If you’ve been around the MTB scene for a while, you probably know Niner Bikes as one of the brands that adopted 29ers before most companies and riders were fully sold on the idea. 32” wheels anyone? Anyone?
That was kind of their whole thing from the beginning, build bikes around big wheels, make them ride well, and keep pushing dirt-focused bikes that are fun, capable, and a little different. Over time, that grew from hardtails and early full-suspension mountain bikes into gravel bikes and e-bikes, but the brand’s identity has stayed pretty consistent.
At its core, Niner is a Colorado brand located in Fort Collins that has always been “committed to dirt.” That shows up in everything from their early suspension development to their long-running “Pedal, Damn It!” attitude. They’ve never really tried to be everything to everyone, they’ve just stayed focused on making off-road bikes for riders who want to get out, ride hard, and have a good time doing it.
[button]Shop Niner Bikes[/button]
Contents:
What Makes Niner Unique
The whole brand was built around the 29-inch wheel, so much so that it gave Niner its name. 29er, Niner, get it? You definitely did not need me to explain that to you but I did anyway. They’ve also stayed unapologetically off-road first, with their whole brand built around the idea of being “committed to dirt,” you won’t see road bikes on their website.
On the full-suspension side, Niner’s big differentiator is CVA suspension, short for Constantly Varying Arc. Niner says CVA was one of the first suspension platforms designed specifically around 29-inch wheels, and the goal is pretty straightforward: give riders strong pedaling efficiency without making the bike feel harsh or dead when the trail gets rough.
Niner’s naming structure for each model is also pretty unique. If you see RDO following a model, it stands for Race Day Optimized. These bikes mean business. Other examples like the JET 9 stand for Just Enough Travel. Some of them are clear, some of them I have no clue about. Read on to find out.
Niner Mountain Bikes
Niner keeps it somewhat simple with only 5 MTB offerings, ranging from 100mm of travel found on the RKT, all the way up to 170mm courtesy of the WFO. To no surprise Niner only offers 29” mountain bikes, get outta here 27.5”. I respect that they are staying true to their roots.
Another cool thing about their mountain bikes is Niner’s CVA suspension. Designed specifically around 29” wheels you are not gonna find the standard horst link 4 bar here.
[button]Shop Niner MTBs[/button]
AIR 9
Photo Credit: Niner Bikes
Best for: cross-country meets trail party - trail country
Travel: 120mm front
Frame material: aluminum
Wheel size: 29"
Weight: 25 lbs
I love me a good metal hardtail. Fun, affordable, vibes. Niner describes the Air 9 as a “trail country” bike that blurs the lines between CX and trail riding. Optimized for a 120mm fork and up to 29x2.4” or 27.5x3.0” tires, there’s not much you can’t do on this bike. Building this from the frame up would be a rad project, you can choose between geared or singlespeed (single for me please) and there's routing for a dropper. This bike screams fun times.
Niner currently offers the bike as a frame only option for $590 or $1,499 for a complete 2-star SRAM SX build. Not too shabby at all.
RKT 9 RDO
Best for: cross-country race, spandex!
Travel: 100mm rear / 120mm front
Frame material: carbon fiber
Wheel size: 29"
Weight: 28.5 lbs
Racers rejoice, this one is for you. Optimized around snappy handling, the RKT (stands for rocket?) has a steep 68-degree head tube angle and 75-degree seat tube angle. Not into the racing scene? A flip chip on this guy allows you to slacken the geo by a half degree and there is routing for a dropper. Nice.
Niner currently sells two builds for the RKT, an Eagle 70 specced ride going for $5,300 or the Eagle 90 at $6,500. Not too bad for a rocket.
JET 9 RDO
Best for: boosting, climbin', poppin wheelies
Travel: 120mm rear / 130mm front
Frame material: carbon fiber
Wheel size: 29"
Weight: 29 lbs
You have Just Enough Travel with this bike. I hope you got that. It’s been a minute since Niner updated all their MTBs, the new JET was launched in 2022, during the midst of downcountry, between category trail bike craze. While that is still ongoing, the JET is probably aimed more at pedaling up hills than all out speeding down the mountain. With that being said, this is still a great option for most trails.
Niner is only showing one build option for the JET 9 coming in at $7,299 for a GX Eagle AXS build.
