Project DC Phase 3 - Downcountry (Transition Spur) vs XC (2023 Niner RKT9)

It's been almost a year since I did my last Downcountry vs Cross Country battle. It resumes in this video, this time with the UPDATED Niner RKT 9 RDO 4-Star build.
Project DC Kickoff video:
• Starting Project DC: C...
Project DC Phase 1:
• Project DC: Downcountr...
Project DC Phase 2:
• Project DC: Down vs XC...
Project DC Phase 2 conclusion:
• Project DC (Downcountr...
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[@peterschultz2888]

Hi Clint, I'm in the process of finishing the build for a 23.46 lb "Spur" (including pedals, dropper, powermeter, etc.). Some of the biggest weight savings are through the wheels (1246g), stem+bar (203g), dropper (436g), and attention to detail on every single other component. The only thing that is actually a Spur is the frame. Fingers crossed that this is the quiver killer that I hope it will be.

[@peterschultz2888]

My Franken-Spur is now done and it comes in at 22.9 lbs, including pedals, 150mm dropper, bottle cage, and garmin mount.

[@MrMojoRisin22]

I had a 2020 Scott Spark RC World Cup race bike that I raced on for two seasons and won multiple races with. Last year switched to an Ibis Ripley V4 with a super light build. Still about 2lbs heavier than the Scott, it was blazing fast and gave me way more confidence on techier terrain and was much more enjoyable to live with. No regrets and still won’t several races with it.

[@bakpakn]

I've got a custom built Spur and I've been loving it for the 3 years I've had it. I primarily ride a lot of steep and techy XC and race with it on average once or twice a month. With a second set of trail wheels it handles bike parks pretty well. 10.98kg in XC mode, and 12.5kg in trail mode. I have tweaked the rear shock to suit my weight and XC preference by cutting the volume token in half and running slighty less sag. Less pedal strikes and climbs amazing without loosing any ofnits stability on decents. For bike the occasional park shuttle days i put a standard volume token back in and the trail wheels

[@jgg2220]

Great video, thank you. People should take into account that a 15 minute lap doesn’t always correlate to a 2 hour (or possibly way longer) ride, especially when there is very little climbing on the test loop.

[@TheRickysee]

Such a valuable content! Nothing else like it on KZbin. Thank you. We salute you!

[@AZRob.]

I can totally relate! I just took a trail bike, with good trail geometry, (Norco Fluid HT with 66.5° head angle), and rebuilt it with a carbon wheelset, a Fox Stepcast 34, and a bunch of other goodies, and wow, this thing is fast and super capable at the same time. It's an absolute blast to ride! Cheers Clint! Still enjoying your video's since your Giant XTC days!

[@jaredtopilko1313]

Thanks for the ideas! I have a fluid ht myself. Yari 120 with my stpi29 rims. I was thinking of a sid35 and some carbon wheels in 2024

[@NCtrailX]

Great video and comparisons. That Spur is a damn capable bike. May have to pick one up...

[@jimmymoffitt5977]

My favorite loop in that park, so fun! Looking forward to the custom spur build…. That’s gonna be a really cool bike!

[@NoLimitTouge]

Thanks for the very interesting content 😎🍻😎

[@SkiRidesMTB]

I raced a downcountry bike last year (Rocky Mountain Element). Got the weight down to 25 lbs with light XC tires, put the geo adjust as steep as possible, etc. It raced pretty well but it still wasn't the same thing as a dedicated XC bike. That being said, if you're only looking to race 2-3x a year and you aren't challenging podiums I'd muuuuuch rather own a downcountry bike thana dedicated race bike. I sold it for a Santa Cruz Blur TR which is right between DC and XC Race bike. Still enjoyable to ride but much better pedaling platform and lighter by a full lb.

[@flyingnorseman]

I have a Tallboy 3 and a TB 4. Was going to sell TB 3 but they were so different I decided to keep it. Both very good in different ways. TB 3 has 120mm fork, full XT and carbon wheels in XC bike mode. TB 4 Has Marz z1 fork and beefier wheels like true trail bike. The TB 4 is 5 lbs heavier and Im always faster out at local trails (Blankets Creek) on it regardless. Its the HT angle I think. Just feels safer at speed.

