For more than a decade, the RIP 9 RDO trail bike has ruled our off-road lineup. For 2019, this flagship bike evolves again. Our do-it-all trail bike hits the sweet spot with 140mm of consistent, controlled CVA suspension, progressive and adjustable geometry, and increased frame stiffness. Plus it’s got more standover for 170mm dropper posts, longer reach, and a shorter head tube. More versatile and capable than ever before, reach for your RIP to tackle any trail.
We’ve gone and done it. We built the most badass non-niner Niner ever made. Why didn’t we just make a 29er that also fits 27.5-inch wheels? Well because we aren’t willing to compromise. If we’re going to do something so big (or should we say, small?) and something so contrary to our brand history, damnit, we’re doing it the right way. There are compromises in making frames to fit multiple wheel sizes and we just weren’t willing to do that.
Why the small wheels, after a decade-long commitment to 29ers?
Riders have told us that they love the stable yet supple, consistent and controlled behavior of our CVA suspension. They love the brand. They love the designs. But they want more standover, less rotating weight, and the fast handling, quick draw agility of 27.5ers.
We’ve applied every bit of our big-wheel know how to this new RIP. And after riding it, we’re so glad we expanded our minds (and our rides) to include the 29er’s more playful little brother.
Thanks to the flip chip, two different geometries mean two bikes in one. The high mode geo is perfect for everyday trail riding. This bike launches uphill and over technical terrain, thanks to CVA suspension and a steep, 75.8-degree seat tube angle. When you’re all out of breath, turn around and point it down. Drop in with confidence thanks to the long reach and slack, 66-degree head tube angle.
The RIP’s low mode brings out its rock star, party down personality. By slacking out the head angle a full degree and lowering the bottom bracket 7mm, the RIP transforms into a whole new bike that’s perfect for chairlift days, shuttle sessions and backcountry excursions with long, rowdy descents.
We also built in more standover clearance and a shorter seat tube to accommodate 170mm dropper posts.
The new RIP sports 140mm of CVA suspension on a light, stiff, strong RDO carbon frame. With new Rib Cage struts across the front triangle, flattening of the top and down tubes, widening the main rocker link pivot, and beefing up the rear triangle, the entire bike is stiffer from front to back. The struts reduce bottom bracket deflection while keeping the upper portion of the front triangle supple and compliant. And the wide, flat surfaces found on Niner’s top and downtube help to absorb frontal impacts and vibrations while resisting deflection (twisting) under torsional load.
Niner’s Constantly Varying Arc, or CVA™, is built to be supple yet stable, controlling unwanted suspension movement with calibrated anti-squat, yet remaining active while climbing and descending. Courtesy of a new higher overall leverage ratio, starting off at 3.0 and ending right around 2.3 for an average of 2.55, off the top it’s easier to set the shock in motion and overcome static friction. It’s also more supportive in the midstroke, holding the rider higher up in travel.
Going down, it’s consistent and controlled. With no need for heavy compression damping to control unwanted movement, CVA is tuned for consistent, confidence-inspiring behavior on descents. It’s perfectly balanced, so the result is stable yet supple, active, ground-hugging traction in every situation - cranking uphill, ripping downhill, and everywhere in between.
We start with the best grades of raw carbon layered precisely according to the stress points on the frame structure. In construction, our process employs rigid internal molds and results in tighter, more consistent compaction of the carbon fabric. The result? Increased precision in wall thickness and reduced resin pooling in the final product. We can build more elaborate structures with better ride tuning, increased strength, outstanding durability, and less weight.
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