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Average Rating
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4.75/5
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# of Reviews
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16
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Description:
- Custom drawn and butted Easton Scandium GX2 Tubing
- Niner specific geometry
- Proprietary bent downtube
- Custom drawn s-bend chainstays and seatstays
- Stainless steel head badge
- Internally butted head tube and bottom bracket shell
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Submitted by
adrougas@hotmail.com
a Cross Country Rider
from Telesavant
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | bibamakamash | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | auction | | Strengths: | Incredible climber, agile & supple descender, fast. | | Weaknesses: | Very little room to spare between chainstays & seatstays while running the 2.4 inch Conti tire (which really specs out at more liek 2.2) - have had some minor issue with the front derailleur contacting the outer tire knobs while in the smaller chainring. Myriad fix-it routes easily available to deal with this issue.
Larger rotors (rear in particular) have very little clearance between seatstay and rotor rim. Have not experienced issues yet, but it is foreseeable an issue might develop. Advise using slightly smaller rear rotor, perhaps. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | White Bros Magic 29 80MM fork, King headset, Thompson stem & post, Avid Juicy 7 brakes w/ 8" rotors, XTR shifters & derailleurs, Mavic C29max wheelset, Conti Mtn King Tires, Race Face Deus Crankset w/ bashguard, run as a 2x9 (24Tx36T rings), Salsa LipLock, Fizik Gobi Ti saddle. | | Bottom Line: | I made the move from a 4"x4" XC 26'er to this hardtail 29er and will never look back. Having put this bike through its paces so far this season I am nothing short of amazed at how nimble it seems and how smoothly it performs. Very limited sense of trail feedback (esp. for a HT), I would say it handles the trail with precision and authority.
I expected to lose some downhill speed by changing suspension platforms from FS to HT, but in fact I have lost very little speed on the descent, and generally feel in better control. The White Brothers fork deserves some of its own accolades for thus far proving itself in many challenging situations. Overall, I attribute this bike's exceptional ride characteristics and smoother-than-expected downhill abilities to combinations of the scandium frame & it's geometry (it feels amazing), the 29" wheels (wow, what a difference in how they gobble up the terrain on both the uphill and downhill), and the tubeless setup (riding the tires somewhere between 28 and 33 psi, trail-condition dependent).
The biggest area in which I expected this bike to help me improve my riding is in technical uphill sections, and it has not disappointed. Sections of trail that seemed a real challenge the Air-9 handles with relative ease. Again, I expected the shift to HT to produce some climbing advantages anyway, but it is exceeding my high expectations.
I was concerned I would miss my full suspension on the longer, rougher, more adventurous rides, but two weeks ago I took the Niner on a 35 mile/5000'/"advanced" singletrack adventure and I finished the ride strong and not feeling as though my skeleton had taken a severe beating.
The build of the bike frame certainly exudes 'quality', readily and repeatedly apparent during post-ride cleanings and inspections; the raw finish still looks new. It's a good looking rig, for what little that is worth.
Incidentally, I am 6'4" with a 36 inch inseam and got the XL frame. My reach is average for my height, and the resulting geometry feels very comfortable to me. Make of that what you will, noting that I tend to favor a little more aggressive/forward riding posture than others may be comfortable with (and this mostly has to do with choice of stem).
I would recommend this bike wholeheartedly. If you are on the 29er fence and think a HT is enough for you, go for it. If you love XC-style riding on your old FS 3-4" travel bike, consider the HT option! If you end up like me you'll feel like you earned a real benefit 98% of the time. The other 2% you can just take it a hair slower and hopefully keep your bike rubber-side down.
I feel the frame is worth what you'll likely pay for it, so I have no argument with respect to its cost relative to its value ... but on principle, if something is an 'outstanding value' you should just about be getting MORE than what you pay for, no? Four well-spent chilis. Five overall for being all that and a sack o' chips. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Telesavant
a Cross Country Rider
from Hailey, ID
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Bibamakamash | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | auction | | Strengths: | Incredible climber, agile & supple descender, fast. | | Weaknesses: | Very little room to spare between chainstays & seatstays while running the 2.4 inch Conti tire (which really specs out at more liek 2.2) - have had some minor issue with the front derailleur contacting the outer tire knobs while in the smaller chainring. Myriad fix-it routes easily available to deal with this issue.
