FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series

Dec 17, 2014 at 8:39
by NinerBikes  
It's always really nice when someone helps you out, especially when it's a larger company. FedEx has long emphasized supporting small businesses, and to that end they have developed a new video series called “The Makers Series,” which focuses on innovative brands that use their services. At Niner we're more than excited to have been chosen as the first business to be featured in that series, not only because it suggests that FedEx considers us an innovative brand, but also because they created a great video for us.



bigquotesThe Makers Series showcases brands in a highly dynamic way. In each video, beautifully crafted products will be featured, with the focus on the intended use. The Makers Series of videos will feature innovative products and exciting b-roll footage for viewers. A key element of the Series is to show the innovation that exists from ideation, creation, testing and production - and how that extends through to the delivery of the product to the consumer. FedEx is shown in that supporting role, connecting product to customer.. - FedEx

It's really exciting to see a company like FedEx market themselves by promoting their customers, it creates a win win situation for all involved. And while the marketing efforts of smaller companies are usually limited to their own specific markets, FedEx is pushing this content out to a large non-endemic audience, which is a great way for smaller companies to gain more exposure.


Behind the Scenes on the Niner shoot

Day 1 - Call time 5 AM for a 6 AM start

Greg Massey and Ryan Goble prepare the drone for the first days sunrise shoot. Being ready to shoot at first light means being on location long before the sun comes up.
Greg Massey and Ryan Goble prepare the drone for the first days sunrise shoot. Being ready to shoot at first light means being on location long before the sun comes up. While it might be a fairly basic job for everyone else to get ready, it does take a bit of time to get the gimbal calibrated and the drone ready to go.

Waiting for the sun...
5:42 AM, waiting for the sun...

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
The Cinestar 8 drone with a Movi M10 Gimbal and Canon 5D mk 3, about as good a package as you can get for this kind of stuff. The only real way to make it better would be a bigger camera, but the Canon was the right tool for this job. Lighter weight means longer flight times, and less time spent changing batteries.

It takes two to really make this thing work one to fly and one to control the camera.
It takes two people to really get the most out of a drone. Ryan flies the Cinestar while Greg controls the camera.

There are no shuttles out here. Nate Adams pushing back up for another go and it s not even 6 AM yet.
Even though we had permits and were able to drive to the trailhead there are no shuttles out here. Niner's Nate Adams pushing his WFO 9 back up for another go and it's still not even 6 AM yet.

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
Matt Fremstad filming from the ground. Matt ran two different cameras on this shoot, a Canon C300 as well as a Sony FS700 for all the slow motion stuff. Nate Adams and Stu Travis were the riders for the Trail Bike portion of the shoot, riding sections of the Spring Creek Trail over and over again. Their Strava times on that trail should probably improve a bit.

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
A birds eye view of the trail...
A birds eye view of the trail on Greg's monitor.

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series

bigquotesFor me the highlights of this project were getting to ride my bike non-stop for two days straight in hero dirt, and getting to drive my truck up the mountain that I usually have to suffer pedalling up. - Nate Adams

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
It takes a small crew to keep everything running smoothly 7 people not including the riders worked on this one.
It takes a crew to keep everything running smoothly, there were 7 people not including the riders working on this shoot.

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
The Canon C300 is a workhorse camera, several notches above the DSLR, but at a price, $12,000 body only...

Greg Massey films Nate Adams and Stu Travis on the Spring Creek Trail.
Nate Adams and Stu Travis ride the Niner Bikes WFO 9 on the Spring Creek Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park
Nate Adams and Stu Travis ride the Niner Bikes WFO 9 on the Spring Creek Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park
Nate Adams and Stu Travis ride the Niner Bikes WFO 9 on the Spring Creek Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
Early morning number 2

Day Two - Another early morning shred session for Nate and Stu.

FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
Nate Adams and Stu Travis ride the Niner Bikes WFO 9 in Horsetooth Mountain Park near Fort Collins
Nate Adams rides the Niner Bikes WFO 9 in Horsetooth Mountain Park near Fort Collins
Nate Adams and Stu Travis ride the Niner Bikes WFO 9 in Horsetooth Mountain Park near Fort Collins

Day Three - XC shooting in the valley

Brad Cole and Cormac Dunn ride the Niner Bikes AIR 9 RDO on the Nomad Trail near Fort Collins Colorado.
FedEx and Niner Bikes - The Makers Series
Brad Cole and Cormac Dunn ride the Niner Bikes AIR 9 RDO on the Nomad Trail near Fort Collins Colorado.

