Riding All-Mountain on Niner’s XC Race Bike, the Air 9

The Atomic Blue color stands out, as does the Air 9's responsive frame

Review & Photos by: Randy King

Video by: Randy Lewis

Climbing toward the sharp, steep switchback, I grinned in anticipation. With only 20-minutes of saddle time on the Niner Air 9, I already knew that I had a shot at making this challenge – one of those hiking trail switchbacks that cut back on themselves like barely-open scissors. This bike was made for just this type of momentum- and traction-defying situation.

I rode straight at the dirt bank that signaled the end of my current wheel path, running wide at the outside edge of the trail. At the last second, I let off the power and the bike slowed almost to a stop. Now! I turned the bars just as the front wheel contacted the steep benched bank, cranking once to power the front wheel in a nearly 90° slice across the bank. Pivoting with the front wheel, I was almost pointed back down the trail before I could straighten out enough to apply real power. Now the bike threatened to go off the inside corner of the switchback. I spun away at the pedals, rolling the front tire right along the edge of the trail and back on track as I climbed through the eroded heart of the switchback. The Niner Air 9 straightened out and I climbed onward.

The Niner Air 9 rewards riders who have the vision and the ability to leverage its considerable powers. Its Easton GX2 Scandium/Aluminum frame is responsive and lightweight. Although the Air 9 I rode had been kitted out with a mediocre parts spec, its race breeding shone through.

Out for a Niner field day, Randy Lewis (on his Niner E.M.D. 9) and I covered much of the varied terrain of Roanoke, VA’s huge Carvin’s Cove trail system. Temps surged past 90 and then cooled later as a big T-storm rumbled threateningly and stacked up against the nearby Blue Ridge. We ended the day racing the impending rain back to the parking lot.

Here the Niner Air 9 showed off the racing genes of its stiff frame and aggressive, forward-leaning cockpit set-up. Although at low speeds I could really feel the drag of the heavy wheel set, once I powered up the Air 9, I found myself pushing the big chain ring uphill, going faster and faster. What a joy to climb on this bike!

Read the rest of the review in Part 2 …

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.

Continued from Part 1 …

However, I got to see the Niner Air 9 handle a lot of terrain between that tech-rider’s dream of a switchback and the final race against the rain. Once we attained the ridge via Buck, we rode up the double track and then down. Here I experienced firsthand the effect of inertia on those big wheels. We had to stop mid-thrill ride though, to peel off the fire road for the sketchy descent on the narrow, hoof-pocked singletrack of Hemlock Tunnel.

Descending did not seem deadly on the Niner Air 9 thanks largely to the wide Ritchey bar and the capable WTB Moto Raptor tires. However, the bike is a stiff-riding hardtail with an 80MM travel RockShox Reba SL fork, and unless you are Jedi enough to descend sans brakes, you will probably agree that the Air 9’s forte is climbing. I don’t know if it would have handled descents better with hydraulic brakes or not, but I felt that the ride grew very harsh when I tried to scrub speed on the rough downhill runs of Hemlock Tunnel and Comet. Yet when I let off the Avid BB7 stoppies, the Air 9 flowed over the chatter bumps and rock bars like art in motion. It made me wish I had the Force at my ready disposal.

Along the bottom we tackled the log piles of Enchanted Forest, and the Niner Air 9 proved a well-balanced machine, predictable at low speeds and over obstacles. On Little Bell and Schoolhouse, I loved the way the bike carved turns. The WTB Moto Raptor tires were reliable and gripped the trail more fiercely than an overeager car salesman’s handshake. The same applied to climbing, I don’t think I ever broke traction on the rear wheel, even standing up with my head way in front of the bars on steep climbs. If I could put power to the pedals, the Moto Raptors kept climbing. Great big mountain riding tires!

On the return leg via Arrowhead and Songbird, the Air 9 rocked and rolled over the small jumps and log rides, without the skittishness of some high-strung racing bikes. It rode like a play bike on these fun trails.

The atmosphere altered as we started up Brushy Mountain. The wind pushed and pulled meaningfully, making the leaves show their light underbellies in a clear warning to us. We turned onto Four Gorges trail and put the hammer down on our two Niners. Yeah, the storm was coming fast … but I was riding an Atomic Blue Niner Air 9 and it was just the right bike for what needed doing. I pushed into the big chain ring and powered up those big wheels.

Parting thoughts:
The Air 9 frame retails for $799. Give it the parts build it deserves. The bike I rode weighed a portly 28-lbs. The same shop had a Medium frame Air 9 built to 24-lbs. Mine did not feel heavy other than in the wheels, so I shudder to think how fast this racer would feel with a much lighter wheelset. Spend wisely, young Skywalker!

Most of my complaints about the Niner Air 9 that I rode stem from either the fact that is a hardtail – something that cannot be changed – or its mediocre parts spec – something easily changed; I had no complaints with the essence of the bike (a race-oriented hardtail). In fact, I thought it performed well in the more all-mountain conditions of our ride. However, efficient suspension designs have led to +5” travel bikes that climb well and spare spines. For those who have ridden double-squish for a long time it hurts to go back to a hardtail bike. With today’s technology, the question comes down to what type of riding makes you smile the most.  If you are comfortable on descents, but light up when mastering a technical or prolonged climb and your spine can put up with long miles on a hardtail (‘cause you ride like water), the Niner Air 9 may be the bike to help you speed to the finish of your next big mountain riding event.

Now to clarify a misunderstanding: 29” wheels do not equal an inch of suspension. A 29” hardtail rides like a hardtail bike. The wheels do not suck up bumps, or smooth over the vagaries of the trail. However, big wheels do roll over obstacles and square-edged bumps better than an inch or so of suspension on a 26” wheeled bike.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.