Larger rotors (rear in particular) have very little clearance between seatstay and rotor rim. Have not experienced issues yet, but it is foreseeable an issue might develop. Advise using slightly smaller rear rotor, perhaps. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | White Bros Magic 29 80MM fork, King headset, Thompson stem & post, Avid Juicy 7 brakes w/ 8" rotors, XTR shifters & derailleurs, Mavic C29max wheelset, Conti Mtn King Tires, Race Face Deus Crankset w/ bashguard, run as a 2x9 (24Tx36T rings), Salsa LipLock, Fizik Gobi Ti saddle. | | Bottom Line: | I made the move from a 4"x4" XC 26'er to this hardtail 29er and will never look back. Having put this bike through its paces so far this season I am nothing short of amazed at how nimble it seems and how smoothly it performs. Very limited sense of trail feedback (esp. for a HT), I would say it handles the trail with precision and authority.
I expected to lose some downhill speed by changing suspension platforms from FS to HT, but in fact I have lost very little speed on the descent, and generally feel in better control. The White Brothers fork deserves some of its own accolades for thus far proving itself in many challenging situations. Overall, I attribute this bike's exceptional ride characteristics and smoother-than-expected downhill abilities to combinations of the scandium frame & it's geometry (it feels amazing), the 29" wheels (wow, what a difference in how they gobble up the terrain on both the uphill and downhill), and the tubeless setup (riding the tires somewhere between 28 and 33 psi, trail-condition dependent).
The biggest area in which I expected this bike to help me improve my riding is in technical uphill sections, and it has not disappointed. Sections of trail that seemed a real challenge the Air-9 handles with relative ease. Again, I expected the shift to HT to produce some climbing advantages anyway, but it is exceeding my high expectations.
I was concerned I would miss my full suspension on the longer, rougher, more adventurous rides, but two weeks ago I took the Niner on a 35 mile/5000'/"advanced" singletrack adventure and I finished the ride strong and not feeling as though my skeleton had taken a severe beating.
The build of the bike frame certainly exudes 'quality', readily and repeatedly apparent during post-ride cleanings and inspections; the raw finish still looks new. It's a good looking rig, for what little that is worth.
Incidentally, I am 6'4" with a 36 inch inseam and got the XL frame. My reach is average for my height, and the resulting geometry feels very comfortable to me. Make of that what you will, noting that I tend to favor a little more aggressive/forward riding posture than others may be comfortable with (and this mostly has to do with choice of stem).
I would recommend this bike wholeheartedly. If you are on the 29er fence and think a HT is enough for you, go for it. If you love XC-style riding on your old FS 3-4" travel bike, consider the HT option! If you end up like me you'll feel like you earned a real benefit 98% of the time. The other 2% you can just take it a hair slower and hopefully keep your bike rubber-side down.
