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New Niner RLT 9 gravel adventure road bikes gain thru axles & carbon fork rack mounts

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2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Niner has updated their RLT line, putting thru axles where they weren’t and making them ever more capable of letting you hit the “road less traveled”.

The RLT Alloy model, shown above, gets a rear thru axle sliding through a new forged dropout, and the steel model gets one up front thanks to the new carbon touring fork that adds in-molded mid-mount rack mounts.

Venture on down for closeups, complete builds and weights for stock bikes and packed out rigs fully loaded for adventure…

2016-Niner-RLT-Alloy-gravel-adventure-road-bike-details05

The RLT’s new fork gets several in-molded threaded inserts to fit racks like the Blackburn Outpost front touring rack or cargo cage (shown above, check out more of the collection here and here). The forks layup was refined to soak up more of the small chatter common on dirt roads, too, and it switches from the QR dropouts on the original steel RLT’s OEM spec to a Maxle thru-axle.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Lower fender mounts are also in place.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

The forged rear thru axle dropouts on the alloy bike make room for post mount brakes inside the rear triangle and fender/rack tabs. The RLT Steel debuted earlier this year with a rear thru axle already on board, so now both bikes have it at both ends.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

The frame is ready for mechanical or electronic drivetrains – note the small wire port on the inside of the chainstay.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Upper rack/fender mount is located on the seatstay bridge, there are no additional mounting points on the seatstays.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

The RLT 9 Alloy will come in Green/Canary Yellow and White/Gray/Orange.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Build options for both bikes include (pricing shown for Alloy / Steel):

  • 5-Star Ultegra Di2 (Niner CX Carbon wheels) – $5,500 / $6,000
  • 4-Star Ultegra Mech (Stan’s NoTubes Grail wheels) – $3,500 / $4,000
  • 3-Star Rival Hydro (Niner CX Alloy wheels) – $2,500 / $3,000
  • 2-Star 105 11spd (Niner CX Alloy wheels, BB7 brakes) – $2,000 / $2,500
  • Frameset (frame, fork, headset, seatpost collar) – $1,050 / $1,500
  • Fork only – $250

All bikes run 2×11 drivetrains with Schwalbe tubeless ready G-One or X-One tires and Niner cockpits, save for a Thomson KFC carbon handlebar on the 5-Star build.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

The bikes fit a 27.2 seatpost, good for soaking up a bit of road chatter. All but the 2-Star build come with Niner’s carbon seatpost, and the 5-Star gets the RDO version with a bit of flex.

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Curious what the bikes weigh packed out with food, clothes and sleeping paraphernalia? Niner provided these graphics from bikes they rode for a trip through Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

2016 Niner RLT9 steel gravel adventure road bike updated with carbon fork rack mounts

The RLT Steel’s frame carries over unchanged, same colors and Reynolds-tubed frame introduced in March.

2016 Niner RLT9 steel gravel adventure road bike updated with carbon fork rack mounts

2016 Niner RLT9 alloy gravel adventure road bike updated with thru axles and carbon fork rack mounts

Anyone else now jonesing to get out in the wild this fall? The alloy bikes are in stock and shipping now. Steel frames with the new fork will start shipping in November, and there’ll be a limited number of the new forks available aftermarket for $250 each starting in December.

Check our review of the original RLT Alloy here.

NinerBikes.com

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Heffe
Heffe
9 years ago

That green paint job is kind of pretty.

Ck
Ck
9 years ago

I wonder if they tuned the rear triangle tubing at all. The original RLT alloy had a reputation for being very harsh, not just through the fork. I’d buy the green frameset in a heartbeat if they improved that area.

FoolCyclist
FoolCyclist
9 years ago

This is all very good. Sensible pricing as well. Nice work Niner.

Charango
Charango
9 years ago

Super versatile and capable bike, with the exception of the Niner wheels, which are awful. @ck, I haven’t ever noticed the rear triangle to be particularly harsh at all.

nightfend
nightfend
9 years ago

Wait, Specialized said that bikes can’t have thru-axles like this or you’ll get heel strike and it will be completely unrideable. So everyone ignore this completely non-functional bike and go buy a Specialized Diverge with their special rear hubs.

JBikes
JBikes
9 years ago

The Diverge CS length is 20mm shorter, not that this fully explains their “need” for SCS

JBikes
JBikes
9 years ago

On a lighter note – I think every biker should stand by their bike like the second to last picture whenever and wherever they dismount. Hold pose for at least one, perhaps awkward, minute. And no talking.

Boudin
Boudin
9 years ago

@JBikes LOL!! Here here!

R2Ro
R2Ro
9 years ago

What a well thought out, practical bike. The RLT9 was already on my list, but now with TA, and fork rack mounts… lost so much respect for Specialized with SCS, damn shame, especially on a bike like the Diverge. This is the direction they should have gone, but at least someone in big bike land still has their head on straight.

Heffe
Heffe
9 years ago

I sense a new pop song being born – “Stand By Your Bike”.

Micah
9 years ago

Finally! I’ve been searching for a fork like this for more than a year. Hopefully they’ll make it available in some less terrible colours.

Phil Jones
Phil Jones
9 years ago

I call it the “teenaged mutant ninja tourer” pose.

Matt
Matt
9 years ago

So upset that I went for the alum RLT9. I tried desperately to get my hands on the Norco search, but they stopped shipping them to the US because a steel thru-axle with full 105 for $1500 was too good of a deal and I think they figured it out. This is what the RLT9 should have been from the get go.

If you’re in the market for an adventure road and don’t want to pony up for custom this is a great bike. I even use mine for singletrack and it’s plenty solid (without the thru-axles). Actually, I have talked myself back into it….I love my Niner!

John
John
8 years ago
Reply to  Matt

Hey Matt, I live in Canada and have been debating between a RLT 9 ultegra build and the Search 105. I prefer the RLT because its look like a more aggressive ride. But, the price point on the search is on point! Looking at using these bikes for touring and covering some ground while doing so.
I can get a lightly demoed 2015 Norco Search 105 carbon for 2k CDN

2015 rlt 9 ultegra build with Mavic Aksium wheels for 3k taxes/shipping included.

Or

The 2016 rlt 105 build at $2500 taxes/shipping in.

Thoughts?

Hotep
Hotep
9 years ago

Seems like quite a bit of crap to go riding around your neighborhood and then go camping with your kids (or hell, your wife’s girlfriend) in the backyard….

dontcoast
dontcoast
9 years ago

relatively limited options for rear racks is interesting considering the new fork…break bridge only really?

RE: diverge and others chain stay length: how short is too short on a bike that needs to stay stable on open fire road descents? (with little tires and steep hta) not saying the spesh don’t ride nice but their obsession with short stays is over the top, it’s not a track bike or slope bike. gravels bikes and light tourers don’t need tiny stays to ride nice

Bazz
Bazz
9 years ago

Yay!!!! Thank you Niner for not using a stupid 12mm front thru-axel!!! Nice bikes.

Pfs
Pfs
9 years ago

@dontcoast – how is it limiting on rear rack options? I’ve installed thousands of racks and there isn’t a single rack that I’ve installed that couldn’t be a mono stay. Sure, you might need to think a little more during the installation or bend the rack stays to get it just right but that is how racks are installed. I think the new fork looks perfect too! I’ll need to pick one up for my first gen rlt

feldy
feldy
9 years ago

@JBikes why no talking? You should at least be able to say, “Hey, baby. What’s up?”

Ajax
Ajax
9 years ago

Dear Niner,
Shimano Flat Mount Disc standard. Get with it and do your homework before you go putting up yesterday’s tech.

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