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Air 9 rdo build

12K views 38 replies 20 participants last post by  Pro Bike Supply 
#1 ·
Just finished building my limited edition air 9 rdo tonight, and very impressed. I changed a couple of parts from stock and it came in at 18lbs 10oz with pedals.
 

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#6 ·
I like your guys first build. Cant wait to see the new ones. I changed the cassette to an xx 11-32, rotors to xx 160mm, chain to a sram, bars to bontrager xxx, seat to a fizik carbon railed, put the xtr match makers on, grips to bontrager rxl, ditched the tubes and added 2 carbon cages and time ti carbon atac pedals. After that it weighed 18lbs 10oz on a park scale. I just put some bontrager 29-0 tires on and lost the racing ralfs and it weighs 18lbs 6oz now and I am very pleased with the weight and ride. I am coming from a fisher superfly ss ridgid that weighs in at 15lbs 7 oz so I am gaining 20 speeds and some front cush.
 
#9 ·
That is kinda crazy. I am too coming off a rigid SFSS (17.4 lbs) and onto a black Niner Air9 RDO (~21.27 pounds). The RDO is actually replacing a SF100 Elite.

I haven't gone as far as you with the swapping of parts. Will be going tubeless soon, and I am still waiting for the RDO cockpit to arrive.

I am trying to get used to the Shimano brakes, the levers feel a lot softer than my Avids (X0) and I am not sure it it is normal.
 
#11 ·
Great shot of the BB setup!! Nice build. I was wondering whether or not the SRAM PF30 to BSA adapter was being used in their limited edition build. I am building an RDO and am having trouble figuring out the BB setup here. Only difference is I will have a SRAM XX crank (good deal on it). Is it better (weight, complexity, etc.) to just use SRAM's PF30 BB with the XX? What are the benefits of using the PF30 to BSA adapter to accommodate an external bearing threaded BB in the PF30 frame, as used here? Or is this just required in your setup because the Race Face doesn't have a 30mm spindle? If you look on Niner's page, they say the reason the PF30 73mm was chosen, was to allow for awesome weight savings and less complexity (not verbatim)...
 
#13 ·
If you are using a BB30 crankset you can use the PF30 BB30 bottom bracket but if your crankset is GXP you will have to use the PF30 to BSA adapter. Since the PF30 to BSA adapter then requires the use of a threaded GXP bottom bracket is will be slightly heavier. The difference in stiffness will largely be due to the difference in stiffness of a BB30 spindle versus a GXP.

The Race Face doesn't have a 30mm spindle which is why an external bottom bracket is needed with this crank.
 
#14 ·
So given the choice, it's probably better to go the BB30 crank route. I think they are lighter than GXP anyways and with this PF30 frame setup, you wouldn't have to get the adapter.

ProBikeSupply, since you are doing builds right now, have you weighed the race face with - without the BB (looks like an X-type Team XC from the pic - 95g-ish) and adapter? Assumption now is that the system is now over the 595g (crank+BB) that RF states on their site, given the need for the adapter.

But if it's negligible, it may be worth it to forgo the deal for the much more expensive RF (yikes). BB30 XX and PF30 BB is around 746g (694g crank + 52g BB). That would be a fairly significant difference between the XX and the RF, if I just consider weight. Is that RF hollow or something?
 
#17 ·
The stock crank on the RDO Limited Edition is the Raceface Next SL. I can't remember the exact weight w/o the bottom bracket but will weight it later today and post the actual weight. It is lighter than the XX BB30 but Raceface should have gone the extra mile and used 30mm spindle.

Getting a BB30 frame and not using a BB30 crank is a real shame so here is a list of the most popular 2x10 BB30 cranks and their published weights and MSRP:
Raceface Next SL - 610g / $750
Sram XX - 690g / $527
Sram X.O - 735g / $488
Sram X.7 - 790g / $225
FSA K-Force Light - 603g / $890
FSA SLK - 678g / $540
FSA Afterburner - 810g / $330

There are a few other BB30 cranks like the E.13 and the Cannondale Hollowgram but I just didn't have the weights of these with chainrings so I left them off but fell free to add them to this thread.

I will say that we have been replacing a lot of chainrings with the Raceface Turbine rings. They are reasonably priced, light weight, and look great with any crank. Plus they shift great and even come in Shimano optimized versions. I highly recommend these as an upgrade to any of the cranks listed above.
 
#19 ·
1235 wow mine weighed 1176 thats almost 2 ounces. Is that normal that 2 frames are that much different? It weighs alot less than my superfly frames. Does anyone know why the bb width on my superfly is 3 3/4 inches and my niner rdo is 3 inches if a bb-30 crank should fit the rdo? The fly used a normal bb-30 crank so is the adaptor that goes in the frame wider?
 
#21 ·
The bike is actually 19 lbs 6oz the scale he had was off. I am curious why didn't Niner just spec the PF30 from the start? Did they make a deal with Race Face for the RDO's. The crank is sweet no doubt perhaps they didn't have a non-sram stealthy PF30 option if looks came into consideration.
 
#22 ·
His build looks even better in person BTW. I got to see it last week when I was picking up some parts at my LBS which is were MMoen had it built up. He needs to get a better camera. though :). If the OP can race this all year and it holds up to his abuse and the miles he puts on a bike I will be putting my name in for one for 2013.
 
#36 ·
what would be a recommendation for a 1x10 crankset BB30? I have a X9 gxp, but after hearing that "it would be a shame" to run it this way I am just looking for some other options :) I guess most who run 1x use 3x cranks and only keep the middle ring (this is what I have always done)

Thanks
 
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