Niner Rip9 Frame 2012: The RIP9: same travel, same weight, drastically increased stiffness.
Our CVA™ suspension technology still gives the rear wheel 4.5” of smooth, efficient, active suspension
travel while the geometry has been tweaked to utilize the latest 120mm travel forks – giving the R.I.P. 9
that perfect all-mountain balance. Niner has redefined its award winning suspension frame from the ground up maximizing new design
and production technologies. From the head tube to the rear drop out, Niner picked over every single
detail and asked “can it be done better?” Taper steerer tube technology at the head tube, hydroformed
top tube and down tube, and over 10 forged or extruded parts on the R.I.P. 9 all went through a
painstaking process of FEA, mechanical stress tests and real world testing to be as light and as strong as
possible. The result: increased stiffness everywhere without a weight penalty. The R.I.P. 9 will re-awaken your passion for what all mountain is all about.
Note: Fork not included.
The all new R.I.P. 9 full suspension bike from Niner has all of the characteristics that make Niners the
most agile, most stable, most fun 29ers on the market. From end to end, Niner built this full susser to be
able to tackle any terrain at any speed. Whether it’s a slow rock garden, a full on Kamikaze loose gravel
fire road, rock drops, undulating singletrack, or tight switchbacks, the R.I.P. 9 inspires confidence no
matter what the world throws at it.
Once again, Niner’s dedication to finding the perfect balance between precise steering and stability is
evident on the R.I.P. 9. Having four previous models of successful and popular geometry helped create the
angles for the R.I.P., but it wasn’t enough to just transfer the numbers from our cross country rigs over to
the full suspension bike. Many things change, including BB height to accommodate sag and suspension
travel, and of course a moving rear wheel causes its own set of complications.
You can see by the geometry chart above that our head tube is still a steep 71.5 degrees. Once again, this
is to account for the larger trail number (see trail chart) of the 29” wheel. The trail chart is showing the
difference in trail between a 29” and 26” wheel at 71 degrees and a 29” and 26” wheel at 72 degress.
The R.I.P. 9 is right in between at 71.5 degrees which offers a little more stability. In addition, the head
tube angle on the full suspension bike is based on a 100mm travel fork, not an 80mm travel fork as on
the hardtails. While we experimented with steeper head tube angles and shallower head tube angles,
71.5 degrees seemed to be right on the money. Once the bike is set up correctly, with the proper sag in
both the front and rear shocks, the R.I.P. 9’s 71.5 degree head tube angle offered more stability at high
speeds while not adversely affecting the cornering ability in either high or low speed situations. The R.I.P.
9 still rails the corners and switchbacks with ease.
The head tube on the R.I.P. 9 is a little taller than our hardtails which offers more triangulation between
the top tube and downtube for added head tube junction strength. This is a critical area, and since the
R.I.P. 9 is designed for the ultimate back country abuse, Niner felt it necessary to increase the strength at
the front end to handle the loads from longer forks and/or double-triple clamp forks on the market. The
taller head tube in addition to the top tube and downtube gussets, makes for a nearly indestructible head
tube junction.
The R.I.P. 9 is the first frame in Niner’s line up with a radically sloping top tube and the use of a top
tube/seat tube gusset. This is, of course, to offer more stand over clearance. Since the R.I.P. 9 has a
taller bottom bracket height, and a longer seat tube (for use with a shorter seat post), it was absolutely
necessary to drop the top tube down for added clearance.
In addition, the downtube, like all of our Scandium and 7005 series frames, has a custom butted and
proprietary bent downtube which both adds strength while offering clearance for those tall, pesky fork
crowns.
Looking back at the geometry chart, the R.I.P. 9 has a noticeably longer seat tube length than the seat
tube length on the hard tail geometry. This reason is two fold: since we knew that we were going to be
sloping the top tube and using a gusset, it just made sense to extend the seat tube for added strength
since the standover height was being taken care of by the top tube/seat tube gusset. In addition, the seat
tube is bent to allow room for the four point five inches of rear wheel travel, so Niner wanted there to be
as much seat tube above the bend as possible to allow for maximum seat post adjustment. On the small
frame, there might be a limited amount of seatpost adjustment, but it’s enough to get the seat down and
out of the way on those hairy, steep descents. The bent seat tube was absolutely necessary to keep the
chainstay short and allow enough room for a front derailleur and clearance for the rear seatstay bridge
while maintaining proper tire clearance around the bridge. All of this is extremely tight, and Niner worked
tirelessly until the puzzle was solved and the tri-fecta of tire clearance, bridge clearance, and derailleur
clearance was met.
By the geometry chart, the seat tube angles appear to be flip flopped, with the small and medium frames
getting slightly slacker seat tube angles than the large and extra large frames. This is correct and for a
reason. As riders get taller, they typically have more seatpost sticking out. This stands to reason. Since
the seat tube angle that is measured on the geometry chart is “effective” and is only measured to the
junction of the effective top tube line, taller riders will easily raise their seats above this junction. Because
of the bent seat tube, any height of the seat above the effective top tube line will cause the effective seat
tube to become slacker.
In keeping with Niner’s philosophy of geometry, the R.I.P. 9 has extremely short chainstays for a 29”
wheel bike with this much travel. This helps in tight singletrack and switchback situations, keeping the
wheelbase tight and manageable while keeping the riders weight over the rear wheel for added grip in
climbing situations.
Every size frame comes with two water bottle locations: one in the main triangle and one on the underside
of the downtube. On the small frame, some larger water bottles may not fit into the main triangle cage
location.
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