Niner’s First Cyclocross — The new BSB from Niner Bikes is the company’s first cyclocross bike. But in its Team form, it may enter the market as the most desirable CX bike yet. It’s just 15.7lbs, stiff, strong and stunning.
It’s not just a pretty face. The 56cm frame is sub-1000 grams. Although Niner does not use the same Taiwanese factory that most of the top brands use, they contract with a Vietnamese factory where they employ Niner’s “Carbon Compaction System”. Without boring you with details about mandrels and modulus, this manufacturing system is arguably industry leading. Niner is making light, clean frames as well as anyone else in the world.
Niner emphasizes that their cyclocross frames pass the EN mountain bike test standards, a rarity for cyclocross bikes, since drop bar bikes only need to pass road EN tests.
The Di2 Team build will cost an epic $6499. The Ultegra build (also hydraulic) runs $4399, and the 105 version a more sane $2999. Available fall of 2014, we will be amongst the first to test the BSB to explore whether this new CX entry rides as devastatingly as it looks.
