What’s in the box?

[Highlander]

This is a new Niner RDO RLT gravel bike for my spouse. They shipped it with the wrong wheels and tires but otherwise it’s really really nice. I bought the same bike last year around this time and I ended up riding it a bunch and really enjoying the versatility of a road bike with wide tires.
Last year I even did a “race” in August that was set up for gravel bikes and my wife signed up for it this year. I need to train hard so she doesn’t beat me.

The Box

The bike
And more bike

[ike1212]

pretty

[ForSweden]

No Two Wheels Good tag?

[MisterButtercup]

@Highlander are they going to ship the right wheels and tires?

[Highlander]

@MisterButtercup I will contact them tomorrow, they were closed when I figured out these were the wrong wheels and tires. Somewhere out there is a cyclocross bicycle with really wide wheels and tires.

[Highlander]

@ForSweden two wheels were wrong.

[jminer]

@Highlander Oh that is a good looking bike! I love the color too.

[Rusty Vandura]

Are bicycle prices still prodruding through the roof?

[Highlander]

@Rusty-Vandura actually still the same price as last year

[Rusty Vandura]

@Highlander So is that a "yes?"

[Zymosan]

@Highlander

So let her beat you. Then you can sit on the couch in the ac with a beer while she’s out there barbecuing.

That’s what I do. They guys at work think I’m nuts. I say I can’t cook in the kitchen. So why do I want to cook outside?

Btw if you bought it last year at this time how much more was it this time? Just curious.

[Highlander]

@Zymosan same price this year as last one of the few bikes that didn’t get a 20% bump

[Highlander]

@Rusty-Vandura yes!

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@Highlander
Nice to see it still has ports for a front derailleur and a dropper...

[Highlander]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly nobody wants a front derailure anymore

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@Highlander
I do....lots of flat country between our hills. So my RLT runs a front derailleur.

[Highlander]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly I rode mine a lot and seemed to come to terms with a 42x10 as my hardest gear. Yes you do spin out around 25 but I’m not road racing this thing.

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@Highlander
Neither am I but I do like to keep up with the lads on their road bikes. And it does give me a smaller ring for our little hills...

[benjrblant]

@Highlander there's still plenty of market for front derailleurs in applications where riders like to keep a target cadence - road and some gravel. It's mostly dead for MTBs but I still see a ton of 2x chainrings in the mountains here.

[Highlander]

@benjrblant I could see that especially on the top end, I can deal with a 1:1 pretty well but the 4:1 for a final drive ratio is a bit easy, in a pace line you can easily cruise at 30 mph and I'm completely spun out around 25.

[Highlander]

@MisterButtercup They are being assholes about the wheels.

[drVanTraveler]

@Highlander said in What’s in the box?:

They are being assholes about the wheels.

That sucks!

[Highlander]

@drVanTraveler Yes, they are blaming the manufacturer for the spec change and are only willing to give me 25% off on a new set that will be wide enough for gravel riding.

[drVanTraveler]

@Highlander Ouch!
Wasn't Niner the subject of some negative comments in the past? 25% isn't much of a discount. I wouldn't be happy either.

[Highlander]

@drVanTraveler They really lost their way with frame design and quality. It seems they have clawed their way back with design and quality but if you advertise a thing to come with a certain list of parts and do not provide said parts, that's pretty shitty IMO. The 32mm tires on 19mm wide rims are not at all good on gravel, they are cyclocross race tires, placed on cheap road wheels, great for grass and pavement but not long days in the saddle.