Quick spin on a Niner RIP 9 RDO
The niner demo truck stopped by the office today. I'll preface this quick little review by saying I've never really ridden a 29er aside from just pedaling around a parking lot. I rode the Niner on trails I ride several times a week on my Blur LTC.
This is a really fun bike. On the climb I definitely felt faster. The suspension rides high in it's travel and pedals very well. Sprinting out of the saddle felt good too, no noticeable bob. Obviously the bigger wheels roll over small little rocks better and I could feel that going on.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect on the downhill. People sometimes talk about having to adjust their riding style for 29ers and how different it is. I didn't really feel that at all. It felt very similar to the blur but better. It was still poppy and fun. I could still throw it around like I was used to. It felt like I could lean the bike over further and keep more speed in sweeping turns, maybe because the bigger wheels get more traction? This was just a short ride but I didn't notice any wheel flex. I also felt like I was holding more speed on the rocky straights on this trail. It definitely gave that feeling of being riding "in" the bike instead of "on" the bike.
The only downsides I noticed where it was quite a bit harder to wheelie and slightly harder to manual.
This is a good bike, if you get a chance to ride one give it a spin. I would certainly consider owning it.
