I Bought a $4000 Niner RLT9 Steel Gravel Bike (Worth It?)

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Күн бұрын

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@duathlete827 5 ай бұрын

Been riding for over 40 years and I'd say you made well researched and thought out decisions. Keep the rubber side down and the excellent vids coming.

@DaveCM 5 ай бұрын

My sister-in-law has that same bike with Force 2x. She has had it for a few years and she loves the bike still.

@garthmccarthy4572 5 ай бұрын

Beautiful lady and a beautiful channel. Thank you Carolin.

@zukzworld 5 ай бұрын

Congrats on having a steel bike! Happy riding!! ❤✌🏾

@ainik20 5 ай бұрын

Congrats on the new bike! Great call on getting a steel bike! I love mine for sure. Bought a used Trek 520 frame and took an extensive bike "building" class. I've learned everything about my bike and have been servicing it since. It's such a great feeling to know the ins and outs of your own bike, have the confidence to be out, and know that you know how to fix it on your own!

@gusnuk68 5 ай бұрын

excellent presentation for one of my favourite bike. enjoy your bike dearly!

@jdgang70 3 ай бұрын

I just got my R:LT 9 Steel . I have a RLT 9 currently . Great bike .

@BruceChastain 5 ай бұрын

I recently bought a SIR 9 for a lot of the same reasons. I wanted something modern so that it wont feel obsolete for a long time and also wanted it to be durable and simple.

@joowwwllllll666 5 ай бұрын

Looks like my Bombtrack Audax. Very versatile and fun to ride.

@jantown 5 ай бұрын

Your bike is gorgeous! It is so nice to know what you want when getting a new bike! I started with a Specialized Sequoia, which is a great bike, but I wanted wider tires after a lot of walking on a bikepacking trip due to sandy ATV trails. Ended up with a Surly Grappler and I'm surprised that the wider tires aren't much more taxing (definitely easier than a fat bike) and it is such a comfortable bike to ride and the gearing is wonderful. My partner helped me make a lot of choices on the first bike, but the second was all on me, which feels great. I just need to learn how to fix things now... How are you going about learning about bike repair?

@bikewithcarolin 5 ай бұрын

Thank you and thanks for sharing your experience! It's nice to go into the bike shopping experience with more knowledge about specs 🤣. I just bought some fatter tires (45mm) and am so curious how it'll roll on road+gravel. In terms of learning bike mechanics, I'm a "just-in-time" learner (ideally, learning preventative measures is the way to go). When the issue becomes annoying enough, I hit a frustration point where I get the urge to figure it out first on KZbin by myself, then I ask friends, and then I head to a community bike kitchen/workshop and ask for help or for someone to teach me. I know enough to get me in between my yearly tuneups. Is there anything that you're interested in learning?

@edreilly6674 5 ай бұрын

I just bought and built up a Ritchey Outback for many of the same reasons: lots of mounting points, a very compliant steel frame with a full carbon fork and steerer, and all external cable routing. I also built it with Growtac cable-actuated disk brakes. They are excellent--stop well with the ability to modulate the brakes--and, I believe, easier to maintain than hydraulic disk brakes. Plus they come with everything you need to install them. Thanks for sharing your setup and decision process!

@SoManyMiles 5 ай бұрын

Very reasonable and smart build. Crankset, seatpost, groupset and handlebar are excellent choices. My one and only bike is a steel bike too but not with a carbon fork. I am going to upgrade to Ritchie‘s Adventure Fork soon. Other than that, my bike is very similar to yours. My Kona Rove ST which I bought four years ago is still a joy to ride. Happy riding, Carolin!

@galenanderson6006 5 ай бұрын

Nice bike! I purchased the RLT 9 aluminum frameset and built it up from mountain bike parts I had and some new. It's a bit of a mutt, with a mish-mash of parts and is set up 2x10. The Al frame was on sale and is my wet conditions bike. I love how it rides and all the attachment points.

@majosrnik8111 5 ай бұрын

Niner gravel bikes are amazing!

@loft4me 5 ай бұрын

Interesting thoughts on steel as the choice. Had a steel bike as a kid, then an aluminum Klein, then presently a carbon LaMere, and now waiting on a custom steel from Retrotec in the newsboy style for a hardtail mountain bike. I like the sensibility in your choices, the thought process in selecting things. Thank you for the video.

@roger.bhutan 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your journey in choosing the Niner. Btw what was the previous bike that you had to shoehorn yourself into?

@brianstranyak1049 2 ай бұрын

Very nice bike. I'm impressed you went with steel, most people go straight to carbon. Aluminum is my choice of material. For gravel I ride a Cannondale CAAD X which is their cyclocross bike. And for road I ride their CAAD 10. I also have their fat CAAD. Again, very nice bike you have.

@malcontent_1 5 ай бұрын

Very logical process, and you appear to have made a number of choices similar to what I am making (start with a good bike fit; metal frame, mechanical shifting, ample tire clearance, etc.)

@bikewithcarolin 5 ай бұрын

and that's just scratching the surface :)

@RenghisKhan 5 ай бұрын

Excellent choices. In fact, a steel frame would have been my starting point if I were to buy a new ride. As for the rest of your choices, well, I could just copy your set up. For learning how to maintain and repair a bike, I found it useful to buy a torque wrench. I won't be taking it everywhere I go but if you get used to working with one it gets real easy to tighten things using the correct torque without the wrench because you know what it should feel like. Call it muscle memory if you like. Have fun with your beautiful new ride!

