It is in the width of the tubes, carbon lay-up, as well as the overall shape of the massive downtube, bottom bracket junction, and tapered head tube through which the overall strength, handling characteristics, and power transfer is achieved. The RLT RDO 9 Frameset is responsive, almost as quick to accelerate and react as a road race bike- well if a road race bike could carry a 40mm tire. The seatstays are 430mm, exactly 5mm shorter than the RLT 9 alloy, and 5mm longer than the BSB 9 RDO. The rear triangle is yet stronger and stiffer at the disc caliper flat mount, with the 12/142mm thru-axle locking everything together. For fender users, a boss is provided at the back of the bottom bracket junction and a pair sit inside the seatstays a few inches from the seattube cluster. Niner's standout RDO Gravel Fork features a 1⅛ to ½ taper, stout blades, a top fender mount boss at the back of the crown, and three pairs of bosses on the blades for a rack and or fender. The disc caliper flat mount is beautifully integrated, and tabs for mounting brake housing are well placed and easy to use with zip ties. The 15/100mm thru-axle system is clean and strong. Niner provides the lightweight and secure hex key, alloy Maxle thru-axles front and rear.

Whether built with mechanical or electronic shifting, the Niner NMF guide and internal cabling system is one of the best we have seen yet. The hatch opening at the bottom bracket is large enough for straightforward cable installation. Only the front brake housing is fully exposed, with the rear brake and derailleur (or electronic cable) options disappearing into the downtube. Plugs are provided for openings that may not be required. The internal guides eliminate cable "fishing". A low stack, Campy-style, sealed cartridge bearing Cane Creek headset is provided (IS42/28.6 | IS52/40). Flat mount disc brakes calipers are set up for 140mm rotors in this build , and the frame and fork can be run that way, or adapted to 160mm max down the road.

Little needs to said about the Ultegra R8020/8000 drivetrain. Simply put: best performance, reliability, wear, and efficiency for the money, period. Niner's 4-Star build specs the 11-speed 50-34 crankset, 11-34 cassette, chain, 34.9mm clamp front and Shadow, clutch-equipped RX800 GS rear derailleur all from the extended R8000 series line-up. A Prestine Thread Together PF30 - 24MM Alloy bottom bracket is creak free in the PressFit frame. The Dual Control levers are the mechanical shift, hydraulic brake R8020 models. The hydraulics power the R8070 Flat Mount Disc Calipers, which apply force to the Ultegra RT-800 140mm Center Lock disc rotors, which feature IceTech sandwich construction technology. These are used to control the Stan's NoTubes tubeless ready Grail S1 Center Lock disc brake wheels, featuring NEO hubs (15/100mm front, 12/142mm rear thru-axle type). The Grail S1's carry 700x38mm Schwalbe G-One EVO SS tires, which are great match for the overall build.