





Rip 9 RDO Push Edition Details



• Intended use: trail / all-mountain

• Rear wheel travel: 150mm

• Wheel size: 29'' (tested), 27.5+

• Push ElevenSix shock and Fox 36 coil spring conversion

• Niner's dual-link CVA suspension

• Clearance for 29 x 2.5'' or 27.5+ x 3.0''

• threaded bottom bracket shell

• ISCG 05 chain guide mount

• Weight: 30lb 2oz (large, w/ Push suspension)

• MSRP: $10,000 USD

• www.ninerbikes.life

• Intended use: trail / all-mountain• Rear wheel travel: 150mm• Wheel size: 29'' (tested), 27.5+• Push ElevenSix shock and Fox 36 coil spring conversion• Niner's dual-link CVA suspension• Clearance for 29 x 2.5'' or 27.5+ x 3.0''• threaded bottom bracket shell• ISCG 05 chain guide mount• Weight: 30lb 2oz (large, w/ Push suspension)• MSRP: $10,000 USD

Frame Details

The RIP 9's 150mm of rear wheel travel is controlled via Niner's CVA suspension design.

Suspension Design

In Niner's own words: ''CVA’s linkage system works independently of chainring size and isolates pedaling forces by creating an ‘instant center’ location in front of the drivetrain. To illustrate, when a rider cranks on the pedals, the chain is trying to pull the lower link down and away from the bottom bracket, and the upper link in its regular, upward rotational path. Because of the lower pivot’s orientation, the force from chain tension pulls the two linkages in opposite directions regardless of chain ring size.



This effectively isolates the drivetrain from the rear triangle, and since the rear triangle is one piece, these opposing forces cancel each other out. That means the only outlet for pedal force is turning the rear wheel, and that’s exactly what you want.''

CVA is a dual-link system that's said to be both efficient and active.

See that gray lever? It lets you switch between two entirely different and independent compression modes. While not stock, my test bike came with Push's coil-sprung conversion kit inside of its 160mm-travel Fox 36.

Specifications

Specifications Release Date 2017 Price $10000 Travel 150 Rear Shock PUSH ELEVENSIX Fork FOX 36 FLOAT FACTORY FIT4 EVOL, 3 POSITION W/ ADJ, KASHIMA COAT, 160MM, 110X15MM Headset NINER INTERNAL Cassette SRAM EAGLE XG 1295, 10-50T Crankarms SRAM DESCENDANT EAGLE CARBON GXP 32T CNC RING Bottom Bracket SRAM GXP Rear Derailleur SRAM X01 EAGLE 12SP Chain SRAM X01 EAGLE 12SP Shifter Pods SRAM X01 EAGLE 12SP Handlebar RACE FACE SIXC 820MM WIDE, 20MM RISE, 35MM CLAMP Stem RACE FACE TURBINE BASIC 50MM, 35MM CLAMP Grips NINER GRRRIPS L/O FLANGED Brakes SRAM GUIDE RSC Hubs DT350 Rim ENVE M70 HV Tires MAXXIS MINION DHF / DHR Seat NINER CUSTOM TR Seatpost KS LEV INTEGRA Compare to other All Mountain/Enduro/XC







Climbing

Loads of traction, efficient suspension, and relatively quick handling means that the RIP 9 RDO is an impressive climber.

With more low-speed compression in the climbing setting than in party mode, the Niner goes from being a decently efficient trail bike to a star performer relative to its travel.

What goes up must come down, and the RIP 9 RDO descends like a very capable trail bike when that time comes. Rider: Jed Sims.

Descending

The Push coil-sprung shock and fork conversion make the RIP RDO more of a ground-hugger than a jumper, but it can still get off the deck when needed.

But the geometry... Damn, this thing deserves to be slacker and lower.

Traction equals confidence, and the big Maxxis tires and incredibly supple suspension mean that the orange Niner delivers that in spades.

