Niner EMD 9 - SS // First impressions

Taking out a new bike and spend the first couple of hours in the saddle is always a brilliant feeling. This is the time when I get to experience something I was only reading about up until now.  

Alright, let's have a look at this. Since I picked up this Niner EMD 9 SS just a few days ago I had 2 spins on it with the total of 3 hours and about 60+ km. So, I guess it's about time to post this first impressions post.

The bike is a 29er and I'm sure we all know by now how freakin' cool it is to ride one. The geometry is great, the bike feels comfortable and handles very well. But I think it's no surprise from a 29er specific company. I won't get into too much details I think, instead I'd like to talk about the rigid carbon fork and the single speed setup as I find both of them pretty unique. 

No suspension 

I've been riding off-road for almost 20 years but I never had a bike without a suspension fork. So, rocking my favourite trails on a rigid bike was a new experience! It's pretty rough but once you find the flow of the trail and you get things right it's absolutely manageable. Tyre pressure can be critical, so I need to find my way around that too. 

1x1

So, single speed, eh? I was riding the SSWC '11 and back then I was usin a 2:1 ratio on the bike. This one has slightly easier one with 36T x 19T, but when you're riding a single speed MTB off-road the word "easier" has a completely different meaning...

...it is hard as hell. Dealing with the climbs with only one gear knowing there's no option to change gears is a savage task. But it is also very rewarding! I also love the simplicity of the bike, simple and straight forward with no complications. It feels very pure!

A new chapter has started in my mountain biking life with the machine and after 2 rides I can tell one thing: it's gonna be a savage, brutal hard but fantastic chapter indeed. All I need to do is raise to the challenge! Bring it on!

Niner EMD 9 - SS // Here's the new chapter!

Good bye Cannondale - Hello Niner! I just got this beast of a bike as the replacement of the faithful F29 that I've been riding recently. The change was from one unique bike to another. And this time I opened Pandora's Box I think: I'll be riding this fully rigid, single speed Niner EMD 9 XC weapon from now on!  

Niner has been also on my wish list for a while and I can't deny that I'm happy to get my hands it. I always loved their bikes and of course their rigid carbon fork is a whole new level in my opinion.  

What a beauty! 

Real nice & tidy

But let's see some of the details here: the frame is a Niner EMD 9 that isn't single speed specific model, so there's always an option to build the bike up with gears. The fork is Niner's full carbon, rigid 29er fork. The bike rolls on Mavic CrossRide 29er wheels and WTB tyres. The stopping power comes from the set of Avid Elixir 7 brakes with carbon levers. 

The drivetrain is built from Truvativ Stylo cranks with a pair Shimano XTR M-980 pedals fitted, Hope 36T front chain ring and a 19T Niner rear sprocket. To keep everything tight I have a chain tensioner fitted also.

As simple as it can get

As a finishing kit I have a 720mm wide Niner alloy handlebar with a 90 mm long inverted stem, ODI grips, Truvativ seatpost and my favourite Fi'zi:k Tundra saddle. Sweet setup I think!

Riding single speed mountain bike is not new to me, I have tried it before and even competed on a single speed bike back in 2011. It is a hard work...and it can be brutal many times...but in case I'm havin' a hard time here's a nice message from the lads from Niner:

Motivation when needed! :)

So, this is my new machine from now on and I can't wait to enjoy all the simplicity and brutal hard work that only a single speed MTB can give you. 

I couldn't resist anymore so I had a sneaky little spin already on it last night and all I can say: it...is...awesome! Sorry, I mean AWESOME!!! :)

Some late night snacking #yummyumm

When things don't go well...

Something happened today. Something that never happened before...But let's go from the start. Today's spin has started out pretty well, I went up to the highest point in Hungary. The peak called Kékestető is at 1014m above sea level and the route I picked was about 45 km each way. The weather was very hot (32-34°C) but hey! It's summer time, isn't it?! 

The way up went well, nothing extraordinary happened besides battling the biggest climb in the country. I had fun as you do, took a quick photo and the turned back home. Even managed to spice things up by picking the mega fast descent on the ski slope.  

Descending on the ski slope is alway fun

After the long descent back to Gyöngyös things started to feel a bit "funny" though. I started to feel bad on the bike and things got worse pretty rapidly. At first I couldn't place this thing at all since I've had plenty of water & food along the way...

I was dizzy, I had nausea, head ache and I got pretty bad chills. Needless to say how difficult was to ride the bike like this, nevermind the little stinger climbs... 

I ended up feeling so bad I decided to stop and call for a lift. At this point I've done almost 80 km and I was close enough to home but I couldn't carry on any further. I got off the bike, walked a few meters and then just stopped. I called for my Dad and asked if he could give me a lift home ...

This whole thing was a massive slap in my face as I never aborted a spin before. Never. I had countless very hard moments on the bike before but I never reached the point what I reached today. 

It turned out I managed to get a heat stroke thanks to the proper Hungarian summer. Yeah, it's nice to ride a bike on a hot and dry summer afternoon but I have to admit that I'm not used to this temperature anymore. I have been away for almost 10 years and it seems like this time was enough to make me soft...but at least I can ride well in bad weather. Thank you Ireland, haha! :)  

Now, it's time to get some rest and get the system back to normal.

   

DIY bike repair stand

Well, first of all it's not an advanced bike repair stand type thing really, but after all it makes things much easier when it comes to bike repair in my shed! Needless to say too much, let's see the project:

The shopping list:

               - 10cm x 10cm wood column (2 x 50 cm long pieces)    

               - 1 shovel handle (cut up to 50cm long pieces)

               - 6 pieces of plastic wall dowel plugs

               - 6 pieces of 18 cm long bolts

               - 6 pieces of washers 

               - 1 set of handlebar tape

• First we got the wood planer and got the wood columns nice and smooth.
• Then we drilled the holes for the bars and for all the fitting bolts as well. 
• After all this we got all the necessary measurements right and got everything fitted.
• At the end I wrapped the bars with the handlebar tape to make sure it won't damage the frame.

Here we are, it's ready :)

It's possibly the most simple thing that can be used as a bike stand but in the end of the day it's enough to get basic maintenance jobs done and they'll be much easier this way then having to get them done with the bike on the floor. And considering the fact the total cost of the whole unit was about 6 EUR makes me feel even more happy about it! :)

Testing the latest upgrade of The Bike Shed