Niner

RLT 9 RDO 2-Star Gravel Bike - 2019

While your buddies may have dreams of the peloton, or charging into rock gardens, your dream is a little less typical. Instead of speed and power, you're more of an adventurer, craving dusty roads that seldom see more than wildlife and ranchers, pushing over mountain passes to explore lakes that the rest of the world seems to have forgotten about. The trick to this, of course, is having the right tools to get you there, and since a full-suspension mountain rig is heavy and cumbersome on the climbs, and road machines flex under the weight of panniers and gravel, Niner offers the perfect solution: the RLT 9 RDO 2-Star Complete Bike. This gravel-hungry machine packs you up with mounts for tossing on racks and cages galore, and offers tire clearance to keep you floating down dirt and gravel alike.

As expected from an RLT (short for Road Less Traveled), this bike is a bit slacker, longer, and lower than its 'cross-specific cousin, Niner's BSB 9, but also sees a few tweaks compared to its aluminum and steel RLT siblings that imbue it with slightly snappier handling without sacrificing comfort. Shorter stays tighten up the rear triangle and work in tandem with a lower bottom bracket for a confidently responsive ride experience. This combination lends the RLT more stability and comfort over rough roads while still maintaining the agility to rocket out of turns and carve loose, sketchy descents. Integrated rack and fender mounts on the frame and fork provide a versatile array of setup options, and the replaceable hanger means that even if you take a less than graceful, drive-side, derailleur compromising dive, your RLT will live to roll another day.

Niner uses its Race Day Optimized Carbon Compaction System to mold this RLT's frame, fine tuning the placement of carbon and eliminating any material that doesn't contribute to the frame's structural soundness and ride quality. To further enhance the smooth ride, the RLT has a 27.2mm diameter seatpost, which adds an element of give to absorb bumps and chatter so you won’t be getting beat up as much as you’d expect, especially on washboard roads. While Niner's builds spec the RLT 9 RDO with 35mm tires, it has clearance to run tires up to 40mm so you can choose a balance between rolling speed and plush comfort to best meet your riding style and requirements.