Clint, you mentioned getting a dropper post for the Niner. I did put one on my Cannondale Slate a few months ago and it was a huge upgrade. I also added a Wolf Tooth rear derailleur extender with 11-42T cassette (and compact 34/50 chainrings). The Slate is now super versatile, lacking only the rear suspension you have on the Niner.
Gravel bikes can be pretty fast on single track. Guy won in cat 2 on a 3t in the last 3 hour race up here. I didnt race it but I heard there were some big drops too.
Man I wanna ride that bike! I love riding my CX bike on trails but I feel like I’m going to break it. Pretty sure the MCR would handle the abuse. Good video man. Love the channel.
Great video Clint! It has inspired me to ride my Cannondale Slate on single track and rough double track. It has 30mm of Lefty fork suspension but no rear shock. If I were in the market for gavel bike, I would get the Niner. Your tire recommendations are helpful too - I have the Schwalbe G-One tires but maybe I will try the Mavics you recommend or the WTBs as the G-Ones do slip out a bit, though they have remarkable grip given their tread pattern and smooth rolling on pavement.
i know i'm in the minority, but i like the idea of having that suspension available even just on the road. pot holes, train tracks, road imperfections, etc - road tires just aren't made for that abuse. road motorcycles get 4-5 inches of travel. add to that 4-6 inch wide tires. i want some of that. i've gone 55mph down a mountain road praying my one-inch tires would hold together. i've drafted semi trucks hoping i don't hit something obscured by the truck. 2 inches of travel with 32mm slicks and i'd be happy.
Awesome vid! Will you be installing at dropper post? PNW makes one for gravel bikes; I have one installed on my Marin Gestalt with a 95mm dropper and WTB Riddlers. Big difference, especially since I frequently ride CA singletrack with techy rock garden descents. Gravel bikes can sure take a lot!
What kind of lever do you use for the dropper post? (Where do you mount it if you're not running a 1x drivetrain?) Crankbrothers and KS also offer some Dropper posts for 27.2mm seat post diameters. Although the crankbrothers one isn't available yet (I'm waiting for mine for 3 months now)
@@sebastianjost www.pnwcomponents.com/products/rainier-cx-lever-kit-for-31-8mm-diameter-drop-bars I run it on the drops. Positioning is personal preference, but I've positioned it to where I can engage it while on the drops and the hoods. But it can also be installed on the flat part of the bar.
Still use my '17 niner rlt 9 rdo (4 star with ultegra and carbon hoops i have yet to need to true) for chunky singletrack here in fort collins like you would find in moab. maxxis rambler on the front and wtb nano 42 on the rear, it'll grip anything for the steep rock sections, brakes well and corners super well like you said. rambler tire also has better puncture protection due to the center tread pattern. Build to mtb standards I've even used the rlt rdo on blue diamond runs in Steamboat. No limit to where you can go as long as you are ok with going slower. It's weirdly fun to be outgunned on the singletrack with the peice of mind knowing you aren't going to breakdown on a niner. Really improves mtb skills.
FYI, might be a good idea to have video of the bike at the start so we know what you are describing. I did get to demo one at the Santos FTF. It's a nice bike.
Interesting but they should have made a drop bar full suspension mountain bike. Like a full-suspension Salsa Cutthroat. I have a Cutthroat with a Fox stepcast 32 and love it but rear suspension would be even better. This bike’s downfall is inadequate tire clearance for real mountain bike tires. Plus who wants 142 spacing anymore.
The MCR is meant to be a gravel bike that makes rough gravel roads a lot more comfortable. The side benefit is that it can do light to single track and it is actually quite fun on those types of trails. If they try to make it too burly I think it would take away from it's gravel capabilities.
I have mixed feelings about suspension in gravel. For me gravel is for offroad and sometimes normal roads (I mean speed)...but maybe this is future for gravels...we will see in future.
Have you any experience of suspension seatposts, Clint, like the Cane Creek Thudbuster? My carbon Deda seatpost snapped earlier this week, when I went over a bump. Thanks.
Not a light weight frame actually 2.7kg :-( I use many lightweight componets like Darimo Parts, Gelu Saddle, and Rudy Fork, Sram Red Parts, 1200g Wheelset etc. But this bike is still 8.5kg.
