Watch the full custom build walkthrough on the Maklin Bikes YouTube channel A customer’s Niner AIR 9 RDO — bought from us a couple of years ago — came in for a full teardown and overhaul before their riding and race season. When we got it apart, we found damage and cracked carbon in the … Read more
A stock Santa Cruz Blur CC XO Trail build — with the latest Fox 34 SL Factory fork and new SRAM Motive Silver brakes that Santa Cruz’s website specs don’t yet show. SRAM XO Transmission, Reserve 28 XC carbon wheels, Maxxis Rekon tires. Confirm the spec before you order.
The Cervélo ZHT-5 came in with a GX drivetrain and left with full SRAM XX Transmission, Reserve XC28 carbon wheels, and Fox Factory suspension. Two years in, three riders, some races — and it’s staying in the stable.
2025 Salsa Spearfish Deluxe – Full Ride Review Jump Ahead Video Review Overview & What’s New on the 2025 Spearfish Deluxe The 2025 Salsa Spearfish Deluxe we tested began as the stock XO Transmission + Flight Attendant build. For our Bentonville trip and the Little Sugar race, we swapped several components to match our preferred … Read more
A previous-generation Niner RKT 9 RDO converted to drop bars — full suspension gravel bike that swaps between flat bar singletrack mode and drop bar gravel mode in 20 minutes. 26 lbs 6 oz with pedals.
Two years on the Niner RIP 9 RDO 29er — started as Five-Star Limited XO AXS, now GX AXS. Ridden from New Mexico to Moab. The trail bike that expanded what was comfortable to ride and stayed in the stable.
Steve’s full summer on the Cervélo ZFS-5 120 with SRAM XO Transmission — raced in the Minnesota XC series and ridden hard on local trails. Chainring and power-meter tweaks, suspension notes, and how it stacks up against the XC field.
Build Overview This Salsa Spearfish custom build is set up as a more all-around, trail-focused version compared to the XC-oriented Spearfish build we shared previously. Fall is the season where we get creative in the shop — sifting through takeoff parts, leftover pieces from other custom builds, and mixing them with new parts to put … Read more
Build Overview This Salsa Spearfish custom build is a dialed-in, modern XC bike with 120 mm travel front and rear, progressive geometry, and the latest SRAM XX Transmission drivetrain. Built for a customer, this one is already sold — but we’re sharing it to show what’s possible as we plan more Spearfish builds for next … Read more
Build Overview This Niner AIR 9 RDO started life as a 3-Star build, which normally includes a GX drivetrain, Fox Factory suspension, and carbon touchpoints. For this one, we mixed in some 2-Star components from custom aluminum AIR 9 builds to hit an unbeatable price while keeping the core performance parts intact. The result is … Read more
Build Overview This is our XC version of the custom Niner AIR 9 2-Star build. We created two configurations from the AIR 9 2-Star platform: a Trail build (covered in another post) and this lighter, snappier XC-focused version. The goal was to give riders who want a fast, efficient hardtail another strong option at a … Read more
Build Overview This is a custom 2-Star Niner AIR 9 that we configured into a trail build. The stock AIR 9 2-Star is already a great value, but for this setup we made a few upgrades to push it toward a more capable trail bike. We’ve also built an XC version of this bike, which … Read more
Build Overview This is one of our custom-built 3-Star Niner AIR 9s — the aluminum version. Niner doesn’t offer this configuration, but we ended up with extra 3-Star parts kits from AIR 9 RDO carbon builds and realized we could create some really strong budget-friendly hardtails by pairing those kits with the AIR 9 alloy … Read more
This isn’t a stock Jamis Portal. Steve rode this one himself through the fall — his first real time on the Portal platform — to demo it and decide whether the shop should bring more in. The answer, in his words, was “yes, by the way.” It came from the factory all Shimano, and it’s … Read more
Watch the full custom build walkthrough on the Maklin Bikes YouTube channel This customer already owns a Niner MCR set up as a gravel rig and loves it — the kind of bike you can ride for hours. Rather than keep swapping wheels and tires, they wanted a second MCR set up more pavement-oriented for … Read more
A Jamis Portal C3 demo bike converted from Shimano SLX to SRAM GX Eagle AXS, then sold with DT Swiss M1900 wheels. One of the more surprising trail bikes Steve has ridden — efficient pedaler that can also take a hit.
Niner Jet 9 RDO 2-Star base upgraded with SRAM GX Transmission AXS, Shimano SLX 4-piston brakes, Race Face Arc 27 XC wheels, and Maxxis Rekon tires. Better than a 3-Star build for the same money.
A Niner RIP 9 RDO 2-Star base rebuilt with Shimano SLX 12-speed drivetrain and brakes, DT Swiss XM1700 wheels, and Race Face crank. Niner doesn’t offer this from the factory — we do.