Note: Following is Grannygear's final take on the updated J.E.T.9 from Niner Bikes. A bonus opinion from our friend and tester, "JeffJ" also is included. He adds the unique viewpoint of a man that is solidly in the "Clydesdale Category", for your reading pleasure.

Niner Bikes J.E.T.9: Final Review: by Grannygear with Special Guest: "JeffJ":

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"Make a good first impression." That applies to all kinds of things, as the first experience with something or someone will tend to color our thoughts for some time to come. So when the JET 9 that I rode more than a year ago left me a bit underwhelmed, I was very interested to give it a second chance. So, let's take a look at what I did not like before and how it worked out this time. I will keep it brief as I want to leave room for another tester's thoughts.

* Handling – I found the first JET 9 to be a bit nervous feeling. This time I was much happier with the overall demeanor of the JET 9. I still think it is on the quick side for the faster, more open and rough double-tracks we have here, but it performed fine during a full-on chase down a muddy, rocky fire-road when a buddy tried to roast me and it is in its element on single-track. In fact, that is where it really shined. My local test loop contains several sections of rocky, twisty single-track that dive in and out of dry creek beds and ravines. The JET 9 was an absolute blast to ride there and was fast and agile.P1050261

* Suspension – The Reba "XX" 100mm fork was a good match to the rear CVA's 80mm's of travel, although I sure would have liked a better option then the standard 9mm QR drop out. Perhaps it was suspension set-up that messed with my last ride on the 1st JET 9, but this time the CVA just impressed me. I did not run ProPedal (although some other test riders did) and I did not feel I needed it in any situation I found myself in. Out of the saddle pedaling efforts were steady and snappy (although It does not quite match the Brain equipped Specialized Epic) and I never felt or saw any anti-squat like the Tall Boy tended to exhibit. Where the CVA was just exceptional, was in the way it tracked the ground. It always felt hooked up whether I was braking or hammering along. I liked it very much and it just may be my favorite rear suspension design yet for all around XC performance.

* Flex – I was able to see the 1st generation JET 9 twist up pretty good in the rear triangle when pedaled hard in a big gear. This one is stout. I never felt anything but solid performance and it seems like the redesign got that part right. The front triangle with the hydroformed tubes and tapered head tube keep you pointed where you intend to go.

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Now, for the bad. Weight. 29+ pounds is not a XC race bike, not in my book. The uber-parts spec'd Epic Marathon I have is at 27 lbs +/-. That feels acceptable to me, but much lighter requires a carbon frame in reality (for an XL bike and rider combo). To get a JET 9 into those numbers will take some serious cash in light weight parts. Or, there needs to be a carbon fiber JET 9 frame. Will that happen? I would bet on it. But, can we keep the aluminum version for guys that do not need a race bike weight (or have a race bike budget) but appreciate an efficient, cost effective XC ride?

The rest:
I found the Stan's Crest wheel-build to be too wiggly for my weight so the Easton Haven wheels took care of that. At 190lbs riding weight, I would not run those Crests on anything other than a racing hard-tail…if that. I sure liked the hydraulic "Xloc" control on the Reba XX which, overall, was smooth and easy to tune to match the rear CVA. I would have sure chosen a Maxle Lite option, though. I am a bit underwhelmed so far with DynaSys. It works fine, but so far I am not sure I get any real improvement over a good working 3×9 set up. The SLX brakes were so-so. I never felt they grabbed quite hard enough to suit me and the front began to squawk annoyingly after a few rides. Perhaps the pads were contaminated…not sure. I really like WTB saddles and the Vigo was a comfy and fine place to sit. P1050266

My last ride on the JET 9 was a fitting end to the review. The route was the typical local loop with its mix of fire-road/double-track/single-track, but that day was one of 'those days' when the stars align and you just ride like you can do no wrong. The music was the trail and the JET 9 was my dance partner. We dove and dipped, flipped and jived…it was as good as it gets. "JeffJ" was following me and at one point where we stopped, he said "You sure look like you are having fun on that bike". Yep. I really am glad I got a second chance at the JET 9. It makes a fine light to medium trail bike, especially if you live in tighter, woodsy, rooty, rocky areas where the sharp steering and supple CVA work in your favor. A premium parts spec would bring out the race bike hidden within that beef and it would be a super endurance racing platform. I could make this bike my own, and I don't say that very often.

