King of the Mountain - The trail taming RIP 9 RDO
For more than a decade, the RIP 9 RDO trail bike has ruled our off-road lineup. For 2019, this flagship bike evolves again. Their do-it-all trail bike hits the sweet spot with 140mm of consistent, controlled CVA suspension, progressive and adjustable geometry, and increased frame stiffness. Plus it’s got more standover for 170mm dropper posts, longer reach, and a shorter head tube. More versatile and capable than ever before, reach for your RIP to tackle any trail.
Breaking our own rules to give you the best ride possible
They’ve gone and done it. They built the most badass non-niner Niner ever made. Why didn’t they just make a 29er that also fits 27.5-inch wheels? Well, because they aren’t willing to compromise. If they’re going to do something so big (or should we say, small?) and something so contrary to their brand history, damnit, we’re doing it the right way. There are compromises in making frames to fit multiple wheel sizes and they just weren’t willing to do that.
Why the small wheels, after a decade-long commitment to 29ers?
Riders have told Niner that they love the stable yet supple, consistent and controlled behavior of their CVA suspension. They love the brand. They love the designs. But they want more standover, less rotating weight, and the fast handling, quick draw agility of 27.5ers.
They’ve applied every bit of their big-wheel know how to this new RIP. And after riding it, they’re so glad they expanded our minds (and our rides) to include the 29er’s more playful little brother.
The longest, lowest, and slackest Niner ever made
Thanks to the flip chip, two different geometries mean two bikes in one. The high mode geo is perfect for everyday trail riding. This bike launches uphill and over technical terrain, thanks to CVA suspension and a steep, 75.8-degree seat tube angle. When you’re all out of breath, turn around and point it down. Drop in with confidence thanks to the long reach and slack, 66-degree head tube angle.
The RIP’s low mode brings out its rock star, party down personality. By slacking out the head angle a full degree and lowering the bottom bracket 7mm, the RIP transforms into a whole new bike that’s perfect for chairlift days, shuttle sessions and backcountry excursions with long, rowdy descents.
They also built in more standover clearance and a shorter seat tube to accommodate 170mm dropper posts.
A little less travel, and a lot more bike
The new RIP sports 140mm of CVA suspension on a light, stiff, strong RDO carbon frame. With new Rib Cage struts across the front triangle, flattening of the top and down tubes, widening the main rocker link pivot, and beefing up the rear triangle, the entire bike is stiffer from front to back. The struts reduce bottom bracket deflection while keeping the upper portion of the front triangle supple and compliant. And the wide, flat surfaces found on Niner’s top and downtube help to absorb frontal impacts and vibrations while resisting deflection (twisting) under torsional load.
CVA suspension
Niner’s Constantly Varying Arc, or CVA™, is built to be supple yet stable, controlling unwanted suspension movement with calibrated anti-squat, yet remaining active while climbing and descending. Courtesy of a new higher overall leverage ratio, starting off at 3.0 and ending right around 2.3 for an average of 2.55, off the top it’s easier to set the shock in motion and overcome static friction. It’s also more supportive in the midstroke, holding the rider higher up in travel.
Going down, it’s consistent and controlled. With no need for heavy compression damping to control unwanted movement, CVA is tuned for consistent, confidence-inspiring behavior on descents. It’s perfectly balanced, so the result is stable yet supple, active, ground-hugging traction in every situation - cranking uphill, ripping downhill, and everywhere in between.
RDO carbon fiber
Niner starts with the best grades of raw carbon layered precisely according to the stress points on the frame structure. In construction, their process employs rigid internal molds and results in tighter, more consistent compaction of the carbon fabric. The result? Increased precision in wall thickness and reduced resin pooling in the final product. They can build more elaborate structures with better ride tuning, increased strength, outstanding durability, and less weight.
Add SRAM AXS wireless electronic shifting, DT Swiss XMC carbon wheels, and a FOX 36 fork to the flagship trail bike, and you're ready for takeoff. This RIP is light, fast, and tough.
Features:
- DT Swiss XMC 1200 carbon wheels
- Wireless electronic SRAM X01 Eagle AXS shifting
- FOX 36 Float Factory Fit 4 EVOL fork, 150mm travel