Niner WFO9 Continued: Life after the Honeymoon.

I am still kind of in the honeymoon phase with this bike but feel like I have enough feed back to give a good first impression. I don't believe the bike is completely broken in yet.

First things first. How does it climb? It pedals very well it climbs good for the style of bike it is. The Niner WFO9 is biased towards the down hill side of things. That is just how it is. I didn't make that up, Niner bikes will tell you same thing .

I believed this the first climb I did. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, I am not saying it climbs badly. It actually pedals really well for any travel bike. Niner bikes designer has a gift in making a bike that always pedals awesome. The WFO9 is no exception. The common theme I am feeling between the WFO9 and RIP9 is that the first couple of inches of travel feel very positive and have a firmness that allows the rider to really feel the ground. It takes just enough off of small impacts to aid in control and comfort without losing the terrain under you. In other words it feels very cross country like until you hit a larger bump. Then all of the sudden the large obstacle that made you cringe disappears without blowing through all the travel. There always seems like there is a little left over for a hard landing or a drop. I found this to be the case for the WFO9 but exaggerated compared to the RIP9.

So if it pedals so well why the comment about the climbing ability? The geometry of the bike. The head angle feels much more slack then bikes like the Turner Sultan and RIP9. Also I felt like I was set back behind the pedals. So I assume that the seat tube angle is slacker also. I have not read the geometry and wont until I have more ride time. This sensation could be from the Crank Brothers Joplin R seat post(it is a set back as opposed to the Thomson's we have been running). Probably not much though. On the Thomson seat posts I run the saddle all the way back on the saddle rails. On the Crank Brothers I run it all the way forward on the saddle rails. This difference should make up for the 3/4 inch setback or so that the WFO9 is running. I will run it with a Thomson seat post and find out for sure in a little while.

So the climbing ability to me feels like a geometry thing. I can not hold this against the Niner as this style of a bike(all mountain) Is designed for bombing down hills and technical riding not blasting up a hill. Climbing the WFO9 was pleasant but as expected not the fastest way up the hill.

The WFO9 takes frame stiffness to a whole different level. Add a 12mm Maxle rear axle and I can say without a doubt this is the stiffest bike to date.  The Marzocchi 44  fork with 15mm QR and a 1.5-1 1/8 taper doesn't hurt this sensation either.

I am not a believer that rear end flex aids to a suspension bikes comfort and control. Rear end flex is not good. The stiffer the better. I mention this because I read in a major publication recently that the flex of the rear end of a dual suspension bike adds to control. What!!! Bull Crap! Ride the WFO with a 12mm axle and tell me that again.

One other benefit of a laterally stiff frame besides control from less deflection is that the pivots and bearings are less likely to wear out as fast.

O.K this bowl is not full of cherries. As good as the first few rides have been I would say there are a few things I would like to see different.  Actually so far just one. This may just be preference but to my 6' 1' 3/4 inch frame this bike feels HUGE!. For all mountain riding I would like to see it a hair shorter and the seat tube a little lower.  I am a believer that this style bike is bulky enough. I want this style bike to be as low as possible.

I don't mean Bottom Bracket either. Although I did experience pedal strikes It is to be expected with a long travel bike designed to go down hill fast. The lower the center of gravity in harmony with slacker geometry means more stability (generally speaking). The Seat tube seams like it could be an inch lower and the top tube a 1/4 inch shorter. Even if the top tube stayed the same I would like to see the seat tube shorter. On the RIP9 I feel this sizing makes more sense (they have the same Top tube and seat tube measurements). I am running an 80mm stem and still feel longer then I want to feel for this application. Please if you comment, don't state the obvious and tell me I could run a shorter stem.  Also the lower the bike feels the better. This is probably just a preference but am pretty sure others feel similarly. The frame just feels a little bulky. Yes I have ridden DH bikes and all mountain bikes and " freeride" bikes etc. Just an opinion, compact is generally better for this style of bike. I would rather be a little cramped climbing to gain a little more agility descending

Other than that I will refrain from commenting as I need more time. In case you are wondering, I really like this bike and am still learning how to use it. I am afraid it is a better bike then I am a rider.

One other note. The pictures don't have a chain tensioner. The Gamut guide did not clear the WFO9 lower linkage. If you are planning on using a chain guide contact Niner Bikes. They will be able to give you some direction on what guide to use. I opted instead to use what I had in the parts bin. I used an XT front derailer and put on a Salsa Ring dinger. Its not a bash guard but allows some more clearance and acts as a guide while the big ring is absent.

More to follow. Charlie Storm is riding the WFO9 for a couple of weeks so he'll hopefully chime in shortly.

If you're interested in getting a good deal on the WFO9 frame check out CBO

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