[@adamcoppock5018]

I popped a rear and fork remote shock remote lock out + a headset adjust to 67 on my Spur. Feels good. I wish the large wasn't so long... It could be a little shorter. There's quite a reach gap between the M and L

[@brucehumphries6889]

I could tell during the first two runs, that you took the corner better on the Spur

[@jddallager1699]

Clint: Super video and comparison of the two bikes! Thanks! A "luxury" conundrum for sure, eh? I'm wondering if the "confidence" and "comfort" factors of the Transition Spur on that particular course and day made the difference? So many variables, and you did a terrific job of trying to minimize them. If it were I, I'd go with the Spur and two sets of wheels. Meanwhile, I'll ride my Ibis Ripley v4 at my "Rule #1 is FUN!" pace. No racing! I'm 76. BUT, it won't be today ..... weather here in Colorado is -7F and wind chill is -24F. ENJOY Florida and thanks again! 🙂

[@keepingtherubberdown5715]

The thing with the flip chips is that in the lower positions bikes are predictable, don't require a ton of rider input, planted and slightly more pedal strikes. When you flip to upper there is much more input from the rider, a bit less predictable, a bit snappier and less pedal strikes and for me it is definitely faster than the lower position. On a course I have ridden hundreds of times that is 5 miles. Best time in low was 23:34, in high it was 22:12 and both laps were not same day but looking at best laps ever. I rode the first year in low not thinking about the position until a friend recommended it. It was drastic in my opinion in a good way. And, I went to a Kona Hei Hei CRDL. While I loved the SPUR the wheel base was a tad to long for many of the places I ride with switchbacks. I get the same feelings I had on the SPUR plus the XC feel with geo's almost being the same, shorter wheelbase and the rear suspension on the Kona just feels never ending.

[@thomashussey5159]

Very interesting. From what I’ve seen in the last 3 years the Spur seems to be the most versatile short travel bike on the market.

[@michaeljensen4095]

I’ve owned and time trialed / raced the Spur versus a Fourstroke, Top Fuel, Mach 4 SL and an Epic Evo. The Evo is (I’ve dumped the other bikes) the fastest for me and two other buddies who have owned multiple bikes and race. I’d like to see you try this experiment on more varied and technical terrain as well as trying an Epic Evo if you can get ahold of one.

[@davidjacques362]

Thank you for another great video Mr. Gibbs. I switched last year from an old RM Element to a Spur, and my life changed… 😂 Thanks for all you’re doing. It would be interesting to use this compare tool from Garmin Connect (web version), to compare different data (climbs/descents speed, HR, etc.).

[@goingdowncountry]

Hey, can you explain more? What's different on the Spur? I've got the old RM Element, however, with a -2° angleset and a lightweight wheelset (1380g) and pretty much love the bike.

[@davidjacques362]

@@goingdowncountry Well I should have said « very old ». My Element is a 2005, so geometry is far from being comparable against a Spur. What I like the most is the agility when going downhill at full speed and cornering.

[@shredntread9600]

Excellent data and very interesting. I feel I am faster on my Scott Spark Trail version (130/120) than I was on my old Top Fuel despite the spark weighing in at 27lbs.

[@sirvince7853]

I think a light-built Spur would be a better do-all bike. I have a Santa Cruz Blur TR that I swap out XC wheels and Trail wheels. I have a 4-piston caliper on the front with a 180 rotor front and rear. I still have the RS Dropper post which I could lose some weight changing that out. It's 27.5-lbs in the trail format w/Fox 34 Grip2 120mm and a Fox Float-X rear shock. Great video Clint.

[@IIISentorIII]

I hope one day you get the chance to ride a Scott Spark RC Clint 🙂

[@LJ-yt2io]

I have a 2018 Spark Ultimate at 27lbs and a 2020 Spark RC Pro at just under 26lbs, both with droppers. On the RC, I'm running lighter tires, narrower bars, and a crazy light Sid Ultimate 35 fork. The RC accelerates faster and with narrower bars, I can hammer harder with less concern about clipping trees. I think your test is good, but your course seems to have very gentle corners and few changes in topology, so once any bike there is up to speed, momentum likely plays a bigger roll, than tight nimble acceleration. Race bikes always coax me closer to 100% output, where trail bikes encourage conservation of momentum. One good metric would be to publish your elevation per lap for us to understand your course topology. Flat, tight, punchy, obstacle strewn, or pedal and plunge, they're all good, but different bikes shine on different courses! XC is underrated, so I love your videos!

[@hansschotterradler3772]

I've had similar experiences with lower SRAM groups sets (my son's 11 speed NX and my GF's 12 speed SX). Couldn't adjust the derailleur to shift through all the gears properly. Even my LBS couldn't adjust it. So I upgraded my son's to M5100 and my GF's to GX. Both shift flawlessly.

