Description
Niner MCR 9 RDO: Unleash Your Gravel Adventure
The deeper and deeper you get into gravel riding, the more you’ll notice how comfortable and grippy your gravel setup is. If you are focusing mainly on flat, reasonably smooth vineyard tracks or fire roads, then you’ll probably be pretty happy even on a regular road bike with 28 or even 25mm tires. But if you have ambitions to dive deep into rutted woodsy trails where you’ll be bounced all over the place, then you will want to have a look at the Niner MCR 9 RDO full suspension gravel bike.
You may be tempted to think Niner is trying to solve a problem you don’t have, even if you are the type to sign up for epic gravel races. But you should think again. Niner has been extremely diligent in making sure that this is not just a dropbar mountain bike. On the contrary, they have stuck to an aggressively gravel oriented geometry, nothing like the long and low, super slack geo that proliferates in the MTB ranks. This is a dropbar bike that has extreme terrain capabilities. With the front and rear suspension, you will be saved from the vibration fatigue that can plague a long ride, but more importantly, you will be able to count on the bike tracking the ground without throwing you all over the place. You’ll be faster and in greater control. And that’s the whole point.
The MCR in the name is short for Magic Carpet Ride. You can probably guess that the name is supposed to give you the impression that this gravel Niner offers an extremely comfortable ride, and you’d be right. With 50mm of travel in the rear and 40mm up front, you will certainly feel fewer of the vibrations and end up less fatigued from road chatter. But the improved traction over rough trails will end up being the real game changer. Though it might look a little like your erector set from when you were a kid, the rear suspension has been designed according to Niner’s CVA platform, which stands for Constantly Varying Arc. It’s a system that Niner has been refining since first releasing it in 2008, and it guarantees that it can be easily tuned according to the rider’s needs. This isn’t a suspension system for a DH bike; the suspension curve has been redesigned to focus on the sensitivity to high frequency bumps instead of lower frequency big hits. They have optimized how well it works when the rider is seated and pedaling, to ensure it offers an efficient platform for climbing, while still being sensitive and stable on rough downhill sections. There is even a remote lockout
Cleverly, the Niner designers have placed the shock behind the seat tube and the lower link below the bottom bracket. It’s an ingenious design that frees up the space in the front triangle for water bottle cages and frame bags. In fact, there are 11 fixed mounting points for frame bags and bottle cages. They want you to feel like you can take this bike on long distance epics where the only limiting factor of where you can go will be your imagination. And having the lower link below the BB keeps the chainstays short and the handling snappy.
The frame itself has been made from Niner’s RDO carbon fiber, which focuses as much on durability as it does on comfort and weight savings. It’s a complete package that has been designed from the ground up with the important goal of making your days in the dirt all the more enjoyable. Durability is also one reason why they have used long-lasting Enduro Max “Black Oxide” pivot bearings. And they have made the MCR 9 RDO both 2X and 1X compatible by providing a removable front derailleur mount. You’ll also get the choice of what sort of wheel/tire combo you want to run since the frame can accommodate 700 x 50c or 650b x 2.0 tires, though the FOX fork can clear just 40c with a 700c wheel. They have also provided end-to-end internal cable guides and integrated frame protection, so that you won’t have to struggle when routing your cables or worry about unexpected hits damaging your gorgeous carbon frame.
The Niner MCR 9 RDO full suspension gravel bike wants to give you that limitless feeling so that you will never need to turn around when the going gets tough.
Also check Argon 18 Gravel Bikes.
Geometry - MCR 9 RDO
Need Help?
If you have any questions about this frame or bike, please contact our Niner TeamCole Amaya
USA: 866.497.3624 ext.204
International: 510-529-3044 Fernando Munguia
USA: 866.497.3624 ext.207
International: 510-529-3052