Kirt Voreis' Niner 27.5 Prototype - Sea Otter 2018

Apr 22, 2018 at 14:31
by Mike Kazimer  
Niner prototype

Kirt Voreis' showed up at Sea Otter with a new dual slalom rig, but this isn't a one-off specialty item - it's actually a prototype of a 140mm trail bike that Niner is working on. The final name hasn't been settled on yet, and the specifics are still under wraps, but there is one obvious detail about the bike that separates it from the rest of Niner's lineup: those 27.5" wheels. Niner have made a 27.5+ bike before, but when this rig debuts this will be the Colorado company's first true 27.5" bike.

Niner prototype
The bike uses a shorter upper link than what's found on Niner's other bikes.

Niner prototype
The entire frame is carbon, except for the aluminum rocker links.
Niner prototype
The sloping top tube provides a good deal of standover clearance, something that comes in handy when you have a bag of tricks like Kirt Vories.

Niner prototype
Niner prototype
The un-named bike uses Niner's Constant Varying Arc (CVA) suspension design, with the carbon swingarm joined to the front triangle and shock by two links.


MENTIONS: @NinerBikes @SeaOtterClassic


Author Info:
mikekazimer avatar

Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,719 articles

66 Comments
  • 76 7
 Niner Twentyseven.Fiver......because 29" was not the future of wheel size in the future.
  • 9 0
 The Seventier
  • 16 2
 They certainly have a 29” version coming....
  • 18 1
 Niner "NotaNiner"
  • 5 12
flag burnadette (Apr 22, 2018 at 21:12) (Below Threshold)
 This is the most cringe worthy thing ever.
  • 6 4
 Sellouts?
  • 54 1
 How must have this conversation gone?
Engineer: boss long travel 29ers are in should I redesign the WFO?
CEO: no make a 140mm 27.5er
Engineer: hahaha good one boss
CEO: no I'm serious make a 27.5

No wonder they went bankrupt
  • 3 2
 I think Kirt helped them smell the coffee.
  • 47 3
 The lower link that doubles as bashguard. Ingenious.
  • 2 1
 My old Giant DH Team had linkage below the bottom bracket. Smushed bearings galore.
  • 1 0
 My Gen 1 Bronson had the same thing, lower link that stuck down. It had to be cleaned and serviced VERY frequently. Definitely something to avoid.
  • 24 1
 The Niner “Minus OnePointFiver”
  • 33 0
 The minor niner
  • 13 3
 @niner, as long as you are making protos, make Kirt a FR bike so he can sent it at FEST. BTW DH + 29ers are all the rage right now. Seems obvious what needs to be done.
  • 5 0
 The new WFO should definitely just be a DH bike.
  • 18 6
 That's a sweet looking Huffy.
  • 6 1
 Yea, yea. Also Cannondales are Roadmasters, and Santa Cruz are Raleigh bikes, and...
  • 2 0
 @Def-Leo: ... Mongoose are Mongoose.
  • 11 0
 Must. Be. A. Dick. About. Wheelsize.
  • 2 0
 Brilliant!
  • 7 0
 Seven Elevener?
  • 4 0
 Frozen hell or something to that effect. Like that Eagles tour after they said they would never play together again. Bit tongue and cheek is never a bad idea...
  • 8 2
 Trunnion mounted?
  • 2 1
 This thing looks so sweet!! I wonder if Niner is going to rebrand under the new parent company. Maybe use the same font to keep the niner-esque branding but allow them to maybe have a fresh start. This bike looks like a promising future!
  • 4 1
 The Ex-Niner?
  • 4 0
 Look like they put some Santa Cruz DNA into Rip 9 body. Definitely the best looking full suspension Niner period!
  • 1 0
 the cross braces go along way to fixing the weird cable routing on the RIP 9, that's for sure.
  • 9 7
 Just finished in second for Cat 1 DH at Sea Otter on my Niner RIP9. They know what they are doing when they design bikes and have never felt faster in my 10 years of riding.

Keep up the good work guys and gals @NinerBikes
  • 3 0
 That rear shock / linkage / frame layout is awesome..... Hopefully they adopt that to a 2Niner in the future.
  • 3 0
 When are they going to be offering a 26" bike? That's the real wave of the future!
  • 1 0
 It seems Huffy is determined to go bankrupt too. They really missed a golden opportunity to enter guns blazing, into a market they went bankrupt trying to create. Very weird and disappointing,poor Kurt,look at his face.
  • 3 1
 Hahahahaha.
29’ers are so rad. But Vories wants a 27.5 er.
I think that says something important.
  • 20 1
 I didn't even know this bike was being made. Will be rad for stuff like speed and style, but my 29er will be my everything bike!
  • 4 0
 @Voreis: Now I'm confused...I thought speed and style were everything...
  • 2 0
 @Grunk: haha, true!
  • 3 0
 Totally sweet looking rig. Hope an aluminum version is on its heels.
  • 3 0
 Really nice looking. Niner is making a good comeback
  • 1 0
 Just waiting for 24bicycles to make a new LeToy or Pornking with 26" wheels. Always enriching to shuffle things around a little.
  • 3 1
 That looks sick. Evilesque.
  • 2 0
 Honestly not bad looking,like it could do something other than xc.
  • 3 0
 very nice
  • 2 1
 That looks great. Nice to see something original and 27.5. Sucks about the name though.
  • 2 0
 We should get a suspension action video for this bike.
  • 1 0
 He named it years ago "Tweener" I believe is what he called them Tweenerniner it is!!
  • 2 1
 Genuine question: "bag of tricks" = "set of cojones"?
  • 1 0
 Bag of Tricks: A set of skills, techniques, items of information, or other resources used to help achieve professional or personal goals.

Set of Cojones: Cojones is a Spanish word, and a loan word in English, that can mean: Testicles, in profane slang. Courage or boldness, as in the expression "tener cojones", equivalent to the English idiom "having a lot of balls
  • 3 0
 @Poulsbojohnny: I was convinced that the caption was deliberately referring to the room available for his massive testicles. I need my head checked.
  • 1 0
 Reminds me to the Demo 9 with all these extra bars
  • 1 0
 When your friend try to escape the 29ers zone
  • 1 0
 Is missing gearbox, is that gonna happen? Isn’t that a new standard?
  • 2 2
 Trunnion mount thats not so Trunniony...
  • 3 0
 You’re right - I blame all the wandering around under the hot sun. That’s been corrected.
  • 3 3
 I'm surprised Niner filed for bankruptcy. I mean this bike is gorgeous!!!
  • 2 1
 The 650 Pretzel
  • 1 1
 looks like a outland system early 80's
  • 1 1
 Looks like a bag of crap.
  • 2 3
 Didn’t they file for bankruptcy? What’s with the new bike?
  • 4 7
 Walmart called, said 650b was in
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