Four years ago, while visiting a big cycling company, a bike like this was hanging in a corner of a conference room. It was a prototype that they said would never see the light of day. At the time, I joked about how it would cause such a stir amongst both mountain bikers and road cyclists alike. While the other brand kept their bike locked up, Niner went public with the same idea. They created the MCR, displayed it at Sea Otter, and just leaked a bit of information, slating a 2019 dealer release, making it official:

“So, with our expertise in off-road bikes, we’ve developed a gravel bike that can tackle the roughest roads without sacrificing performance for comfort. The MCR utilizes Niner’s patented CVA suspension design with a leverage ratio tuned specifically for shorter travel, suspending the whole bike, not just the rider, bringing greater comfort, control and efficiency to the gravel riding experience. This means you’ll be able to run higher tire pressure, which will come in handy when you need to switch from road to groad. No more adjusting tire pressure mid-ride.”

Read more at Niner and I’m sure you all have strong opinions about this one!