Rlt 9 Steel Vs Aluminum

Luckily while the rlt 9 al delivers an on trend spec it can be had for as little as 2150 1650 for the flat bar version.

Rlt 9 steel vs aluminum. 2020 niner rlt 9 alloy. Some owners were more than happy to use it as a road ride. Niner s new gravel range includes the carbon fiber rlt 9 rdo the rlt 9 steel welded from reynolds 853 and the rlt 9 aluminum. Carbon is the lightest.

The middle child the rlt 9 steel shares some of the characteristics of its older sibling but definitely has a feel all its own. You also might come across steel including the surly straggler and co op cycles adv 3 1 or titanium like the moots routt ybb but these are far less common. Technically they call it an all road mountain bike which after riding it isn t far from the truth. Niner sent us the 4 star ultegra hydro package and it seems to strike the perfect balance.

Built on a hydroformed alloy frame the bike gets gravel road geometry with a slackish head angle and slightly. I d previously ridden both the steel and carbon versions of the rlt 9 but this aluminum model won me over for its combination of lightweight performance and value. The 2020 niner rlt 9 alloy or simply the rlt 9 as niner refers to it features a 6061 aluminum frame with the same rdo carbon fork as specced the steel and carbon models. The rlt 9 is the bike i can t live without.

While i love a high end lightweight bike as much as the next guy when it comes to gravel bikes old school aluminum or steel will do just fine. All the bikes are available in build kits ranging from high end shimano grx 800 and sram force axs to more affordable options like shimano grx 400 and sram rival. It also comes kit out as a 1x for offroad or commuting foci. And the rlt 9 rdo just released in early 2017 became the youngest but definitely not the slowest child.

Whether one s main concern is weight price or the comfort of old school steel dampening the rlt provides. The rlt 9 aluminum takes its place as the oldest child loved by many as a great all around bike. The rlt 9 steel comes in a few kit options ranging from their 5 star di2 ultegra model priced at 6k down to the 2 star 105 build at 2 500. Introduced last september the niner rlt 9 is the first non mountain bike from the heretofore 29er specific brand.

The alloy version has a forged yoke to accomplish the same tire clearance and gets internal cable routing for the brakes. You can also purchase the frame alone for 1 500.