The RIP 9 can't compete with slacker machines of the same travel when things get steep and deep. This a long-legged trail bike, not an enduro rig.

Component Check

• ENVE M70 HV Rims:

• Push Suspension Upgrades:

The ENVE M70 HV rims performed well, but the plastic rattling around inside of them was odd. The 70mm stem isn't out of line given the RIP 9's intentions, but a shorter option helped to tone down the bike's quick handling.

• Creaking Links:

• Cockpit Adjustments:

Pinkbike's Take

Don't buy the RIP 9 RDO Push Edition thinking that it's an enduro beast, despite its travel and wheel size matching more capable bikes - this is yet another lesson that geometry trumps everything. The RIP 9 RDO is an interesting combination of trail bike handling and ridiculously capable suspension, and it's going to be a winner for a rider who values agility over plowing capability. — Mike Levy

About the Reviewer

Stats: Age: 36 • Height: 5'10” • Inseam: 33" • Weight: 165lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram:

Mike Levy spent most of the 90s and early 2000s racing downhill bikes and building ill-considered jumps in the woods of British Columbia before realizing that bikes could also be pedaled for hours on end to get to some pretty cool places. These days he spends most of his time doing exactly that, preferring to ride test bikes way out in the local hills rather than any bike park. Over ten years as a professional mechanic before making the move to Pinkbike means that his enthusiasm for two wheels extends beyond simply riding on them, and his appreciation for all things technical is an attribute that meshes nicely with his role of Technical Editor at Pinkbike. Age: 36 • Height: 5'10” • Inseam: 33" • Weight: 165lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram: killed_by_death

