NINER WFO 9 RDO REVIEW

4-STAR SHIMANO XT BUILD

Words by Drew Rohde
Photos by Dusten Ryen

After some good times aboard the Niner WFO and RIP eBikes, we could not wait to see how the lighter, more playful analog version would compare. When it came time to review the newly redesigned Niner WFO RDO, we knew it was going to need some proper terrain to make use of that 180/170mm of travel it is packing. We were pleasantly surprised however that despite its big bike appearance, it is plenty of fun on mellower trails too.

THE LAB
A lot has changed since 2009, the year the first Niner WFO was released. There is a ton more long-travel 29ers on the market now and geometry, suspension technology and rider expectation have all grown by leaps. The new WFO may carry over some namesakes and familiarity, but the differences are plentiful.

Available in five different build specs, the pricing on Niner’s WFO RDO ranges from $4,800 to $10,100. We tested the 4-Star Shimano XT build and feel it is a great blend of performance without too crazy of a price point. This build features Shimano’s 12-speed XT drivetrain, XT 4-piston brakes, Fox Factory suspension in the form of a 38 Float Factory Grip 2 EVOL fork and Float X2 Factory rear shock. Race Face Next R and Turbine R bars offer a solid cockpit feel with Race Face’s Next R carbon 170mm cranks help drive power. DT Swiss EX 1700 wheels are wrapped in Schwalbe Hans Dampf/Magic Mary (r/f) tires and give a nice blend of all around performance.

Geometry on this aggressive enduro/park bike is certainly right in the ballpark with others on the market. Our size large sports a 487/480mm reach depending on High/Low mode settings. The headtube angle sits at 64.7/64 degrees with a stack height of 630/635mm. Niner is not yet using size-specific rear ends so all riders will see 433mm rear end beneath them. The seat tube angle sits at a nicely balanced 77.7/77 degrees and helps blend efficiency with staying out of your way on playful or super gnarly terrain.

Frame features include Niner’s RDO (Race Day Optimized) carbon fiber, which is aimed at reducing weight and increasing stiffness. Fully sleeved cable guides eliminate your cable fishi0ng expeditions, which is a plus for sure. Sticking around is Niner’s CVA suspension platform. The Constantly Varying Arc, or CVA system aims to offer a stable yet supple ride feel while going up or down. Designed around two co-rotating links, Niner’s lower link gets positioned under the bottom bracket, which can draw some criticism, but has yet to cause us any issues out on the trail. Niner uses a progressive leverage rate until the last third of the WFO’s travel, at which point it sees a slightly regressive curve. The goal here was to help the bike use full travel with air shocks. Niner does say the WFO can also work with a coil, although we did not get to try one out on this bike.

Other noteworthy features include a lifetime warranty of the frame, Enduro Max Black Oxide cartridge bearings, a SRAM UDH, threaded bottom bracket and a water bottle mount. Not a bad list for those in the market for a complete bike or custom-build ready frame option.