Excitement for ALL!!

Playing the air guitar Niner

So, I was/am obviously excited!!  Who else is excited?  Annie, at the very least, enjoyed the child-like enthusiasm and awe I displayed as I unraveled my new sweetness.  She was very pleased with the aesthetics of the frame, and was 100% on board with my first alterations.  I'll get to that in a second.

Sit back and enjoy the pictorial account of the unveiling:

So I found the sweet deal on the One9 frame at Competitive Cyclist.

I mentioned earlier that in my initial notification of shipment that the weight for the box seemed whack.  I had postulated that maybe there was a bonus with my purchase.  No luck, the box was the very definition of NOT 13.9lbs.  

The packing job was superb.  And this is where the added excitement about this whole ideal would come.  And that excitement would come from Maggie.  Maggie LOVES to not only help unwrap gifts, but she is more than willing to lend her talents to opening cardboard boxes.  Although she would certainly have no part in opening this package, she would have gone bananas at the sight of the "air bag" packaging you can see on the right side of the box.  

(The "air bags" will be saved for her arrival so she can dispose of such packing materials "appropriately."  Scout will be excited, but won't know why... she'll just go off with unfocused energy due to Maggie's reaction)

Locked up tight and safe... no movement during shipping.

Niner EBB - pretty big part of the whole Niner fame.  Here is where things get shady.  In the whole write up on the website there is much discussion about the EBB - and I think (or assume) it is widely understood that an order of a Niner One9 includes the EBB.  I got a little nervous about the lack of explicit mention that the EBB was in fact included so I "chatted" with a rep from Competitive Cyclist to ensure that my assumption was correct.

During my chat I was informed that the 2012 frames came with the EBB - no mention of the 2011... I didn't completely buy that response and researched where I would acquire said EBB if in fact it did not come with the frame.... but it came with the frame of course.

This was something I did NOT expect with the frame - most sites explicitly state that they do not ship the One9 with a seat post collar.... but I got one!!  One less thing to gather for the build - SWEET!

So not only was the frame nicely secured when shipped, but they went through and prepped everything - all with a thorough checklist - very nice

And they even included a bag of goodies - touch up paint and cable ties!

 The frame is freed!!

And upright!

Time for the first "customization." Sticker removal.  

So fresh and clean!!  Removed a "Made in Taiwan" sticker from the bottom of the bottom bracket as well.  

The frame is smooth and naked 

Now it's just waiting for the build.

I wanted to display the frame with pride over the fireplace.... but Annie nixed that idea immediately.