Big Mountain Riding

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.

Long Term Review of Salsa’s super-fast 29er hard tail, the Mamasita

The Salsa Mamasita is a capable back country explorer and XC racer

Review by:

Scott Schekman

Photos by: Scott Schekman and Randy King

Now that I have been riding my Salsa Mamasita for more than a year, it is time for a long term review. My Mamasita is built up pretty much as a race/play 29er hard tail with a ROCK SHOX REBA Race 29″ fork, RACE FACE Deus crankset, Stan’s 355 rims laced to a DT Swiss 240 front & Stans ZTR rear hub, Easton Monkeylite XC bar, SRAM X-9 triggers and rear derailleur and Hope Mini disc brakes. This build is average in weight at 24.5 lbs, but that works for me and I didn’t have to cash in my IRA to build it. New Mamasita frames are available online for about $750; complete bikes for less than $2,000.

This size small frame is made of Scandium/aluminum alloy with carbon seat stays. I have read of various advantages of Scandium alloys, but not being a metalurgist, I don’t actually know what is fact or not.  The Mamasita’s geometry is fairly standard for a 29er hardtail frame [See chart].

The Salsa Mamasita features clean lines and rider-friendly geometry

So far I have raced the Mamasita in two mountain-X races and the epic Shenandoah 100. All my other rides have been local trail rides at Candlers/Liberty mountain, Danville, VA’s Anglers Ridge, Bedford, VA’s Falling Creek Park or Roanoke, VA’s Carvins Cove. The Mamasita rock ‘n’ rolled through all of this terrain variety that included log hopping, rock gardens, swoopy smooth singletrack and typical east coast-roots, rocks, tree limbs, technical climbs and fast descents.

Riding this bike is like riding a small self-powered rocket. All the pedaling energy seems to transform immediately into forward motion. This bike will climb like a scared cat! I seem to favor technical difficult climbs, especially the kind most people only like to ride down. [Editor's note: He's not kidding!] The “Mama” excels at this.  I do run the Reba at 100mm travel which means I have to keep some weight forward on steeps to keep the front end down, but like on any bike, the rider has to learn how to distribute his weight to the bike’s advantage.

Descending is a flat out rush; this bike will go faster than my brain will let it. I have never yet missed full suspension on the downhills. It might be the combination of wagon wheels and carbon stays or just the geometry, but this is the fastest XC bike I have ridden yet. The only time I notice any limitations is when I am trying to keep a smooth cadence on choppy (roots and small rocks) flat ground. This is probably a disadvantage of any 29er hard tail. It tends to kick me off the saddle some, which disrupts my pedaling so I installed a USE suspension seat post which helps – but is still no substitute for rear suspension.

The carbon seatstays and big wheels soften up the ride a bit on this rocket-fast hard tail

All in all, the Salsa Mamasita is a blast to ride or race. It is a screaming fast descender, a mountain goat climber, nimble and quick without any twitchiness in steering control. The Mamasita rider feels confident and in control climbing up or blazing down the mountain. The Salsa Mamasita is definitely worth a closer look for XC and epic racers and big mountain riders – as long as you’re not a downhill-only rider, or into frequent jumping or drops bigger than two feet.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Review and Photos: Randy King

The Remedy eggs you to take the rough route home

Cruising Moab’s main drag for the first time, my brother and I dug all the signs of this vibrant culture we had joined: the Moab Cyclery safari truck with mounts for 20 bikes, the Gonzo Inn, the Poison Spider Bikes mural. One of our favorites was a campground that boasted: Fun Pigs stay at Slickrock. The Trek Remedy 8 is made for those self-same fun pigs. It is a bike that eggs on its rider and will feed your porcine speed-needs until you find yourself hours later, still pushing personal limits and stuttering gibberish like that laughable Looney Tunes porker.

It takes craft to make something that rides like such cheap fun, and this is a well-made all-mountain rig. Trek redesigned the Remedy with matched 150MM (6″) of quality Fox travel front and back, and it rips along the trail. Although it seemed a bit portly on the climbs, I rode a Large frame (not the XL that Trek recommends for my height), and the Remedy is spec’d with a wide, low-rise bar. I think a bit more of a rise on the bars and the correct size frame would make the bike climb better for me. As it was, I felt too low for really efficient climbing – especially in my knees and hands.  The suspension and geometry did not seem to be the culprits in this climbing conundrum.

Yet who are we kidding here, with all this talk about climbing? A bike like this pays its way at high speeds and on the descents. Know that aboard the Remedy you will not have to walk up too many hills, and when you get to the top, you can expect a stable, velvety ride during the gravity-fed madness that awaits.