Good job, Niner.

I also wanted to get a Clydesdale on this XL JET 9 to see how it held up. Naturally I tapped "JeffJ" for this duty. I nearly had to sneak into his garage and steal it back, he liked it so much. here are his thoughts.

"I got the opportunity to spend some quality Clyde-time aboard an XL 2011 Niner JET 9 and have been taking full advantage of my good fortune. It was outfitted with a set of Easton Haven wheels with Mountain King tires (run tubeless – 2.4" front & 2.2" rear), a Reba XX fork with QR axle, a Shimano SLX Dyna-Sys drive train and SLX brakes (I was able to get the disc brakes to howl a few times on longish descents). A Thomson seat post with a WTB Vigo saddle along with a Thomson 0°/100mm stem with a mid-rise handlebar round out the build specs. For my last three or four rides I swapped out the Mountain King front for a half-used 2.2" Kenda Karma, which I am very familiar with and found more tracked more predictably as our trails dried out from record December rains.

When I picked up the bike from Grannygear, it actually had a 90mm stem and Niner flat bar, but I swapped them out with the pieces mentioned in the first paragraph to get them up where my 6'5" self prefers them. It also has three 10mm spacers under the stem and this gets the bars up far enough so that the grips are only two or three inches or so below the saddle height which is perfect for me. If I could have got the Niner handlebar up as high as I would have liked, I would have used it instead of the mid-rise bar I have on there now. I believe the bar Niner had originally supplied on the bike was a "Flat Top" model with 9° sweep and I actually found it quite to my liking ergonomically speaking. Once we got those couple of contact point adjustments sorted out, I felt the XL JET 9 fit me like a glove.

The trails I have been riding with the JET are the same trails I ride well over 100 days a year, so I have a pretty good baseline from which to compare this bike to others. For the record, my weight is running around the 260lb range before donning my skivvies, so the JET 9 is currently playing the role of a fully loaded C-130.

Since I am carrying around considerably more mass than GG, we would need to spend a few minutes to set up the fork and shock. The first thing we did was to add some air to the rear shock. We settled on around 210psi which put the sag right around 25%. I had previously owned a Tora Solo Air fork and remembered it used to require about 160psi, so we aired up the positive air spring there and inflated the negative air spring to 150psi which has the sag at about 25-30%.

Soooooooooo, how has it been handling this extra duty assignment? It didn't take long to feel the 'snappiness' of the Haven/M-King wheelset. I have become somewhat spoiled by primarily riding a hard tail for the past year and a half and I was very interested to see how the JET 9 would climb. I have tried climbing with Pro-Pedal on (position #2) and off. Although I can feel the difference of having the PP on or off, the JET 9 has exhibited very good manners in either setting. Enough so that it isn't a concern to just leave it off most of the time unless I'm really trying to make some time or get every ounce of efficiency on long/steep climbs. The JET 9 performed very well in the more technical XC climbing situations I found myself in. I didn't get into anything extreme, but your average steep, loose, rocky, rutted trail was handled with aplomb without having to resort to any odd cockpit gymnastics.

P1050258The Reba XX is also equipped with an X-Loc remote and I feel the same about using it as I do about using the Pro-Pedal; it makes a difference, but isn't even close to being necessary for good performance. It is nice to have the remote X-Loc at the ready when you want to jump out of the saddle and have as little suspension movement as possible for climbing while standing.

The drive train is 3×10 Shimano Dyna-Sys with a 24-32-42 crankset paired with a 11-36 cassette. With gearing being such a personal preference type thing, I will admit to not quite feeling the love with this particular setup. It works and shifts OK, but I found myself usually at the end of one chain ring range or the beginning of another and felt the need to switch between chain rings more than I would prefer. The 24t granny ring's range is not that different from the 32t middle chain ring.