I feel the frame is worth what you'll likely pay for it, so I have no argument with respect to its cost relative to its value ... but on principle, if something is an 'outstanding value' you should just about be getting MORE than what you pay for, no? Four well-spent chilis. Five overall for being all that and a sack o' chips. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ty
a Cross Country Rider
from Northwest Georgia, USA
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Bear Creek Bikes in Dalton, GA | | Strengths: | Lightweight, strong frame. Raw finish is beautiful. 29er specific geometry. | | Weaknesses: | None so far... | | Similar Products Used: | Niner SIR9 | | Bike Setup: | Fox F29 fork, Chris King headset and hubs, NoTubes ZTR Flow 29er rims (wheels custom built by Shane at Bear Creek Bikes), Hope Mono M4 brakeset, SRAM X0 drivetrain, FSA Carbon Pro Team Issue crank. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. I have been riding Cannondales forever, and still love them, but this bike just blows my old bikes away. The bike handles so well and it's light weight (just under 25lbs) makes each ride seem effortless. I tried build this bike with the best components. Of all the components, I am most impressed with the Hope brakeset. Talk about power! If you need to stop NOW, they'll stop you NOW. Overall, the Niner frame is riding great with really no complaints. I love the Raw finish. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JRacer
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | webcyclery | | Strengths: | Light weight frame, well designed geometry. Quality craftsmanship makes for an easy build. | | Weaknesses: | The paint! I have the kermit green frame. I have put less than a 100 miles on the bike and already there are major scratches and chips in the paint. You have to run the fork at 100mm to get the right geometry. The trade off is sluggish steering and a high front end. Even with a flipped stem and flat bar I find it hard to get into a good attack position. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel, GF Paragon | | Bike Setup: | Kermit green Frame size Large (I am 6' tall & it fits perfect), American classic wheelset, Bontrager tires, XTR 175mm crankset, sram x9 deraillers, avid juicy brakeset, ritchey wcs stem, Reba race fork w pop lock, Thomson seatpost, WTB rocket v saddle, shimano M540 pedals | | Bottom Line: | This is a great frame that handles well. I will never go back to a 26" wheel. I am 6' tall and I always find myself right between frame sizes. If you are in the same boat go with the large frame. It allows you to ride the bike from the front and middle giving you power and stability. The attention to detail is obvious. But I have to wonder; how can niner pay such close attention to every detail but neglect something as simple as the paint job? I rode this bike on 6 rides over the last 2 weeks and already have significant damage to the finish. This is a quality bike but I am concerned about the durability. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Harding
a Cross Country Rider
from Coatesville, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | N/A | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | LoweRiders | | Strengths: | Extremely light, vertically compliant while reasonably laterally stiff, rides like steel but weighs less then aluminum, handles great, light, did I mention it was light? | | Weaknesses: | Seat stay tire clearance, premature paint wear due to inadequate seat stay tire clearance, durability? | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Kula 2-9, Salsa Dos Niner | | Bike Setup: | Salsa Delgado Rims laced to DT Swiss Hugi 240 hubs, Fox F29 RLC fork, Thomson Stem and Post, WTB saddle, Sram XO 1X9 drivetrain, Truvativ Noir single speed crank with Black Box ceramic bottom bracket, panaracer rampage tires, Avid BB7 brakes...fast and light. | | Bottom Line: | I have ridden a couple of 29er bikes in the past but this is my first personal 29er rig. I am totally pleased on almost all fronts: the bike handles well, tracks well, climbs awesome, rolls over anything, is vertically compliant (i.e., feels like my old steel hardtail) and is extremely light!! It retains all of the benefits of a 29er bike and because of the light build seems to have none of the faults. However, I don't see this frame lasting more than one race season. In the 2-3 weeks that I've had this bike built up I've ridden it ~10 times, and already the clearcoat and paint have worn away on the seatstays. I can see the metal already! I forsee the seatstays wearing down simply from dirt abrasion enough to warrant replacement in September when the race season ends. The chainstays have plenty of clearance but clearance is skimpy on the seat stays. For a $750.00 frame I would expect more durability. I work at a shop so in September if the frame is too beat I think I'll just "upgrade" to the MCR9 for durability purposes. Aside from the seatstay clearance and the resultant wear issues this frame is perfect. Niner if you ever read this two things: (1) reformulate your clearcoat and paint for more durability, and (2) take a chapter from Surly and make the seatstays FFF (i.e., fatties fit fine). | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
