Niner RLT 9 RDO Carbon Gravel Bike - Long Term Review
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- The Niner RLT 9 RDO carbon gravel bike arrived on the doorstep of Gravel Cyclist HQ in September of 2017, shortly after JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew raced aboard it at the 2017 Rebecca's Private Idaho (Queen's Stage Race). Since that race, the RLT 9 RDO has racked up a ton of training miles in the South Eastern United States. This comprehensive review also features a good amount of drone footage.
Thanks to Ian Hylands, Adventure Scout Media and Linda Guerrette Photography for footage and photography used in this video review.
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Hi watching this and many of your other videos I'm reminded (Very fondly) of the The Leyland Brothers. Your delivery of info is quite similar.
I used to LOVE Mike and Mal when I was a young lad! I need to google them... I wonder if they are still alive?
Oh yeah - great call! I remember 'the Leyland brothers' very fondly too as a youngster the couple years I was in Australia. Not sure why I watch these videos as I can't afford a niner one star build, let alone a five star! ☺️. But love your videos Jom, lots of fun and very informative.
Thanks Jason, appreciate it.
Great photography especially some of the overheads near the end!
Thank for the review, this helps in some of my research in chasing another gravel bike
As an owner myself I find your review spot on. The nagging issue I had was rear tire clearance. Steel version could hold 45s, but on the RDO version they shortened the chain stay resulting in only 40s. Front end still holds 45s.
Other issue I had was all the little rubber stoppers on the fork fell out out over time.
I’d say this bike and the slate are the best bikes I have ridden for small people, due to generous stand over height and short top tube.
Let's hope they address the tyre clearance in a future edition. Niner has the carbon layup in this frame tuned to near perfection.
I love the slate, but I hate proprietary stuff. I am a Cannondale lover too. lol
because I am looking for fender /rack mounts I would have already picked up the 2018 CAADX except I want thru axle. Supper awesome Slate close out prices right now...... hmmm
All of these first world problems / too many bike choices is nice to have :)
don't forget wheel and tire choices. lol
Excellent review and video as usual
Thank you Tim!
Hello, what size of this bike or any Niner RLT 9 RDO, would you recommend for a person with height of 6'1"? 59 or 60cm? Thanks in advance. Marek
I ride the 59 and I am the same height.
JOM, your content is so great. I know this is an old review but I was curious how you would compare the rlt 9 rdo ride quality to that of the cervelo aspero?
Aspero = a harsher ride, definitely a race-oriented bike.
Thank you sir for a very good and also very informative review! Also inspirational! Wishing you Happy Riding also during the coming year of 2018! /Best Regards from Sweden! :-)
Thank you for the kind words!
whats your thought if comparing this carbon version against the steel? Thanx
Hi there. I haven't ridden a steel gravel bike in some time so I cannot accurately answer your question. However, I am expecting one inbound in the future... watch this space!
How does it compare to Lynskey or Litespeed? I’m very interested in Niner RLT RDO and Open U.P., but I’m told for he same price ($2500-3200 frame) off-the-shelf titanium or custom steel is better on gravel. Thoughts?
Hey Steve, I generally don't do comparisons, not being a jerk. The Niner's limiting factor is tyre clearance, but it rides very nicely with a 35 - 40mm tyre. Definitely the best riding carbon gravel bike I've ridden across the rough stuff. No time on the Open U.P. but I'm pretty certain it has good tyre clearance.
Very hard to go past the Lynskey frames - the GR260 or PRO - killer tyre clearance and they're always having sales. Hopefully you caught my GR250 review? GR260 is the same frame with a few tweaks. Hope to have the PRO GR review edited soon... same clearance as the GR260 but in 6/4 Ti.
I hope this helps somewhat.
What handlebars were you using there... they look compact in the drops... thanks for the review.
Easton EC70 AX Carbon Adventure. I need to post a review of those soon... it won't be a video review, rather a written reivew on GravelCyclist.com
How about the ibis gravel bike. How does it compare to the rdo
No time on the IBIS bike, sorry. Generally, I do not compare bikes, I prefer to treat each bike individually and allow my viewers to make their own decision. With this said, I am hoping to take receipt of the IBIS bike sometime in the future. Thanks for the question.
Can you review the Enve 4.5AR wheel set you rode?
Not really sure if that will happen... I am overseas at the moment but the bike is due to be returned not long after my arrival back in the US of A.
9k$? One could buy a pretty big full optional motorbike for that money. Hell, there are full specced hondas that sell for 5/6 k. I'm quite sure there's more technology in a 9k motorbike than in a bicycle.
Niner set the price, not me. Niner have changed the spec on the 2018 build and the priced has dropped considerably. The wheelset on the review bike runs about $3K US. Expen$ive!
do not feed the troll!