I much prefer the 2×9 setup I use on my 29″er hard tail with a 22-36 crankset paired with a 11-34 cassette. It has a slightly lower granny gear and is only outpaced on the tall end by the 3×10 when it is on the big 42t chain ring and the 11t cog and I have yet to be in a situation where the 36t chain ring and 11t rear cog were not enough.

The other nit I have to pick, with this particular build kit, is with the Shimano shifters. My XXL size hands didn't find the shift levers to be placed in a great position to access them conveniently. Those with smaller meathooks may find them just dandy.

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Enough with the componentry. This is, after all, about the JET 9 and I'm ready to get to the really good stuff. For me, that is all about descending. I climb because it allows me to descend. I like to feel somewhat connected to the trail, not like I'm sitting in an easy chair, but I do want my teeth to remain in my head. In many ways, the JET 9 was not super different from my hard tail in that it still feels connected to the trail, but the rear suspension takes the edge off quite nicely. The geometry numbers are very close to my hard tail with the JET 9's chain stays being 5mm shorter with a slightly longer (12mm) wheelbase, 9mm shorter effective top tube and the same head angle. On the higher speed swoopy single track, the JET 9 was very stable, although the Mountain Kings are not great hard-pack handlers. It took a couple of rides to get used to those relatively tall/soft knobs squirming around, but after the second ride on them, I had adapted and it was 'go-time'.

So the JET 9 handles great on the higher speed 20-25mph swoopy single track with nothing even hinting at any bad manners, but the best is still to come. When things start to get tighter and twistier, (the 10-20mph stuff) the JET 9 really starts to shine for me. I was finding speed in places it had previously eluded me. Places like tight-ish, decreasing radius turns, slightly off camber or swerving ribbons of undulating sweetness, carrying speed through and accelerating out of corners. As my road racing daughter likes to say, "Click-Click-BAM!" Just grab the right gear and punch it. And if I found myself getting off my line a little bit I could kind of yank it back into the groove and keep on blazing. I would have to liken it to going from a very good handling touring sedan to an all out sports car. . . . . with a plusher (due to it having rear suspension) but still connected ride. Forgive me, I do believe I'm gushing (am I allowed to do that?). The JET 9 is very confidence inspiring.

Toward the end of my time with the JET 9, I was able to try a different front tire (the 2.2" Kenda Karma) and head out to our local fun-zone to some of the more technical trails. I wondered if the more sure handling in the tight stuff would mean it would be a little on the twitchy, nervous side in more challenging terrain. I found my concerns to be unfounded as the JET 9 was very agile and able, not to mention faster than my hard tail on these trails too.

As for my thoughts on the JET 9's ability to haul (my) 'heavy cargo' in addition to the mail, I had no moments where I felt my Clyde-ness overwhelmed anything on this bike. I had it for about 10 rides and in that time I had no squeaks, no groans, no loosening pivot bolts, no slipping or creaking from the saddle/seat post area or from the cockpit controls. I didn't ever have to add any air to the fork or shock. The JET 9 was simply ready to go every time I was. As for the long-term reliability of this bike for the more substantially proportioned among us, there is simply no way for me to make an accurate prognosis on that. If I am being honest, the 2 year frame warranty would be of concern to me because I am the type that likes to keep a bike for a long time. But, at the same time I know that a 2 year warranty is the norm for bikes from similar companies so it is what it is. I have heard good things about Niner's customer service, and feel like they make an honest effort to keep their customers rolling on their product with a smile on their face.

The bottom line for me is that I really like this bike. It fit me well and performed as promised. I would probably use a different drive train that better suits me and the terrain I spend most of my time in, but fully realize this is a personal preference and not really related to the JET 9 itself. So, based on performance during the time I had it, if I were in the market for a full suspension bike it would be an understatement to say the JET 9 makes the short list. In a word: Excellent!

Thanks to G.G. / T.N.I. and Niner for the opportunity to give it a whirl, big-guy style."

"JeffJ"

Note: Niner Bikes submitted the J.E.T.9 for testing/review at no charge. We were not bribed, nor paid for this review. We strove to give our honest opinions and thoughts throughout.