LAMTBIKER
a Racer
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Buff Creek | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Source | | Strengths: | Handling in singletrack, climbing | | Weaknesses: | Paint | | Similar Products Used: | GF Paragon, Superfly, Stumpjumper 29 | | Bike Setup: | Full XTR Groupo, Reba Race, Crossmax29 | | Bottom Line: | So far I have been very impressed with the bike with only one complaint, the paint scratches easily. Did a mud ride and the paint wore off on the inside of seat stays where tire clears. Never had this issue on the many other bikes I own or have owned (20 plus). Apparently it's an issue with other Niner owners. Bummer, because the paint colors are very cool (I have Kermit Green). Paint job aside, this bike rips everything the Rockies have to offer which is saying a lot. It will be my race bike this season. I feel I have the advantage on big climbs and technical courses.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Don
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Too many to list... | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$675.00 | | Purchased At: | Bitter Brush Cyclery, Lyons, CO | | Strengths: | Heal clearance, compliance, geometry, standover, faced and chased surfaces, cable routing, weight, attention to detail, bang for the buck. | | Weaknesses: | Pedal strikes with 175mm crank and Reba in 80mm setting, not a problem at all in 100mm setting. In slow riding, it is slow to steer with the fork at 100mm. Hence the delema. | | Similar Products Used: | Dos Niner. | | Bike Setup: | Medium frame, X7/XO mix, duece cranks, alloy flat bar and stem, Eriksen sweetpost layback, egg beaters, formula oro discs, reba, crossmarks converted tubeless, 355/competition/240 wheels built up by Mike C., king headset, ergon grips, 23.6 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | Tried the Dos Niner as my first foray in to 29" format, primarily used for endurance events, light rider at under 140lbs and considered short for a 29er at 5' 7". I knew the format was for me within the first 5 miles. After research, and much deliberation I went with the Air9.
Scandium tubeset gives near steel compliance as it allows for longer butted sections, which also reduces weight. Both desirable for lighter rider such as myself. Required long seatpost, paired with Eriksen Ti post and 29" format is primo. Will not go back to 26 format period, let alone my old 4" front and rear suspended rig.
Light wheelset, combined with tubeless conversion yields competition ready acceleration. Longer contact patch reduces pinch flats, increases float over loose-snow-sand, and holds speed well. Increased wheel size reduces bump size, and rear traction on climbs is unmatched by anything 26", save maybe a pugsly. Short headtube allows even bar to seat height with positive rise stem and flat bar. Would need negative rise stem to get a more aggressive stance. I am using the Salso Pro Moto flat bar at 7degrees (I think 7?) in lieu of a riser. Keep the width, keep the sweep, gain some weight, gain some real estate on the bars for crap I probably don't need. I would have to flip the stem to negative to run the riser I used to use.
Negatives are that I must run the fork in the 100mm position to avoid pedal strikes. This is unfortunate as it does not need the extra travel and it slows down the steering a bit when going slow in technical terrain. I don't have this issue as much when running an 80mm suspension corrected rigid fork, so I attribute some of it to the 20% sag in the fork. Some might say it is a negative that you can get in over your head in a hurry. It just mows through stuff, and carries speed in such a way that when things do occationally go wrong you are carrying that much more speed during a crash.
All in all I am sold on the 29" format, and I think largely due to how Niner has addressed the possible drawbacks with their geometry and attention to detail. Were I to go with a custom built rig, the only change would be to keep the 80mm setup numbers with a slightly raised bottom bracket. Maybe 1/4" would do the trick.
Scandium rides suprisingly well. I have heard others compare it to Ti in terms of ride quality. From my experience I would call it "Steel Lite". Almost the compliance, less weight penalty. Pun intended.
Traditional 29" negative arguments and how Niner seems to have addressed them:
-Slow handling-in 100mm setting only at really low speeds, in 80mm setting not at all.
-Slow acceleration-combined with light weight wheelset...NOT a problem.
-Shorter riders have toe overlap...NOT a problem down to at least 5' 7".
-Shorter riders cannot keep weight/traction on the rear...NOT a problem.
-Front end too high...you can get down to 2" below the saddle. Need any more drop than that, then it's a problem.
-Can't get the front end up over obstacles...no issues here.
