Just seen this, not sure what I think about it. It looks quite good though.
https://ninerbikes.com/pages/the-mcr-9-rdo
Put some flat bars on it and complete the circle..
I think somone has just invented the ATB. No, that sounds a bit too American. We need a new name for this type of bike.....
I can kind of see the point if you like doing longer rides on a gravel bike. Its still not overly technical but a bit of comfort wouldnt go amiss.
Put some flat bars on it
I did 300+ miles on flat bars in a long weekend 2 weeks ago. Still havent regained full feeling in my little fingers.......
This looks ideal for riding the SDW when it’s windy!
Bottom line is that that would be a blast to ride from my house.
I’d love one, not really needed. But then again for my riding I don’t need the full sus mtb that I have. For my road riding I don’t need the aero bike that I have....it’s just fun and I’d imagine I can have a lot of fun on that bike as well.
In principle stupid, in practice... I want one.
That's hilarious! 😂
**** me. They must think mountain bikers are pigshit stupid fools with more money than sense.
A viewpoint which would appear to be spot on
*** me. They must think cyclists are pigshit stupid fools with more money than sense.
A viewpoint which would appear to be spot on
FTFY brah. 😋
Good Lordy! Full circle, almost. I’m particularly liking the head and seat tube angles 😁 Glad I’ve kept hold of my 2000my Superlight frame as it’ll be what everyone will be wanting in about 18months’ time! 🤣
Just when you thought the bicycle marketing machine had run out of niche sub-groups to invent
low and slack soft tail unicycle coming next week.....
Been out since sea otter iirc, prefer a trek super caliber myself
So, a drop bar FS MTB then?
Stick drop bars on a 1991 Manitou FS and you're about there.
Weight?
I dont think you have to wait, it's here now.
Crikey, might as well get a MTB.
I saw a cannondale carbon “gravel”bike with what looked like a bush n bearing for “flex”,t’other day. I was excited about it until I spotted that. Hmm.
In my size too.
Looks nice enough but I'm with the "it's a bit pointless" crowd to be honest.
But why? Plenty of nice light weight FS frames and bikes out there that will do what this for, but better, and cheaper.
All I see is a bike that has the geometry to allow use of drop bars.
All I see is a bike that has the geometry to allow use of
dropriser/flat bars a la 10 or so years ago.
FTFY 😉
I think this looks great for most of the stuff that I can ride from my door. For any sort of pedally stuff, I'm much happier in a road/CX position. A lot of the trails round here are great on a CX bike, but some surfaces are brutal on a rigid bike with relatively skinny tyres. The kind of thing you wouldn't even notice on an MTB can be absolutely bone shaking.
This looks great for keeping the speed up and eating up the miles in a bit more comfort.
It's not really an MTB with drop bars - there aren't many MTBs with that little travel.
Question for me is whether the suspension (and weight penalty) would sap the fun out of riding it on road to link up the trails.
I have always thought that Gravel bikes are really mountain bikes for true roadies that wont be seen dead with flat bars and 2.3 tyres..Seems like l am getting closer to realising that theory
Is this a refined monster cross bike then?
Looks like it will suffer with serious toe overlap. That always seems like a design flaw in my eyes. Head angle looks silly too. All my opinion of course.
Surely it needs a motor as well?
I think there's a lot of misunderstanding of the 'gravel' thing. From my experience of events, many of the riders are from a road riding background and so all this is quite new. They are trying to arrive at the ideal bike for riding bridleways/fire roads/lumpy lanes etc, at speed. I'd wager most on here ride an MTB with at least 120mm suspension at the front and probably the rear too, and aspire to riding Helvellyn/Inners/BP Wales. Different target audience.
It's all bikes, so can't be bad.
Personally, I wouldn't consider buying one, even if I could afford it.
You're right that it's a different type of riding with a different appeal. Not necessarily different people.
For UK weather, that’s a stupid place for the shock and linkages.
Nah FS gravel bikes still miss the point for me...
Plus:
That just ain't pretty...
Also , to remove some of the suffering is just plain wrong!
🙂
I've never ridden a gravel bike, but do you really need a dropper post on one?
Do you go down really steep stuff and jump on it?
Do you go down really steep stuff and jump on it?
You go down whatever you want to go down and you jump whatever you want to jump. Although get your point and no, most people riding a gravel bike will not be jumping on it or taking it down the sorts of things requiring a dropper.
