Niner debuts new cyclocross bike, teases 29+
Originally posted on June 17, 2014 at 21:56 pm
Niner continues to expand beyond its original mountain bike lineup with an all-new, full-carbon cyclocross bike dubbed the Blood, Sweat and Beers, or BSB9 for short. With a sub-1,000 gram frame, full carbon fork and a suite of top notch components, it’s a no-compromise race bike that can be used year round.
We also got a peek at a new 29+ platform, the ROS9+, an adaptation of the popular ROS9 hardtail 29er.
BSB9 RDO
Putting its years of carbon fiber construction experience to work, Niner has created a new flagship drop-bar bike with all of the modern touches. The frame is built using Niner’s Carbon Compaction System that yields a tighter, more consistent compaction of the carbon layers with an increased precision in wall thickness and less resin pooling.
The frame is designed to be as stiff as possible when pedaling, so the downtube and chainstays are extra beefy, while the disc brakes mounted inboard allow for the seat stays and top tube to be specially tuned to provide a more compliant ride. It’s paired with a 27.2 Niner RDO setback seatpost for maximum vibration and impact absorption.
The geometry is size-specific, with bottom bracket heights that grow with crank length to avoid pedal strikes while keeping things as low as possible and head tube angles that steepen as sizes grow. The 425mm chainstays help with cornering in tight maneuvers. It is available in six sizes from 47 to 62.
The PF30 bottom bracket provides a larger junction for the massive tubing and is compatible with the latest high-end cranksets. The disc-brakes are a natural choice as they provide superior stopping power in all conditions and additional mud clearance for the worst of days. While the fork uses a thru-axle, the rear end of the bike is a traditional 135mm quick release, to keep weight down.
That fork is a full-carbon affair as well, putting Niner’s long history with carbon mountain bike forks to use tuning the best possible ride quality. It will also be available for aftermarket customers in the near future. The wheels are a set of the NoTubes Grail wheels we saw earlier today.
Cyclocross is more than just riding, so the BSB9 features no cable routing points inside the main triangle for comfortable shouldering, as well as full-length housing to keep cables clean. If you’re using wires, it is also fully compatible with Shimano Di2 systems. When the race season is over, it has two bottle cage mounts for added versatility.
The BSB9 will be available in the black and red colors of Team Clif pictured here and Ice Blue. The frame and fork are available for $2,299 with complete bikes starting at $2,999 for a Shimano 105 build and topping out with the Ultegra Di2 build pictured here at $6,499.
ROS9+
The ROS9 is Niner’s steel trail hardtail, and while we have been impressed with its ability to Ride Over Shit, the new Plus version promises to take it to a whole new level.
Niner was adamant that there are NO details available, including pricing, availability or spec, but they did confirm that this bike IS coming later this year.
From appearances, most of the details of the ROS9 look to be present as well, with a slack head tube, short chainstays, dropper-post routing and an eccentric bottom bracket.
Watch for more details of the ROS9+ to be announced later this year.
About that snow
Oh, and if you’re wondering, these aren’t old photos. It is indeed showing here in Park City, Utah, where the media has gathered to see lots of new products. Keep checking back for more coverage throughout the week.
