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Competition is your oxygen. The Air 9 RDO is your answer. Niner’s flagship racing hardtail reaches new, ultra-refined heights.The new Air 9 RDO is a product of almost a decade of refinement and testing, courtesy of Niner’s racing and engineering programs. Riders will see the results of a 10 year refinement process in everything from geometry to the carbon frame design to the technical details.
RDO CARBON COMPACTION SYSTEM: The Air 9 RDO’s sleek carbon frame design benefits from years of Niner engineering development, process improvement and testing – via both Niner’s in house test lab and independent resources – it began with our first race bikes in 2005, saw significant changes with the introduction of the first Air 9 RDO in 2012 and culminates in the minimalist and light RDO Carbon Compaction version we’ve designed for the 2015 racing season. The Air 9 RDO is beautiful from the inside out via Niner’s Carbon Compaction System. Now used throughout the Niner RDO lineup, this CCS utilizes rigid internal molds and results in tighter, more consistent compaction of the carbon layers, yielding increased precision in wall thickness and significantly reduced resin pooling in the final product, allowing us to aim for better ride tuning, increased strength and durability along with the significant weight reduction that results from a more efficient and precise process. Even with the addition of a rear maxle, the Air 9 RDO is over 100 grams lighter (one-quarter of a pound).
DESIGN: The shapes of our Air 9 RDO frame draw from our long history in carbon fiber design – in particular from our experience in building light, strong hardtails with velvet off road ride-quality. The rigid sides of our signature downtube and top tube shapes maximize torsional stiffness, with buttery smooth ride quality achieved via the flat sections on each tube, which act like leaf springs. Chainstay and seatstay shaping also benefits from our years of hardtail expertise – they are one hundred percent designed for weight savings and ride quality via a minimalist carbon layup that, because of our RDO carbon Compaction process, still meets the most rigorous standards for mountain bike safety.
Field a loyal and trusty steed without breaking the bank. Our 3-Star Builds offer the best technical features from each manufacturer with an eye for substance over style. Great for riders who want a sweet bike but know that it's the engine that counts.
