My New Niner RLT e9 RDO!

[Darlinsk]

Hello All -

I posted my first message a couple of weeks ago, right before ordering a Niner eBike. At that time, the ETA was late Feb/early March. Lo and behold, it became available well ahead of schedule. I picked it up this past Monday, Feb 1st! Exciting indeed.

I've attached pictures, which really don’t do the paint job justice; it glistens sparkly green in the sunshine. I took it out for its maiden voyage on Wednesday on an undemandingly flat, paved bike path in Greenville, SC. The power was mostly smooth and intuitive. At times it got a little ahead of me, but that's probably a result of my lack of experience with e-bikes. All in all, I'm thrilled and looking forward to being able to enjoy cycling in the mountains of western North Carolina. I'll report back after testing it out in more challenging terrain.

Niner had a promotion for a free rear rack with the purchase of the bike. I also purchased the front rack and the frame pack. The racks are aesthetically nice; the jury is out on their functionality. The frame bag, while small, is quite nice.

In the meantime, I'm researching my options for updating the display. The Purion display that came with it is extremely basic. I'm leaning towards the Nyon at this point. It does almost everything I want. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with it, particularly with the one that came out recently. From what I can see, I won't be able to easily get heart-rate without wearing a belt (NOT an option), and it won't integrate with my Garmin watch. Bosch's eBike Connect app gets a very poor rating in the App store, and nowhere have I been able to find documentation of the premium add-on that would allow me to customize the bike's power modes, despite seeing it referenced on this site.

That's it for now. I'll update this post as I become more familiar with the bike.

 

[reed scott]

Hello All -

I posted my first message a couple of weeks ago, right before ordering a Niner eBike. At that time, the ETA was late Feb/early March. Lo and behold, it became available well ahead of schedule. I picked it up this past Monday, Feb 1st! Exciting indeed.

I've attached pictures, which really don’t do the paint job justice; it glistens sparkly green in the sunshine. I took it out for its maiden voyage on Wednesday on an undemandingly flat, paved bike path in Greenville, SC. The power was mostly smooth and intuitive. At times it got a little ahead of me, but that's probably a result of my lack of experience with e-bikes. All in all, I'm thrilled and looking forward to being able to enjoy cycling in the mountains of western North Carolina. I'll report back after testing it out in more challenging terrain.

Niner had a promotion for a free rear rack with the purchase of the bike. I also purchased the front rack and the frame pack. The racks are aesthetically nice; the jury is out on their functionality. The frame bag, while small, is quite nice.

In the meantime, I'm researching my options for updating the display. The Purion display that came with it is extremely basic. I'm leaning towards the Nyon at this point. It does almost everything I want. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with it, particularly with the one that came out recently. From what I can see, I won't be able to easily get heart-rate without wearing a belt (NOT an option), and it won't integrate with my Garmin watch. Bosch's eBike Connect app gets a very poor rating in the App store, and nowhere have I been able to find documentation of the premium add-on that would allow me to customize the bike's power modes, despite seeing it referenced on this site.

That's it for now. I'll update this post as I become more familiar with the bike.

OOH! That is a nice lookin bike. Love the color. Not into hard tails but still .... great looking bike. Like just about everything about it. Cool racks. Congrats.

 

[gtpharr]

Great looking bike! Would you mind sharing what dealer you purchased it from? Thanks and enjoy the ride!

 

[Deacon Blues]

If your bike had been available when I was looking for an e-gravel bike I may have bought it instead of the Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3 that I did end up buying. Don't get me wrong, I'm REALLY happy with my Lefty 3, but I love the paint job on the Ninner and being able to mount a rack and fenders is a big plus. I also really like that bag.

 

[Bigal1463]

Welcome Darlinsk, that is a fine looking bike. Good luck and ride safe.

 

[Darlinsk]

Great looking bike! Would you mind sharing what dealer you purchased it from? Thanks and enjoy the ride!

I bought the bike at The Bicycle Company in Hendersonville, NC. It’s a tiny place. I had pretty much already decided on the bike and went searching for a local dealer. They were responsive, calling us back when they got a bike in that I could take for a test drive, and keeping us appraised of the ETA on my bike. It’s a half hour from Asheville, where I live, so probably won’t be my go-to local bike shop, but I have no complaints with them. The whole transaction was very smooth.

 

[jabberwocky]

That’s a lovely bike. Would definitely have been on my short list had it been available when I bought my Revolt E. Love their integrated racks setup. Post some ride pics!

 

[dutchman]

Waiting for my bike to come in. Told maybe next week. I purchased due to motor and wide tires. Any problems so far

 

[bob armani]

Welcome with that beauty of a bike. Many happy trails ahead!

 

[TOOSLOW]

Awesome color.

 

[Darlinsk]

Waiting for my bike to come in. Told maybe next week. I purchased due to motor and wide tires. Any problems so far

Hi Dutchman,

Thanks for the push; I've been meaning to update my post now that I've had some time with the bike. I'm 200 miles in, and I LOVE my bike. Absolutely love it. In a perfect world, I'd change a few things, but it's a well-thought-out bike.

