Hello mtbr community. New to forum. Thinking of ordering a Niner RIP 9 RDO with Fox CTD 120mm Fork/XX1 drive/niner cockpit/mavic crossmax SLR wheelset as relaxed XC/trail bike. At 55, I am not an overly aggressive rider and want a stable ride and one comfortable for long all day rides. I have been a long Specialized rider and demo'ed the Epic and the Stumpjumper. Seems the rip 9 rdo geo is between these bikes along with the Camber. Will the RIP 9 be a good choice or keep looking?
Didn't BruceBrown compare 4 of his bikes a while back and find the RIP9 was the heaviest and also fastest of them all? I may be mistaken, but if anyone, including Bruce can ressurect that, I'd like to read it again either way. It was really well done.
Either that or the Jet9Rdo with a 120. The latter will climb better but both will make you really happy. I own the Jet 9 Rdo and may switch to the Rip. Either way you will be very happy
Yes, I looked at the Jet 9 RDO, just thought the extra rear travel of the RIP would be more comfortable, stable on descents and beneficial on all mountain trails. I don't race XC often, but really have enjoyed 6-12 hour endurance races with emphasis on participation only. Just fun. I plan on riding Moab, Fruita and other southwest trails once I retire... Yes, this is my retirement bike!
the rip is deffinitly a great bike, it was one of my top choices when i was looking for a FS 29er last year. it may have just been the set up of the bike but it was very very comfortable. i ended up buying a stumpjumper because of the price, either way i think you would be more than happy.
good luck with your buy!
A week ago I would have said you are mad wanting to put a 120mm fork on a Rip9 RDO when you could just put your gear on a Jet9 carbon or Jet9 RDO.
However owning both the Jet9 RDO & Rip9 RDO ( Now ) I still beleave that the Jet9 RDO would be the better bike for you, But the Rip9 RDO pedals much better than I thought it would, Infact it is very good.
The ride on the Rip9 RDO is smoother than the Jet9 RDO & only a 530 gram Approx weight penatly.
The Jet9 RDO is the best pedaling FS bike I have ever ridden & the Rip9 RDO is not far behind it at all so if that is the way you think you want to go then I think you will be very happy with how well it goes.
Since you are putting a premium on comfort and extra travel over weight and race-ability, I think you are making a good choice. The RIP will absorb hits and landings better and in general give you a more forgiving ride thru rocks and roots. It still climbs really well and has an active but low-bob rear end.
Suggestion: If you aren't already planning on a 15 or 20 mm axle, I highly recommend it.
Availability may be a factor in your decision. I would guess nearly all the 1st shipment RIP 9 RDOs are accounted for. May be difficult to find one until well into summer or fall. But, I could be wrong.
Email from Niner confirming first shipment sold before docking in the bay. However, I ordered my RIP today through a local store and niner gave a ship to store date of April 15. So if there is anyone considering the RIP, they might want to order ASAP....
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