Solid Bikes Mission 9 2010
Reviews / DH Bikes
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At a glance
German company Solid are really causing a stir on the downhill scene and the mission 9 is becoming more and more popular. I’m sure the success of team rider Markus Pekoll over the latest World Cup season is bound to help the company grow even more.
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The Mission 9 is Solid’s flagship downhill bike and has been around for years now, so they’ve had plenty of time to get the bike performing at it’s best.
Tech Heads
The mission 9 is offers 235mm of rear wheel travel provided by a Marzocchi Rocco Coil Shock, with a RockShox Boxxer Team suspension Fork up front. A tapered headtube keeps the front end nice and stiff and helps keep the weight down to roughly 18kgs.
There’s a full Sram set up on the Mission with x9 gears, Truvativ Holzfeller cranks and Avid Elixir R brakes. The popular MRP G2 chain guide keeps things running smoothly and gives the chainring a bit of protection on the more brutal courses.
Reverse components finish off the rest of the bike with hubs, rims, seatpost, saddle, stem and handlebar. Reverse make some top quality bits of kit and the components here are all well made and set the bike off superbly. We really enjoyed the chrome finish on the Style 76 handlebars!
On the Trail
The cockpit of the Solid is a great place to be once the bike is pointed down a hill. The wide bars give you lots of control over the front end and the combination of the forks, hub and wheel add up to a stiffness that keeps the front end tracking no matter what you throw at it.
The fork feels supple and responsive and offers you just enough adjustment to get the set up right without baffling you with controls. At the rear end the Marzocchi shock deals with the smaller bumps and the larger hits well. The shock isn’t the best on the market though and should you want to get more out of the frame and the rear end it would be an easy piece to upgrade. We’d be inclined to blow the budget and get the Cane Creek Double Barrel option on the model up and reap the benefits!
Ploughing through rock gardens on the Solid is something it excels at, with good speed and momentum the bike can easily handle poor line choice and make you look like a better rider. Which is great for those of you that need all the help you can get to beat your mates down the hill!
Tight twisty turns you’ll need to really flick the back end out to get it around, don’t rely on just turning the front in, you really need to get your weight behind the bike. The pedal clearance was good and only on a couple of occasions did we clout anything with a force such as to make us notice.
For
The new frame looks so much more appealing than models of old, yet it is still as “solid” as ever. Super stiff and controllable at the front the rear end can soak up just about everything you can throw at it.
Against
Whilst the bike is fast and well behaved we felt the next frame up with the Shock Upgrade would be worth the extra expense.
Overall
A purposeful downhill sled that will keep many riders happy and make them look a touch better than they are. If you want a bike that will help you improve your riding then the Solid offers a good bet. It also has the appeal of being that little bit different and turning heads down at the bike park.
This review was in Issue 8 of IMB.
For more information visit Solid BikesRelated
By Nigel Garrood
Nigel Garrood was one of the instigators of the IMB project and has been with us since the very beginning. This loveable rogue has more stories than the Bible and is known to enjoy a beer or two. On the bike, he’s fast and loose and often puts younger riders to shame. Equally he’s been known to suffer from the odd crash and carries the scars to prove it. He was once referred to as being a robot sent from the future to save us all!