-Bike is heavier...when you compare that I replaced a 4" travel 26er with a Niner hardtail...I lost over 1 lb with a similar build. If you compare it to a similar built 26" hardtail the 29" WILL be heavier. I wrote off 26" hardtails back in 1997, so for me this is the lightest option. The fact that I like it is icing on the cake. Additionally, I have at least 1-2 lbs that could be trimmed with a few choice parts. That would put it in the 21-22 lb range. Not exactly porky.
-Tire selection...I think we are up to 80 options or so.
-Tubeless avialability...If you like stans rims with traditional tires OR Mavic/Bontrager rims with Bontrager tubeless ready tires you are OK. Otherwise you will have to wait at least another year.
-I can't think of anymore...you get the point. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a
from Birmingham, AL
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Geometry, weight, looks. Pretty much everything. | | Weaknesses: | Paint...that's it | | Bike Setup: | 1x9, Reba, Rhythm wheels, light stuff. 24 pounds. | | Bottom Line: | This bike has been great so far. No real problems other than some small paint chips. Much faster everywhere than my old 26er Bianchi. Go for the Kermit Green. The frame prep they do is a nice touch and Brett at Niner was great to deal with. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from AUSTRALIA
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | The one I am on... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | bike29.com | | Strengths: | Geometry, lightweight, comfort, stiffness, faaast. | | Weaknesses: | none found yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Somafab Juice | | Bike Setup: | XTR, Avid Ultimates, No-tubes/ DT swiss wheels, all carbon bits with a little bit of Ti... 22lbs | | Bottom Line: | If you race and want something fast in a 29er this is one to seriously consider as it eats the miles and handles tight single track with ease. I have an Ellsworth Truth gathering dust, this 29er hardtail climbs better, is lighter and I can still ride 100km + rides and feel fresh the next day, it's superb!
All my usual trails are faster on this thing. Remembering it is still a hardtail is hard sometimes as I forget! Much more comfy comapred to a 26" HT. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from North Carolina
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | local retailer | | Strengths: | Really, really light weight, clean welds and faced bb shell and headtube from factory (nice attention to detail... even include a stainless steel headbadge), well thought out geometry (steeper head angle for quicker steering), a quick and nimble climber, awesome customer service from Niner | | Weaknesses: | Gotten a bit soft due to full suspension (more a weakness of myself), and inspires almost too much confidence descending (gets me into trouble) | | Similar Products Used: | Fisher HiFi Deluxe 29er, Salsa El Mariachi, Specialized Stumpjumper 29er, Trek 69er | | Bike Setup: | Reba SL fork, Sram 9.0 8spd drivetrain (complete with twist shifters), Avid BB7 disc brakes (185mm front, 160mm rear), Shimano XTR V-brake levers (best ever), Race X Lite 29er wheelset (on loan until my Industry Nine wheels are ready), King headset, Raceface crankset, Thomson cockpit, and my trusty old Specialized BG Comp cushy saddle | | Bottom Line: | After avoiding the 29er market for the last decade or so, I finally jumped in head first. And I could not be happier!! Every time I ride, I feel as if I am riding for the first time... it is that good! Initially, I had written off the 29er as a fad soon to dissapear. I tried a Fisher long ago and dismissed the notion of a 29 inch wheel due to its poor handling and sluggish performance and stuck by my trusty 26 inchers. Recently, I decided to give the 29er another shot. With all the advancements, I was ready to start fresh... and boy am I glad I did. From the first ride, I was hooked.
What attracted me to Niner was their dedication to the big wheels (that is all they sell), the fit and finish of their bikes, and their geometries. Niner steepens the head angle to 72 degrees which makes the front end nimble like its 26 inch wheeled counterpart. "Other" companies are now introducing offset fork crowns to shorten the trail of the fork which essentially has the same effect, but seems to be more of a band-aid approach to the obvious problem of slack head angles producing a sluggish feel on big wheeled bikes. This offset fork crown design also lengthens the wheelbase making the bike even less nimble and manuverable through tight singletrack.
