Niner appears to have a new cross-country full-suspension model in the late stages of development.
Niner-sponsored athlete Rebecca Rusch is gearing up for Saturday’s Leadville 100 mountain bike race — an event she has won four times. A photo posted Friday to her Instagram account appears to show a yet-to-be-released, short-travel, full-suspension rig. Niner did not immediately respond to our questions about the bike.
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/39/2019/03/1439587874651-12pl2pjhl57tc-1000-90-c999d07.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
From the image we can discern that the tube shapes of this carbon bike are decidedly more angular than the company’s current flagship cross-country model, the Jet 9 RDO. This new bike has a kinked top tube as well as a seat tube brace, presumably to improve standover clearance.
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/39/2019/03/1439591831764-1ts6g91h33qjo-1000-90-4a46fae.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Cable routing has been revised from the Jet 9 RDO; ports on the side of the down tube have replaced ports through the front of the head tube
Rusch is running a top-shelf SRAM XX1 kit, Guide brakes with an RS-1 fork and, interestingly, an internally routed Rockshox Reverb.
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/39/2019/03/1439591831764-mkl4sic4t2n0-1000-90-19027f7.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Rusch is running an internally-routed RockShox Reverb
While the rocker link seems to be slimmed down, the rear triangle looks quite similar to the current design, with a 160mm post-mount for the rear brake and cable routing for the rear brake and rear derailleur routed externally along the chainstays.
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/39/2019/03/1439591831768-1va0uqu9ictxx-1000-90-ac59046.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
While the rear end appears similar to the current design, it's possible Niner, like many other companies, is transitioning to a 148x12mm rear end
Whether or not this is the next generation of the Jet 9 RDO or an entirely new platform remains unclear. Either way, this bike looks like it’s ready for prime time.
We’ll report back with more details as they become available.