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Longtermer: Scott's Niner Air 9 Carbon Mid-Term
Scott follows up on his Niner Air 9 Carbon longtermer test bike

Words by Scott Cornish and Pictures by Gary Lake and Dylan Marks - posted 29/07/2011

Longtermer: Scott's Niner Air 9 Carbon Mid-Term

It’s time already for the mid-term report on my Niner Air 9 Carbon - you can catch my initial write-up/review here. The bike has been ridden in anger over the past few months putting the big wheels through their paces on a number of different race courses in the UK and abroad, to really see where those big hoops excel or indeed, have their limitations.

Putting the bike together back in March was quite a struggle, due to the limited options of 29er specific light weight components, but since then component choice has exploded as more riders are choosing big wheels as their main ride. It has been interesting to see the number of high spec 29ers at races in the UK and abroad, maybe even more so in Europe. Big wheels have been stepping out from their niche status and with good reason as they do very much have their place. Remembering those first few, tentative hours on the Niner Air 9 carbon, any initial reservations surrounding the ‘wagon wheels’ and negative thoughts of slow handling have just been dispelled the more the Niner has been ridden.

The smooth lines of the Niner have attracted much attention at events and the bike has put a grin on the face of anyone who has slung a leg over for a quick spin. Most look at the set up with the negative rise stem, a flat bar and steep head angle expecting a twitchy ride, but return quite surprised at how agile and precise the steering actually is. I have ridden the Niner on as much different terrain as possible from the short, steep climbs and fast singletrack of Wales; to the long climbs and descents of European marathons; to fast, rooty and rocky descents; and to the tight, twisting singletrack of local endurance events. The cranks have been torqued hard in everything from pairs racing to hours spent in the saddle at stage races, as well as long days out just riding the trails and beyond.

Niner Air 9 Carbon

Remember the first time you rode a properly sorted full-susser that didn’t pogo about or weigh several tonnes; or a modern carbon hardtail that wasn’t a fragile noodly mess liable to explode at the nearest glance of a passing rock; and basically thought ‘wow’? That’s how the Niner makes you feel. It’s like when a new concept in the world of MTB development finally comes good. The Niner Air 9 carbon is like a sharp handling 26er on steroids, descending technical terrain and riding choppy trails faster than I used to on a 26er hardtail, it almost feels like riding a short travel 26er full susser, but without the weight penalty.

At speed, the large wheels do just ‘float’ over rocks and roots more so than a 26inch wheel giving so much more control. Holding on tight and letting go of the brakes, I can attack tough trails with more speed, being able to confidently flick the front wheel through technical terrian. That confidence did lead to some over exuberance with speed on occasions, pinning it down rocky descents and along technical trails, seeking out the limits of the big wheels (and my skills). I think I surprised some full suss riders, even more so out on the continent’s stage races! I’m sure that I have gotten away with a number of pilot errors more so than I would have done on a 26er. Having that extra speed is one thing, being able to slow those big wheels down is another! I have found running a 160mm rotor on the front a little limiting at times, especially on steep descents, a move to a 180mm would give some welcome extra bite.

On loose, technical sections, the bike just flies up...

No disadvantage has been experienced on climbs either, the Niner’s compact wheelbase overcoming any criticisms of slower uphill speeds and as a climber this is an important factor. I simply haven’t felt any slower on long climbs, and if anything, a little quicker on bumpy trail climbs. On loose, technical sections, the bike just flies up, increased traction coming from the combination of the big wheels and sharp handling. I have just felt so much more able to take on the less smooth line with greater ease, and without the heart rate going through the roof too.