I know what you are thinking... what about the negatives. Well I listed two weaknesses above, and both are due more to rider than bike. Of course a light weight 3.2 pound Easton Scandium frame is going to be stiff... the instant power transfer is what I was looking for. After riding a full suspension bike for so many years, putting two plus hour rides on a hardtail is bound to hurt a bit. So I have already come up with two ways to remedy the rigid feeling: I am going to switch to a carbon post (the 31.6mm Thomson is real, real rigid) and convert to tubeless for the plushness and better control of lower air pressures. The other problem with the Air 9 is that the self assuring stability gives the rider almost too much confidence descending. I have nearly lost it twice already because I was simply flying.
Much thanks should go out to Niner for doing what they do... focusing soly on the 29 inch market (innovating and expanding it every year) and for designing a far superior product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Schiebout
a Cross Country Rider
from Highlands Ranch CO
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any trail on a 29er | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$749.00 | | Purchased At: | Big Kahuna Bicycles | | Strengths: | Light wieght and handling | | Weaknesses: | Fragile Paint | | Similar Products Used: | 02 Gary Fisher SuperCal 29 and my S.I.R 9 | | Bike Setup: | Stole most of the parts off of my 06 Giant Anthem 1. Race Face carbon seat post and bars. RF stem and Dues SL cranks. Complete XO drive train and WTB Ti saddle. The new stuff...Avid Ulitmatre carbon disc brakes, King HS, American Classic wheels w/ Kenda Karma 1.9 on the rear and a Nanoraptor 2.1 on the front. RS Reba SL for the fork and XTR pedals. | | Bottom Line: | The bike is light for a large frame at 23.2lbs...that is lighter than my old Schwinn Home Grown factory team hardtail w/ full XTR and it handles much quicker than my old GF 29er...I'll never go back to 26. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Southworth
a Cross Country Rider
from Landenberg, PA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Fair Hill, MD | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | bike29.com | | Strengths: | Very light and responsive, yet fairly supple ride. Much quicker acceleration, yet smoother ride than my old Fisher. Scandium is NOT just hype. | | Weaknesses: | The raw finish is intentionally rough....looks like my 4 year old hit the frame with a belt sander. | | Similar Products Used: | Niner MCR, Fisher Rig, a bunch of high-end 26" stuff. | | Bike Setup: | Cane Creek Zonos wheelset w/ Kenda Karma tires and lightweight tubes, XTR / Raceface 1 x 9 setup. | | Bottom Line: | This frame is killer. With a relatively light wheel/tire combo, there's no sensation that this bike is a 29er....until you start cornering, climbing or jumping. That is to say, this doesn't have the typical 29er drawback (slow acceleration) yet it exhibits all the positive aspects of a 29er. I had a very high-end 26" titanium frame that I've been completely in love with for the last 3 years. One ride on this and I've got that ti frame for sale. This frame (and the whole 29" concept) is really that good. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bart Beddingfield
a Racer
from Houston
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lajitas | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Niner | | Strengths: | Awesome geometry. Lightweight. Rides like steel. Loves tight singletrack! | | Weaknesses: | Me not know yet... | | Similar Products Used: | Salsa Dos9er in the 29er cat, a whole bunch in the 26 cat. up to and including a XTR Scapel. | | Bike Setup: | DT240/Stans wheels,MavSC32 fork, Sram XO, FRM Cranks, 3ti.....21.5lbs.with Crows/Karma tires. | | Bottom Line: | I gotta whole bunch of 26er stuff for sale! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Niner.com | | Strengths: | For a made in Taiwan frame, the Air 9 is a good looking frame. Clean lines and the raw aluminum is a great color. The fit is almost perfect for a tall guy like myself. Price for the frame alone is decent for a scandium frameset. | | Weaknesses: | The Niner build kits just suck for the cost. Basically you have a mix of very decent parts along with just garbage. In particular the WTB wheelset is essentially worthless. My first ride was Gooseberry Mesa in southern Utah which is a relatively flat trail mainly on slickrock. With every pedal stroke I could feel the rear wheel flexing and in some cases could actually see it happening. One short, slow decent turning from slickrock to sand folded the front wheel. I've never seen that happen before.
