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Canfield Nimble 9 build thread!

553K views 2K replies 300 participants last post by  dubthang 
#1 ·
Mine's here!
Here's the first pics.

Los
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#268 ·
I rode Bradbury State Park this past Monday in Pownal, ME. The N9 was a blast there. Hit the summit in no time, rode the Boundary Trail down, and then went straight to the 'O' trail. The O Trail is a true test of one's abilities as it is one of the techiest pieces of single track around. I have yet to meet somebody that can ride it without dabbing. The N9 cut down my number of dabs greatly. Rode the rest of the trails there after, and had a great time railing corners, and whatnot.
Bradbury Mountain State Park

Things to note so far.
-If you ride with your heels in, you're gonna hit the stays. My heels are slightly in, and I only have issues when using a lot of body english to move the bike around.
-With a Niner fork on the front, there will be pedal strikes. I just try to time my pedalling the best I can.
-I'm currently using a 100mm stem, but I think a 90 or an 80 will only increase the fun factor of this rig.
-The bike makes me run my seat lower than normal. I don't know why, but that is what feels best.
-In order for me to run my e13 crank, I need to put any spacers and washers on the drive side to get enough space to clear the chainstay. That said, my 34t Rotor ring just barely clears when mounted on the inside.
 
#272 ·
Thanks for the ride reports from everyone who has a N9. I'm in the process of building up a Medium Blizzard Blue....cant wait! Trying to decide on 120mm or 100mm fork, looking at either a Marz or Manipoo Tower....input requested. There are a lot of rocky,chunky,techy trails around where I live(check out posts from our local tech ninja Enel). Like most everyone else a freakin budget was established by the "Minister of Finance"(I stole that from a fellow MTBR'!). Just got a set of white Flows/ZTR's, Maxxis Ardents(2.25 front & 2.4 rear) for a good price. Gonna run 2 x10 on this one. Picking up some blingy parts from Chainlove and other sites as well. I think SS would be awesome on this frame, I'm still pretty happy with my Jabber rigid SS. Yeah, yeah, I know....this post is worthless w/o pics. I will post up as soon as I get stuff going. Just keep the ride reports coming in!
 
#273 ·
Ok, so I almost (*almost*) hate to post this, since all the this vs that from the indecisive hordes drive me crazy. But I guess I have to humble myself. :p

I am "this close" to getting a N9. My consideration is odd body proportions, if no one has seen my blather about it before, 6'3" tall, 37" inseam, 38" sleeve, extremely short torso (been told by pro bike fitters that my torso should be on someone about 5'6" or so).

An ETT of 24-24.5" is perfect, but that usually means a smaller frame, long post, high seat position, and my hips are farther back, so my CoG is high and back. The result, I struggle on steep climbs to keep the front end weighted and tracking; suspension squat makes this worse, so I think it is time for an HT. I climb fine on an SS, but am old enough and have enough health issues that I need gears for long 30+ mile 5000 foot climbing rides, so seated climbing is the issue here.

You all who have the bike say it climbs great. If anyone who is tall and / or long legged rides with a GPS, can you either attach to PM or a link to an online GPS aggregation site is fine. I want to see what you climb relative to my steep climbs here in central coastal CA.

PS- Hillary ain't talkin' about anyone here! :D
 
#278 ·
An ETT of 24-24.5" is perfect, but that usually means a smaller frame, long post, high seat position, and my hips are farther back, so my CoG is high and back. The result, I struggle on steep climbs to keep the front end weighted and tracking; suspension squat makes this worse, so I think it is time for an HT. I climb fine on an SS, but am old enough and have enough health issues that I need gears for long 30+ mile 5000 foot climbing rides, so seated climbing is the issue here.
I'm guessing that if you have issues keeping the front end weighted and tracking on a bike with more normal chainstays and seat tube, a shorter CS bike like the N9 will significantly exacerbate the problem.
 
#331 ·
I think this bike would be rather comfortable with your body proportions. The lower bb will give you more leg room, and the tt seems shorter to me than to more xc styled frames.
Now you have be wondering, these seem contradictory, given my original lengthy explanation of my proportions in post #273, or am I missing something here? I'm still horribly tempted to try a Nimble 9, knowing I can sell it or just use it as an SS, but my ideal would be a 3 x 9 with 120 mm fork. The only thing I would have to buy besides the frame is a direct mount derailleur. (I already run zero setback posts.)
 