From the company that embraced 29'' wheels like no one else, Niner's 150mm-travel RIP 9 RDO is designed to be a long-legged trail weapon that's ready for anything. The new version of the RIP 9 isn't just a single wheel-size pony, however, with Niner designing the frame to accept 27.5+ tires of up to 3" in width as well, although the bright orange test bike that I spent my time aboard stayed on 29'' wheels for the duration of my testing.RIP 9 RDO models start with the $3,950 USD 1-Star spec and go up to the 5-Star version that's sports ENVE wheels and a correspondingly high $9,100 USD price tag. What's that, you want to spend more money? Niner's got something for you with the Rip 9 RDO Push Edition that's reviewed below and comes with, you guessed it, a custom tuned Push Elevensix coil-sprung shock. It also has Push's new ACS-3 coil-spring conversion kit inside the 160mm-travel Fox 36 Factory FIT4 fork, but Niner doesn't plan on offering that in stock builds. The bike's price jumps by $900 USD thanks to the Elevensix shock, pushing it up to $10,000 USD. Five digits always look like so much more than four, doesn't it?Niner redesigned the RIP 9 recently, and the all-carbon frame features some expected design notes like a Boost rear-end and ISCG 05 chain guide tabs, as well as one that I don't see many riders making use of: compatibility with 27.5+ wheels and tires. It's not that the bike wouldn't ride well on ultra-wide rubber, but the number of riders who actually swap between wheel sizes has to extremely low. It does create a wider market for Niner, of course, but I'll choose big wheels over fat tires every day of the week, thank you very much. Anyway, with loads of tire clearance, the option is there.Niner went with a threaded bottom bracket shell, and like most high-end bikes these days, you can bolt on Di2 if you want a heavier and more expensive drivetrain. The RIP 9's cable routing is a mix of internal and external, but I'm not a fan of the rear brake and shift lines that look like they're floating in space beside the Elevensix shock. It's a gorgeous bike besides that, in my opinion, and those lines detract from an otherwise sharp appearance.There are a lot of dual-link designs on the market these days, most which seem to promise to end everything from pedal bob to world hunger, and Niner's CVA system is no different. Okay, so they aren't swearing that CVA will end starvation, but Niner does make some pretty bold claims as to its performance: ''... CVA has solidified its reputation for remarkable pedaling efficacy while remaining fully active around today’s larger wheel size while our competition struggles to adjust their suspension systems.''The CVA name comes from the bike's axle path, which Niner says is a constantly varying arc (get it?) once the axle is past its rearward-most position when the bike is into its sag. Niner also claims that it's how the two aluminum links ''interact with pedaling forces by creating an ‘instant center’ location in front of the drivetrain'' that really make the design stand out from countless other dual-link designs on the market, as well as how it's said to function well regardless of chain ring size. I'm going to let Niner explain it to you here, but I'll sure as hell tell you if it performs as promised farther down in the review.Regardless of how efficient the CVA system is said to be, all of their RIP 9 models come spec'd with a shock that has a pedal-assist lever, and my Push-equipped test bike is no different. The coil-sprung Elevensix shock goes for $1,200 USD on its own, but it adds 'just' $900 USD to the price of the RIP 9 RDO shown here. Hey, suspension salaciousness doesn't come cheap. The shock is manufactured in Colorado (the same state that Niner calls home) using US-sourced materials, and it features two independent high- and low-speed compression circuits that allow it to essentially be two shocks in one.My test bike also has Push's ACS-3 coil spring conversion kit inside of its Fox 36 fork, making the Niner coil-sprung both front and rear. That said, Niner doesn't plan on offering bikes with the ACS-3 conversion, despite my orange machine coming with it installed, but I'm sure that Push will happily sell you one for $389 USD.If you had asked me a few years ago how well a coil-sprung, 150mm-travel bike would climb, I probably would have told you that I don't have a clue because I don't want to pedal it up a serious ascent to find out. My guess, however, would have been either poorly or very poorly, at least relative to air-sprung rigs with pedal-assist cheater levers that act as a crutch. Things are a lot different in 2017, though, and the big orange Niner is a solid climber, coil shock or not. That said, 30lb 2oz sounds a bit porky to me for a $10,000 USD trail bike, regardless of its coil suspension and beefy tires.The Push Elevensix isn't just any coil shock, of course, as its design allows it to essentially act as two shocks in one thanks to a lever that switches from one dedicated circuit to another. The obvious advantage is that you can set one circuit up for climbing, which is exactly what I did. With more low-speed compression in the climbing setting than in party mode, the Niner goes from being a decently efficient trail bike to a star performer relative to its travel. But I'm not a fan of switches, to be honest, despite it widening a bike's performance window greatly, as I'm much more of a 'set and forget' type of guy. Thankfully, the bike's 150mm of coil-sprung, incredibly active travel manages to stay relatively calm when you're on the gas, so while reaching down to flip the Elevensix's gray cheater lever does help, I also got by just fine without using it on singletrack climbs. Let's not forget that the Push shock also allows you to have the bike's rear end perform however you want it to, so you could go to town with the LSC or, if you don't think you need it, leave it more open to help with traction.And speaking of traction, this bike has it in