For 2015, Niner has re-designed their venerable lineup of World Cup hard tails and the all-new Air 9 RDO gets the king’s treatment. With the new Carbon Compaction System, the RDO drops 100 grams while gaining a ton of new features.
I like how confident Niner is in their durability and their obsessive commitment to testing. While at PressCamp, I was given many details on how much Niner cares about the quality, safety longevity of their products — it’s in their blood and they stand behind their bikes with a respectable 5-year warranty. The new Air 9 RDO gets minimal paint and flat-out looks fantastic.
Tops on the list of new features include:
- Increased recommended fork length (100 or 120mm recommended)
- 142×12 rear thru axle
- Stealth dropper post routing (excellent for the coming crop of ultralight droppers)
- Revised cable routing (thank goodness)
- Shimano Di-2 ready
- Up to 2.4 in. tire clearance
- Weight: 1060 grams (medium, all hardware)
- Price: $1999 ($1499 for Air 9 Carbon and $699 for Air 9 Al)
These refinements should put the Air 9 in a solid position against the competition — the Cannondale F-Si looks to be something special as well.
More Info: NinerBikes.com/Air9RDO