Hey Clint, Was wondering how you have dialed in your MCR. How much do you weight and what have you found to be the sweet spot for front and rear pressure, rebound, etc. I've been dialing in my MCR but interested to see what you've found. Thank!
So can’t do that ride slightly better on a $1000 Trek Roscoe 6, for example? Was the 9iner MCR experience really worth the $10,000 price tag? 10 times the tangible value?
The MCR is an incredibly unique riding experience. Unlike any other bike I've ridden. You can get a full MCR for $4,500. The top of the line is $7,500. So I'm not sure where you saw one for $10,000? If that's true someone's trying to rip you off.
I ´m concerned about the weight. How much does the mcr9 weight? Kg please. I think it will weight more than a Hardtail mtb. Then the decision is XC MTB or the mcr9? On the trails the XC will be better. On gravel?
I got a chance to ride one of these at Sedona MTB festival and jumped at it after seeing your previous videos. I have to say I loved it. Took it on rocky singletrack and came away super impressed (I'd only add a dropper). Also rode an Evil Haggar which honestly didn't really like. (for background I have an aggressively off-road gravel bike with 2.2" semi-slick MTB tires and a dropper that I sometimes ride on rocky trails around San Diego) The Niner MCR I Demo'd had a busted rear lockout however, so one thing I'm really interested in is how the bike feels locked out. Can you compare in detail full open, rear locked, and fully locked? Basically I want to know where the "magic" is coming from - front, rear, geo?
When the bike is locked out it will respond to really hard hits like g- outs and it feels really cool when that happens. On small chattery stuff it feels like a standard gravel bike when it's locked out
@@ClintGibbs How much does just the front suspension help out? I'd love to buy one of these (it's the first time a demo really made me want the bike), but that's not in the cards for at least a year. I'm playing with the idea of installing a front shock on my bike, but decided to pick up a redshift stem and cheap carbon aero drop bars (flat and flexy) to try to smooth out the front end first. Even with 2.2's it gets very harsh around here and I also run 40c tires on another wheelset for the more street oriented rides.
So what's the weight penalty compared to say the RLT 9 RDO? Bike looks good in person. We had the sales rep bring one by but I didn't have time to ride or put it on the scale.
It would be interesting to see how the MCR compares to a plus tire(either 27.5+ or 29+) gravel bike, like the Bearclaw Beaux Jaxon. What brakes does it come with?
The brakes depend on the model you choose. I recommend checking the niner website for that. All models come with hydraulic disc brakes though. A MTB calipper in the front and a road calipper in the rear.
The salsa doesn't have any suspension except the larger tires. So the mcr will probably be a lot more comfortable while being faster on relatively smooth roads.
@@ClintGibbs "Very manageable", that's nearly as succinct & precise as the "Light off road use " on my trekking forks! I would like to see a comparison (time & fun factor) between a XC & the MCR, your time, your channel I know, thanks for the reply.
I wonder how this would feel against a bike which suspends the rider instead of the bike. I have Trek Checkpoint SL and use a Redshift suspension stem and I could observe some of what you describe myself. However I presume that traction would be a lot better on the MCR.
These are actually the kinds of conditions I tend to ride. However the incline you rode at the 9:00 min mark with all the roots would be a stretch and the big root at 9:45 would propably send me flying. I'm certainly not as good a rider as you, tho - still can't do a bunnyhop. Btw, the landscape and track conditions are basically the same in germany where I live - apart from the ferns!
@@CaptainShiny5000 I'm wondering this myself, I have a redshift stem on the way and have a PNW coast dropper that has suspension in it. I've demoed the MCR, it was lovely. I hope I can get 80% there with fatter tires and compliance in the stem and post.
