Rlt 9 Steel Review

The niner rlt 9 steel was one of the first drop bar bikes that blended bikepacking and gravel.

Rlt 9 steel review. I was quite impressed with it when i reviewed it back in 2016. Niner gives us a beautiful steel gravel grinder in the rlt 9. The niner rlt 9 steel is niner s answer to this particular niche. An independent review of the rlt 9 steel posted by ninerbikes august 01 2017 clint gibbs an avid mountain bike rider and cyclocross racer offers an in depth review of the rlt 9 steel.

Niner rlt 9 steel review. My bike racing chops were forged in the 70s and 80s. The disc brake only post mount rlt 9 steel can accommodate single double or triple chainrings. The rlt 9 steel is offered in three builds from 2 799 with sram apex to 4 799 with shimano ultegra.

I really want to love steel. 853 is the strongest and lightest non stainless tubing that reynolds produces so it should hold up to a bit of abuse. Since then niner has broadened the rlt 9 gravel bike platform with alloy and carbon models. Gravel love with the niner rlt 9 level 2 expert even though it s built as a capable tank it remains nimble and fun enough to rally around road circuits and then slay some singletrack.

What others are saying. Our writer threw his leg over it for a review. Other frame features include rear rack pannier braze ons and three water bottle mounts. Designed to be ridden for hours and hours or even days and days built around stability comfort and endurance for when the tarmacadam road turns to loose gravel substrate.

The rlt 9 steel frame is constructed from none other than reynolds 853 steel. The tig welded 853 tubing is claimed to absorb road chatter yet still provide feedback without feeling dead. It s also available as a frameset only for 1 599 if you want to put together your own. Bikepacking bikes gravel all road whether labeled gravel all road adventure or a jumble of those terms it s hard to ignore the wave of genre blending cross bikes that have slammed into the marketplace recently.

Gravel is the new dirt.