Jet 9 RDO for me!

I was skeptical about feeling a difference rolling over rough terrain. I have to admit I was wrong; there is definitely a difference. Turns out the physics geeks know what they're talking about and the Niner engineers did a wonderful job putting me in the right position to be in perfect control of the 29 inch wheels.

Oh yeah, and let's get this out of the way right here. Niner's Jet 9 RDO is the sexiest bike on the planet. No other bike matches the sleek curves, colors, and geometry in a way that still produces a bike that doesn't look wimpy or fragile.

The full suspension ride is at least as comfortable and responsive as my Fuel EX 9.8. The rear suspension articulation has evolved, and maybe I was biased by a discussion by Butch at Skyline, but it does seem the rear suspension remains at the same place on the bike as it moves up and down. It's a weird little difference; looking at the suspension technology you can see the Fuel EX 9.8 articulates upward more than the Jet 9 RDO, and I believe it can be felt on the dirt a tiny bit.

Front suspension wise I purposefully got a 100mm front shock instead of 120 on my other bike but haven't felt a difference so far. I doubt I will. I can't say I felt a difference with Kashima coating, although I heard the front fork squeak for the first few rides.

I'm pretty confident the most benefit I will get from this bike is the 3 lb weight loss between my two bikes. As I mentioned to a few people already the bike and I are starting to speak the same language and it's quite the ride!