Out the saddle efforts and honking on the bars from a slow speed or standing start, does momentarily feel a little slower to get up to speed than the more aggressive geometry 26ers. But that ‘disadvantage’ is soon a distant memory once there is some momentum in those big hoops. A common comment is that I seem to be pushing a more casual RPM for the same speed rather than spinning up hills compared to fellow 26er riders riding alongside. Apart from being a bit of a gear masher, just by virtue of the larger wheel size, the bike will move further in 1 RPM in an equivalent gear, but for a greater effort. I have been running 2 rings up front for a couple of years, getting away with a 32/34 low gear on a 26er. Running the same set up on a 29er at the Grand Raid Cristalp last year hurt, alot, I was grovelling by the end. Learning the hard way, a standard gear set up is too tall, especially if you prefer to spin. Currently, Rotor only offer a 27/40 Q ring option with their the double 3D chainset, but combined with an 11-36 cassette, it’s sufficient for even the steepest climbs Europe or Wales can throw at you. Wind up the 40/11 combo and you’ll be going at some speed. On less vertically demanding courses having the 11-36 meant being able to stay in the big ring longer or running a 1x10 set would be a very viable option.

I’m a huge fan of the latest incarnation of the TerraLogic system on the Fox forks. The F29 with its tapered steerer and 15mm bolt through axle is a real match for the Niner’s stiff and direct front end. I’ve quickly managed to find a setting on the TerraLogic platform that just works making it very fit and forget, not something you can always say with a highend fork when you’re a compulsive fettler.

The bike just went where it was pointed...

The main criticism of big wheels is their reduced handling characteristics in singletrack, especially where it gets tight and twisty. The Niner Air 9 Carbon soon dispelled these perceptions after riding the singletrack sections of the Erlestoke 12 and the Bristol BikeFest. The Niner was just so fast on these notoriously natty and twisty singletrack courses. I was pleasantly surprised at just how quickly I could throw the bike into sharp turns, with a good dose of speed, and come out unscathed facing the right way up. Speed could be maintained through every twist and turn, no doubt down the steep head angle and short wheelbase, only rider skill dictating just how fast. The bike just went where it was pointed, the only noticeable flex coming from the wheel, but no more so than it would be from a high-end race 26er wheel. Slow speed handling was sublime through the off camber, tight turns of the Erlestoke 12 course, being able to tuck the bike’s front wheel tightly and quickly into and out of turns was the total opposite of what I was expecting. Getting to grips with just how manageable and quick the Niner was, I just got faster each lap. Gary (Editor and an openly 29er skeptic) very reluctantly summed up the Niner’s handling characteristics saying, “it handles like a 26er through the trails but with the pace of a cross bike as you open it up on the fireroads”.

At first glance, the frame appears that it would be overly stiff given the large diameter tubes, and it is, but thankfully in the right places. The Niner is stiff enough at the BB to put every ounce of effort into driving those big hoops forward, yet the frame retains a certain amount of vertical compliance out back. I raced a 26er full-susser last year and going to a hardtail, albeit a 29er, hasn’t been the racing baptism of fire I was expecting. Even on the really big European stage races, I’ve been without that feeling of being beaten up as I was anticipating. The Niner is just one of those frames which could quite happily be ridden hard on the race circuit or taken out for a long day out in the trails.

I think if there’s one thing I could take away from this is that the Niner genuinely feels like a race bike when it’s needed, but with no spec changes it’s also a great long distance epic bike, or even one that’s a good crack for just blatting local trails on. There are strong criticisms of 29ers saying that are simply just a marketing tool to sell more bikes, but my experience of the Niner Air 9 Carbon has shown me just how effective big wheels are. Niner have been designing big wheeled only bikes for a long time and their geometry no doubt accounts for just how well the bike handles. And there’s certainly a few 29ers out there which are hampered by the now stereotypical downsides everyone expects, the Niner just ins’t one of them. Sure, a 29er isn’t for everyone or an outright replacement for the 26er, just as a 140mm enduro bike isn’t for everyone. It’s about getting the right bike for you and the terrain you ride. 29ers shouldn’t be discounted because of criticisms and weight issues, go get a leg over, you may be pleasantly surprised. As a distance/endurance rider I’m totally converted, and I’m more than pleased with how it handles my everyday MTB needs too!