- The Rip 9 has been around for a decade
but it has evolved, and for the very first time,
Niner are making a 27.5 bike.
Yes, you heard it right.
The bike company that's named after 29er's
have made their first ever 27.5 bike.
I've come out to Patagonia
and Niner have invited us to ride them.
I'm riding 29er, Blake is riding the small wheel bike.
(upbeat techno music)
So it's an all new bike,
completely redesigned.
It's the longest, lowest slackest bike
that Niner have ever made.
A 140MM travel trail bike that might be the Holy Grail.
That magic figure.
I've come to love 29er trail and Enduro bikes.
To me they feel good straightaway
as soon as you jump on them.
They feel like they cover ground really well
and make me feel confident on downhills.
I'm a racer, I like a bike to feel fast.
My idea of a perfect bike for rallying the downhills
and exploring the wilderness of Patagonia.
You can see the silhouettes of the bikes
are virtually identical
from the two different wheel sizes.
They are two different frames,
you can't run 29 and 27.5 in the same bike,
basically because when Niner came round to it,
they decided there'd be too many compromises
to try and do that.
So, choose your wheel size, that's the bike.
Comes with a 66 degree head angle
or a 65, because you've got this flip chip
on the rear.
You can run that on high or low.
And that slackens the bike up
or raises the bottom bracket
just so you get that clearance on the pedals.
You've got this CVA suspension on the back
of these bikes.
Nice and sensitive to begin with,
good support on that mid-stroke
and then ramp up.
Carbon fiber frames,
you can see where the frames have been, sort of overbuilt
and then where they're slimmer to save the weight.
Down here surrounding the shock
you've got this rib cage.
Niner have designed them to really achieve
that lateral stiffness
so the bike feels stiff
but they've got some compliance vertically.
And that really is a good thing to aim for.
Just so the bike is not super punishing,
it's stiff where you want it to be
but also compliant when you need it to be.
(upbeat tecnho music)
The geometry numbers look really similar
between the two bikes.
Of course, Niner have designed them
to really mirror each other
so reaches the same, head angle of course is the same.
It's only when you start looking at bottom bracket drop
and front center
where of course that's different on a 29er
and you get those characteristics
that many of us have come to love
like that sort of truckability
of getting over things,
rolling over things that little bit better.
That is great on a 29er.
Where Niner have decided to build this brand new bike
with small wheels,
they're just looking for that more agile,
more playful bike
that many other riders come to like.
Of course, Blake really likes these types of bike.
I really like the 29ers.
- [Blake] 27.5 is my thing.
I want a bike that's super agile,
throwable in the air
and on the ground.
I'm a freerider that loves to ride
all sorts of mountain bikes.
Fun is the top of the list of things I want from a bike.
And I can find anywhere, wilderness or not,
to pop the bike into shape.
- We've got the ability to run a big 2.8 tire
on the 27.5 bike
and then up to a 2.6 on the 29.
It comes back with a more modestly sized 2.5
but actually,
it's probably more realistic for most riders.
The seat tube has been shortened on the new Rip 9
so it can accommodate a 170MM drop of post.
Also that standover height has dropped 20MM.
A short head tube
and low stack height
gives the ability to run
in a whole different range of bars and stem.
They do come with super short stem
and wide bars.
And the bike's are built for abuse.
They've got black oxide bearings
to make them super durable,
you've got bump guards and bash guards
on the bottom of the bike.
Also, you've got full sleeve internal rooting
to make it super easy
to get those cables through the frame.
The bike's are one by specific.
You've got room to mount a bottle cage inside the frame
and you've got the practicality of a metric sized shock.
There's a couple of really cool little touches to the bike.
You've got a little sag gauge
on that pivot bolt there,
also you've got a little 90-degree valve there
to make it super easy to adjust the pressure on your shock.
Super cool to see a company like Niner really
completely re-evaluate their ethos
and design a new bike.
27.5 wheels for someone who likes to thrash the bike around,
throw it around in the air
but also that 29er,
with that progressive suspension on both bikes,
it really makes these bikes capable
and that is great for monster trucking down the trails.
Myself and Blake have had an amazing time
here in Patagonia, riding these bikes.
And also we've ridden a real variety of terrains,
some pretty epic days out to be honest.
Long single track, dusty as hell
and then we've actually smashed some proper downhill runs
and it's great to see how capable these bikes are.
Give us a thumbs up if you like us coming to Patagonia,
'cause I love it
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