and derailleurs, XT brakes, ICE rotors and XT 40x28 crank, ZTR rims with King hubs, King headset and BB, SRAM BB30 adapter, fizik Tundra saddle.
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Submitted by
woodstock964
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2011
Strengths: Beautiful, wicked fast.
Weaknesses: Carbon layup on top tube is a little strange looking.
Bottom Line:
First ride impressions-
XL, Light, stiff and fast. Much faster climbing than the Titus and just feels more nimble. I rode it with the fork at 120, the sag at about 20% both ends.
At 6'4 the XL fits well with a set-back Thompson. All niners feel a little short in the top tube to me.
The suspension feels more active than the Titus does, and I was worried it may be a little too plush. After about 5 minutes that worry went away.
It will be interesting to see how it holds up. But after one ride I'm hooked or as a buddy said "I drank the Niner cool-aid".
Similar Products Used: Giant xtc 29,Specialized s works epic, Gary fisher super fly 100
Bike Setup: White frame, 2012 fox rlc fork,2012 silver XO group set, Thomson stem and post,cobalt carbon handlebars Cross-max 29 wheels, Captain front tire, Continental race king rear and White ergo grips.
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Submitted by
jeg920
a Racer
from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2011
Strengths: The Niner Jet 9 RDO carbon bike has several strengths:
- Low center of gravity allows easy, responsive turning
- Stiff frame means no wasted energy on frame flex, good ground feel
- Excellent geometry for handling
- Light weight as a result of carbon frame design
- Press Fit BB30 bottom bracket and tapered head tube enhance stiffness and stability
Weaknesses: - A little smooshy in the climbing department due to dual suspension, still tweaking shock setup
- Production is slow, may have to get on a waiting list and be patient to get one of these frames
Bottom Line:
This bike is a huge improvement over my 3x9 hardtail. The Niner Jet 9 RDO carbon frame is beautiful adn light weight. Without saddle bag but ready to roll the bike weighed in at 26.10 lbs. It has a low center of gravity.
After one 38 mile ride on the Womble trail (hills, rocks, creeak crossings, tight single track), the bike left a big positive impression. It literally flew down hills, over rock/rock piles adn roots which must be while they call it the "Jet". Working through the single track the bike cornered and handled with efficiency and easily. It was easy to accelerate and maneuver under all circumstances.
Spokes Bike Shop in Little Rock, Arkansas acquired the frame and did the buildout for me. They were exceptionally helpful and easy to work with, including several refinements their staff did quickly and with a great attitude.
A few gotchas on the build out:
- Getting the right adaptor for the Shimano XTR bottom bracket to fit in the "Press Fit BB30" frame, best to order these from Niner (the "BB30" adaptor from Wheels Mfg is different and wont work).
- The chain had some wax coating on it which casued some temporary chain suck in the first 15 miles, after that it went away.
- There is an online video which is very helpful in properly executing internal cable routing and setup.
Overall a great riding XC and trail riding mountian bike that I woudl highly recommend.
You should buy it if a) you want a top of the line trail MTB ride; b) you are a cross country racer; c) you love going fast over single track trails.
You should not buy it if a) you are on a tight budget; b) while riding you never break a sweat and your heart rate stays under 155bpm; c) you are scared of having a carbon mountian bike.
Bike Setup: Shimano XTR 2x10 drivetrain and brakes, Stan's Arch wheels, Geax tires, Niner carbon steering bar, Cobb seat, Rock Shox XX front fork (matching "tang" color), Thompson seatpost, Chris King headset, Ergon bio-cork grips
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Submitted by
muzzanic
a Weekend Warrior
from Tauranga, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2011
Strengths: Very stiff.light,quiet,Very good over a wide range of tracks.
Weaknesses: Not as pretty as I thought it would be but much better in real life than in photo's
Bottom Line:
This is the best MTB I have ever ridden, It's stiff like a down hill bike but super light like you would want with a XC racer.
Although i'm not really into XC racing the bike is very good at it when I choose to.
I use mine much more as a trail bike/ Fun bike.
This thing is such a nice bike & just pedal & handles so well & it does a nice job of soaking up the bumps.
If you are looking for a do it all bike & you can spend this amount of coin this is the bike for you,
Bike Setup: Sram XX 2x10, XX brakes,Reverb seat post & 120mm XX fork with 20mm through Axle. Both Stans Crest wheels & Stans Flow wheels.
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Submitted by
tekline911
a Racer
from dallas tx usa
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2011
Strengths: light,stiff,rear fox shox
Weaknesses: have to buy all new seat post,new BB and change crankset to bb30,new front Derailleur, new headset. new shifter cables. so if you plan on upgrading your standard jet9 to the RDO
get ready to spend some more money like $700.00-$1000.00 more.
Bottom Line:
if you have the coin get one. the fox rear shock is a big upgrade. climbs great. best Niner yet!
