2018 Niner RIP 9 RDO First Ride Report

[@mr.shamen]

I'm riding Niner RIP RDO 2017, Such a great bike

[@Rampampulin]

You're killing it again with this intro. KZbin's sickest tech channel intro maker !

[@DesFit]

Ha! Thanks!

[@zombierider2794]

Love this trail! Its a fort Collins local fave. Great vid!

[@DesFit]

Thanks and ride on!

[@OutdoorGold]

The talking with the hands was awesome! lol Maybe I'll add that to my own bag of trail tricks! I'm glad you went "slow" for us the other day at Hall Ranch! You're RIPping this thing. Great talk about the bike!

[@DesFit]

Thanks RC! So fun to ride with you all the other day. Stoked for the next ride!

[@christianlopez6560]

Nice ride, hope to see more videos about RIP 9 , I have this bike in Florida and trust me it runs just fine on flat and man made trail , it’s a shame the Niner don’t explore more or invest more to show how good the RIP are, there is just random videos but nothing like what you are doing , thanx for that!

[@DesFit]

Thanks Christian! More to come for sure!

[@parker6711]

I"m in Texas so similar up and down terrain to you. Do you feel that it would be too much bike for my one bike quiver?

[@DesFit]

Not really if you think about the fact that you could take it up to the resorts for chairlift runs but it still is plenty fast for XC.

[@chadformentera4456]

Niner RIP 9 RDO is one of the underrated MTB. I tested both carbon Santa Cruz tall boy and Yeti SB6 to compare to my 2017 niner rip RDO. I can honestly say I choose the niner over them both. My friend that own the 2017 Santa Cruz wants to sell his and get a Niner.

[@DesFit]

It really is THAT good! Even my buddy who has ridden Niner AIRs for years bought the RIP which surprised a lot of us since he used to lightweight bikes with no rear suspension, but the RIP is so good, even XC. I do however have my eye on the SB100. Been wanting an RKT for a bit but the SB100 looks to be an amazing bike.

[@treymann23]

I also own a Yeti SB6 and a big Yeti fan. I will concede to the fact that I simply like the version 3 RIP 9 more, by a decent margin too.

[@lukeboustred4479]

Hi! Great review. I'm considering getting this exact bike, and I also live in the Colorado front range riding in Boulder/Golden. My only hesitation is if it can do XC duty and climb? I wanna get up fast to get down, you know?

[@mwolfe38]

Is the 2018 RIP the same as the 2017 version (with just new color schemes)?

[@DesFit]

New internal cable routing sleeves and new color scheme.

[@mr.shamen]

They are not the same

[@JeepAndThings]

So what Gimbal are you using? Looks like it is working pretty good! Nice video!

[@DesFit]

Thanks! It’s the Zhiyun Rider-M. It’s not bad but it has a bunch of motor noise that can be picked up from a GoPro. (I was recording audio through another source because it’s so bad it’s unusable)

[@jannikleed]

DesFit what audio setup did you use ? Good looking ride footage 😀

[@DesFit]

I recorded redundant audio on a lav mic and synced it up in post. Thanks!

[@kevinwatkins7884]

Still on this bike a year later? What are your thoughts compared to the new 2019 Rip?

[@derickson6470]

So long term impressions? Currently on a wfo9 looking at rip or maybe jet.....want somthing that is better trail bike than wfo9.....

[@DesFit]

Amazing. I rode a WFO9 for a few years (the blue and black one) and here are my thoughts compared to that bike: much better geometry for trail use. The WFO had a really slack seat angle which really put you over the rear tire. This bike is not like that at all. Even though it’s 160/150 it handles XC like a champ. I just set it on 3 and I almost never touch the rear shock otherwise. Sitting and climbing is GTG. Standing climbing I definitely use the front shock “lock out” which will of course be slightly different on Rock Shox vs Fox, where as the RS is pretty much completely locked out and the Fox still has maybe 10-20mm of give. This will have a more realistic BB height than the WFO where I was clipping pedals constantly. This RIP is higher but I do find myself clipping pedals every so often, however, I think it helps with feeling like I’m “in the bike” rather than “on top of the bike”. Lastly, I ride with a lot of people who have ridden Niners for years and a lot of us just aren’t fans of the New JET for some reason. I think it’s that the geometry of the JET is a little too trail-like for it’s shorter travel.