The Fox Float RP-2 with DRCV shines on the Remedy

Riding the Remedy at Bedford Co’s Falling Creek Park, I instinctively veered toward the rough lines, and flowed over natural obstacles instead of following the path more traveled that swung around them. Indeed, the bike and I both wanted more challenges, although I did not test the Remedy on any drops higher than a couple of feet.

In Big Mountain Riding Review #6, I highlighted Trek’s proprietary Fox Float’s with DRCV. The extra-volume shock shines on the Remedy 8 too, making the back-end feel bottomless during aggressive trail riding over roots, rocks and features. Although I did not drop it off anything of size, the bike’s suspension, solidness and geometry feel like it would handle easily drops of 3-5 feet (0.9 -1.5 M). That’s more than enough for me – as drops above 3-feet make me grow increasingly attached to my front teeth (and to keeping them intact).

Other spec highlights that shone on the $3,700 Remedy 8:
Fox 32 Talas RL fork

Avid Elixir R Carbon disc brakes with 203 MM rotors

The Remedy 8 wears its brawn well, tipping the scales at under 30 pounds (13.6 KG) and rumor has it that a few upgrades can trim off a couple more pounds without removing muscle. Today’s efficient suspension and light weight materials enable all-mountain riding, and when pulled together in bikes like this, they inspire fun pigs everywhere to point their front wheel toward the big mountains and ride a little farther. Go for it; nobody would understand your gibberish back in civilization anyway, Porky.

© Big Mountain Riding

Fun Pigs will find much to like in the Remedy's smooth travel and light weight

Trek Fuel EX = A Rico Suave All-Around Bike

Reviewer: Randy King

Photos: Scott Schekman & Randy King

The Trek Fuel EX 9.9 is an inspiring all-around bike, great for big mountain riding: it is fast, light weight and cheeky. The top of the Fuel line model is a sort of James Bond super agent of bikes. Yes, some other bikes can run, jump and fight as well, and yet others share its dark good looks. However, the Fuel EX 9.9 does both at the same time, making its rider look as good and as competent merely by association.

The Trek Fuel EX 9.9 rides like a dream - a very, very expensive dream

The demo bike I tested was dressed to kill, decked out with the best offerings from SRAM, Fox, Shimano and others. The parts worked together well, carrying the bike smoothly and nimbly over the rough roots and short, tight steeps of Bedford, VA’s Falling Creek Park. The all-carbon frame, crank and bar rode like a dream of all that carbon is hyped up to be.

Riding the XL-sized frame put me in a little more stretched out versus upright riding position. I liked this because I felt more actively engaged with the bike – not perched on top of it. I found myself pedaling faster and pushing the bike through turns. Interestingly, the riding position also seemed to keep me seated more, even through small rough patches.

However, I think most of the Fuel EX’s buttery smoothness flows right from the Fox suspension. Specifically, Trek’s proprietary Fox RP-23 design, with DRCV (Dual Rate Control Valve). According to Trek, the twin-chambered shock is designed to eliminate the ramp-up at the end of the shock’s travel without adding the weight of an external chamber, meaning a smoother ride over varied terrain. The shock acts like a normal RP-23, until a bigger hit. Then the compression opens the valve into the second section of the chamber – the little extra bit visible on the top of the shock in the pictures – and the bump is eaten up at the same compression rate. In theory, it should feel more like the linear compression of a coil spring, but with air shock weight. “Right on,” I say. The DRCV shock performed beautifully.

This is a high-speed machine that would handle many challenges with aplomb. It weighs just 25-pounds (11.34KG) in its carbon suit. The aluminum versions reputedly weigh in at only a pound (454G) more for the frame. That’s light, and it feels even lighter. Still, the 5-inches (120MM) of travel are meant for going places off the beaten path, and the Fuel EX does this with the bold cheek of a much burlier bike. You could race this bike; you could ride it all day, every day.

So what’s the bad news? Well it has to do with all those little green pieces of paper. Specifically, the more than 6,700 of them it takes to buy the Trek Fuel EX 9.9. That’s a lot of money for something stamped “Made in Wisconsin.” That’s a lot of money period.

Still, if you ride it, you’ll probably want this bike. I did. And you know what? I’m not gonna try to convince you that you can’t rationalize the purchase. Everybody has dreams. Why not a glam, all-carbon, $6,700 one from Wisconsin?

©Big Mountain Riding

The DRCV shock, carbon crankset and the EVO pivot