@Pgd10020 4 ай бұрын

Congrats!!

@dknight211 5 ай бұрын

I think the Niner RLTs are great bikes but I have one reservation .... I'm not a fan of the press fit bottom bracket, as those are known to start creaking over time. I wish it came with a T47 threaded bottom bracket instead. For me, I built up a Lynskey titanium gravel bike that had a threaded bottom bracket.

@tonypaddler 5 ай бұрын

Great bike choice 🚲👌👍

@timparsons2741 5 ай бұрын

I did the same , 165mm cranks on a 2019 Salsa Fargo . Upgraded with Hunt wheels , Sram Force one drivetrain and a Brooks C17 saddle. Liken those DT Swiss wheels though . might have to upgrade a little more .

@chaahmongcyclist1066 5 ай бұрын

CAADX first gen. I’ve also done custom mods on it.. I find it to be just good with the eyelits for a rear rack/pannier mix..

@pingpongballz5998 Күн бұрын

I test rode the Niner RLT 9 RDO years ago. It was really comfortable and upright. I wonder if the steel is the geometry. Anyway, the bike was too expensive for my budget so I went with another brand.

@DaBinChe 16 күн бұрын

Steel is real!

@enriquecastellanos4398 5 ай бұрын

I just got my first gravel bike. I didn't buy it as a future proof bike but as a learning experience. I have always ridden frames that are probably too large and I wanted to experiment with a smaller frame and seeing how that went. I want to know before I buy take the plunge you just did. Thanks for the video. Were there other brands you considered?

@p49N 5 ай бұрын

love your choice. That bike could last you a lifetime. And you prioritized fit above marketing pull of popular rationalization of tech (carbon) performance. One thing. I've had at least 5 friend/acquaintances buy Niner RLTs and they all sold them within a couple seasons. Concensus was weight. I think it takes about 5 - 10 really (perceived) hard days, bad days, like probably didn't sleep right or had a bit of something, not fuelled, and human nature to think the bike was "not helpful" in some way. Which is unfortunate because steel does do so much for durability ( good for the environment) comfort, and my main reason: bombproof. Whether its in a box or on a vehicle or jammed onto the roof of a bus in Columbia, or crashed into a farm ditch (i don't recommend this) , you can see the damage if any and it can usually be bent back into shape to finish a trip. My latest bike was the very serviceable (external cables) and heavy (27.4 lbs with no bags or bottles) Marin Nicasio. Besides mounts, mounts, and more mounts, I chose it because its functional pedestrian wheels'person'ship: there is no single component or wheel for which replacement would A) cost more than $100, and B) not not be either commonly stocked within most bike stores (not just higher shelf) existing inventory regardless of continent, and or having many options for an interchangeable alternatives to finish the journey. Also, for anyone who loves a classic road geo, it has 73° parallel seat and head tubes (but with leafspring like long wheelbase) so it 'clocks' and has good 'springyness'. As a Claris equipped bike, I thought it would be terrible but its not, once broken in and pro tuned. Yes, it feels amazing to get back on my Specialized Tarmac w/ di2, but for all day comfort, where path-pave'path meats trail terrain-O-suares, and if I had to choose one bike, the Nicasio everything except near boulder-like gravel. I also found one other unexpected surprise. The heavier bike requires that I maintain more upper body stability exercises. I actually would gladly pay for a Niner RLT as well. Excellent, excellent bike.

@bikewithcarolin 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your bike choice and adding other considerations, especially the standardized and servicable parts! to be honest, after a year of owning the niner, I was also reflecting on whether it was too much weight for me as my first gravel bike. But after every rough adventure I take it on, I'm reminded that the ruggedness was what I was looking for, and I feel super proud of what it's capable of handling (and what I can handle!). Great choice on your Nicaso as well!

@BlackFlag111 2 күн бұрын

Hi there! I am about to buy this very frame! Would you know the weight of the frame and fork for your size? (looking into a 50 size) Thanks and ccongratulations for the videos.

@bikewithcarolin 2 күн бұрын

hey, thanks for watching it! I don't know, sorry, I bought this stock so only have the total weight.

@BlackFlag111 2 күн бұрын

@@bikewithcarolin I see, thanks anyway. :)

@jadeson2673 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your videos, very inspirational. What are your thoughts on replacing drop bar with flat bar? Not sure why there aren't that many flat bar gravel bike out there but I would have thought flat bar would provide stability and given the long ride, flat bar would reduce the pain on our arms and shoulders.

@bikewithcarolin 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for your kind words! I've thought about flat bars on gravel bikes for a second. Gravel bikes served as a solution to be fast off-road which naturally include drop bars for aerodynamics. I see flat bars appealing to those preferring comfort over aerodynamics which lean towards MTB style of riding. Then does it turn into a pricey hybrid bike? 🤔

@wazzup105 5 ай бұрын

Cycling doesn't help your bone density much.. but hike-a-bikes especially when you are carrying your bike do :-) Also.. affordability is also a big thing in my book... So... what did your setup cost?