Cormac Dunn (in the red kit) rides for the CLIF Devo Team and was elected to be one of the athletes for the XC portion of the shoot.

bigquotesEveryone at the shoot was awesome to work with and everything came together perfectly. After six hours of shooting they had every possible shot we needed and headed back to the Niner office. On the ride back I was able to see a preview of some of the overhead shots, and I realized how amazing the experience was. Everyone worked hard to make this happen and the final video really shows the commitment Niner and FedEx have towards their work. In the end, any day of school missed to ride bikes and work with awesome people, is a day well spent. - Cormac Dunn

Brad Cole and Cormac Dunn ride the Niner Bikes AIR 9 RDO on the Nomad Trail near Fort Collins Colorado.
Brad Cole rides the Niner Bikes AIR 9 RDO on the Nomad Trail near Fort Collins Colorado.
As a bike company we have some solid riders on staff which is beneficial in many different ways. Niner employee and ex-pro racer Brad Cole putting the AIR 9 RDO to work for the cameras.

Ryan Goble hand holding the gimble. It takes a special talent to run up a rocky trail while filming the action behind you.
It takes a special skill to run up a rocky trail while filming behind you, Ryan Goble has that skill.



CREDITS - It takes work to make this stuff all come together, and we'd like to thank everyone that helped make this shoot work out.

FedEx - Niner Bikes -Troy Lee Designs - Capo Cycling - Deity Components - Suplest Shoes - Giro - Oakley - ENVE

MENTIONS @NinerBikes @troyleedesigns @deityusa @GiroSportDesign @ENVE





Author Info:
NinerBikes avatar

Member since Jan 4, 2013
33 articles

71 Comments
  • 18 0
 I work at FedEx.. May I please have a niner? I am saving my pennies for a ROS9
  • 2 1
 good choice
  • 3 1
 I work at Dynamex so I know all about pennies, and if they ever did an ad / vid I could do the riding for the price of a medium sized turkey
  • 3 0
 Got a deal for you. Free shiping!
  • 1 1
 When i saw pennies i thought it said something else.
  • 1 1
 Good observation! I never looked at the word that way, I guess my thoughts aren't occupied by .... Oh yeah it could also say pussies but than I would just be making fun of my co-workers or thinking about the prime directive.
  • 16 6
 I have the older NINER JET 9 all the things they said match just how they ride . Amazing bikes cornering is so positive point it in and it hold a line so so well . And this thing can shift so well . This is my first 29er and I forget I'm rideing a big wheeler really playfull . Will defo be upgrading to the carbon next year . Good work NINER
  • 5 4
 I had an EMD9 from 2010 in M aaand... it was a freight train... compared to Stumpy Evo 29 or Kona Honzo in Large. I see that latest Niners are more like it.
  • 5 2
 i like parcelforce
  • 8 35
flag cheezey-its (Dec 19, 2014 at 23:37) (Below Threshold)
 screw9ers they are soooo gay
  • 5 35
flag cheezey-its (Dec 19, 2014 at 23:38) (Below Threshold)
 like just ride a 26 pussy
  • 5 33
flag cheezey-its (Dec 19, 2014 at 23:38) (Below Threshold)
 actually no 24 is the future
  • 22 1
 wheel size debate has no future... just like people who can't use edit function Big Grin
  • 4 18
flag cheezey-its (Dec 19, 2014 at 23:54) (Below Threshold)
 I disagree with your opinion
  • 4 7
 Niners are a blast to ride. My Jet 9 RDO eats hardtails for breakfast. Haha.
  • 12 1
 If 29ers are gay, then I love it UP THE CHUFF!
  • 8 0
 29er it's your ride you paid to ride it not for others to ride . way I see it is wheel size gives more opitions to the riders to choose from so it's a big positive in my book . I'm not going to say 29er rules over any other size but it works better for me and the rideing I do .
  • 1 0
 @superbikes - agreed, but there's some irony there in that this features a company that only offers 29ers
  • 11 1
 It's good to see large corporations investing in smaller companies...........I wonder if FedEx will highlight other small bike/frame manufactures.

It's also good to here Chris pointing out 150mm rear travel is difficult endeavor on the 29er wheel platform
  • 2 1
 Fuck yeah FedEx, mtb goin mainstream as fuck now!
  • 8 0
 It's amazing how a simple camera pan and drone shot can make a product look so intense, modern, and hip. Niners are awesome but major props to the production crew.
  • 4 2
 Seriously! The FedEx crew know how to drop an edit!
  • 1 0
 They're definitely not intense, they clearly say niner on the tubes =P
  • 7 1
 First of all, I think this was very well shot. I shoot a lot of branded content like this, for all sorts of brands from the smallest to the biggest and from the drone shots to the ground action, this looked great. But this wasn't a good piece. From the editing/shot selection, the VO ("everyone asks us why our bikes are so special" - really? is that what everyone asks?), to the 2.40 to 16x9 aspect ratio change to the atrocious music selection it was a letdown. Which is very disappointing because I think it was really well shot. So a big high 5 to the operators and DOP for that. I'm absolutely sure there's a very good story somewhere in the Niner world, but unfortunately, I didn't see it here.
  • 5 4
 1. I was expecting them to send it. but they never delivered. 2. bar turns and freeriding with a 29r will never look a steezy as it can be. post complete. nap time.
  • 4 0
 Haha, great comment makripper, we did so want to 'send it' all day! But, alas, our skills could only accomplish a couple of bar turns, too scary for sending it, well, maybe a skid or two was done, if I recall : )
  • 6 0
 Great to see some of the local rides I do every day up on Pinkbike! Stu and Nate are both crazy awesome riders, love having Niner in town.
  • 5 0
 Woah! Was that someone getting style on a 29er? World ending in 3... 2...

