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Does Niner Bikes know something we don't???

7K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  gmk 
#1 ·
http://www.ninerbikes.com/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&taxid=93

According to their webpage for the new 2011 version of the Niner WFO...the GEOMETRY page lists specs for 140mm fork or a 160mm fork....the only forks I know that are longer travel than the 140mm Reba and the 140mm Marzocchi's are:

150mm White Brothers 29er fork
175/180mm Manitou Dorado 29er

Accordingly I haven't seen anything or heard of anything in the 160mm range:ihih: Am I missing something? Why would they put specs of something that doesn't exist?
 
#4 ·
Guitar Ted said:
Rock Shox Revelation 29. ;)
While I fully support 160mm of travel (I've been b!tching about it for 2 years now), to put it on a 32mm Revelation chassis vs. a 36mm Lyrik Chassis would baffle me for this segment of forks. Seems to me the most sense would be to do a 29er Air Solo Lyrik with Maxle in a tapered or full 1 1/8" and allow it to be internally travel adjusted from 160mm down to 120mm with spacers. It would hit a big segment of the 29er market this way. Or the same way with a 29er Fox Float 36. These two forks would hit the OEM market at a lower pricepoint than a U-turn, 2-step, or Talas.
 
#11 ·
150mm White Bros

I was on the White bros site yesterday checking the status of the new Loop fork. I clicked on the order tab and there it is. The 29er version will be out in May and looks like it will be available in 150mm. I haven't even ridden my 2011 Fox yet and I cant wait to try the new Loop.
 
#13 ·
bzo75 said:
I was on the White bros site yesterday checking the status of the new Loop fork. I clicked on the order tab and there it is. The 29er version will be out in May and looks like it will be available in 150mm. I haven't even ridden my 2011 Fox yet and I cant wait to try the new Loop.
Ahh but thats 150mm of travel, not the 160mm stated on the website. Also WB has had a 150mm travel fork for a few seasons now. Just doesn't seem like Niner would make such a large typo if something isn't coming out. Perhaps we'll see at Sea Otter, that's where Niner debuted the 140mm Reba.
 
#14 ·
MqtRider said:
Ahh but thats 150mm of travel, not the 160mm stated on the website. Also WB has had a 150mm travel fork for a few seasons now. Just doesn't seem like Niner would make such a large typo if something isn't coming out. Perhaps we'll see at Sea Otter, that's where Niner debuted the 140mm Reba.
You are WAY overthinking this. Sometimes manufacturers choose arbitrary travel limits due to the axle-to-crown length and stress on the headtube. It's arbitrary because there may or may not be any forks designed with that travel. Ive seen some say "165mm" because back in the day the only forks with 170 were DC forks that would put too much stress on the bike, sometimes the limit is there because the designer realizes that if you have that much of a bigger fork, you can push the bike much further past what it was designed for, not just the headtube, but the entire frame. Could be a typo, could not be a typo, even if it's not a typo, it doesn't guarentee there is something comming out.
 
#15 ·
Jayem said:
You are WAY overthinking this. Sometimes manufacturers choose arbitrary travel limits due to the axle-to-crown length and stress on the headtube. It's arbitrary because there may or may not be any forks designed with that travel. Ive seen some say "165mm" because back in the day the only forks with 170 were DC forks that would put too much stress on the bike, sometimes the limit is there because the designer realizes that if you have that much of a bigger fork, you can push the bike much further past what it was designed for, not just the headtube, but the entire frame. Could be a typo, could not be a typo, even if it's not a typo, it doesn't guarentee there is something comming out.
But again, it doesn't make sense because people have been putting the Manitou Dorado 29er fork on the old WFO for a while at 180mm, even Niner gave the go ahead and team riders tested it at Keystone and Whistler that way...But since the Dorado isn't for the majority of the riders for this frame, the question remains....is or isn't there going to be a 160mm fork to get the described specs per their website? Time will tell.
 
#19 ·
Intense Knows Something Also?

I saw this on the Intense site today. Check out the fork in the build kit. Misprint or something in the future?

