The Niner W.F.O. 9 turned a lot of heads last year by being one of the first longer travel 29er’s in the mountain biking industry. With big hoops and bigger travel, the W.F.O. 9 promised to eat up any terrain you could throw at it…even to the point that some of the Niner crew threw on Manitou Dorado’s and shot pictures of using this mountain bike in DH/FR parks.
After a talk with Chris Sugai over at Niner Bikes (check out our interview with Chris here), Bike198 got one of these unique 29er’s in to review and started putting it through the paces starting in September. This unique ride was taken through everything from fast cross country to light freeride to see how it would handle a wide range of riding styles.
Specs on the Niner W.F.O. 9 Review Bike
- Full XT drivetrain, brakes and cranks (setup 2×9 w/Shadow rear derailleur)
- Marzocchi 44 TST2 (15mm TA and Tapered Steerer Tube)
- Fox RP23
- Chris King hubs on Notubes.com ZTR Flow rims (135mm spacing rear)
- Niner Flat 9 Bar
- Ergon GE1 Grips
- Panaracer Rampage Tires 29×2.35
- 32.45 lbs built w/Gravity Dropper adjustable seatpost
- The W.F.O. 9 frame retails for $1899.00 (135mm) or $2099.00 (150mm) and includes rear shock, headset and reducers.
- Available in Vana White or Milk Dud Anodized (review bike)
More from NinerBikes.com
Wide, Full Open. That’s what the name means. Let ‘er go, full throttle, don’t slow down for anything, that’s what the name implies. With 5.5” of plush CVA™ suspension technology underfoot, there’s nothing stopping those 29” wheels except the human instinct to live another day.
The W.F.O. 9 went through exhaustive testing and refining, including a first for a 29er frame: a tapered headtube for increased front end stiffness and strength. We thought about all of the ways people might take advantage of having 5.5” of travel coupled with a 29” wheel, and we designed the W.F.O. 9 to handle them all. A custom S-bend hydroformed downtube allows the use of both coil and piggyback shocks, offset bottom linkage makes room for an ISCG mount, making this frame the first 29er to be compatible with the all new SRAM Hammerschmidt system and other chain guide systems and an optional 150mm rear spacing increases rear wheel strength and stiffness. Best of all, build it how you want. Order the W.F.O. 9 with 135 or 150 rear spacing and then choose from our shock options or order without a shock.
Whatever your needs, from aggressive all mountain to big hit, the W.F.O. 9 will keep you pinned all the way down some of the gnarliest terrain you can throw at it.
The Niner W.F.O. 9 Frame
The hydroformed frame is beautiful. With nicely laid out welds and lightly bent tubes, you get a strong frame that looks great and has a host of extra features included. The first thing I noticed is that Niner really future proofed this frame to accept the trends in the AM category of mountain biking. There are ISCG tabs to install chain guides (and the new Hammerschmidt from SRAM), top tube routing for adjustable seat posts and the option of 150mm rear spacing with the Maxle rear thru axle. If you can think up of your “dream configuration”, this frame can handle whatever you throw at it.
Rear end tire clearance is almost wide open. With the 2.35 Panaracer Rampages spec’ed with the bike, there was still adequate room for mud and even a bigger tire. With the new 2.4 29er tires hitting the market this year, you will be set to mount up any rubber you want to on this frame.
Up front, the Niner W.F.O. 9 sports a tapered steerer tube to increase overall stiffness. For me, the jury is still out on the tapered steerer tube as I agree with the mechanics, but am not too fond of the “new standard” that just increases the options in the fork industry that already has high upfront engineering and tooling costs. That said…the industry is moving in that direction almost across the board, so Niner is not the only one adopting this new setup.
The ano finish is extremely durable and even after a lot of heavy rock runs…it shows very little sign of wear and tear.
Note: At this point in time, the Marzocchi 44 TST2 (140mm travel, 32mm stanchions) is pretty much the only option for suspension forks on this frame. So far, I haven’t been incredibly happy with the performance out of this fork and I don’t feel that it can keep up with this frame. Ideally, I would like to see Fox Racing Shox or RockShox come out with a 36mm (35mm for RockShox) fork for 29ers to handle this abuse. The TST2 adjustment cap even fell off on the second ride and I never could get the fork to act right. For the purposes of this review, I am going to try to keep the performance of the fork separate from the bike. We will get better options for this frame in the future.