This frame is very difficult to get adequate clearance between the rear tire (2.1" Nano Raptor) and the front derailleur while in the smallest ring. A large amount of spacers are required throwing the chainline off quite a bit. | | Similar Products Used: | None so far, this is my first 29'er. | | Bike Setup: | After dumping the stock wheelset: REBA SL, King/Mavic 317's, Race Face Deus crankset, Avid Juicy 7's, Mix of SRAM XO/X9. | | Bottom Line: | If I were to buy this bike over again I would have built it up from scratch and done it right the first time. This frame has a lot of potential but I feel that Niner just threw together what they could with the build kits they offer. I really like WTB products, but whatever factory assembles Niner's wheels should be put out of business. Fortunately for me I was going very slow when my wheel folded, others may not be so fortunate. I hope Niner has good lawyers to go along with their current component line up.
Like I mentioned, the fit of the frame is great for a 6'4" tall guy like myself. Built up right it is a very decent bike.
The low rating is based on the bike as purchased complete from Niner. It does not reflect the frame by itself. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve gaudin
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO USA
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hall Ranch**Lyons, CO | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Blue Sky ** Longmont, CO | | Strengths: | Climbing, cornering, downhilling, perfect fit, cush ride. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Salsa Delgado rims w/King hubs, xt fd, Sram x-9 rd and shifters, Raceface deus cranks,Thomson stem and seatpost,Reba fork, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Time pedals, WTB Exiwolf tires. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is the best thing I've ridden. The fit is perfect, and it easy to make it that way. It climbs as well or better as the Maverick I sold, and that's saying a lot. I have already bested myself on hard climbs, and I'm just getting started. This bike also corners so well it has taken me a while to get used to it. I'm still learning how hard I can rail the corners. Obstacles seem smaller. Can you tell I like this bike? If you think 29ers are hype or a fad, ride one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Reilly
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX USA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | anthills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | $800 | | Strengths: | Scandium is light and stiff | | Weaknesses: | the head-tube and seat-tube angles are a bit more upright than I am accustomed to. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockhound 29er, Fisher 292 | | Bike Setup: | White Bros Magic 80, King ISO Disc Hubs w/ Stan's ZTR 355 rims and The Crow tires, SRAM '07 X.9 triggers and ders, PG990 cassette, SRAM hollowpin chain, RaceFace Deus X-Type 180mm cranks, King HS, Magura Marta SL Red brakes 180 frt/160 rr. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is fast. I don't mean it is fast for a 29er - it is fast relative to anything I've ridden. Admittedly, much of this is attributable to the wheelset, but super stiff and light frame is key. The rotational weight issues of the 29er don't exist on this bike. After I built the frame up, I weighed the bike: 22 pounds 15 ounces. It is an XL sized frame. The frame geometry is such that it definitely demands constant attention - no slack angles to be found. As you would imagine, the bike is very quick handling. The performance of this frame really shines when ultra-light wheels are used. If you plan on building up an Air 9, I strongly suggest going all out on the parts. Otherwise, the frame can't perform as it is designed and you'd be better off with a Rockhound 29er. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bill wright
a Cross Country Rider
from arlington, tn
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | niner | | Strengths: | light weight, good welds, and great handling. | | Weaknesses: | same price as some custom frames for an off the shelf frame | | Similar Products Used: | soma juice, surly karate monkey | | Bike Setup: | pace carbon fork,exiwolfs f&r,fleegle bars, and 1x8 drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | i REALLY like this frame. it feels smooth as steel but lighter. i rode steel frames only for the past couple of years, but this frame has changed my opinion of alloys. this bike begs for me to stand and crank up climbs. niner built a good product here. i really like the longer top tube. and the BRIGHT orange paint is a safety feature during hunting season | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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