So I had my bias opinion going in, but I went into watching this video with an open mind anyways. My Bias? it's limited on tire size.
With that being said, by the time the review ended you have almost convinced me that you and I are very incorrect on our tire size opinions. As in, if the RDO eats up the rough stuff like no other carbon gravel you've ridden, why the need for plush tires, along with the extra weight and rotating mass that they bring with them? I do understand that sometimes we want more float etc, or traction. So I won't jump on the bash the tire volume thing.
yet there is a nagging/persistent question/thought that has been chronic in my search of a suitable for me gravel bike purchase. Which is how much of the plush tire volume push/need/desire stems from people riding junk frames? take that "junk" with a grain of salt! but it's no secrete that all frames are not equal. As in I'd rather ride my Alloy Cannondale synapse on gravel with 25's before I would my Trek Crossrip on 40's as for comfort goes! So I am left with the nagging question is a 32c and a 2018 Synapse enough for me?
Tubeless is getting better, tires are getting better, the pinchflat is less bothersome. We can, today, get by with abusing wheels and tires way more than we could a year ago.
I guess my point is simple. I wished the new Synpase wasn't limited to 32's, I wish the RDO wasn't limited on tire size. Yet they are what they are for the purpose they are for.
We must decide do we want a race bike for the thrill of fast, or do we want to ride to ride? where is our own personal compromise at?
I mean if my sole purpose of bigger tires is for comfort, Does not the RDO eating up the rough stuff giving me the comfort I seek, sans pushing the rotating mass of larger tires? which means the RDO will offer more saddle time and distance covered for my energy spent vs pushing more tire?
I think you missed one of my points about tire clearance - mud clearance. Muddy conditions, I ride a 700c x 35mm Panaracer Gravelking Mud tyre. If I have plenty of room around the tyre, I will have clearance for mud pack. That is a huge consideration. I suggest you check out my review of the Lynskey GR250... Lynsykey PRO GR review is coming.
I ride tubeless only.
yeah I tend to ignore the mud aspect, due to Limestone/crushed limestone, and I'd migrate towards MN/Iowa and farther west before I'd head south. I'd guess that mud clearance is less of an issue for Colorado/Idaho gravel riders also. A
My criteria for gravel leans towards light touring and bikepacking. multi day trips. I have watched the GR250 review before. at this Time I am leaning more towards a Niner RLT steel, Norco Search XR steel or carbon. Your RDO review has me looking at it again.
I'll ride any weather, below zero, freezing rain to 120 blistering hot. what I won't do is rip my stuff to shreds with mud. If I am going to ride mud it will be a single speed. Mud is destructive, and well I don't get paid, or sponsored. If I raced to race and did it on gravel, I'd be on a SuperX ;)
Speaking of mud and clearance and it being a racing criteria, I'd love to know what tire/bike combinations the winners were on in the Races in your GR250 review. they must have had massive mud clearance?
As I understand it, the riders who won / placed at Land Run 100 this year hike-a-biked a lot. My bike was perfect, my lack of a jacket, not so. Almanzo was a tough event in the 39F rain, but my jacket was spot on, as was my 35mm Panaracer GK tyres - non mud variety. The road conditions there are very similiar to what we have in North Central Florida. Almanzo - my favorite race in the Midwest.
I ride the world over, so I like options! In fact, tomorrow, I head to Australia for a while. Time to escape the short days of winter!
enjoy your warmer days!
40 isn’t bad clearance but 45 is better for gravel bikes. 40 is like a magic tire size. The issue is that 40s rarely match as a 40, and even the gravel kings 35s were pushing 37. It’s like you end up choosing a tire usually smaller than a 40 and see how it actually sizes up.
you actually lose clearance by going 650B due to the hourglass chainstays
Nothing you can do to convince me $9000 for a bike is worth it.
As an FYI, Niner has considerably dropped the price on the 5-Star built for 2018. Drop by their website for the details.
then ditch the enve wheels, and ditch the di2. RDO frame $2,300, Ultegra Mech w/hydra brakes $1,200, notubes Valors $1,900 = $5,400 so that leaves you with almost $4,000 for tires saddle seatpost stem and handlebars.
of course there is always 105/Tiagra/Sora options, along with $500-900 wheelsets.
Or even the SRAM options.
Who names these bikes..seriously!!!!!!
RLT = Road Less Travelled. Maybe you should work in marketing and change some things? :)
I like the name.
$9000 ouch a big niner LOL
Niner have revamped the spec on the 5-Star build for 2018... along with the price!
Looking forward to future affordable gravel bike reviews!
We review whatever the manufacturers like to send us, but watch this space!
The enve wheels is what takes the price up to stratosphere.
bit above my budget, but surely a great bike (sure is by specs alone!)