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See any differences? Niner made a huge number of improvements to the R.I.P. 9 by switching to air formed tubing. Aside from drastically improving the aesthetics, they were able to get the aluminum frame weight to within 0.65-pounds (295 grams) of the carbon R.I.P. 9 RDO frame. Niner says that shaping the frame tubes with compressed air in a heated mold gives them greater control over wall thickness and material uniformity, allowing the use of less metal. Tubes that are manipulated using this process can be up to 25% lighter than a similar hydroformed shape at the same strength.

2013 Sea Otter Classic Pit Bits - 4th Edition
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