Travis (in plaid), Fuzzy (in Wheaties), Dejay (in almost nothing) headed down to Rotorua, New Zealand for the Singlespeed World Championships. The guys all had wicked Air 9 Carbon frames to race and some pretty special costumes with which to torment the competition.

We had a great showing of Niners from all over the world, including S.I.R. 9s, Air 9 Carbons, One 9s and even a Jet 9 singlespeed conversion. Most of these folks showed up at our Niner party (everyone that brought a Niner got a free beer), and one lucky person won an S.I.R. 9 frame in a raffle that benefitted the Rotorua Singlespeed Society and their local trails.

Race day served up the usual craziness. If you looked under the wigs and dresses you would have spotted Pro Tour racers, World Cup caliber mountain bikers, National Champions and local heros, all gathered for an event that included great racing, beer and victory tattoos. Check out our Facebook page to see tons more pics.

So, on to the really big news:  New Zealander Garth Weinberg won the 2010 Singlespeed world championships on his Niner Air 9 Carbon!

For those unfamiliar with the event, the male and female winners do not get rainbow stripes - they get a mandatory tattoo (best not to win if you are not a fan of ink). As you can see in the pic at the top of the page, Garth got his tattoo over his heart, underscoring how hard he worked for this! We may have to add a Rotorua World Champion decal to our Air 9 Carbon frames...

Finally, for those of you planning to attend next year - Ireland defeated South Africa in the horizontal bungee and next year's event will be held on the beautiful singletrack of the Emerald Isle. We look forward to seeing all of you there!

photocredits, top to bottom: Graeme Murray, Fenton Hazelwood, and iphone pic by Travis

One of the things that we do here at Niner is pay very close attention to the opinions of riders and reviewers. We set time aside every week to read forums, peruse review sites and thumb through magazines and discuss items that we feel are of particular importance.

This past month has garnered a number of very positive additions to our review collection. For those of you who haven't seen them, here are links to Air 9 Carbon (Mountain Bike Action) and R.I.P. 9 (Feed the Habit) reviews that we are proud to share.

We just got confirmation that the first production batch of Air 9 Carbon frames in size small will be arriving on Nov. 15. Barring any Murphy's Law disasters, we should have a limited number of small white frames shipping to our dealers that have pre-orders in place around the end of November. Just like with previous shipments, please do not call us to see if your frame is in this batch - we don't know, only your shop knows. As soon as the frames are in stock, we will notify the shops that are receiving them, and they in turn will notify folks that have them on order. If you do want to call someone about your order, call your shop!

If you are one of the lucky recipients, we would love to see your build - post it on Facebook!

You may have seen the guys at Singlespeed Worlds in the new Niner Wool Sweater, and now we have it in our Niner store. Features 100% Merino wool, a full 2-way zipper, Niner on the front, a big red 9 on the back and a Pedal Damn It patch on the sleeve. No pockets, so that it works better with Camelbaks and apr�s ride. We have both men's and women's styles, they fit very true to size. This is the perfect sweater to keep around for everyday use - not too heavy, just nice and warm. 

 Supplies are limited, but we have a coupon at the bottom of this letter for folks who are interested!

One of the coolest parts of being in new Zealand for Singlespeed Worlds was that we got to check out the local shops. Basic Bikes was a great find, and if you live in New Zealand, or if you are planning a vacation there, these guys are your best contact. Here is what co-founder Ewen has to say:

"Basic was opened in Beckenham, Christchurch, close to the Port Hills and the trails in 2008.  Owned by Ewen & Tanya Robertson and staffed by an eclectic collection of mechanics. Ewen runs the workshop while Tanya does the merchandising and accounts. The plan is simple provide quality service, with a well equipped shop, no BS, just the facts, do it right or do it again, Basic really!

This is not your average store, more like a "gentleman's ( & Ladies) social club". Fuelled by good coffee, cake and beer. The main focus of the store is high end trail bikes, custom builds, and workshop, half the store being dedicated to service. We also provide full machine shop services for those jobs you can't get off the shelf!

29ers and Niner have been a strong and growing part of the bike market for us. We took on board Niner in a big way to now are the main stockist in NZ - working closely with the importer to provide a one stop shop for Niner customers. 29ers are ideal for the terrain in the South Island - rocky, rooty, technical single track. Big wheels just roll over the chop, and allow better speed on the often long gravel road sections of the back country rides. Many customers are moving away from 26" wheeled 6" travel bikes to the R.I.P. 9 or W.F.O. 9 for smoother riding. 

We keep a fleet of demo bikes in most models and sizes, and with staff bikes also being available, there is usually a demo model available in the Niner you are after."

Our second featured shop was the host Singlespeed Worlds last year. In fact, they have a decades long legacy of supporting mountain bike events:

"With over 40 years in business at the same location, Mountain Bike Specialists has witnessed the growth of mountain biking first hand. We feel fortunate to be able to ride from the store and be cruising on world class single track in less than five minutes. We promoted the first mountain bike world championships in 1990 at Durango Mountain Resort and have been actively involved in the cycling community ever since through race promotion, team/club sponsorship as well as trail advocacy. Our primary bicycle lines are Specialized and Niner.
 
We've been a Niner dealer for almost two years, and in that time we've seen 29" wheels and Niners specifically re-invigorate our mountain bike business. We're a Niner demo center, which has made it easy to convert demos into sales. The bikes are so good they sell themselves! We have found that Niner offers the most complete line of 29" wheeled bikes, and they nicely complement the mountain bike offering from Specialized. We've been very successful in building custom bikes and working with our customers to put together exactly what they want. For most, buying a bike with 29" wheels is the most compelling reason to upgrade their current bike. We are committed to the 29" market and look forward to seeing what the future holds.