It has plenty of power. As I mentioned before, I'm a 67-year-old woman, who has been off the bike for the past couple of years and is riding in Western North Carolina, which is mountainous. So far, my rides have generally been 20-25 miles long, with 1500 to 2000 feet of climbing at an average speed of about 14 mph. As best I can estimate, I use around 30% of the battery. I do most of my riding in Eco and Tour, with occasional short periods of Sport. I never use Turbo. I have ridden exclusively on paved surfaces. I get a great workout without suffering and turning myself inside-out. As my husband says, it's supposed to be fun. And it is!

The bike is stable and comfortable and descends well, feeling safe at 30+ mph. The Schwalbe G-One Speed Performance tires, which don't have a reputation for durability, perform beautifully; they're fast and comfortable. I've never felt that I didn't have enough gear (i.e., not low or high enough), but I do sometimes struggle to find the right gear. That's probably inherent to a 1X drive and is the price I pay for not having to mess with a front derailleur. It brakes well, and just plain feels good. Have I said how much I love my new bike?

Now for what I would change. First off, I think the Stans Arch D rims are a bit of a mismatch for the tires and the bike. They are optimized for 2.25" to 2.5" tires, which clearly wouldn't fit the frame. There's also a mismatch between the maximum pressure for the tires and the rim. The Stans Grail MK3 or Crest MK3 would have been a more appropriate choice. I completely missed this when researching the bike, and frankly doubt it would have changed my mind.

The charging port has a flimsy rubber cover that doesn't look as though it will hold up in the long term. It pales when compared to the nice hinged cover on my husband's Specialized Creo. I also wish there were an option for an external extension battery. The frame-specific racks, while nice-looking, don't seem well suited to touring. I'm hoping that I will be able to mount Tubas racks on the bike, but haven't tried yet. I'll report back when I cross that bridge.

The Niner frame pack is very nice, albeit, quite small when sized for my 53 cm frame. However, it does make it impossible to mount a water bottle. I don't know if it would be an issue with a larger frame. I was able to work around it using a Wolf Tooth B-Rad Mounting Base and Double Bottle Adapter.

All in all, I think the Niner RLT e9 RDO is a great bike and a very good value. I'm surprised that it isn't garnering more attention.

 

[Alaskan]

That is an absolutely awesome looking bike. Congrats on an excellent choice. It was a close call runner up for my recent purchase of the Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 that I recently bought.

The Neo 3 came with the Purion display/controller which is underwhelming to say the least. I have several other ebikes, all of which are fitted out with the old Nyon. I had the new Nyon installed on the Neo 3 and love it. Best upgrade possible IMO. I use a Polar OH1 heart rate monitor which is a small USB rechargeable light weight uint with a light elastic strap that goes on your upper arm. It hooked up to the Nyon perfectly. The Nyon has deep capabilities and as such has a steeper learning curve but once you are fully conversant with all the options, I am sure you will love it.

Happy Riding on your lovely new bike.

 

[Darlinsk]

HI Alaskan,
Thanks for that update. I’ve ordered the Nyon conversion kit from my LBS. The Purion is abysmal. The original estimate of a March delivery just morphed into an August delivery. Patience is a virtue.

Where did you buy your Nyon?

 

[Alaskan]

HI Alaskan,
Thanks for that update. I’ve ordered the Nyon conversion kit from my LBS. The Purion is abysmal. The original estimate of a March delivery just morphed into an August delivery. Patience is a virtue.

Where did you buy your Nyon?

I bought it from LA Fly Rides. Great shop with top notch people. We have purchased several Riese & Muller Bikes from them.

 

[Darlinsk]

Thank you! One more thing ... can you tell me about the front handlebar mount in that picture?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The original estimate of a March delivery just morphed into an August delivery. Patience is a virtue.

We may have an extra Nyon (new). Let us know if we can help.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Niner had a promotion for a free rear rack with the purchase of the bike. I also purchased the front rack and the frame pack. The racks are aesthetically nice; the jury is out on their functionality. The frame bag, while small, is quite nice.

In the meantime, I'm researching my options for updating the display. The Purion display that came with it is extremely basic. I'm leaning towards the Nyon at this point. It does almost everything I want. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with it, particularly with the one that came out recently. From what I can see, I won't be able to easily get heart-rate without wearing a belt (NOT an option), and it won't integrate with my Garmin watch. Bosch's eBike Connect app gets a very poor rating in the App store, and nowhere have I been able to find documentation of the premium add-on that would allow me to customize the bike's power modes, despite seeing it referenced on this site.

That's it for now. I'll update this post as I become more familiar with the bike.

Great looking bike!
You might be one of the rare riders who ride a drop bar bike at 67 (for both men and women). You have picked an excellent bike and congratulations!

 

[reed scott]

Thank you! One more thing ... can you tell me about the front handlebar mount in that picture?

Not Alaskan's but here's one:

Amazon.com

 

[Darlinsk]

We may have an extra Nyon (new). Let us know if we can help.

Yes! And if I understand correctly, you’re in Greenville ... almost local. May I call you at the Pedego phone number? I don’t see an option for direct messaging on this site.

 

[reed scott]

Yes! And if I understand correctly, you’re in Greenville ... almost local. May I call you at the Pedago phone number? I don’t see an option for direct messaging on this site.

Inbox, upper right corner.