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#282 ·
My new Nimble 9. Just built her tonight. Heading to Warrior Creek in NC to break her in in the morning.

Build list:
Medium frame
Reba 15mm thru axle
Industry Nine Enduro wheelset with Flow rims
Hope Mono Mini brakes 183mm front/ 160mm rear
XT crank set up singlespeed
Thomson and Easton bits with Fleegle bars and Ergon grips

Pics:



Weight of frame, including hardware:



Seattube:



32 tooth ring clearance:



Rear setup:



Front setup:



Completed:



 
#285 ·
I had a little heel rub with a pair of older shoes with a wide heel area, but my other two pairs seem to not rub at all. I do notice how close the rear end of the frame feels to my feet while descending. I am already used to it after 5 rides so it is a non issue. I put some clear frame stickers over that part just in case, so the paint doesn't get rubbed off.
 

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#290 ·
Dilemma... I've been letting the wife ride my rig the last few family sessions at the park as I cannot haul the trailer with it (Hitch mount doesn't fit on the sliders). Conversation started out last weekend about getting her a mtb bike and this weekend the conversation ended with I'll just keep yours and you can build another one!

So the dilemma begins, another Nimble or maybe a Yelli? Im not ashamed to say I spent 2,400 on the Nimble altogether, I just don't know how I feel about another 2-3k. You guys think I should go another round on the Nimble or maybe look at the Yelli? I wish the Nimble had some additional color choices. Not hot on the blue.
 
#294 ·
Yes. Turns out to be a great ride. Climbs great. my .02 ? headtube is way too tall, hard to get "down over the bike". Looking into a diff headset with less stack. 27.02 lbs.
Wouldn't it be easier to move the spacer you've got in there from under to over the stem? That is likely going to get you more (and cost you less) than any difference in stack you'd get from a new headset.
The simple things... :D
 
#296 ·
Not to gang up, but definitely go with the stem all the way down first, then try a flat bar. If neither of those get the front down enough, you could try flipping the stem to a negative rise position.
Those will all get you better results, and less hassle, than changing headsets.

Los
 
#301 ·
dub - it was just a street ride. But I instantly fell in love. Chris said it'd be like riding 26" wheels, and he was right. Turns and corners were on hit. I am going to take it out for a proper trail ride, but I pretty much have my mind made up--I'm getting one. Only questionable thing is steep climbs--headtube is definitely high. Hope the front end won't wander too much. But I guess since it'll be set up SS, that may not be an issue since I'll be standing anyway.
 
#303 ·
My Nimble 9





Essential build info:
Medium Frame
Voodoo Zombie 500 fork
65mm, 5 degree rise stem
700mm Sunline V One carbon bars

I've had it for a couple of weeks and have been on 2 short (4ish miles) rides at my local haunt, La Costa, an 18 mile ride on mixed fireroad/mostly buff singletrack and another 14 mile ST ride up around Big Laguna.

My most recent main bike is a 26" medium Stumpy. While the N9 is a hoot to ride I am gonna throw a 120mm suspension fork on it when I get the cash saved up. The rigid front is fun in an ascetic manner; with a squishy front end it's gonna rock. Compared to other 29ers that I've ridden (Specialized, Trek, Niner) the N9 lives up to its name.

At 5'7", long inseam (31.5") and moderate ape index I was torn between the small and medium frames. I am glad I went with a medium. The reach of the N9 is fairly short. With the 65mm stem and 700mm wide bars I am most comfortable with my hands a little bit inside of the ends when I am just cruising. However, when pointed down or when I am up out of the saddle climbing the extra bit of bar to the outside is nice to have.
 
#305 ·
Maybe find someone in the classifieds to swap with? Lower HS stack might help a bit, but you're not going to be able to get as much lower as with a flat bar.
O.K., now don't take this the wrong way, and I'm really not one of those kooks, but how about flipping your current bar upside down? Just for a couple of rides, to see how the lower bars would affect your feel on the bike.

Los
 
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