6/24/12 1:59 PMNiner Air 9 RDO Carbon 29er | Mountain Bike Review

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Introduction by Francis Cebedo

Ahh the carbon 29er hardtail… it is the weapon of choice by every XC racer and Strava KOM hopefulthese days. But which one does one choose? What qualities should the rider look for?

Niner fired the opening shot in this arena when they launched the Air 9 Carbon a few years ago. Here wasa bike with stunning good looks featuring a massive downtube and tubes that were sculpted to look andperform good. It was extremely responsive to power input and it was laterally stiff for even the heaviestriders. It also had a flexible bottom bracket that could take a normal geared configuration or an EBB forsinglespeed use. This bike was hot as it featured the best paint jobs and internal cable routing to deliver aclean looking bike.

But upstarts like the Santa Cruz Highball and Scott Scale came to play and came in with smaller tubesthat were more compliant with frame weights around 2.5 lbs, which were about .5 lbs lighter than theNiner Air 9 Carbon. Singlespeed configuration was not available but most buyers didn’t seem to mind.

So Niner has fought back with the Air 9 RDO Carbon. This bike has smaller tubes for lighter weight and amore compliant ride in the rear. It has a normal bottom bracket for simplicity and lighter weight. And it hasa disc brake that is mounted inside the rear triangle as it’s bolted on the chainstay rather than theseatstay. This not only improves aesthetics but it also allows a more compliant ride as the seatstays canbe tuned for ride quality without having to support a disc brake mount.

The RDO frame is indeed .5 lbs lighter than the Air 9 RDO Carbon but it still feels very stiff and responsiveto pedal input. The frame is laterally stiff and it still carves the trail well. The Air 9 Carbon however is thestiffness king of the family and a heavier, more aggressive rider may want that frame for betteracceleration and better lateral stiffness. The RDO, with it’s smaller tubes is not quite at the same lateral

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By Francis June 11, 2012

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stiffness as the Air 9 Carbon. The ride has improved as the rear seems more forgiving on the rough stuff.The bottom bracket is much simpler and more traditional than the Air 9 Carbon and it is much less proneto creaking. Brake adjustment is a little harder to get to but it performs well and looks very clean once setup.

RDO with Enve-Kappius wheels built by Wheelbuilder.com

How does it compare to the Santa Cruz Highball? I think they’re an equal match as they’re both 2.5 lbsand they both deliver a responsive yet forgiving ride. They have very similar ride qualities with blisteringacceleration complemented by a fairly compliant ride. In terms of lateral stiffness, the Highball has a slightedge over the RDO. The seat tube on the Niner is shorter by two inches so a lot more seatpost isshowing. The gives the bike a lower feel as the top tube is closer to the ground. Consequently, standoverheight is lower on the Niner giving it the rider more top tube clearance on those unplanned dismounts.Finally, the seat angle on the Niner is steeper on the Niner giving it a more aggresive, ‘hammer over thepedals’ position, ideal for cross country racing.

Sizing is different though as I ride a medium Santa Cruz Highball and that is about equal to a small Niner,particularly in top tube length. The Niner does look better though and it has a better component spec with2×10 setups and Schwalbe tires. Santa Cruz still insists on 3×10 setups, house wheels and MaxxisCrossmark tires.

Comparison Chart of the Small Niner RDO and a Medium Santa Cruz Highball both with 100 mm frontfork:

Bike Seat Tube(c-t)

Effective TopTube

BBHeight

Head TubeAngle

Seat TubeAngle

Seat TubeAngle

StandOver Chainstay

S RDO 15.5 23.2 12.0 71 73 4.2 27.8 17.3MHighball17.5 23.0 12.0 70.5 71.0 3.9 29.1 17.3

Both bikes weigh in at 2.5 lbs. The Niner Air 9 RDO frame is $2099 and the Santa Cruz Highball is $1999

1559.99

SRAM XO 3x10:8-Piece Kit1599.99Colorado Cyclist

47% Off

Maxxis CrossmarkEXO:MSRP $70.00$36.98Pricepoint.com

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Review by Aaron Faupell

In Niner lingo the RDO stands for Race Day Optimized. As the name attests, the Air 9 RDO is a bike builtfor a singular purpose and it suits that purpose very well. But as you might expect when a bike is built to anarrow focus it can often fall short in other areas outside of that. As a race bike the RDO is very good athelping you win races, setting PRs and and making you feel fast. The out of the saddle climbing isamazing with stiff bottom bracket supplying a distinct feeling of surging forward with every pedal stroke.However when you reach the top of the hill and point the bike downwards the race oriented setup catchesup with you. The weight distribution is somewhat forward and the handling is fairly quick. It is definitely notslow enough to make up for the time gained on climbs but one has to be aware when bombing downtechnical descents.

