Niner Bikes has done it…brought 5.5 inches of rear wheel travel to their full suspension lineup. Matched up with the 140mm travel Marzocchi 44 29er fork, the W.F.O. 9 promises to be that 29er that fills your all mountain, freeride and downhill needs. To make matters even more interesting, some of the crew over at Niner have even bolted up a Manitou Dorado to one of these rigs and hit dedicated downhill runs on big wheels. Needless to say…this mountain bike has turned a lot of heads and it is now available to the public and to Mountain Biking by 198 for review.

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 Mild 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.

Initial Thoughts on the Niner W.F.O. 9

This is a big bike. With all of that travel up front on the big wheels, the bar height is the same as the 5.Spot with a 160mm fork bolted up, and that is with the the Niner Flat Top 9 bar. Of course, that is actually the goal with the W.F.O. 9 as, theoretically, the 140mm worth of suspension travel should feel like 6.5″ inches with the bigger wheels. There are some nice touches throughout the frame including:

• ISCG Mounts
• Adjustable Seatpost Cable Routing (huge plus in my book!)
• Plenty of Rear Tire Clearance
• 150mm Rear Spacing Option
• Large Standover Clearance

I am still not sure how I feel about the industry moving more towards the tapered steerer tube even when I agree with the mechanical benefits of the setup, so we will just have to let time tell on that feature. The bike came shipped with Chris King hubs (finally…a review bike with a great set of wheels!) laced up by Notubes.com, so they should prove to be stiff enough for some serious thrashing. Niner supplied this review bike with a 90mm Thomson stem and a Thomson seatpost, so I ripped both of those off in favor of a 70mm stem and a Gravity Dropper adjustable seatpost. If I am going to throw this big wheeled rig around rock gardens and get it air born…I need to be able to get that seat out of the way and have the bike land correctly.

I have been in talks with Niner for quite awhile about this review, so when the W.F.O. 9 finally got in inventory, we started work right away on getting on in. Now it time to see what this thing is really capable of…so I am thinking the ContourHD is going to start getting some more use in the near future. Stay tuned as I get this unique bike out on the trail…until then…enjoy the gallery and let us know what you think!