RIP 9 RDO
Best for: all the mountains
Travel: 140mm rear / 150mm front
Frame material: carbon fiber
Wheel size: 29"
Weight: 31 lbs
Rest In Peace. No! Roll In Peace. There you go. A classic all-mountain bike that climbs well enough for those long days in the trees, but can still keep up on shuttled descents or some bike park cruising. A flip chip allows you to either slacken or steeping the geo based on your preferences. I love bikes in this category because they are fun in pretty much all situations with the right amount of travel that does not bog you down, but also enough to bail you out in sketchy situations.
Two options for this bike, starting at $5,499 for an Eagle 70 build. Niner tops it off at $7,499 for the GX AXS spec.
WFO 9 RDO
Best for: endurooo, speed, bike parks, RedBull Rampage
Travel: 170mm rear / 180mm front
Frame material: carbon fiber
Wheel size: 29"
Weight: 33 lbs
All the travel you could ever want, just short of full-on DH racing. I mean you could, it just might not be super fun. WFO stands for Wide, Full Open, exactly what you are supposed to do on this bike. It is pretty crazy how back in the day, a bike with these numbers would only be reserved for shuttling, park, or free-riding. With the WFO you can pedal to the top of any ride, maybe not super fast but it is very capable nonetheless. Neeto.
Niner currently is only selling the frame for the WFO coming in at $2,799.
Niner Gravel Bikes
Niner’s lineup of gravel bikes is pretty sweet. You have aluminum, steel, and carbon flavors available to suit your needs. Discontinued in 2024, the MCR was the first full-suspension gravel bike commercially available that I am aware of. Super niche but honestly, pretty sweet and I dig that they tried it out.
[button]Niner Gravel Bikes[/button]
RLT 9
Best for: commuting, gravel, road, anything?
Frame material: aluminum
Max tire size: 700x50c or 27.5 x 2”
Weight: 22 lbs
Niner mentions multiple times that this bike is made for just about any road, anywhere. Persay, go on the Roads Less Traveled. You can fit some pretty beefy tires on this bike so I believe them. It’s simple, light, and extremely versatile. I like that. You still get a carbon fork so that added stiffness is appreciated when putting down power and maintains a very manageable weight.
The RLT 9 is sold as an APEX XPLR build coming in at $2,999.
RLT 9 Steel
Best for: adventure, gravel, more adventure
Frame material: steel baby
Max tire size: 700x50c or 27.5 x 2”
Weight: 22.5 lbs
Steel is real! Niner’s Reynolds 853 is strong, but also flexy enough to absorb vibrations to maintain comfort on those not-so-comfortable rides. Did you notice I said this bike is best for adventure? Well that’s because you get 26 mountain points on the frame and fork for all the bags, bottles, and racks you could ever need for epic times outside. This bike is honestly so cool.
As of now the RLT 9 Steel is available in one build that rocks SRAM Rival 1 XPLR AXS for $4,299.
RLT 9 RDO
Best for: adventure, race, endurance, all the gravel stuff
Frame material: carbon fiber
Max tire size: 700x50c or 27.5 x 2”
Weight: 20 lbs
You still get all the mounting points for accessories as you do on the RLT Steel, this one is just made of plastic, thus, it is light. The RLT RDO also features a Biocentric Bottom Bracket. This allows you to run any drivetrain you choose, gears up front, 1x, even single speed. I dig that for sure.
Pick up the RLT RDO with SRAM Apex XPLR for $3,799.
ORE 9 RDO
Best for: gravel+, extreme gravel, baggy shorts on a gravel bike
Frame material: carbon fiber
Max tire size: 700x50c or 27.5 x 2”
Weight: 21 lbs
The ORE (Off Road Explorer) is the gravel bike I would buy from Niner. It has routing for a dropper post, extra tough fork tested to MTB ISO standards, and slacked out geometry by gravel standards. If you’re crazy, the ORE has the ability to add a 40mm travel suspension fork up front. That is cool. This rig is made for just about anything you dare ride a gravel bike on.
Available with Apex 1 XPLR for $2,800 and up to $3,500 with Shimano GRX 800, you have a good range to choose from.
Conclusion
Well, that just about does it for Niner. The Colorado brand makes some very interesting bikes, guided only by what they think is cool and not letting the industry dictate what they make. The MCR is a great example of that, although discontinued I think it was a cool project for them to take on.
[button]Niner Bikes[/button]
As always, if you see something you like, hit us up! We have dedicated Ride Guides to answer all your questions and get you on the right ride for you. Our selection is always changing so if you don’t see something you like, give it a day.
Cheers!
[button]Shop All Bikes[/button]
[button]Sell Your Bike[/button]
