"Ride Over Sh*t" - Niner has dedicated its ROS series to this motto. The latest addition to the family is the steel rigid bike in 29+ format. Originally, the ROS 9 Plus was also planned with a suspension fork, but because the newly developed forks are not yet available, the matt green giant bike comes with a matching steel rigid fork for the time being. In order to accommodate the three-inch tyres on extra-wide 29er rims, the frame design had to pull out all the stops. Only with tricks such as the asymmetrical chainstay yoke, the heavily bent seat tube and the restriction to single gears was Niner able to realise the compact rear triangle. Despite this, only a few millimetres remain between the chain and tyre in the lowest gear. Thanks to the common hub standards - 15 mm thru-axle at the front and 142 x 12 at the rear - the 29+ can also be fitted with normal 29er wheels at any time. The eccentric bottom bracket helps with geometry fine-tuning and ensures singlespeed suitability. The practical impression shows: The 29+ format is a mixture of fatbike and 29er. The forgiving riding behaviour and smooth ride are system-related. Nevertheless, the big-wheel experts have managed the balancing act of making the bike quite playful and by no means sluggish, even at slow speeds. The ROS 9 Plus generates great comfort on bumpy tracks and confidence-inspiring handling on technical root trails, which is rarely experienced on rigid bikes. Due to its high overall weight, the ROS 9 Plus is not recommended as a performance bike, but rather as a fun character bike for individualists.
Conclusion on the Niner ROS 9 Plus
The trail becomes a playground, performance takes a back seat - the ROS 9 Plus is a statement against convention. Nevertheless, it is more of an individual second bike than a universal all-purpose weapon.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Niner ROS 9 Plus
PLUS Excellent handling and geometry simultaneously ensure a high level of subjective safety and lots of fun on the trail
MINUS Expensive and heavy for a steel rigid bike
*The Niner ROS 9 Plus does not fit into the points system and is therefore not rated according to the usual
BIKE standard. For this reason, there is no final score in the test letter.
