niner air 9 carbon or specialized s works sj ss?

i would go with the better warranty, which i believe is lifetime on specialized and 2 years on niners.

How soon are you looking to ride? The Niner appears to still be at least 3 months out, and I would bet that much first shipment has already been pre-ordered. Certainly not a long-term evulation, but it can be a factor for some

I bet a lot of the Niner pre-orders are shops buying up frames,so I suspect some of the larger Niner online shops will have these available when they are released.

I would buy a handmade steel frame instead . . . .

I would go for the Niner purely based on looks those air's are super hot

niner for sure.

I'd go Specialized - there's a lot to like with the 2010 Stumpy. Plus, it's available now. Niner's carbon bike is nothing to sneeze at either - I'd just opt for the Specy if it were my money.

My friend works for Specialized. It seems they underestimated the demand for the Sworks. Might be hard to get. I am torn. I like the looks of the Specialized better but I think the Niner would handle better.

1) Niner employs EBB. Is that what you are really after? Not me that's for sure...EBB sucks!!!
2) Niner offers 2 year warranty? Do you really want a frame from a company with sub standard backing to its product? Both GF and Specialized offers life-time. Now, that's what I call 'back to the hilt'!
3) Even if you irrationally lust a Niner, wait until others ride it. Read reviews and then make up your mind.

I agree, the Niner is one of the sexiest bikes I have seen in awhile, but that warranty sucks. I know the paintjob is dumb, but what about the Gary Fisher Superfly SS frame? Seems dialed!

sparkie said:

My friend works for Specialized. It seems they underestimated the demand for the Sworks. Might be hard to get. I am torn. I like the looks of the Specialized better but I think the Niner would handle better.

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You got that right, I had a rep tell me they only released 80 of them. I'm one of the 80 so I'm pretty stoked.

The HT angle is fairly steep on the Spec. It may be good, or bad, for you... not good for my style of riding. If the spec. comes with a fox... I would convert it to 100mm and ride the Sh!t out of it. Warranty is a good thing, but doing what I just suggested would likely void the warranty. If they knew..

mo0se said:

The HT angle is fairly steep on the Spec. It may be good, or bad, for you... not good for my style of riding. If the spec. comes with a fox... I would convert it to 100mm and ride the Sh!t out of it. Warranty is a good thing, but doing what I just suggested would likely void the warranty. If they knew..

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The Spec is 1/2 degree steeper on the small size, but it is also 1/2" slacker on all the other sizes

Niner is 71, 72, 72, 72
Spec is 71.5, 71.5, 71.5

The GF superfly ss comes with the fox fork, headset, stem, and lifetime warranty for the same price.

boomn said:

The Spec is 1/2 degree steeper on the small size, but it is also 1/2" slacker on all the other sizes

Niner is 71, 72, 72, 72
Spec is 71.5, 71.5, 71.5

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I'm going off a review.. looking for the link. The review is in the Jan 2010 Bike issue. Xc/marathon section. Stumjumper Expert Carbon.

mo0se said:

I'm going off a review.. MBA they mentioned it felt nervous on steeps.

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Ok, understood. But unless it was a comparison review we don't know if they wouldn't say the same or worse about the Niner and its steeper geometry

boomn said:

Ok, understood. But unless it was a comparison review we don't know if they wouldn't say the same or worse about the Niner and its steeper geometry

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I have not researched TT length.. that plays into this. I would ride either...

Niner of course. I would never buy a Specialized.
Here's just one reason of many:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=581818

Thor29 said:

Niner of course. I would never buy a Specialized.
Here's just one reason of many:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=581818

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I agree totally. I try to avoid all Specialized stuff after finding out about that Epic story. It is just unjustified corporate bullying IMO - the guy hand makes bags for adventure racing - what threat is that!. To try to drive him out of business for using the brand name epic is pathetic!

https://www.***************/wp-cont...-air-9-carbon-2010-hardtail-mountain-bike.jpg

Squirt :0