Marcus_Ti

RLT 9 STEEL Frameset - Grey/Blue

Internal Di2 routing, lots of bottled points. Rack and fender mounts. 45mm tire clearance. 853 frame and carbon fork. Thru-axles and flat discs.


Yum yum. Oh, and $1500USD? Double yum.


EDIT: And yea...I derped...853 isn't stainless

mstateglfr 

$1500 for a non custom frameset? Rough.
PF30BB? Lame.
Really nice frame material.
Neat that they included attachment points on the fork for Anything cages.
Nice look to it for sure.


Curious what 'sport beer compatible' means. That sounds too marketed to be cool, whatever it is.

Really curious what setup is used to attach the front panniers to the fork(reference the in use pics on the site). They specifically advertise it as rear rack only(especially since its a carbon fork), but are using traditional panniers on the fork in the picture. hmmmmmmmmmm.

Cyclist0108

If that includes a good carbon fork. that isn't a bad price.

shoota 

I'd rather have a Flaanimal.
Flaanimal 3.0 adventure bike - a Rodeo Labs crowd funded project. - Rodeo Adventure Labs, LLCRodeo Adventure Labs, LLC

Bikedud

I really like the RLT 9 steel, don't care much for PF BB30, but if you want to run single speed it's pretty slick.

Marcus_Ti

Yup. My pre-order is in for Flaanimal....RLT9 is Plan B or C.

Currently only 9 of 40 Flaanimals have been ordered in order for it to fund.

Yea that is the rub

egear

Nice frame material and a real nice frame in general. PF30 sucks. I have had good results using the wheels mfg adapter. Stops the creaking and generally resolves all issues the first install. A carbon mono fork is a carbon mono fork. $1500 is a bit steep for me as well. None the less if you have the money it is a sweet frame.

TimothyH

A bunch of Niner bikes and frames are on sale at Competitive. I called them yesterday about an RLT RDO frame. They said they have several even though they are not listed on the website. I also asked about 20% off since that is the discount for most of the stuff on sale. I normally work with a sales rep named Klye and he was not in yesterday. The rep I was speaking with said he would have to ask Kyle about the discount when he was back in the office.

My point is, it might be worth a phone call to see if they have one in stock and can match the discount on the other sale items.

$1200 is tasty.

shoota 

Nice dude! Which one did you order exactly?

Hiro11

Even on a steel frame, they insist on PF BBs these days. So. Fu%^ing. Annoying. Manufacturers: stop it. This has got to end.

Marcus_Ti

The copper/black frame set

ColonelSanders

Why are they doing this?

Marcus_Ti

Margins.

ColonelSanders

I hope they appreciate the margin of me not even considering buying their bike/frame then.

thehammerdog

It does and with nice carbon fork that is pretty good.853 aint cheap

TimothyH

Being ignorant of the various types, I looked it up for my own education...

Reynolds Technology


-Tim-

gsa103

PF30 with a steel cup should be much less trouble prone than PF30 in a carbon frame. The PF30 bracket will be easier to machine to precise tolerances, and less prone to deforming.

chas58

Looks pretty nice, although you can get titanium for that price.

I got so disillusioned with frame prices, I got a sweet lugged '90's steel frame bike off of Craig's list for a couple hundred.

Marcus_Ti

Not a frameset with flat mount discs brakes, thru axles, internal Di2, and rack/fender mounts....unless maybe you're buying XACD, shoot not even Dean can get all that in a Ti frame-only for $1500 (and you'd still need to source a fork)....barring a wicked sale.


Only way you'll get that pile of features in a Ti frameset is buying used AFAIK.

grolby

I don't think I've heard a manufacturer brag about using 853 in close to a decade.

What on earth are you talking about? That's not the bargain of the century, but a production high-end steel frame with carbon fork is going to cost about that much. Especially if it's prominently using a specific tubing brand. People get confused because of course a Surly or a Soma or whatever is much cheaper. But those frames are made from pretty bog-standard 4130 and simply aren't very nice. If you find a really good deal, you *might* be able to get a custom frame - no fork - for $1500, but most custom steel frames from anything remotely resembling a "name" builder will be more like $2k and up, up, up. If you want to get mad about non-custom frame prices, get a load of the Rivendell Atlantis, or A. Homer Hilsen. $2400 for a frameset built to 1980's technological standards. Now that's outrageous. $1500 for a nice steel frame and fork with a zillion braze-ons and doo-dads seems right on the money.

mstateglfr 

Yes, im aware 853 isnt the same as (your words)not very nice 4130.

An All City Nature Boy 853 with Whisky 9 thru axle carbon fork is $1150. Cue the examples in how each frameset is different and said differences justify the price.


To actually answer your 'what on earth are you talking about' response...i dont find the value at that cost. Thats what im talking about. I am fully aware of what 853 is and i know that i am not a good enough cyclist to benefit from it vs what i have(some of that not very nice double butted 4130). I genuinely doubt many (most?) cyclists I see and know would benefit from 853 vs 531 or a well made db4130 frame.

Everyone is free to get what they want. Whatever makes them happy is cool. I only voiced my opinion since its a forum and the subject came up.

grolby

My impression was that you were saying $1500 is custom frame territory. For the most part, it isn't, and that's not an unusual price for a high-end production frameset made from steel. Value is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. For my part, I've ridden my fair share of 4130 Surlys and old Japanese road and touring bikes, and I've also had a couple different nice steel frames made from high-quality steel. The expensive frames ride a hell of a lot better than the thicker-gauge 4130 of a mid-range frameset. Better ride is, IMO, something that literally anybody will benefit from. The difference isn't a subtle one. That's not to say I'm urging you or anyone to go spend $1500 on this bike. I'm just pointing out that it's a pretty typical price for a bike like this, and that the price tag actually does come with tangible benefits for any rider who puts down real miles, not just speedsters.

That said, I'm sorry for misunderstanding.

TimothyH

Competitive has a Niner sale now. 20% off some bikes and frames.

The RLT 9 Steel isn't listed but I'd call them and ask if they can match 20% off.

biggus duckus

Soma is not bog-standard 4130, it is heat-treated CroMo and just a step less tensile than 853.

Here's my new RLT Steel that I got this weekend. Definitely more robin egg blue than the promotional material, but I like it better. Rides like a dream, I love it.

Edit: apparently I'm too new to post URLs so never mind.

biggus duckus

Ok after a bit of spamming: