Test: Niner RIP 9 RDO 29: Guaranteed fun downhill and uphill

Test / MTB: Niner Bikes from Colorado was one of the first brands to completely commit to the 29″ wheel size. 29ers have cross-country roots, as does the Niner brand. But with the Rip 9, Niner introduced their first bike for the all-mountain category in 2015. We were able to test the latest evolution of the Niner RIP 9 RDO 29, which is also available with 27,5+ wheels for the first time. An absolute novelty at Niner.

Test: Niner RIP 9 RDO 29 - Frame

The Niner RIP RDO 9 RDO 29 greets us right from the start with a refreshing color that you don't see every day. A pale blue combined with pale green and black lettering in combination with the elaborate frame shape give the bike a very strong and unusual appearance. In addition to this color, a combination of mustard yellow and blue is also available, as well as an all-black variant for those who don't want it so colourful.

At Niner, RDO stands for the "Race Day Optimized" carbon fiber that makes up the main frame and rear end. In the many years of experience Niner has with carbon, the processing of the carbon fibers has been continuously optimized in order to elicit the maximum of properties from the black fiber. This is also the case with the new Niner RIP 9 RDO, in order to create a basis that is as light and stiff as possible, but also as robust as possible for a full-fledged all-mountain bike. When designing the frame, different tube thicknesses and shapes were implemented as required. The top tube was designed oval and filigree so that the rider has more legroom. The rear frame triangle and the down tube as well as the bottom bracket area, on the other hand, are much more massive so that the necessary rigidity is increased in these areas. In addition, the upper brace between the two seatstays has been eliminated in favor of more tire clearance. To do this, the seat stays and rocker arm had to be reinforced. This put more stress on the seat tube. For this reason, the Niner has two carbon struts that frame the damper and give the bike its characteristic shape. Nice detail: We had a hard time reaching the damper valve with our damper pump because of these struts. But Niner also provides the solution in the form of an adapter.

For the rear end, Niner relies on its own patented CVA system on the RIP 9 RDO 29 in combination with a Fox DPX air shock absorber. The CVA system is a four-bar system with two bell cranks and a virtual pivot point. Unique to the Niner is the location of the lower linkage. This is located under the bottom bracket and arose from the problem of too high bottom brackets in the early 29ers. With this solution, extremely short chainstays with plenty of tire clearance can be implemented - ideal prerequisites for a modern enduro bike. A plastic protector also protects the reversing lever from unplanned contact with enemies.

An advantage of this system is that it reacts to chain pull and can therefore be pedaled very efficiently, since the rear end is pulled apart. A positive side effect is that the rear stays active and cushions bumps. For the current model, the transmission ratio on the rear triangle has been increased, so the rear triangle responds more sensitively and the bike remains more stable even in the middle suspension travel range and gives the rider more support before the entire suspension travel is used up. A sag indicator on the upper linkage lever, which directly marks the ideal sag area, makes the adjustment easier.

The trains and lines are completely hidden in the frame. For easier handling, cases have been routed over the entire length of the frame. In addition, protective applications are attached to the frame to protect the beautiful carbon. The frame is also prepared for the Fox Live Valve System.

In summary, you can take your hat off to the technical masterpiece on the rear end: 140 mm spring travel, 435 mm short chainstays and space for 2,5″ WT Maxxis tires. A lot of brain power has already been put into this to make this happen.

Review: Niner RIP 9 RDO 29 - Geometry

"The longest, lowest, and slackest Niner ever made" - With this, Niner fully follows the extremely sensible trend for experienced drivers. What's behind it? The long reach and flat steering angle ensure smooth running at high speeds. As mentioned above, very short chainstays were used to ensure that the bike still corners easily. 

In addition, an attempt was made to keep the seat tube and head tube as short as possible on the RIP 9 RDO 29. On the one hand you have a wider selection of dropper posts and on the other hand riders have the opportunity to choose the frame size according to the correct reach and not according to the frame height. 

But a modern all-mountain should not only work well downhill. Niner uses a steeper effective seat angle for this so that you always sit nicely over the bottom bracket when pedaling uphill and can transfer the power well. The real seat angle on the RIP 9 is pretty slack – so if you have long legs, you tend to sit a little far back over the rear wheel.

If you want a more extreme geometry for downhill riding, you can lower the bottom bracket by 7 mm using a flip chip on the rear triangle. This results in a 1° slacker seat angle and 0,6° slacker seat angle. As I said, this setting is more suitable for pure downhill use with shuttle or lift support, since the already low bottom bracket moves even further down and the ground clearance for trail use with pedaling is a bit low.

Test: Niner RIP 9 RDO 29 – Equipment

Niner categorizes the builds like hotels. In Europe, only two builds are currently available for the Niner RIP 9 RDO 29. The 3-star category with GX-Eagle equipment costs €5.670. We were allowed to move into the 4-star hotel with the XO1 Eagle package - for 7.298 euros. And how should you say? As expected, there was little to complain about in terms of equipment. With the Sram X01 with a 32 chain ring and a 10-50 cassette, a good range was chosen for the area of ​​application and you don't have to say anything about the top shifting performance. The chassis continues with Fox 36 Factory with 150 mm at the front and Fox Factory DPX2 damper at the rear. This means that one of the currently best running gears ever installed.

The brakes might be a bit undersized for some. I could imagine that one or the other would like a more massive stopper here, especially since only 180 mm brake discs are mounted at the front and rear, which is typical for US brands. Note at this point: The frame is only approved for 180 mm discs at the rear. That could limit heavy riders. For the wheels, Niner relies on Stans Notubes Flow S1 complete wheels, which are ideal for tubeless use and, with a width of 33 mm, can easily accommodate the 2,5″ WT Maxxis tires. The tires are well chosen for maximum downhill grip, but still roll acceptably. The variable support comes with the Tellis from SDG and offers a whopping 170 mm adjustment range in sizes L and XL. The cockpit comes from Race Face with a 40 mm long stem and 800 mm wide handlebars with a 20 mm rise. The cockpit is complemented by Niner Grrrips grips, whose style is reminiscent of retro motocross grips. The saddle also comes from Niner's own brand.