@@jeffreythompson6282 It's definitely a huge improvement over a completely rigid stem. I'd imagine that a suspension stem would be closer to a suspension fork in terms traction than a suspended seatpost compared to fully suspended rear end on the frame. On the front you'll always have part of your bodyweight on the handlebar, however, on a rough trail you'll likely get out of your saddle occasionally and in these instances there isn't any kind of suspension going on in the rear at all. So, in my mind the body acts as a counterweight to the compression dampening which comes from the stem and thus presses the bike down to the ground again after a bump. On a suspension fork you'd have bodyweight + Bike weight but the result should be similar if you adjust the stem or suspension fork properly to your weight - propably not the same, tho, since you have a lot more adjustments on a proper suspension fork. I might also be completely wrong about all of that and just talk out of my butt ;-)
@@jeffreythompson6282 In terms of comfort when you're seated, rider suspension in the front and back is pretty amazing. Rocky Gravelroads are a joy with my Checkpoint SL and even hitting rocks or high roots barely reach my bum. I also have a Trekkingbike with a Coil suspension fork with 65mm travel but the Redshift suspension stem is actually notably smoother on rough terrain - especially on stuff like cobbles. The Trekkingbike kinda kills my wrists - the Gravelbike is smooth as silk compared to that. Edit: That said - a high quality air suspension fork would most likely still be better than the crappy coilfork I have. I just wanted to mention that as a point of reference.
Hey Clint, Enjoyed the video. Since I have a gravel bike that does not have suspension but would take a good size 2.0 to 2.2 650b in front and a 2.0 in the back. Do you think it is it worth it to purchase an extra 650b wheelset as an alternative for rougher riding. The bike you are riding is very nice just out of my price range however. I have a hardtail but I like the idea of riding a gravel bike with a second set of wheels to give you the option of riding a secondary bike on rougher trails. Thanks!
I did exactly that on my gravel bike (only dropping to 26" for my 2.2's and 650x40 for the more street stuff as this is an old cross bike with highish BB and toe overlap with the 700x32c it came with). The fat tires certainly help, but the Niner MCR is next level smooth (I've demo'd it). The issue with tires as suspension is to get that smoothness you've got to air down to the point you're exposing the rims to dings (around here its sharp edged rocks everywhere) and way too soft on the street. I've got a redshift stem on the way, I hope that will get the compliance in the front end I'm after.
@@jeffreythompson6282 Thanks for the response...... Can't justify spending that much for a bike. Crazy expensive. The 650b tires should make it fun riding rougher trails. At least if I go that direction I hope so.
@@thegefster1988 yep, I'm in the same boat. If you can fit them 2.2 speedkings are great. I'd do it, just don't spend a lot on the wheelset like I did...
@@thegefster1988 have you considered just getting wider tires and swapping tires instead of wheels? It takes a bit longer but is also a lot cheaper. Not recommended with tubeless though as that would become messy quite quickly. Another option would be to get a proper suspension fork. And maybe a dropper post. It depends on what you want. If it's traction that limits you, wider tires are necessary. If it's comfort you want to improve, wider tires or even a suspension fork are probably the best option. If it's technical terrain/Singletrail where you struggle, a dropper post may be the best upgrade. Costs of these upgrades: Tires: ~100$ Dropper post: ~200$ Suspension fork: 400$-800$ New wheels: ~400$+
@@sebastianjost Going wider without dropping wheelsize can be problematic though. My bike is an old cross bike designed around 700x32c tires but had room for 40c. With 40's I had nasty toe overlap and felt entirely too high. I'm much happier with 650x42 as my streetish set and 26" x 2.2" as my offroad set. Both are about the same OD as 700x23c which is ideal to lower it a touch and fully get rid of toe overlap. The new wheels was an expensive solution, but much less than a new bike (and I already had sunk a lot of money into this one). Oh, and in regards to width I can only go max 40's with 700c, 50's with 650b, but 2.2" with the 26ers.
Lol. I take it you've never ridden some of the top spots in Florida? Time to make a trip down! If you do look me up and I'll take you to some places that will blow your mind for single track riding in Florida, to include the flow track the Cam Zink built at Santos.
Clint Gibbs fair enough. You had mentioned not getting enough braking. If you raise your bars and ride in the drops, I’ve found that road levers feel way more powerful than when you’re on the hoods.
@@tstodgell I prefer the drops on all Off-Road sections. My brother never used them because the levers are badly positioned and he didn't want to remove the bar tape to change that yet.
The purpose is to smooth out rough gravel roads and rough a double track. A side benefit is that it is fun to ride on singletrack. Final review comes out in a few weeks and I explained a lot of the benefits of the bike.
I've done several videos on this bike which are linked in the description below the video. My videos build on each other and I don't want to waste time showing the bike when I've done that extensively. The first look video shows the bike up close.