Riding The Niner W.F.O. 9
After a few shake down rides, I got the bike all dialed in and ready to take on a wide range of trail systems. This bike covered everything from pure xc trails to light FR to even dirt jumps. The only changes I made to the stock setup was swapping out the supplied 90mm stem for a 70mm to handle larger hits better and the addition of a Gravity Dropper adjustable seatpost like you see in the picture. I initially rode the W.F.O. 9 with the supplied 90mm stem, but…at 6’2″…it felt stretched out even at 90mm. Once the 70mm was on, things felt much better for this styled frame.
Climbing on the W.F.O. 9
At 32.45 pounds as tested, I was not expecting this bike to climb up the hill like a rocket. Bikes designed in this category are not meant to get you to the top first…just the bottom. As with most 29ers, the W.F.O. 9 handled technical climbing very well. The large volume 29er tires roll over rocks and roots with ease as you pick your way up the hill. As long as you keep the momentum of those big wheels rolling, you can keep a nice pace without really noticing the heavier weight you are carrying around.
With the short stem and larger wheels, you have to get your body up and over the front wheel more than you would with a typical 26″ bike in super steep and “lift the front wheel up and over” situations. For riders used to climbing on 5.5″ and 6″ travel 26″ frames, this is an adjustment as more body english is required.
The CVA suspension and large tires provided a ton of grip while climbing by sucking up the terrain without any real noticeable pedal bob. Throughout all of the test period, the ProPedal on the Fox RP23 stayed wide open as I did not feel the need to switch it on at any point in the rides.
For best results while climbing on the W.F.O. 9, just sit back and get into a rhythm, but be ready to throw your weight forward for steep and technical climbing sections. Let the guys on the R.I.P. 9’s, Jet 9’s and other lighter 29ers race to the top…you’ll get them back for it on the way down.
Downhill on the W.F.O. 9
Where the W.F.O. 9 really shines is when you start letting gravity do the work. This 5.5″ 29er frame is incredibly stiff and can handle a lot of abuse. If I had to categorize this bike in relation to 26″ rides, I would say that it feels like it would sit between 140mm and 160mm travel 26″ frames in its current configuration. Some have said that you add an inch to 29ers, but it doesn’t quite make it there with the rear air shock.
The rear end of the W.F.O. 9 is very stiff and it keeps the bike pointed in the right direction at all times. Even in long, extended, rock downhills, the bike just eats up the terrain like it is nothing and it tracks predictably (and straight) due to the overall stiffness of the frame. The longer travel and big hoops take a lot of the edge off of hits that typically throw a 26″ bike off line in the same travel category. In high speed technical terrain with a lot of small drops, rocks and roots, the W.F.O. 9 is incredibly fast and stable.
The rear suspension was not as plush as I was expecting through the midstroke, so you do feel the trail underneath you. Mounting up a rear coil shock would really open up the rear end plushness and allow you to push this frame even harder. With that said, I never noticed any hard bottom outs even on flat landings. The slight ramping of the rear suspension allowed for consistent control under both small bump and hard hits…I’d just like the rear end to feel a little plusher for rough high speed terrain.
With all of that air volume in the 2.35 Panaracer Rampages, the W.F.O. 9 was very sensitive to air pressure adjustments on downhill runs. Too much air pressure and the bike felt like it was bouncing off of every root and rock. Too little air pressure…well…there was no such thing. I ended up running down in the 24 psi range and lower without any roll overs or loss of control. Running the lower pressures in the tires also helped bring back some of the plushness lost with running the RP23.
As mentioned before, the stiffness of this bike really pushed past the capabilities of the Marzocchi fork. There were many times I felt like the bike could handle more if the fork would catch up.
Slow Technical and High Speed FR
With the overall size of this bike, I was expecting to have trouble in slow speed, tight switchbacks. Surprisingly, I was wrong. Niner really dialed in the geometry of this bike so it turns on a dime. That…combined with the stability…made for easy slow speed maneuvers in switchbacks and slow rock tech (as seen some in the video below).
