DailyBicycle.com

by Oliver Carbonell

Quick Q&A with Chris Sugai, co-founder of Niner Bikes

In 2004, Chris Sugai and Steve Domahidy co-founded Niner Bikes, a bike company dedicated soley to the 29 inch wheel format. It was a bold move at the time since no one know for sure whether or not the 29 inch mountain bike would take off. Today, this thriving little company based in Southern California has a 29er line-up that offers a wide range of bikes to suit virtually all riding styles. Here is what Chris had to say about the business.

DailyBicycle: What inspired you to initially build a business soley around the 29” format?

Chris Sugai: After riding a 29er I knew that other riders would see the benefits I
felt. It was an easy decision after that! I never really thought about building a 26 inch bike.

DailyBicycle: At any point in time during Niner Bike’s ‘early days’ did you ever think that the format was a passing fad?

Chris Sugai: It was very frustrating in the beginning and how much resistance we
got from the industry, bike shops and the press on 29’er. I would always ask if they rode one and most would say “they heard… blah blah”. Most would not even try our bike. I know one magazine editor that refused multiple offers from Niner to test our bike. I did worry in early 2006 that if the press and industry did not see the truth that it might take a long time for us to succeed.

DailyBicycle: Niner Bikes recently launched a newly designed One 9 frame. The prior version of that frame is one you see a fair amount of in single speed mountain bike races. How did you make it better?

Chris Sugai: I think the most important aspect can be explained here:
http://ninerbikes.com/hydroforming

We did do a lot of soul searching when we decided to change from Scandium to
this new material. But after riding prototypes and seeing the performance gains it was a decision that had to be made. The tapered headtube is also major improvemente that any rider will feel on their first ride.

DailyBicycle: Many bike manufacturers, including Niner Bikes, are producing bikes
with tapered headtubes and stiffer bottom brackets. Can a bike ever be too stiff in those areas?

Chris Sugai: Tapered headtubes are great.  Very little weight gain but huge performance gains. The amount of steering precision you get is easy to feel when you ride a 1 1/8 after riding a tapered headtube bike.

Yes you can get too stiff. You want the bike to be able to transmit trail “feel” back to the rider but not “all” the information if you get what I mean.  There is a delicate balance and it depends on what we are designing the bike for. Our steel frames are a good example. I love steel but understand I give up a little on the efficiency side for that magic zing that you get from a boutique steel tube. But for
a long ride it is faster overall since your body remains fresher. Just ask Dejay who rode from Canada to Mexico and had his pick of our stable and chose a s.i.r. 9 (single speed cuz he’s crazy!). But for a 1 hour race you will be faster on an aluminum or carbon frame.

DailyBicycle: Any thoughts about launching road and cyclocross frames?

Chris Sugai: No

DailyBicycle: Thanks Chris!

Chris Sugai: Thanks for this oportunity to speak to your reader!

Take a look at the latest products at Niner Bikes here: www.ninerbikes.com.

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