Trigger happy for an R9

get it!

i wouldn't trip on the 15" bottom bracket since you're sitting like 4 or 5" deep in the travel...

see if that DHidiot guy on MTBR would let you ride his, he lives up near west texas i think.

I am eagerly awaiting a fresh R9 myself...from what I understand, the dividing line between sizes in frames is about 5'8" to 5'10". If you're inthe 6 range, the larger may be better for you (I fit into the shorty frame range). For tighter riding/racing here in the northeast, my team mates at Elevate like the smaller frame, better handling.

I'm not sure on HA, I imagine it would depend on your crown style on the 888?

http://www.sinisterbikes.com/images/2006 Images/bike geometry/R9/R9tech.pdf

I have seen people race it and freeride on it every weekend, so you should be good to go!

if your anywhere above 5'11" you should be riding a regular, and at 6' it should feel perfect. with the 40% sag you get around a 13" bb height. Headtube should be about the same (I suggest flat crowns for the future)

p.s. you dont need to test ride it...it's basically the best bicycle ever

i am 6'0" and feel very comfy on my regular sized R9. it truly is the best bicycle ever made. i've yet to find it's limits and it's made my limits SO more apparent

fred.r said:

I think I'm pulling the trigger pretty soon, decided on a Sinister r9. Problem is, no test riding one, as I've never seen one in person.
So a few questions.
I like a med/large ride, I'm quite comfy on my Lg. Demo 9, Sinister only makes a reg. and shorty frame. I'm 6ft, is the bike going to be on the bigger or smaller side for me?
Also, Sinisters site says it's got a 15in BB? That sounds a bit high, mistake on Sinisters site, or is it because you run 40% sag on the bike?
Lastly, it says on the site the HA is 65'. That looks like it was measured w/ a 05 888, is the HA going to be steeper with a 06 888? If so, by how much?
I've settled on this bike with out the chance to ride it, smart desition, I dunno... but from what I can tell, it's a tough as nails bike, but still weights only 11.5lbs, a bit forgiving yet still nimble (complete assumption), and a good bike for a weekend warrior. Seems like it will make a great racing bike while being still being a good freeride bike willing to take a beating. Assumptions correct?

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The static BB height is really not any higher than that of a sunday (i've heard of people using between 40% and 60% sag on it). I believe the geo was adjusted by Jamie Ford and Suspect Device and they both use boxxers. So, I'll assume 65* is with a boxxer. Those pictures on the site are rather old. The bike is tough, the only one I've heard of breaking was broken by a guy who weighed around 300lbs. Have fun!

i'm 6' tall and i've had a couple 'regular' sized R9 frames, but this year i'm going with the 'shorty' for racing in the Northeast.
the larger can feel a bit long in the tighest of corners, but it's super stable at speed...

we'll see how it all turns out.

good luck with yours, it's a fantastic bike.

mine:

big head bill broke one i think that was the guys name and frank had to weld up some supports for the seatmast
i guess it pays to ride standing up...

you should feel perfectly at home on the regular size R-9. i'm 6' 1" and the regular is perfect for me.

the geometry is slightly off on the web site. the BB height on the 2007 frames is going to be close to 14.3" and the 65* head angle will be with a boxxer, not a 888 like in the past. the standover is closer to 31" on the bikes as well.

right now there is a little bit of a wait on 2007 R-9's but there will soon be a stock of them ready to ship out.

this bike makes an AWESOME race bike, perfectly capable of winning every race it is entered in. it is also tough as nails. i have a nasty tendency of breaking frames and i got an entire race season out of my R-9 without any issues what so ever, NONE. this frame is built to last for years of hard abuse. it inspires confidence over the roughest terrain and the largest gaps imaginable.

many also think that it might be a little bit of a pig when it comes to the weigh in but i am going to build my R-9 up to about 38 lbs for the 2007 season. it is going to be another fun year aboard the R-9.

I'm 5'10 and ride a short. I personally prefer a tighter geometry for the majority of the riding here in the northeast. However, I know there are going to be times this season (i.e championships at mt snow) where I wish I was on a regular for stability. What I'm getting at is; you will probably feel right at home on a regular.

If your ordering it with a shock, I'd pick the roco option. I'm really not feelin' the DHX5.0 on this bike, I'm going to send it out to push and give it one last shot. Other than that, I'm really enjoying the way it rides. Stable like my V10 was, but has alittle "pep" in the corners and short acceleration spurts.

Once sagged, the BB is under 13". Those measurements are also quite out of date if I recall. BB height is not an issue on this bike. I think you will really enjoy it!

all this info makes me want a new bike :biggrin:

I would say go for the regular unless you like the feel of small bikes or have some really tight courses. I'm 5'11" and I ride a regular. I have never felt like the bike was too long.
Here is mine,it weighs in at 42lbs


p.s. pull the trigger it's worth it!

I'm 5'11" and am going to be ordering a 2007 regular size. When I rode one of the older models that was regular sized it felt pretty good and I was about 5'9" then. So hopefully the bike will fit even better now that I'm a bit taller.

i have an 06 888 rc2x on my sinister and the bike is fine looks a litle odd on flat groung but i run about 5" of sag and it handles like a dream
what bike do you ride now sorry if i missed that

for what it's worth -- i'm 5'8 and if (and by if, i really mean when) i get an r9 like i want to, i'm going to be getting a shorty. the TT on the regular is just a biiit to spread out for my liking, but i've always ridden smaller bikes. in terms of the BB, like everyone has said, it's no sweat, because they're meant to be ridden with 40-50% sag so when the bike drops that much in travel is back down in the 14" range.
they're top notch bikes, and i've seen a bunch of sinisters and the build quality on every single one is incredible. FTW and his team do a beautiful job on their work.

well your problem is there are a lot of die-hard r9r's on this site
coming from a demo should not be to hard of a swich i came from a banshee and i was constantly hiting my pedals untill i learned that is why i asked...

I have never riden an f5 but all i know is once you go R9 there is no other

Wow. I realy like the R9, but I didn't realise they were meant to be ridden with so much sag. Does this not make the bike "wallow" in corners and difficult to jump etc?

big-ted said:

Does this not make the bike "wallow" in corners and difficult to jump etc?

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I was expecting a big bike that didn't handle jumping but I was very surprised when I first rode it. It feels wonderful in the air and corners like a dream.

The R9 does run very well with lots of sag, but it never struck me as overly difficult to get off the ground when jumping. If you are worried about it, just go with a shock that is easy to adjust to different kinds of riding. It may run best with lots-o-sag, but its not like the bike won't work at all set differently.

It did strike me as being an amazing bike that only gets better as the speed increases and /or the terrain gets sketchier.Not many other bikes feel like the R9. They simply own the steep & nasty.