In the fall of 2011, 9:ZERO:7 came with a new design for the frame and in addition to 135mm offset frame, they introduced a frame with 170mm symmetrical rear and new hubs too.
As the 4.8" tires and 100mm rims are coming more popular, more room is needed for them. At the same time, the trend is of course for lighter setups as well. For 2014, 9:ZERO:7 is addressing all these needs, by introducing new 190mm aluminum frameset and 190mm Whiteout carbon frameset for the weight weenies! And of course, a new 135mm / 190mm hubset too.
I have had my new aluminum 9:ZERO:7 for two weeks and it's time to take a technical look on the new rig.
Versatility was the key with my first 907. My goal for this bike project is maximum floatation and lightness, emphasis being on the racing capabilities for races like Rovaniemi 150.
Build specs:
Frame: 9:ZERO:7 190mm 2014 aluminum, ano black, medium size
Fork: 9:ZERO:7 2014 aluminum
Headset: Cane Creek ZS44 inset
Bottom Bracket: SRAM X5 100mm
Crankset: SRAM X5 175mm Fatbike cranks
Chainring: RaceFace Narrow/Wide 30T, black
Shifter: SRAM X0 10-speed GripShift
Rear derailleur: SRAM X7 10-speed
Cassette: SRAM PG1030 11-36T 10-speed
Chain: SRAM PC1031 10-speed
Brakes: Hayes Stroker Ryde
Brake rotors: Hayes V6 160mm
Brake pads: EBC Brakes, green
Brake hoses: Jagwire HyFlow, red
Gear cable housing: Jagwire L3, white
Stem: Thomson Elite X4 31.8, 100mm 0°
Handlebar: Answer ProTaper 685 XC Trail riser bar, 1" rise / 686mm / 31.8mm
Seatpost: Thomson Elite Setback 30.9mm x 410mm
Saddle: fi'zi:k Gobi XM
Pedals: Shimano XTR
Grips: SRAM X0 / ODI Ruffian MX
Rims: Surly Clown Shoe 100mm
Front hub: 9:ZERO:7 135mm
Rear hub: 9:ZERO:7 190mm
Front skewer: DT Swiss RWS 135mm
Rear skewer: 9:ZERO:7 190mm
Front tire: Surly Bud 4.8" 120TPI
Rear tire: Surly Lou 4.8" 120TPI
Tubes: Specialized 24x2.3/3.0
Rim strips: Surly Clown Shoe 75mm, red
Chainstay pad: RaceFace
The original plan was to choose SRAM XX1 11-speed system, but it's just way too expensive, hence ending up with 1x10-speed with a 11-36T cassette. But the great news is that a new company called OneUp Components is bringing an affordable alternative to XX1, by introducing 42T sprocket for most 10-speed cassettes.
A sweet thing with a single front ring is the simplicity and silence of the drivetrain, and better Q-factor with 'normal' fatbike cranks.
The color coding is pretty much the same as with the old bike, black-red-white, with some minor tweaks.
The new 9:ZERO:7 hubs are sweet. They are constructed of cold forged aluminum, our hubs are assembled with a cold weather grease rated to -45°C / -50°F.
There is plenty of clearance between the chain and tire, and also between chainstays and crankarms.
No issues what so ever with the 10-speed drivetrain.
I'm using pipeline brackets to mount the bottle cages (and Salsa Anything Cages too) to 9:ZERO:7 aluminum fork.
The cockpit.
Trusty bits covering the seatpost and saddle.
Some nice details in there with the lovely Clown Shoe rims.
The 4.8" tires are indeed massive!
The trademark of 9:ZERO:7, snowflake.
The weight of this setup is 14.18 kg / 31.26 lbs, significantly lighter than my old bike, 15.3 kg / 33.73 lbs.
For racing, I will use a rackless system, consisting a Porcelain Rocket saddle pack and a dry bag on the handlebar. These will help further to reduce weight compared to the old setup.
A couple of shots with the red brake hoses.
The frame has all the braze-ons for versatile setups: eyelets for fenders, upper, lower, and dropout rear rack mounts, top-tube and seatstay guides for use with continuous shifter and brake housing and three water bottle bosses. And, the fork and frame are designed to accept 29er and 29+ wheelsets and tires!
I did the recent Vajosuo Beer Ride with it and have done a couple of commutes too, and everything works great with this beautiful arctic machine. Vajosuo provided some very demanding technical terrain and I was suprised how fast and nimble the new 9:ZERO:7 is. The bottom line is that this bike lifts your feeling of freedom to a whole new level. And then there is the carbon frameset with 12mm/15mm thru-axles for ultimate lightness. 9:ZERO:7 has taken quantum leap forward in the fat universe with their next generation framesets.
I want to thank 9:ZERO:7 for the new frameset and hubs. There is no doubt that this 'ultra fatbike' will help me in the Rovaniemi 150 2014 race!
Also thanks to my local bike shop Pyöristi and Jan for building the wheels and helping me with the build!
The next special report will feature the new Lumicycle Explorer lights. Stay tuned.