Tracer 29 XT Build Kit
Headset Cane Creek Headset Cane Creek XC Flush II 1.5 Taper to 1-1/8
Tires Kenda Tire Kenda Nevegal 29 x 2.2 60tpi/DTC (50sSA/60sSA/50sSA)/Folding Bead
Tubes Kenda Tube Kenda 29 x 1.9/2.125 PV
Wheel Front Sta Tru Wheel Front Speed Tuned 29r WTB SD 20TA White
Wheel Rear Sta Tru Wheel Rear Speed Tuned 29r XT 6-Bolt White
Grips ODI Intense/ODI w/End Plugs
Bottom Bracket Shimano Bottom Bracket XT BB-BB70
Brake Adapter Shimano Brake Adapter For Rear 180mm | Front 203mm
Brake Disc Shimano Brake Disc SM- RT79M 6-Bolt 180mm Rear | 203mm FRONT
Brake Front Shimano Brake Set XT SL-M770 Front w/o Disc 900mm
Brake Rear Shimano Brake Set XT Rear w/o Disc 1700mm
Cassette Shimano Cassette XT 11-36 CS-M771-70
Chain Shimano Chain XT CN-HG94 10SPD 118L
Crankset Shimano Crank Set XT 175mm x 42-32-24 FC-M770-10
Derailleur Front Shimano Derailleur XT Front FD-M771-10
Derailleur Rear Shimano Derailleur XT Rear RD-M773SGS
Shifter Left Shimano Shifter Front XT SL-M770
Shifter Right Shimano Shifter Rear XT SL-M770-10R
Fork Sram Fork Rock Shox 2011 Reba 29 x 20 x 160 1.5t Wht w/Sil
H-Bar Titec Handlebar Titec Hellbent ProLite 7075 1.5 x 31.8 Blk
Seatpost Titec Seat Post Titec Hellbent Honcho Prolite 15os x 31.6 x 350
Stem Titec Stem Titec Pluto ProLite 31.8 x 100mm Blk
Seat Velo Seat Sacred Heart Cr-Mo
 
#20 ·
I'm with the 36mm folks out there. Any 160 without 36 stanchions is gonna be noodly, tapered HT and TA or not. I just don't see that being what an AM rider wants. I dream of a Knolly or DW linked 150mm travel 29er with a 68* HTA and <18'' CS... but not without a 36mm fork on it, especially not as a solid clyde who likes wheelie drops and charging rock gardens.

That said my sultan did well last year until I snapped the rear linkage and a spoke on the rear wheel after some serious skinny riding.
 
#21 ·
We all want a 36mm fork but.&#8230;

Since we have no say so when it comes to the big bike companies I guess we will have to wait to see if they feel like they will make enough cheddar off of a product like that. In the meantime we will have to make due with what they want us to ride or go back to the unspeakable wheel size. I would like more than one or two frames available to me that have or are capable of running a coil shock. I also would like more than one coil sprung fork. I remember not that long ago when all the kids wanted freeride bikes and they got what they wanted and than some. The movement changed the face of mountainbiking. If only we weren't in a recession. Maybe we would get the support that they got ten years ago. I hope I didn't lose you on my rant. What is the worse that could happen. I mean how much 29er product is left laying around at the end of the year. Nothing compared to the product left over from the little wheel guys. Maybe we should protest at Sea Otter and Interbike. Oh wait a minute I forgot we don't do that here in this country anymore. Not even for our freedom and rights. We are the people and have the power. We just need to let them know what we want. We should bombard the companies that we want product from with email, tweet and snail mail. They will get the hint. If you build it we will buy it. We are starving for more 29er specific product. Not roll over trickle down half ass Jerry rig parts. We aren't going anywhere. This isn't a fad. Good enough just isn't going to cut it anymore. Wow I feel better. Sorry ;) Who is with me?
 
#22 ·
bzo75 said:
I saw this on the Intense site today. Check out the fork in the build kit. Misprint or something in the future?

Tracer 29 XT Build Kit
...
...
...
Shifter Left Shimano Shifter Front XT SL-M770
Shifter Right Shimano Shifter Rear XT SL-M770-10R
Fork Sram Fork Rock Shox 2011 Reba 29 x 20 x 160 1.5t Wht w/Sil
H-Bar Titec Handlebar Titec Hellbent ProLite 7075 1.5 x 31.8 Blk
Seatpost Titec Seat Post Titec Hellbent Honcho Prolite 15os x 31.6 x 350
Stem Titec Stem Titec Pluto ProLite 31.8 x 100mm Blk
Seat Velo Seat Sacred Heart Cr-Mo
they changed it to 140
http://www.intensecycles.com/bikes/index.php?id=2&product_id=15#build-kits
 
#26 ·
I've just gotten the information: Ninerbikes is working on new frame D.T.S9 Down The Slope. It has 180mm rear wheel travel and is being tested with Dorado and WB groove 180mm. Great FR bike and there is a Minion DH in duty. So brace yourself, it's gonna rock you babe. :thumbsup:
wow !
really?

Doesn't anybody follow the sea otter coverage ? Fox has a new 34mm stanchion version of the F29s for 2012.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Fox-Racing-Shox-34-millimeter-29er-Forks-sea-otter-2011.html

Right now they've only listed 140mm versions but the jump in travel of only 20mm over the current 32mm F29s seems minor for a chassis redesign. They're probably going to offer a longer version OEM.
we will see how stiff it will be with the crappy (sorry for my wording) 15mm axle
not really so stiff like the maxle 20mm axle
when ? 2013 ... :mad:
 
#24 ·
LandSpeed said:
There was a video leaked by a niner employee to youtube talking about a new frame with specs for a 2012 (secret) Fox 36 160mm fork. Check it out:
I would normally keep these things to myself, but LandSpeed, thanks for confirming my opinion that you are a(an) ___________, and at some point you should grow up....its not funny, and you are not entertaining.

Thankfully I only got 8 seconds in, but @ 8 seconds in, I was already annoyed.
 
#25 ·
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