Niner unveils revised Air 9 and E.M.D. 9

Niner Bikes announced considerable changes to two of its most popular bikes today, the aluminum Air 9 and E.M.D. 9. Both new frames benefit from new tubing shapes, feature tapered headtubes and new finishes.

Air 9

The Air 9 drops the scandium alloy in favor of newer 6000-series aluminum, allowing for more advanced hydroforming tube shapes. The new frames have tested stiffer than the outgoing, round-tubed models, Niner says.

"Our new alloy tubing loves to be shaped, giving us significant design freedom. We are now able to tune our alloy frame as carefully as we do our carbon frames, adding strength where needed and improving ride feel via tube-shaping methods. These methods complement our award-winning geometry to create an advanced alloy hardtail for racing applications."

The new frame will now accept tapered-steerer forks, and is optimized from 80-100mm of travel. The bottom bracket shell is now Press Fit 30, increasing the number of compatible cranksets.

The new Air 9 should be shipping to US dealers in about a month.

E.M.D. 9

The less-expensive E.M.D. 9 benefits from many of the technological advances of its big brother, including hydroformed tubing, a tapered headtube and new finish options. It still uses a standard, threaded bottom bracket shell, to better allow users to switch parts over from their old bike, Niner says.

The new E.M.D. 9 should also begin shipping in about a month.

Jet 9 R.D.O. availability

A note from Niner: "By now, you have probably seen Jet 9 RDO bikes popping up at your local races and online. We have a lot of folks out there riding their bikes, but due to high demand, we also have a lot of folks waiting. The good news is that we are sending frames out on a regular basis, to points around the globe. Based on current estimates, everyone with a frame on order today should have one within 16 weeks, most people, much sooner. We fully expect this time-frame to come down as our new production line picks up speed, but we are trying to give a conservative estimate. We know that it is tough waiting, but we believe that you think it is worthwhile once you ride your new bike!"

Don’t want to wait? You can read our ride impressions on the new R.D.O. here.