Here’s a portion of that email from Niner:

We would like to apologize to Niner owners who have been patiently waiting for us to address the problems you have been experiencing with the Jet 9. Please understand it has nothing to do with Niner ignoring or not caring about our customers.

The fact is we have been very hard at work analyzing the issues with the Jet 9 so that we could fully understand the warranty cases we received and provide a definitive solution. This analysis included destructive testing, metallurgical study and FEA computer modeling. Using these methods we examined the quality of the base metal, filler material, heat affected zone of the weld, structural design and finish quality of the frames. We built over 20 new prototypes and tested them in every way imaginable.

In light of test results and after many hours of discussion on how best to serve our loyal customers, we decided to voluntarily recall Jet 9 frames with serial numbers from P8071682 to P8400454. These frames risk welding defects in the front and rear triangles that may lead to a premature failure of the frame. Unfortunately, there is no way to visually check for these weld defects. We must require that you stop riding the frame immediately because a failure could occur at any time.

We cannot overstate our concern in regards to these issues, and are investing significant portion of company resources into correcting the issue in the most expedited manner. Niner puts a lot of care into producing bikes that we are proud to put our name on. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service and we realize that ths recall is a huge inconvenience. The amount of time we have put into this testing process has caused production delays, leaving orders unfilled. We know that customers spent hard earned money on a Niner and now we are asking that you to send the frame back for replacement. For some people this is a second time. We cannot begin to explain how sorry we feel about this, but we promise we will make things right and thank you for your purchase, understanding and support.

If you have an affected Jet 9, you will have a few options: Purchase another frame at a serious discount while you wait for a free replacement Jet to be shipped in early 2010, opt for a free RIP 9 right now in lieu of a replacement Jet or wait for your replacement Jet in early 2010 and get $150 in free Niner gear.

Visit NinerBikes.com or download this PDF for details.

I just got word from the folks at Niner. That particular bike weighs in at just under 27 lbs. I rounded it up on the above specs now. My guesstimate was off by a pound.