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Francis Cebedo · Top Commenter · Founder/GM at Mtbr.comI review this bike with the help of my ace Aaron Faupell. And yes, I prefer this now over theSanta Cruz Highball. It is lower to the ground. It is prettier and it has more aggressive KOMgeometry. Only question now is it enough to boot out the Highball in my garage.Reply · · Like · Follow Post · June 12 at 9:49am

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Andrew JuskaitisCan't wait to see the 27.5" wheel version...Reply · · Like · June 12 at 10:14am1

Matt Leonard · Associate Consultant at NWT CorporationPrettier, really? Aren't we reviewing mountain bikes ;-)Reply · · Like · June 12 at 10:17am4

Sasha Magee · San Francisco, Californiaif you boot the Highball out of your garage, I'll volunteer a spot to keep it snug andwarm.Reply · · Like · June 12 at 10:30am2

Mtbr.comNiner Air 9 RDO carbon revealed!Reply · · Like · Follow Post · June 12 at 9:45am14

Mark Deewow..... 5 lbs lighter than the air 9 carbon? I'm anxious to see how these things stand up to thetest of time.Reply · · Like · Follow Post · June 14 at 9:42am1

David SextonI think that's 0.5 lbs ( a half pound) which still seems like a lot on a sub-3lb frame.

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There are lots of good bikes in the light, fast, race oriented hardtail category so choices often come downto the details. In this respect the Niner has an interesting mix of great and not so great details. The greencolor is amazing and garnered many trailside compliments. There is much attention paid to the sculptingof the tube shapes ensuring that the form flows together into a cohesive whole. The top tube archesgracefully into the seatstay which drops into a continuous loop around the rear of the bike into thechainstay. Making sure the beautiful frame will last are a clear rock guard on the downtube, a metalchainsuck plate and even a small metal plate on the forward part of the bottom bracket in case your chainshould drop. The standard Niner inducement to “pedal damn it” appears on the top tube and although itmay not be conspicuous enough to help when you are cross eyed with effort it certainly adds a welcometouch of personality, as do the matching Niner branded seatpost, bars, stem, and even seat collar.

However the details in the maintenance department are not so great. The slick looking rear brakemounting makes caliper adjustment difficult. Cable routing for the rear derailleur is positioned so the reartire covers it in mud where it enters the frame. The internal cable routing ensures a clean appearance butis not the easiest to work on and the short cables between the shifters and where they enter the headtube seemed to add some resistance when turning the bars. These aren’t the kind of issues that youencounter often during the time spent with a bike but you quickly notice them when something goes wrongeither at home or on the side of the trail.

In the end how one feels about this bike would come down to priorities. If you spend a lot of time beingyour own mechanic, or need a go-to bike for after work rides or long stretch-your-legs type endurancerides then it may not be the best choice. But if there is room in the stable for a dedicated XC race bikethen I would say the Air 9 RDO should definitely be on the short list.

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73mm BB widthPF30 BB adaptable to threaded via adapters (not compatible with aftermarket EBB designs)31.6mm seatpost size34.9mm seat collar size (not included)34.9mm front derailleur, high mount, bottom pull1.125”-1.5” taper head tube with integrated (Campy style) headset (FSA headset included) CaneCreek standard description: IS42/28.6|IS52/40Replaceable derailleur hangerSize Small has one inner triangle bottle mountSize Medium, Large and XL have two inner triangle bottle mounts135mm QR rear spacingAluminum Head Badge for Internal RoutingCan fit up to a 2.4” tire (tire size varies by brand, some tires may not fit)Compatible with current-standard 3x chainring systems2x chainring system recommendations:

SRAM configs: 26/39 or lowerSHIMANO XT configs: 28/40 or lowerSHIMANO XTR double cranks have a non-standard chainline and are not recommended.

Niner Bikes Air 9 RDOMSRP: $ 2099.00Number of Reviews: 0Overall Rating: 0 out of 5

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