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46 DIRT RAG #163 5.15.12
TESTER: Josh Patterson AGE: 30 HEIGHT: 57 WEIGHT: 145lbs. INSEAM: 30
T
his bike has been a Iong lime in lhe making. Il Iived in a cobveb-
fiIIed corner of comany co-founder Chris Sugai's mindand on
many scraps of paper covered in doodles of a new and strik-
ing framebefore deveIomenl began severaI years ago. The }el 9
RDO is the companys second carbon bike and its first carbon full
suspension. RDO stands for Race Day Optimized; this acronym is not
to be confused with Race Day Only, as the bikes that will share this
designation are bred for racing but are capable of much more.
KILLER CURVES
When I Iook al lhe }el 9 RD's carbon frame, I see a kiIIer vhaIe.
The bIack-and-vhile Iivery, lhe svooy Iines, and lhe seal lube
bracewhich is clearly a dorsal finmake me think of an orca,
breaching the waters surface. I could spend the rest of this review
making dim-villed anaIogies lo kiIIer vhaIes, maybe even give lhe
bike four out of five mackerels Ill spare you that indignity.
Comared lo ils aIuminum sibIing, lhe }el 9, lhe RD is sIighlIy
sIacker vilh a sIighlIy Ionger rear end, vhich sorls a fuII 1OOmm of
lraveI. The }el 9 RD is designed lo accommodale 1OOmm lo 12Omm
susension forks, vhiIe lhe }el 9 vas designed around 8Omm lo
1OOmm forks. lher refinemenls lo lhe carbon modeI incIude inlernaI
cabIe rouling lhrough lhe head lube, a Iress-Iil 3O bollom brackel,
and a direct mount front derailleur. Niner would neither confirm nor
deny my susicion lhal lhe aIuminum }el 9 viII be udaled lo malch
lhe }el 9 RD, lhough I consider il a safe bel lhal lhis more-afford-
abIe bike viII benefil from some high-end lrickIe-dovn.
Niner's recenlIy alenled CVA design, shorl for ConslanlIy Vary-
ing Arc, uses lvo Iinks lhal move in series lhrough lhe susension's
travel. The upper link, mounted to the seat tube, is of the rocker
variely and acluales lhe Kashima-coaled RI23 shock. The Iover Iink
is vhal makes Niner's design differenl from many olher duaI-Iink
bikes on the market: the link is located under and in front of the bot-
tom bracket.
My lesl bike came equied vilh a fuII Shimano XT grou, Sun-
RingIe vheeIs, and a 1OOmm RockShox SID fork vilh a remole Iockoul.
With a solid selection of parts that left me with nothing to complain
about, I was free to focus my attention on the frame and suspension.
THE RIDE
I hrsl rode lhe }el 9 RD Iasl summer al a ress cam in Iark Cily,
Utah. The bike rode well, but if anyone had asked me what I thought of the
handIing, I vouId have said sIighlIy oId-schooI.
When comared lo many olher 29-inch cross-counlry race bikes reIeased
in lhe asl lvo seasons, lhe Niner has a sleeer head angIe, al 71.5, and
chainslays lhal are on lhe Ionger end of lhe seclrum, measuring 455mm.
This makes for a bike that feels very responsive in front but that also
requires the rider to swing the rear around when things get tight.
I tested the RDO with the stock head angle and fork, swapped the
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NINER JET 9 RDO
Wheelbase 43.9 1116mm
Head Angle 71.5
Seat Tube
Angle 74
Bottom
Bracket 13.0 330mm
Chainstay
Length 17.9" 455mm
Frame Weight 5.2lbs 2.36kg
Complete 26lbs 11.79kg
Sizes S, M (tested), L, XL
specs based on size tested
INFO
Price $2,600 (frame only), $5,570 (complete)
Made in Taiwan
Online ninerbikes.com
47 DIRTRAGMAG.COM
1OOmm RockShox SID for a 12Omm Iox I29, and hnaIIy, lesled lhe bike
vilh lhe slock SID fork bul vilh Cane Creek's AngIeSel inslaIIed and
lhe head angIe sel al a more reIaxed 7O.5. The verdicl` I refer 7O.5
regardIess of vhal gels me lherebe il more lraveI or an ad|uslabIe-angIe
headsel. I found lhe }el 9 RD lo handIe much beller in high-seed silu-
alions vilh lhe sIighlIy sIacker head angIe. If lhis vere my ersonaI XC1
endurance race bike, I vouId run a 12Omm fork simIy because il makes
this bike that much more capable while giving up nothing in terms of
race-day erformance.
Once I had the handling sorted out to my liking, I turned my attention
lo lhe resl of lhe bike. Niner's CVA susension is noliceabIy more aclive
lhan many olher duaI-Iink designs I've ridden. ne crilicism oflen IeveIed
al bikes lhal use lhe susension's Iinks lo resisl edaI-induced movemenl
is lhal lhey never feeI Iush. This is nol lhe case vilh lhe }el 9 RDlurn
lhe IroIedaI off and you have a very suIe rear susension lhal lracks
veII and absorbs square-edged bums vilh oise. I rode lhe }el 9 RD
lhrough lerrain lhal vas veII oulside lhe reaIm of dainly XC bikes, and il
never let me down.
Ior aII-around riding I kel lhe IroIedaI in lhe 1 osilion and feIl il
suiled lhe bike's ersonaIily veII. Ior smoolher courses, and for ure XC
racing, I would opt for the 2 position.
Niner chose lo use lhe lried-and-lrue 135mm rear sacing vilh a
quick-reIease, ciling ils desire lo save veighl. I have nolhing lo comIain
about in the stiffness department. The short links kept the front and rear
triangles moving as one. Speaking of those links, the lower one is very
exosed, il vouId be nice lo have lhe abiIily lo urge lhose bearings vilh
grease for the sake of longevity.
As a lveener in Niner's sizing I found lhe medium vilh a 9Omm
slem lo be a erfecl fil, and my onIy quibbIe is lhal lhe laII seal lube1
top tube junction prevented me from running a dropper postthe
RDO vibe is the reason Niner chose not to include guides for a drop-
per remote.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My advice to fellow riders is to look beyond the RDO brand-
ing. Yes, Niner's }el 9 RD is erfeclIy suiled lo XC and endurance
racing. But even if you are a rider who has no desire to put a number
Iale on your bikes, you viII find a very caabIe bike in lhe }el 9
RDO. Some riders may find the stock geometry suits them just fine.
If, like me, you want a bike that can perform well over a wider range
of lraiI condilions, run a 12Omm fork and lake lhe harder Iine.
I RODE THE JET 9 RDO THROUGH TERRAIN
THAT WAS WELL OUTSIDE THE REALM
OF DAINTY XC BIKES, AND IT NEVER LET
ME DOWN.