Niner

ONE 9 RDO 5-Star XX1 Complete Mountain Bike - 2014

Niner’s ONE 9 RDO may be known as the singlespeed in the lineup, but in reality, it's an absolute monster when set up with gears, as the ONE 9 RDO 5-Star XX1 complete mountain bike proves. You see, the ONE 9 lacks a front derailleur mount and has all the weight saving measures befitting its Race Day Optimized moniker, which makes it an ideal match for SRAM's World Cup-winning XX1 one-by-eleven groupset. The build is top-tier all around, with an XX-level SID fork and a Niner RDO cockpit. In case it wasn't obvious, this bike is a straight up advantage when you’re trying to put down the fastest laps possible — whether it's at Elite-level races, or just getting after it on your favorite local loop.

The ONE 9 RDO benefits from all of the weight saving measures that have made the AIR 9 RDO the notorious race-rocket that it is. At the core of every Niner frame is extensive computer-based finite element analysis, and here it's used to develop a high modulus carbon fiber structure with optimized weaves, layups, and tube shapes — ultimately producing the lightest Niner to date. The RDO's fluid form is no accident, and it's designed to minimize chatter and guide impact forces to the strongest parts of the frame. Chain torque goes directly to the rear wheel via the oversized CYA bottom bracket shell and shapely chainstays, yet trail vibrations are quelled by the swooping seatstays. Niner ties the bottom bracket to the precision-enhancing tapered head tube via a large down tube to ensure the frame tracks true and responds to every input.

What separates the ONE 9 RDO from its AIR 9 ancestor is the use of Niner's CYA bottom bracket interface. It's oversized to make room for the included BioCentric eccentric bottom bracket. Unlike other EBBs, BioCentric has a track record of being easy to use and remaining creak-free, but the real benefit is that it allows for the use of a fixed rear dropout. On top of being the lightest option, it avoids the slippage that can occur with some sliding dropouts, and it's worlds easier to use in the heat of a race than horizontal dropouts.

When it came to assembling an all-out race-rocket, Niner refused to cut corners. Accordingly, the 5-Star build is equipped with a RockShox SID World Cup XX fork. Sitting atop the SID hierarchy, the XX model has a carbon fiber tapered steerer tube, to keep weight down, and a 15mm thru-axle to enhance stiffness — not to mention the legendary SID lineage. The drivetrain is SRAM's XX1 groupset, with a one-by-eleven layout that mimics the spread of a traditional double, but significantly reduces weight and complexity. Obviously, it's built to go fast, so the fantastically powerful Avid X0 Trail brakes are tasked with slowing you down when the time comes. Niner supplies the cockpit, with an RDO carbon fiber seatpost, topped with a Niner-branded WTB Volt Team saddle, as well as a Flat Top RDO aluminum handlebar and aluminum stem. It rolls on Stan's NoTubes Arch EX complete wheels, which spin on the proven 3.30 hubs, laced to the featherweight, yet bombproof Arch EX rims. They’re wrapped in Schwalbe tires to keep you flying.

The Niner ONE 9 RDO 5-Star XX1 Complete Mountain Bike - 2014 is available in four sizes from Small to X-Large and in the color Atomic Blue.