A Niner RIP 9 RDO 2-Star base with the drive and wheels swapped out — Shimano SLX 12-speed drivetrain, SLX brakes, DT Swiss XM1700 wheels, Race Face crank. Niner doesn’t offer an SLX build from the factory, and that gap is exactly where this came together.
Why This Build
The Gap in Niner’s Lineup
Niner’s 2-Star builds come with Fox Rhythm suspension and SRAM SX shifting — the entry-level 12-speed — on a house-brand wheel. The 3-Star jump gets you Fox Factory with Kashima, SRAM GX with an XD driver, and a Stan’s or DT Swiss wheelset. That’s a meaningful price gap, and a lot of riders are fine with mid-level suspension but want a real drivetrain. Shimano SLX 12-speed is exactly that — and you can’t order a Niner with it from the factory.
The approach here was to bring in 2-Star bikes at their lower price point, pull the SX drivetrain and OEM wheels (which got used on other builds), and replace them with SLX and DT Swiss. The result is a bike with competitive-level shifting that lands below most 3-Star builds.
Shimano SLX 12-Speed
If you’re used to Shimano and prefer the feel of their shifters — the two-way release lever, the indexing feel — SLX 12-speed delivers it well. The Deore cassette is a minor cost optimization; it’s slightly heavier, but the shift quality between Deore and SLX cassettes is essentially the same. The brakes are SLX throughout, among the better 4-piston options at this price.
DT Swiss XM1700
A proven trail wheel that holds up. Not the lightest option, but durable and appropriate for the RIP’s trail-oriented geometry. These replaced the stock Niner OEM hoops from the 2-Star build.
Most of what’s left the shop this year has been customized or modified in some way — different brakes, a different drivetrain, a swap to match another bike a rider already owns. If the factory build isn’t quite right, that’s the fun part for us.
Competitive shifting at a smarter price
The jump from a Niner 2-Star to a 3-Star is a big one, and not everyone wants to pay it just to escape entry-level shifting. Starting from a 2-Star and swapping in Shimano SLX 12-speed and DT Swiss XM1700 wheels lands competitive Shimano shifting and brakes on proven mid-level suspension — for less than most 3-Star builds. A clean example of building straight to the gap in a lineup.
Want a Custom MTB Build?
If the stock configurations don’t line up with what you want, we can sort it out at Maklin Bike Shop in Scandia, MN.