If I’m riding my MTB on the road I’ll still drop the saddle for descents. Necessary? No, but it’s always better to lower your CoG and have a bit more room to move about on a descent.
The saddle-bar height difference on that Niner is way greater than most gravel bikes I see. If folk are riding it like that then I can see why they'd like a dropper.
I know it's a very personal thing but the skittishness over rough stuff is part of the appeal for me. The challenge is in "making progress" in those conditions in exchange for the added speed/comfort/flexibility on smoother stuff.
Most routes I do involve a compromise of some sort, I just choose the bike/wheel/tyre option that best suits the overall route and my mood.
There's a thread running about how gnat a bike can be used for XC. This is just approaching the same discussion from the other end.
Anyway, soft-tails? Yes please.
But why? Plenty of nice light weight FS frames and bikes out there that will do what this for, but better, and cheaper.
And with completely different geometry and two or three times as much travel. What's wrong with building a better platform for a type of riding that isn't what mountain bikes are generally designed for?
I’ve never ridden a gravel bike, but do you really need a dropper post on one?
Do you go down really steep stuff and jump on it?
Steep stuff on a gravel bike is the only time I've ever actually wanted dropper. Combination of factors: steep head angle; less shock absorption and grip in the front tyre; hand position on the brakes is lower and much further forward; it's harder to work the front end over bumps with hands in a vertical position; you're clipped in; the seat is higher than you'd use for an MTB, especially if you use flats on an MTB; and in this instance I also had a bar bag which exacerbated all those factors. With an MTB I've always merrily just used a QR when needed, and I run the seat a bit lower because you're not in the saddle anywhere near as much as on a gravel bike; and it's easier to cope with the steep stuff even with a seat right up.
Personally I'd be very much up for a full-sus gravel bike (with lockout); I always wanted one of the Cannondale CX bikes with the Headshok. But I think that for 50mm travel (which seems about right) I'd be looking for a soft-tail design rather than World of Pivots.
Yea, I don't get it at all, for many reasons.
The dropper makes sense (I've got one on my Arkose). Allows you to be less arse-over-face on more technical descents. And to hop over small trail obstacles that you'd probably just roll over with a proper mtb.
Suspension seems daft though, overkill, and far too complicated. A lot of what I like about a gravel bike is the simplicity.
One of those Redshift flex-stem things would probably be as much as I'd want
i wouldn't say its pointless. It's not pointless if it fits the bill for the riding you do. I suspect most of us in the UK don't do the kind of riding that a bike like this would justify...or enough of it. It strikes me that the UK simply doesn't have the miles and variety of gravel trails. Would be a great bike for me for my commute if I were to use the canal paths to get off the main roads as they're pretty bumpy for a rigid gravel/CX bike and larger volume tyres just don't cut it, suspension would be needed. But i'm sure it wont come cheap and would be a massive extravagance just for my occasional cycle commutes to work.
I guess this kid of thing will become the norm in future years and costs will reduce then it would be a different prospect.
Currently i'm a bit more drawn to Cannondale's bike as that could be a quiver killer for me...good enough for road duties and the kind of cinder track and mild gravel tracks I can use.
But I think that for 50mm travel (which seems about right) I’d be looking for a soft-tail design rather than World of Pivots.
Are there any soft-tails offering that sort of travel? I always thought they were rather less than that.
Those saying 'why not just ride an xc bike' either:
A) rarely ride more than half a day/50 miles.
B) do ride more than 50 miles regulalry and are blessed with hands that dont go numb.
C ) as B but dont care.
I did 300 miles a couple of weekends back on a flat bar rigid 29er, my little fingers are only just getting back from the numb to tingly phase!
It's probably aimed at people who want to do big milages on unsealed roads. Or just want to push the definition of gravel/cx a bit more towards xc.
If I could afford it id love a variation on the bmc elastomer softail with the cannondale ocho fork. 40mm allround cx tyres and it would absolutely rip accross the average uk bridleway.
As for a lack of propper gravel roads, they're there, just that there aren't guidebooks with 'must do' routes yet. So its a bit more a case of trying to interpret maps and knowledge of 20mile gravel sections is less common than "theres half a mile of singletrack behind the nationwide in swindon" type.
Are there any soft-tails offering that sort of travel? I always thought they were rather less than that.
Litespeed Unicoi is 45mm which is near enough…
Ideal if you can only afford one (really bloody expensive) bike. It'd do everything, compromiserly...