[@derickson6470]

i put 170 cranks on the wfo9 and still feel like I am lucky to not have broken toes...think I'm gonna get me a rip...... btw how is rear tire clearance.....we are gonna see more elevated stays as geomtry moves to fatties with less than 430mm stays...Thanks again

[@derickson6470]

I think I just sold the WFO so on to a RIP

[@JeffWagen]

Thanks for the video, I'm between picking the rip and the jet 9 unfortunately here in Brazil there's no way I can demo these bikes since they're only sold online, do you have any thoughts about the differences between those two bikes? Thanks!

[@DesFit]

The JET was a little odd in how it rode vs the RIP and it most likely had to do with the fact that they tried to make it work for both 27.5 and 29. Although the RIP can run 27.5, it’s much better as a 29 and in my opinion still better riding than the JET even with the possible benefit of more efficient with less suspension. At the end of the day, Niner’s are designed primarily around a 29 inch wheel and that’s the configuration that will net the best performance.

[@JeffWagen]

DesFit Thank you! Anyway I'm considering buying the jet in alloy and use the rest of the money to buy the tools I still not have, I'm a car mechanic, but love to work on bikes and I'm seriously thinking in change my work area, here in Brazil bikes are waaay more expensive than in the US, and it's not that easy to buy something good and affordable... And the fact is that Brazil is all a out XC, its hard to find trail oriented bikes around here.

[@DesFit]

Nice! Enjoy and ride on!

[@JeffWagen]

DesFit Thank you for the answers, but now I'll have to get the alloy version anyway, yesterday Niner changed the bikes to the 2019 lineup, and the alloy version increased 3 grand in Brazilian money (something around 700 US Dollars), but a least now it comes with NX Eagle and dropper post.

[@parker6711]

Thanks for the video man! You're the only good review I've found of the new RIP9. I have two questions. 1. With Niner going bankrupt and being bought out, are you concerned about the future of the company and what that means as a Niner owner? 2. I'm in Texas so I ride a lot of punch climbs and downhills with fast flat sections. We have a lot of roots and rocks here and there. I also make way down to Central Texas were things can get even rocker and more gnarly. I plan on making trips around the states with bike as well. I'm 6'3" 210lbs. I like to get reckless and leave the ground when ever I can and take risks if you know what I mean. DO you think the RIP9 could be a good fit for me? Thanks!

[@DesFit]

They are now owned by a larger conglomerate but they are still remaining a boutique brand and the same value and culture should still remain. I know many within the company very well and I don’t think they are going anywhere but up. The RIP is a really capable bike. Excels at what it’s designed to do but has no problem climbing and it’s amazingly fast on flats, surprisingly for this much travel. Fun factor of 11.

[@robertkennedy976]

Would this be a good enduro bike because I am looking to get in to enduro racing and this looks great and it’s in my budget

[@DesFit]

Very good. Excels at rowdy trail riding but still pedals really well.

[@derickson6470]

looking for ongoing review. Currently on wfo9 which is a monster gravity bike but not the best climber....Looking at 17 jet9 for all arounder?

[@DesFit]

Oh, most definitely ongoing! This is pretty much the same travel as the old WFO but with updated geometry. The WFO had a pretty slack seat angle which didn’t help with climbing, but it descended like a beast. 17 Jet will be a darn good bike. Basically the same travel as my ‘16 RIP which, well, ripped. 🤟

[@derickson6470]

I got a 17 large rip9 used about month ago.....It pedals way better than wfo (it pedals and climbs sneaky good) and opening horizons on trail riding with a downhill weapon....It could be a all arounder if needed.....2.6 would be a stretch in rear fyi.....Running 160 Lyric w Debonair air tube....I still have to watch my toes though (I may be getting more agressive pedaling technical sections to be fair). I'm svenstrava on strava btw....Thanks for all the info you put out.

[@DesFit]

Agreed. 2.6 is a real tight fit in the back but honestly probably not needed on a bike like this.

[@johnmanley4528]

That downhill portion looks pretty dangerous.

[@DesFit]

It’s a pretty mellow trail for the most part, but extremely fun.

[@johnmanley4528]

DesFit watch that speed. Looks fast on video.

[@DesFit]

It’s definitely not slow.

[@jmvdigital]

DesFit, you should probably not ride this trail again. Please stick to bike paths only.

[@DesFit]

LOL, J.

[@andymtb3212]

Would be much easier to get a lower profile saddle

[@DesFit]

The new Niner short saddle is pretty low-pro already but ya, that's the other option I'm looking at.

[@mister_ray]

Seems like overkill for such an XC trail.

[@DesFit]

Complete overkill 😂 Just a shakedown ride as I was saying. Looks to be a dry for a while so should get on some gnar later this week.

[@mister_ray]

Great. I look forward to a video showing climbing and descending the tech sections. Would be nice to see a cadence/speed/HR/% grade overlay.