Niner

Jet 9 RDO SLX Fox Complete Bike with Stan's NoTubes Wheels

Let's face it, we could all use a bit more confidence when holding a line through chunky sections of trail, pedaling up a steep climb with technical moves, and dropping into fast descents where mistakes are costly. Realizing the modern trail rider is seeking something a bit more capable than the XC whippets of yesteryear, the savvy folks at Niner designed the Jet 9 RDO SLX Fox Complete Bike with confidence-inspiring geometry, so you can focus on having a blast on the trail, instead of merely making it down alive. The newest version sports 4.7in of efficient, yet plush CVA suspension paired with a 5in Fox 34 Factory Fork to smooth out the rough stuff as you plunge into wicked descents.

As you'd expect with modern trail bikes moving towards the aggressive end of the riding spectrum, the newest Jet 9 RDO is both slacker and longer than the previous generation for greater composure when the trail gets steep and rocky. You'll find the 67.5-degree head tube angle strikes the sweet spot between light, precise steering inputs and high-speed confidence on the descent. Even though it's generously long in reach figures, the Jet 9 RDO is shorter in the chainstays, lending snappy handling when you're railing around sweeping berms and quickly changing direction to avoid obstacles. Overall, the Jet 9 RDO lives up to Niner's reputation of nimble wagon-wheel machines designed for riding fast and having fun.

Another aspect of the redesign for the current generation of Jet 9 RDO lies in its ability to accept the voluminous rubber of 27.5+ wheels, thanks to its Boost rear axle spacing. Bumping up the spacing to 148 millimeters enables the Jet 9 RDO to readily accept massive 3in tires should you feel the need to add another wheel size to your arsenal. If you're content with the provided 29in wheels, you'll find the frame clears a 29 x 2.4in tire without issue, which remains standard for the rider seeking optimal grip and rolling speed without getting floppy in corners.

Despite all the above changes, Niner's Race Day Optimized (RDO) construction process remains the same as previous versions and model years. This is a good thing, as Niner's compaction method presses out any excess resin and compacts the carbon down into a uniform wall thickness. This gives Niner precise control over where the carbon material is used, as well as letting the engineers reduce weight where it's not critical for strength or stiffness. Ultimately, you'll find the Jet 9 RDO frame is exceptionally light, resoundingly stiff, and exhibits great riding characteristics on the trail—all characteristics desired in a premium mountain bike.

The Constant Varying Arc (CVA) suspension model remains virtually unchanged, and that's great if you're seeking a bike that's pleasingly efficient while you're pedaling, yet surprisingly plush and active while tracking over rocks, roots, and trail impediments. CVA's counteracting linkages make this all possible, with the bottom linkage pulling downward to negate squat, while the upper linkage is free to react to changes in terrain and bigger impacts. As mentioned above, this particular version of the Jet 9 RDO is packing 4.7in of trail-taming travel, versus the previous Jet 9's even 4in, which skewed more towards the XC side of things. Another thing to note, this Jet 9 RDO comes with a RockShox Monarch RL shock with Debonair for increased sensitivity and better traction over small bumps.