Nicely shot. Anyone know where those trails are? Looks very mid-Cal.
  • 9 0
 Those are our local trails here in Fort Collins, Colorado. The trail bike stuff is on the Spring Creek Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park, and the XC stuff is on the valley trails in the same area.
  • 4 1
 Don't forget about Lory!
  • 5 1
 This was such a cool shoot to be a part of, all on our local trails, tearing apart the WFO9 & following Nate for 2 days straight. Great job on the vid guys, Niner Bikes are cool peep's for sure!
  • 5 0
 Like the photos more than the video, didn't really want to see an advertisement
  • 3 1
 Tarot octo frame, Movi M10, T-Motors, black pearl monitor, bluebeam clovers, graupner transmitters and lots of other goodies; these guys are doing it right. Now a days most people just whip out a phantom and go high, but they don't have nearly the quality nor stability of a big hex or octo. Good job on keeping it real! Canon is not exactly lighter, considering the gh4 and its performance.
  • 4 0
 When they said "So whats next for Niner" I hoped they would say a 650b bike.
  • 1 0
 Exactly what I was thinking!
  • 3 0
 RIP 9 RDO rocks the house. And Fedex is the ONLY carrier for shipping bikes. UPS should be outlawed, they treat bike/boxes like punching bags
  • 8 3
 This vid highlighted everything I hate about bicycle advertising...
  • 2 1
 I would totally support FedEx more often if they actually rang the doorbell when they deliver a package. They left my brand new Ibis Mojo on my front porch without so much as a knock or a ring. My new tires less than a week ago same thing no ring or knock. I guess you have to order a 29er for them to give a shart.
  • 2 0
 A fun thought, "For me the highlights of this project were getting to drive my truck up the mountain that I usually have to suffer pedalling up.- Nate Adams


Nate drives a ford RAPTOR! ! Where are the rally shots niner ?
  • 4 4
 "What's next for niner bikes we wanna grow as a company and make riders happy." Why does all bike advertising sound like poltical advertising? Thought this was stupid but hey what hell do I know? Maybe the cost of shipping those frames will come down for bike shops now that they have the FedEx connection.
  • 2 1
 Really nice video.
Ironic though that they mention standover height in that video, when I checked out the new WFO 9 a while back the 31.5" standover height on the XL frame surprised me, in a bad way.
  • 4 1
 @iamamodel Fort Collins, CO. right out Niners backdoor!
  • 3 1
 This video was missing a serious amount of good vibes. However, it was incredibly well shot.
  • 3 0
 the drone is cool looking
  • 4 2
 sick, another video talking about passion and using shitty jock rock. I'm off to buy a Niner!
  • 2 1
 I work for fedex and it took me a year to figure out that there was an arrow in the logo
  • 2 1
 It's easy... there it is ->
  • 3 0
 Didn't take me long to find out Neko Mullaly would be riding a scott though because I loaded his new scott into a container long before any news of him leaving trek came out!i don't take much notice of the logo but take a lot of notice of the bikes that come through stansted
  • 3 1
 12,000 just for the camera body? That's a spicy meatball!
  • 4 1
 Only a little spicy... the Arri Alexa starts at 80k Smile
  • 2 1
 @Dustfarter props for that name holy shit im dying
  • 3 1
 Was this filmed in Ft Collins?
  • 1 0
 Yes it was
  • 1 0
 So what's the point of this? Is FedEx trying to advertise through a very small portion of their deliveries?
  • 1 0
 I spy with my little eye and krampus killer!
  • 3 2
 Those Maxxis tires look great as well. Good to see Niner uses Maxxis.
  • 2 1
 jesus, 12 grand body only...
  • 1 1
 There is only one Stew I wanna see shredding the front range on a Niner. Do what!?
  • 1 1
 Oh? Do tell : )
  • 3 2
 Coooooooool a 29er only brand... NEXT!
  • 2 1
 One trick pony photo shoot!!!
  • 1 0
 lycra-clad male bottoms riding into the sunset, nuff said!
  • 1 1
 27.5 is pretty much spot on do it all wheel size.
  • 2 3
 Sorry peeps, but even FedEx cant save 29ers. Thankfully, that was a dumb business idea... rip.
  • 2 3
 I was so hoping to see a fat bike!
  • 1 2
 Best part is 1:57...duhhh this fits in here!
  • 2 3
 WOW.............POD.............
  • 1 2
 Spandex.
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