When navigating slow speed drops and technical terrain, the front end is harder to pump off the ground than the 26″ counterparts. When you go to make slow speed, pedal forced wheelie drops, it requires more effort to get the large hoops off and level. In the video below, that last 4 foot rock drop was hit heavy nose first. Luckily, the larger 29er wheels and tires cover up those kind of mistakes easier than 26″, so you get a trade-off there.
On higher speed drops and jumps, the Niner W.F.O. 9 really shows off its stability. Landings are solid and uneventful for this 5.5″ travel frame as the bike just seems to hit the ground with ease. The higher speed nature of these technical features also make maneuvering the front end easier than during the slow speed tech. For larger stunts (4 foot and higher, high speed rock gardens), the front fork really started to show its weakness, but the frame seemed to want more. After seeing the pictures of the Dorado mounted up, I can imagine that was a better match in those situations.
Overall Thoughts On The Niner W.F.O. 9
Niner spent a long time dialing in this 29er 5.5″ platform, and I believe they came to market with a great bike that needs the fork manufacturers to step up and provide a product that can keep up with the frame. It is incredibly stiff and stable on the trail, holds up great to abuse (still looks brand new even after hearing numerous rock hits…sorry Niner!) and can be ridden in a wide range of applications. The W.F.O. 9 does feel bigger than a typical 26″ 5.5 or 6 inch bike, but that is made up for in stiffness and stable riding…especially for taller riders looking for more travel.
Who is the typical rider for the W.F.O.9 from Niner? It’s a pretty narrow group really as the R.I.P. 9 is probably better suited for the typical mountain biker. If you are riding in an area with a lot of technical rock terrain and you like to hit the bigger stunts from time to time…but need one bike to do it all…the W.F.O. 9 is probably for you. If you are riding XC/AM most of the time, you are probably going to want the faster climbing and efficiency of the R.I.P. 9 for most of your riding. At 30+ pounds, the Niner W.F.O. 9 is really for the rider that likes 6″+ travel 26″ frames but wants to get into a 29er mountain bike.
Would I buy a Niner W.F.O. 9? Absolutely…I would change out the rear shock for a coil and pray for a better fork (or pay the large coin for the Dorado and hope I could still climb the bike efficiently), but this ride is really made for my riding style and height. I had a blast ripping this bike through the rocks and I can’t wait to see what the other fork manufacturers are going to bring to the table to really let bikes like this shine.
What I Liked About The W.F.O. 9
- Great additional features on the frame (ISCG Tabs, Durable Ano, Adjustable Seat Post Cable Routing).
- High quality manufacturing and ride quality.
- Incredibly stiff frame that tracks straight through fast technical terrain.
- Rolls over rocks, roots and other trail features effortlessly.
- Takes high speed landings like they are nothing.
- Turns very well in slow speed technical riding despite long wheelbase and size.
What I Didn’t Like About the W.F.O. 9
- Required more weight shift in super steep and technical climbing.
- Not quite as plush as I expected (coil shock could be the remedy).
- Bike can “feel big” to riders not used to larger wheel platform.
- Fork manufacturers haven’t quite caught up to this part of the industry (but they will eventually).
- Front end harder to lift up than 26″ counterparts for slow speed drops.
In future revisions…
I’d like to see a slightly shorter TT to give the bike more of an upright riding position for stunts and technical DH. I got the bike where I needed it with the 70mm stem, but for a large sized frame…it was a little long for even me. I’d also like to see a slightly shorter seat tube to get more adjustment on slamming the seat down for the super steep DH’s and jumps.
Niner W.F.O. 9 Video
Some small drops and slow rock tech at Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, TN on the Niner W.F.O. 9. Video taken while riding the Niner.
Niner Bikes Contact Info
For dealers in your area…questions…concerns…whatever else. Hit up Niner Bikes here:
Niner Bikes
13122 Saticoy St
North Hollywood, CA 91605
Phone: 877-NINER-XC (877-646-3792)
Fax: 818-579-7107
General Sales Questions:
brian (at) ninerbikes.com
Click here for more pictures of the W.F.O. 9