Niner

RIP 9 RDO Mountain Bike Frame - 2018

The new Niner RIP 9 RDO Mountain Bike Frame got some serious upgrades and share very little with its predecessor other than its name. A slacker head tube, steeper seat tube, longer reach, shorter chainstays, and a touch more travel, the new RIP 9 RDO increases its trail aggression and transitions well for enduro stages and big shuttle days. The frame also deviates from Niner's 29-inch wheel dedication and offers compatibility for both 29in and 27.5+ wheels to suit your riding and terrain.

The boost spacing affords the geometry tweaks and the ability to run both wheel sizes. Boost spacing also builds stiffer wheels, benefiting larger diameter hoops, and a stiffer rear end. By widening the dropouts to 148mm, Niner was able to free up enough clearance between the chainstays to shorten them 11mm. These changes translate to a rear triangle that's much nimbler to rider input and quicker through tight trails.

The short stays keep the bike quick and the slack head tube lets the RIP live up to its name as it will absolutely plow through anything in its path and encourage you to stay off the brakes. The RIP can go as slack as 66.5 degrees with a 170mm fork. Its long reach and requisite short stem and wide bar keep handling quick and dismays the typically lazy handling often found with slack head tube angle. We found that the bike wants us to get into all kinds of high-speed danger and allows for an amazing margin of error giving us confidence to progress.

The RIP 9 RDO continues with Race Day Optimized (RDO) carbon compaction construction methods in which carbon plies are cured under intense pressure to ensure proper wall thickness and minimize strength sapping voids. This also flushes out excess resin producing a remarkably resilient structure and matches the engineering specifications for strength, durability and weight, as well as looking super clean and stealthy. The Constantly Varying Arc (CVA) suspension design remains unchanged, but adds 25mm more travel, bringing the total amount up to 150mm, the same as the older WFO. CVA is designed to remain fully active during the entire course of the ride. The system uses chain tension to counteract squat and bob while pedaling, but unlike other short-link setups, the pair of linkages rotate in opposite directions allowing them to react independently to both pedaling and terrain inputs. What you get is a bike that pedals great and has plush and sensitive travel. A big bike that pedals well will always get high marks in our book.

Reaching the summit doesn't feel like a wrestling match and the real fun begins on the way down. The 150mm of travel will have you looking at new lines and resetting KOM's on every ride. Big wheels and quality suspension are the cheat code that will unlock your ability to unleash chaos on technical trails. And even if you don't hoot and holler on rides, this bike might change that. The frame's finishing details befit the carbon construction and suspension performance. We are thrilled with the BSA threaded bottom bracket. Pressfit shells may be lighter but they can't match the exact tolerances of CNC-machined threads. The threading ensures that the bearing cups install perfectly which reduces wear and silences creaks and groans that accompany Pressfit models. Vulnerable frame bits are guarded with titanium protection plates, and the frame includes integrated battery storage if you get the urge for electro shifting.

The boost spacing accommodate 29er tires up to 2.6-inches or with 27.5+, 3-inchs, depending on the internal width of your rims. Those changes also mean the frame is 1x only but who runs front derailleurs these days anyways?