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Niner Lowtop RDO Handlebar, Trail Stems Now Shipping, Deals on Both

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niner-lowtop-rdo-carbon-reverse-riser-handlebar1

Niner showed us their new Lowtop RDO reverse-rise carbon handlebar and the new Trail stem at Sea Otter, both just prior to having production items on hand (though we were still able to weigh a few, including the new RDO setback seatpost, too!).

Now, we’ve got a look at how that Lowtop handlebar positions the rider on the bike. Shown above on the trail under a 5’2″ rider on an extra small Jet9 Carbon, it just about looks like a riser bar flipflopped. The key differences in doing exactly that is in the angles. The Lowtop bar has juts forward first, then sweeps back at a 17º angle.

Drop in for diagrams and other goodies, plus a deal on a bar/stem combo…

niner-lowtop-rdo-carbon-reverse-riser-handlebar2

Rise (or, drop, rather) is 25mm. Width is 720mm wide but can be cut down to 660mm. In the diagram above, the front of the bike would be to the right, putting the hands closer to the rider. Claimed weight is 258g and it’ll come in Niner Red, Orange, Green, Rally Blue and Moondust Grey. Retail is $199.

niner-lowtop-rdo-carbon-reverse-riser-handlebar3

Here’s what it looks like on the bike from the side.

Niner Trail Stem

The new Trail stem will be offered in 50mm and 70mm (weights are claimed at 180g and 215g, respectively), both with 0º rise. Colors are Niner Red, Rally Blue and Moondust Gray only.

niner-handle-bar-stem-combo-save-20percent

Until June 24th, 2013, buy one of these bars and stems (pictured) through Niner’s website and get a 20% discount on the combo. Use promo code “controlpromo3”.

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52 Comments
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Matt
Matt
11 years ago

for when you just can’t SLAM THAT STEM enough. I dig it

Tiger
Tiger
11 years ago

…why is a 4ft tall girl riding a niner? The madness has to stop.

mirciu
mirciu
11 years ago

Imagine Jaro Kulhavy , who already runs a crazy low position ( for his height ) , using this handlebar.

Jak0zilla
Jak0zilla
11 years ago

It is my considered opinion that we are in a process of de-evolution with the end result to be a neo-penny farthing. We’ve got forks long enough for them, and this bar is a dead ringer for the bars on a high wheeler.

Anyone got a spoon brake in their R&D skunk works?

pigface
pigface
11 years ago

Pair that bar with a Syntace Flatforce stem and get hella slammed!

KJR
KJR
11 years ago

I’m thinking that the original idea for this must have been a decal application mistake from the factory.

“Shit, someone applied all the decals to these rider handlebars upside down…” *ding*

chris
chris
11 years ago

hahahahahahahaha. Look Mommy! Look at the cyclist.

MLD
MLD
11 years ago

Why not go all the way and figure out a fork crown that has a handlebar clamp?

DaleC
DaleC
11 years ago

Tiger FtW

I love my Sir9, but I’m 6’2″ about 240. If you are that small, do you really need a 29?

It seems like everything on the bike, not just frame and bars, should be sized to the rider, as best you can anyway

Caveman
Caveman
11 years ago

Everyone is an expert. . . so annoying

NCMTB
NCMTB
11 years ago

I think the de-evolution process is with the commenters on this post. Have any of you every tried to fit a person 5’5″ or under on 29er. The side picture of the complete bike above shows a neutral saddle to handlebar drop, maybe a slight negative to the bars but overall this would be race oriented fit for most. This is a great option for fitting smaller females or young kids on the xsmall models that Niner just came out with. I give them kudos for bringing this stuff to market and giving me another option for getting my kids on hot bikes earlier.

And @BigBuckHunter really? You do see the picture has a young women in it don’t you?

dogboy
dogboy
11 years ago

Pssst, your handlebar is on upside down.

Ck
Ck
11 years ago

A ridiculously simple idea that Niner is going to make a decent buck on while all the haters sit at their keyboards finding more snobish comments to throw at BikeRumor articles in order to make themselves feel adequate.

K M
K M
11 years ago

I like the option. I am thinking about a fat bike for my son who is 11 and these bars would be a good option.

Charlie
Charlie
11 years ago

Sounds like a good idea to me. The crease in the palm that holds onto a bar is angled around 15 degrees from the arm. So the best ergonomics would be a bar as wide as your shoulders with a 15 degree sweep. But most people want bars far wider than their shoulders so as to slow down steering. This means the bars should have more than 15 degree back sweep. Really wide bars swept back 15-20 degrees would put your hands a lot closer to your body than most people would want, hence the “alt bar” – a forward offset of the bar near the stem. Of course what drives most bike part design is not ergonomics but fashion and the fashionistas don’t cotton to alt bars. I must admit that this handlebar does look mighty odd. But would it look so funny if you just flipped it so it was a riser? This would turn any upsweep that the bar might have into a downsweep. And if you go for the ergonomics thing, a downsweep is more natural anyway.

vectorbug
vectorbug
11 years ago

Well I guess we know the demographic of the commenters. Tall and myopic.

vectorbug
vectorbug
11 years ago

I do have a serious question about the lowtop bar, is there any benefit to using it if I’m 6’1″ / tall?

David French
11 years ago

Why does a child ride a bike with 20″ or 24″ wheels? Because they’re small. So really it does make sense that after a point smaller riders should be on 26″ or 650b wheels.

Running upside down stems isn’t new, XC pros I remember used to do it all the time. But of course these days more and more people are needing to go to quite extreme measures to get a slammed front end not only because of 29ers but because of shorter stems.

