[Anbtucson]

Contemplating buying one of these because the deals are good. Trying to figure out sizing and whether it’s right for me. 5’9” with 30 inch in seam. I want an xc bike to take over for my hardtail. I have an intense primer 140mm/130 for bigger hit duties but I find that for quick loops and the few marathon events I do both the hardtail and the primer come up short. I test rode a medium with a 120 mm fork and it felt good but for the Niner saddle and the bars/stem which were a bit too wide for me. I did find the angle a bit steep but I think I can get used to it.

I guess I am trying to get people’s input that have bought these recently. Most of the the reviews are from a couple of years back. What mods have you done — droppers that work well either the frame and cockpit changes, etc.


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[Bona]

I have XL Niner RKT, love it, I'm 6' but have long legs and arms, I've had it since early 2018. I added a SRAM AXS dropper seatpost a few months ago and liked it so added Eagle AXS drive train a few weeks ago. Shifting is great, Still getting used to the button layout on the controller, it is a little too curved for me, Shifting to small ring feels great, but I hit the edge of the button to go to a big ring. Hoping they come out with a flatter rocker button for the controller. Haven't had any issues with the RKT, I ride 60-75 miles per week. I have also really liked the JET and RIP 9 but the RKT is perfect for cross country trails in Texas.

 

[Kuttermax]

I've been riding my Air 9 RDO more this year as I used it for Leadville and therefore tried to do as many rides as possible on it. That being said, with Leadville over I got back on the RKT for some rides recently. I've got my RKT set up with 120mm Fox SC 34. I also added an AXS dropper this year and last year put on the E-Thirteen 12 speed conversion kit.

The RKT continues to be a very solid bike. It would slot in nicely in between your hard tail and Intense Primer. It climbs really well and even in full open mode it still feels very efficient. The SC 34 120mm fork seems to also pair extremely well with the setup.

Some of the other more modern XC bikes like the Yeti SB100 or Specialized Epic might be better options if you do a lot of technical descending, due to their slacker geometry. However for tighter, twisty rolling stuff, the RKT is still a great performer and with a 120mm up front it's still a good descender.

 

[Anbtucson]

Thanks for the input. Ending up getting a good deal on RKT 4 star build. I put a oneup dropper on in and switched over my carbon wheels from my other bike. So far the bike has been great and I am clearing an uphill feature at my local loop that have eluded me for a while on the primer. The feature is basically a short wall of a climb with a ton of loose rock and scree. The front of the bike just tracks better than the trail bike. I chalk this up to the steeper geometry of the rkt. On descents the the 120 SC feels pretty good though I can see the HA being an issue on occasion. Just need to pay attention a little more.


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[muzicman]

great bike. I've had mine for two years. bought it when I lived in the redwoods with tight trails. now live where the trails are more rowdy, hence the jet9, while heavier is a lot of fun.

I put a 140 fork on the rkt9, now I run 29+, 29, 27.5+ or reverse mullet. It's a blast and it's four bikes in one!

get one of the niner lower headset cup extenders for $25, it'll slacken your head angle almost a degree and transform your bike!