Gear Reviews
Reviews
Well the skies opened up enough yesterday to finally get a good solo ride. This racing business has got my priorities all out of whack. In years past, I would have been perfectly content with ten days of rain and great water levels on the river. Now I'm feeling guilty when I go a day or two without riding.
It was a perfect day to test my new Maxxis Ignitors. I believe I have found the perfect West Virginia tire. That's not a knock on the S-Works tire that came with the bike. They're going to be great on hard pack days, but I was blown away with the cornering of the Ignitors in some very soft conditions. The climbing felt pretty good too. I was having so much fun, I ended up doubling the length of my ride.
Bike: Niner Bikes One 9 size Large
Price: around $799 (frame only)
Material: Easton GX2 Scandium
Weight: around 3.3 pounds
Niner Bikes is fast becoming the top brand in the 29'er market. This doesn't come as much of a surprise since they only make bikes with 29 inch wheels. In a just a few years the company went from making a one frame to having a full line of big wheeled bikes that are so sought after that production cant keep up. Niner also has spends ample time designing and testing all their bikes to insure that the final product is does what it is suppose to do.
The first thing I noticed when I took the One 9 out of the box was how clean the overall design was. The bike has tons of little details that when put together make for a very nice frame. The frame is weighs in at a feathery 3.3 pounds for the raw color and that includes the Eccentric Bottom Bracket(E.B.B)! Its made of a custom drawn Easton GX2 Scandium tube-set which is not only light but also very stiff. The E.B.B and vertical drop outs make changing flats and setting the chain tension really simple. After having a frame with this set up it seems impossible to go back to the old horizontal drop outs. The S-Bend seat and chain stays are also a nice feature. They allow plenty of clearance for mud even with big tires all while leaving lots of clearance for your heels. To finish the frame off, Niner sends each frame out with the head tube and bottom bracket shell reamed and faced to insure a smooth build. The disc tabs are also faced for proper brake alignment. This kind of treatment isn't common and in most cases it is left up to the shop staff.