[@kangsterizer]

NX is garbage tbh.i couldnt understand what clint said on the video about his exact shifting issue (sram GX and above work great in my experience of many, many bikes), but its extremely hard to get NX to shift well after a few rides. it takes teflon tape to adjust the pivots in the cage and so on, very painful, bad product IMO

[@Team81MTB]

Ive got a similar situation going on between a niner jet 9 rdo and a kona hei hei. Ive came to the conclusion that each bike shines at different places. The niner has a little better fork with more travel so it excels in rougher terrain but the hei hei excels on smoother terrain. Both bikes are set up with very similar ergonomics. The hei hei was designed to be a pure xc bike while the niner was designed as an xc/trail bike. I honestly dont have a preference between the two. It just depends on where im riding as to which one i ride that day. 🤔

[@yumyumhungry]

Often times our body interprets a rougher ride as faster. Smoother is often times faster even though it doesn't feel like it. It's the reason tires are getting wider and wider in all disciplines.

[@ClintGibbs]

True. I really noticed that years ago when I was riding hardtails.

[@brucehumphries6889]

I’d build that Spur down to a lightweight bike and ride the heck out of it. Two sets of wheels with different tires would be a great option.

[@bakpakn]

That's exactly what I've done with my Spur and I've been loving it for the 3 years I've had it.

[@michaelleach5919]

Great series! Do you think you could get a Canyon Lux Trail to review and see how it compares to these two bikes?

[@dav31078]

Would be curious to see how you’d like the newest Pivot Mach 4 SL in 115mm travel mode and a 120mm fork.

[@mikeglefke1970]

Hey Clint, I currently ride a lightweight Spur and love the bike. I ride mainly cc type trails as well but I was wondering how you like the short stem that comes on the Spur? I’ve always ran a 50mm on size L but the new ones come with a 40mm

[@k2dave1969]

I had both sram and shimano and Shimano is always better shifting more solid system... I love XT Shimano.

[@letour32rr]

You should race the Spur in the two part Snake Creek Gap TT in February and March in North Ga. One of the most grueling races in the Southeast. More marathon style. Last year that they will have a 50 mile option.

[@endymion8672]

I wonder if a wide flared drop bar would make you a fraction faster on this course.

[@chriss8375]

Spur custom with two wheel sets seems like your way to go, but also do two seatposts, one wireless dropper, one rigid seatpost!

[@edavis5451]

What was the weight of the spur with the original wheel set compared to the podium wheel set?

[@HLDefender]

Clint . Have you tried the Pivot Mach 4 SL (120 fork) ? It's probably lighter than the Spur ...

[@bojanstarcevic7294]

hello, I have a garmin 510 and for some reason it restarted and I was using the Croatian language and I had several options to change the language, now it only has English and nothing else, how can I add or do more?

[@richtoepper7102]

Do you have any lap times/impressions from the old RKT Both 100 and 120mm versions? Thanks

[@ClintGibbs]

It was a different course this time. Changing soil conditions and fitness would make the comparisons from a year ago difficult anyway.

[@davidmaco1]

just think fi you got that spur down to 23-24 range

[@MTBfixHQ]

with this kind of fast trail that has minimal climbing and almost no acceleration out of corners 2lbs will make next to no difference, you lose a little going up hills but get it back when going down hills

[@ClintGibbs]

Actually, there was quite a bit of accelerating out of the corners on this loop.

[@MTBfixHQ]

@@ClintGibbs 2lbs isn't enough weight to notice a real difference, its basically 1% of overall system weight, from all the calculators and tests I have done this would only equate to around 1-2 seconds on this course, you would see a much bigger difference from a perfect suspension setup, the spur could be more supple which could make all the difference on this course : ) I definitely agree that its better to just keep the spur and two wheel sets since a couple seconds means nothing unless you are a very hardcore XC racer

[@TheBIKEDEALZ]

I don’t understand the terminology of Fast frame. Numbers indicate that spur isn’t that efficient as it comes to anti squat. The frame is about 500g lighter than an Izzo for example, so it boils down to to components at most.

[@ClintGibbs]

Weight and geometry is what would make a frame fast. For example a downhill frame would be much faster in a downhill race than a cross country Frame would be. On cross country course, geometry numbers that allow you to get around corners smoothly without being too heavy would make it faster.

[@ezraellis7289]

So this spur is 15 seconds faster and you’re selling it?😂 I’d keep the spur lol

[@ClintGibbs]

Building a custom Spur with Ohlins suspension. Works out better to sell the whole bike and buy a frame

[@user-rj9ui3sz8u]

Compared to my 2019 Stumpjumper I can ride 4 times farther and still not be tired on my Spur.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

Get them to same weight, then decide...they will STILL be exact times...since 2lbs is nothing,

[@hongziyang]

Mint is faster. Obviously.

[@hongziyang]

I bought a spur because of you Clint. And I love it. (Even if it isn’t the mint color…sadly)