spades - Niner seems to have struck a real world balance between drive and traction that works well. The bite is always there thanks to the beefy tires and wide ENVE rims that allow for low pressures, as well as the active Elevensix shock. The front of the bike is a different story, with the ACS-3 spring conversion inside in what used to be an air-sprung Fox 36 being extremely active. I'd probably look past my disdain for levers and switches if the fork had a three-position compression adjustment like some of Fox's other forks make use of.The RIP 9's intentions are a bit ambiguous, with Niner placing it under the enduro category on their website but also calling it their "most capable trail bike.'' Thankfully, at least when it comes to climbing, the RIP 9's handling certainly leans more towards the latter than the former. For how much travel it has, it's a bike that eats up technical climbs laced with spaghetti monster roots and switchbacks that call for trackstands far more proficiently than any of the latest enduro machines with chopper head angles and limousine wheelbases. There's an obvious tradeoff to that sort of ability, of course, and I'll get to that later on, but just know that those who enjoy challenging climbs and a good amount of forgiving suspension will be won over by the Push-spec'd RIP 9 RDO.I'm of two minds after spending time on the RIP 9 RDO. On one hand, it's a hell of a long-legged trail bike that's ready for any type of battle you might want to throw it into. On the other hand, it's not exactly a prime-time enduro machine as some other 150mm, 29'' wheeled bikes are. With a 67-degree head angle (it backs off half a degree with 27.5'' wheels and a 170mm fork), it can't keep up with the likes of the Slash, Enduro, or Hightower LT, all of which are slacker and more stable under duress.That's not a fair comparison, clearly, as Niner is obviously not intending the RIP 9 to compete head-to-head with those monsters, but it's hard to ignore them given the obvious parallels.I've never been shy when it comes to telling people that slacker and longer isn't always better, and the RIP 9's combination of relatively lively handling and ultra-active coil-sprung suspension create quite a unique package. Sure, it feels a bit too tall and pointy to be a true beast on the descents, but it makes up for that with agility that an enduro machine can only dream of, and suspension that makes air-sprung trail bikes feel like they're grasping at straws when things get rough or traction gets low. The Push-equipped coil-sprung fork and Elevensix coil-sprung shock track the ground in a way that almost makes them feel under-damped, but that's far from the case: there's more than enough control to the stroke, but both ends of the bike take in and delete the smallest of impacts. As you'd expect, traction feels endless, especially with the big Maxxis WT meat, and the whole thing just screams capability. Interestingly, the supple coil-sprung setup did well to resist hard bottoming on either end, despite shaming air shocks and forks at every other point in stroke.But the geometry... Damn, this thing deserves to be slacker and lower. Yes, Mike ''everyone should be on a quicker handling bike'' Levy just said that. I know that Niner is positioning the RIP 9 RDO as more of a burly trail bike than an all-mountain or enduro machine, but its aftermarket suspension is better than any off the shelf enduro bike that I can name. Niner says that the RIP features revised geometry that's ''optimized for modern trail riding," which is something that I can definitely get behind, but I couldn't help but find myself wishing for more progressive numbers when I rode the bike at ten-tenths.The nimble personality does make the big Niner a fun rig when it's more about slicing and dicing than all-out speed, and it's more than happy to take novel lines or cut inside when most other 150mm-travel bikes would struggle to do anything but head straight through the widest, most obvious route. It isn't as stable on fast corners as other bikes of the same ilk, Push magic or not, which is the tradeoff for that agility.No, she's not a bike park or race machine, but I'd happily live with the RIP 9 RDO if most of my riding consisted of big days in the saddle that covered rough, technical ground, especially if I dropped some extra coin on the Push suspension upgrades for the front and back of the bike.I haven't been shy about poking fun at exceptionally pricey carbon rims, but ENVE's M70 HV hoops were trouble-free and suit the RIP 9 RDO's intentions as a burly trail bike. There were no issues when it came to their performance, but there's one weird thing to note: rattling sounds from inside of both rims required the tires and tape to be pulled off to dump out small plastic pieces that looked like they were left over from manufacturing.I've already waxed on and on about the bike's Elevensix shock and ACS-3 coil spring conversion kit inside the 160mm-travel Fox 36, but my time on Push's kit has me wanting to give both a try on a slacker, more enduro-focused sled. Regardless, the Colorado-built units are well suited to anyone who values exceptionally active and controlled suspension.The rocker under the bottom bracket started to groan and complain after only a few weeks of riding, and while enough dust and miles will eventually make any bike creak, noise after two weeks of use is a bit too soon for my liking. Pulling the link to clean it and do a re-greasing job eliminated the noise, and it hasn't returned since.If I forget that I've spent twenty-five years riding in the Pacific Northwest, I'd say that a 760mm wide handlebar and 70mm stem aren't completely out of line for a trail bike like the RIP 9 RDO, but I couldn't help but think that most riders will benefit from at least swapping out the stem for something in the 50 to 60mm range. A stubbier 50mm stem helped to dampen the Niner's steep feeling 67-degree head angle, which in turn let to more confidence on the descents.