Heffe
Heffe
11 years ago

Goofy bars; just go 650b if you are tiny.

vectorbug
vectorbug
11 years ago

How dare Niner make products to help more people use their products comfortably.

Out for a Ride
Out for a Ride
11 years ago

Quick! Someone invent a stem that mounts below the head tube! And an airbag inside of the stem in the inevitable chance that you endo onto that horn!

MarkV
11 years ago

Ummm! A little too odd. You could just get a bike that fits shorter riders better, like a 27.5″/650. There out there and at 5’7″, I am glad they are.

DeeEight
DeeEight
11 years ago

Invented because just using a FSA Metropolis bar (which has the same up/down flip possibility) was tooo simple.

JJ
JJ
11 years ago

True, but then they’d have to change their name to “seven-and-a-halfer”, which is a tougher marketing ploy than a flipped bar

Mindless
Mindless
11 years ago

@CK: a ridiculously simple idea is that Niner is in trouble once the fad is fading and they will have to compete only on price, performance and fit. And that rider would be better off on 650b – good enough for a world champion.

Recent Enduro race. First place 27.5, next two 26.. best 29 around 10th?

Gillis
Gillis
11 years ago

Cannondale used to use drop stems on their headshok bikes. Always thought it look odd. This looks odd too. But if it helps for a better fit, then more power to ’em.

beetard
beetard
11 years ago

@Mindless
Tracey Mosley won on 29

Trey R
Trey R
11 years ago

Watch, next year they’ll come out with drop bars for mountain bikes and Farmer John will make a comeback. Wait, that sounds AWESOME!!!

Mark
11 years ago

That’s why 650b is taking off. You don’t have to bastardize the entire bike setup and run crazy stuff like this to compensate for 29″ wheels.

Luke
Luke
11 years ago

I run my stem angled down on my race bike (I’m 5’10”). The only way for me to get my front low enough is to stick to good old 26″ wheels (which conveniently maintains all the ride qualities I like). Is that just too obvious a solution for whoever these bars are meant for?

Or shall all these Niner riders just go all Cadel Evans and start hacksawing holes into their headtubes?

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2009/07/23/1/silence_lotto_tt_evans_ht_600.jpg

thx
thx
11 years ago

Im gonna vomit. Soon we will see 29ers for 4ft children…

EmilMP
EmilMP
11 years ago

@MLD, thank you for the inspiration: http://gp1.pinkbike.org/p4pb9615279/p4pb9615279.jpg

RoDe
RoDe
11 years ago

This is just stupid sorry. If your to small to ride a 29er then go 650B.

RoDe
RoDe
11 years ago

Obviously to should be too. Obviously Niner want to sell bikes but, come some people just don’t fit on a 29er. I will never ride 29er. At 169 cm I’m just to small.

RoDe
RoDe
11 years ago

Damnit did it again sorry.

Loki
Loki
11 years ago

Nitto did this when 25.4 was still the standard.

Eric
Eric
11 years ago

Maybe put pegs on the front axle and apply grips to them, that would be sick.

captain derp
captain derp
11 years ago

John Tomac beat us all to the finish line… he had drop bars on his MTB back in the 90’s

beetard
beetard
11 years ago

you guys are all (deleted). seriously. the arbitrary hatred for anything 29 is crazy

Hater hater
Hater hater
11 years ago

Following the logic of ‘if you are short, then you shouldn’t ride a 29er’ then lets start harping on tall people still riding 26ers!! “Why is that 6′ tall idiot riding a 26er?”

Different strokes for different folks, regardless of how tall you are.

bin judgin
bin judgin
11 years ago

this is laughable at best.

i will continue on my carbon 26″ full sus and torch these nerds when I see them.

Matt
Matt
11 years ago

@beetard – We don’t hate 29ers we just think they suck. LONG LIVE THE 26. BRING ON THE 275.

Richard
Richard
11 years ago

27.5 is just mm’s bigger than a 26″ and I couldn’t tell a difference enough to want to spend $3000 on a new bike. 29″ just rolls so much better (for me) and good on Niner for developing parts so shorter riders can ride 29ers with proper bar/stem/saddle drop. In the end as long as you are comfortable then rock it! But people who want the benefits the bigger hoops offers then let us ride it and don’t say we belong on a 26″ or 27.5″!

Jake
Jake
11 years ago

I love 29ers, but that’s just silly looking. I think Yeti has it right by only offering it’s new ARC in 27.5 for the two smallest sizes.

Mindless
Mindless
11 years ago

@Richard: 29″ are just mm’s bigger than a 27.5. 29″ wheels are weak, flexible and they are for limp wristed weaklings.

MaLóL
MaLóL
11 years ago

an inverted low rise bar… what an awesome discovery!!!! nino schurter used one when trying a 29er. he quited both, the 29er and the inverted low rise bar…

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
11 years ago

as long as stack and reach can be optimized for the rider while off the saddle then it’s cool.

Ajax
Ajax
11 years ago

Big dudes like 650b too!

Zoot
Zoot
11 years ago

Rossin had this figured out in the 80s on their pursuit bikes. Niner should follow their lead and make a 26″ front wheel and 29er rear.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvugXWvSzuo/TuOqtx2J8NI/AAAAAAAACys/cKI1JMoR8-s/s1600/theillyorker.jpg

captain derp
captain derp
11 years ago

@zoot – let’s make drag / ultimate manual machine – 20″ front 29″ rear!

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