Quantcast

Out of the Box: Niner Jet9

May 2nd, 2008 by Tim Grahl

Twenty Nine Inches has taken delivery of the Niner Jet9 for review. This is the highly anticipated release of Niner’s version of a full suspension, cross country specific mountain bike.

The Jet9 is basically a cross between Niner’s popular hardtail geometry and their own CVATM suspension system first released on the Rip9. By reducing the travel, reducing the weight of their frame and keeping the race inspired geometry, Niner believes they have made the perfect full suspension, cross country race bike.

For more in depth info, check out these links to Niner’s site:

I got a chance to go for a ride on this bike out in Monterey, CA during the Sea Otter Classic. The plan was to do a quick 30 minute loop and make it back to the Trek booth for some free drinks. Instead I got lost and ended up riding for over and hour and a half. The good part was I ended up on some pretty intense singletrack and put the Jet9 through a few more paces than planned.

By far the most noticeable feature was the performance while climbing. I attaked a very steep, rutted climb that was something I figured I’d make about halfway up and walk the rest. Instead I climbed all the way to the top. The traction was amazing and I felt almost no suspension bobbing while pedaling. I was seriously floored by how well it climbed that long, steep ascent.

The rest of the ride went well and I was happy with the tracking through corners and comfortable descending but I hesitate to go to in depth after just one ride on trails I’m not accustomed to. Tomorrow will be my first ride on my hometown singletrack and I’ll give an update later next week after several rides and getting the bike setup properly for me.

The specs of the bike as it stands are:

  • Frame: 6061 T-6 aluminum
  • Rear Shock: Fox RP23
  • Fork: RockShox Reba
  • Shifting: SRAM X.0
  • Cranks: Truvative Stylo RG 2.2
  • Brakes: Avid Juicy Carbon
  • Wheels: Mavic Crossmax
  • Tires: Michelin XC AT
  • Seatpost/Stem: Thompson
  • Handlebar: Niner Flat Top 9 Bar

I’ll be switching out tires, handlebars and maybe some other parts during the test and will log those changes here as well. Many rides across different east coast terrain are planned. Here’s the pictures for you to enjoy…

Possibly Related Articles:

8 Responses to “Out of the Box: Niner Jet9”

RSS
  1. 1 Craig  on May 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    Tim,

    How much did the bike weigh as spec’d? I’m on the Niner EMD and would love to go to a fully, but can’t be competitive on a heavy rig.

    Thanks and keep up the great work!

    -Craig
    Craig Dalton | Founder | Boo Coo Gear | http://www.changeyourshorts.com

  2. 2 Robb Sutton  on May 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    You’ll be able to see that green through the woods! Great spec list too other than the wheels. I’ll be interested to hear how it does on your home turf.

  3. 3 Dust  on May 2nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    This bike looks toatlly sweet! Great paint job too. As Napolean Dynamite would say, “Lucky!”

  4. 4 Jwiffle  on May 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 am

    Man, my RIP is perfectly capable of being raced, so the JET must be lightning fast. And unless you’re hoping for some ridiculously low weight like 20 lbs, it should be easy getting it down to a race level weight in the 24-25 lbs range, as I’ve seen some RIPs weigh in at under 27. I’m not much into serious racing myself, so I’m perfectly happy with my RIP, but I would say Niner has podium-worthy machine here.

  5. 5 The Monkey  on May 4th, 2008 at 7:30 am

    The Jet has a very quick and snappy ride, it feels much more nimble than the RIP, and the RIP is no slouch either. After a few rides on mine, I’m positive the Jet will be a fantastic race/epic bike.

  6. 6 Tim Grahl  on May 5th, 2008 at 7:27 am

    Craig: I’ve got a date at a bike shop on Thursday so I’ll make sure to get it weighed then with the full spec.

    I got my first longish ride in on it Saturday through a loop I know like the back of my hand. Got some good first impressions but more riding to come this week along with getting the bike fitted perfectly for me by a pro.

  7. 7 Nick  on May 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    Where do you plan to ride on the east coast?

  8. 8 tucsonspokesman  on May 25th, 2008 at 1:36 am

    that is some freaky deaky green, i love it.

Leave a Reply