First Look: All-New Bird Aeris 9
Readers outside of the UK may not be familiar with Bird bikes, and that's a shame because the British brand has earned a reputation for offering solid value and an innovative spin on the direct-sales approach. They ship internationally and are looking to set up demo partners outside the UK.
They started out in 2013 as a 27.5"-wheel-only bike company, but soon spread their wings to include bigger wheels. The Aeris was their first full-suspension bike in 2014, and now they're releasing the sixth bike to bear that name. Confusingly, it's called the Aeris 9, where the number relates to the 29" wheel size, not the design iteration.
They started out in 2013 as a 27.5"-wheel-only bike company, but soon spread their wings to include bigger wheels. The Aeris was their first full-suspension bike in 2014, and now they're releasing the sixth bike to bear that name. Confusingly, it's called the Aeris 9, where the number relates to the 29" wheel size, not the design iteration.
Bird Aeris 9 Details
• Travel: 160 mm or 180 mm rear, 160-180 mm front
• Wheel size: 29"
• Adjustable geometry
• Customisable spec
• Internal or external cable routing
• Sizes: M, M/L, L, XL
• Reach: 457, 486, 515, 544 mm
• MSRP: From £1430 (frameset) or £2870 (full build)
• www.bird.bike
• Travel: 160 mm or 180 mm rear, 160-180 mm front
• Wheel size: 29"
• Adjustable geometry
• Customisable spec
• Internal or external cable routing
• Sizes: M, M/L, L, XL
• Reach: 457, 486, 515, 544 mm
• MSRP: From £1430 (frameset) or £2870 (full build)
• www.bird.bike
Cables can be run inside or outside the tubes, but alas, not through the headset.
Frame Details
The Aeris 9 frame may look similar to Bird's 150mm-travel AM9, but it's an all-new aluminum tube set designed to cope with the stresses of 180 mm forks. Among other differences, the Aeris 9 takes advantage of SRAM's Universal Derailleur Hanger.
One feature that's easy to miss is a flip chip in the chainstay (Horst) pivot which simultaneously changes the chainstay length, BB height and frame angles.
The top-tube mounted shock can fit a large bottle even with a piggyback reservoir. An optional shock link increases the travel from 160 mm to 180 mm while using the same 65 mm stroke shock. There's little information about the kinematics at this point, but it's offered with both coil and air shocks.
Geometry
Bird have gone big on sizing. With sizes going from Medium to XL, the Aeris 9 is aimed at riders on the taller part of the spectrum; keep in mind that Bird also offer 27.5"-wheeled bikes with Small sizes included. The Medium is recommended for riders around 168 cm (5'6"), while the XL is for those around the 194 cm (6'4") mark. With a 544 mm reach, the XL size might be best suited to those pushing two meters.
The above chart is for the bike with the short chainstay flip-chip setting and a 160 mm fork. In the alternate flip-chip setting, the chainstay length is 6 mm longer, the BB is 7 mm lower and the frame angles are 0.5-degrees slacker. Fitting a 180 mm fork will take about a further 0.8-degrees off the angles. In the short chainstay setting, the head angle goes from 64 degrees with a 160 mm fork to 63.2-degrees with 180 mm, but this could go to 62.7-degrees with the lower flip-chip setting. Simple, right?
In addition to all that complexity, the effective seat angle changes by size, from 77° in the Medium to 78.5° in the XL - that's in the steepest configuration of fork travel and chainstay setting.
Specs and Pricing
Bird take advantage of their direct-sales model to offer complete customisation of the parts and setup using their online configurator. Supply problems notwithstanding, you have a choice of almost all the components. The idea is you can get the bike you want from day one, without wasting time and money swapping parts to your tastes.
You can pick parts from RockShox, Fox, SRAM, Shimano, RaceFace, MRP, Hope, DT Swiss and Formula. You get a choice of Maxxis tires too.
 | Want an XT shifter with your Deore drivetrain? No problem. Need to match the colors of your headset and hubs? We’ve got you covered. Need your bars cut to 764.2mm? Sure - we’ll do that for you. |
By today's standards, the pricing is relatively cheep ... I mean cheap. The Aeris 9 frameset starts at £1,430 and the entry-level build starts at £2,870. Bird recommends aiming a little higher up the pecking order, though, suggesting a build with a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, SRAM G2R Brakes, RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil shock, Bird Factory wheels, Maxxis Assegai tires and Bird & RaceFace finishing kit - for around £3,875.
Bikes are available to order internationally now at www.bird.bike. Demos can be arranged in the UK at Bike Bothy’s stores in Pitfichie and Laggan, Glencoe Mountain and Bird's showroom in Eversley, Hampshire.
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"No cables through the headset or bars, because we don’t hate you."
Smart enough to spell and punctuate correctly though.
www.bird.bike/product/aeris-9-sram-eagle-12-speed/#configuration
It looks they hired a graphic designer who wasn't their sister's son too.
Those prices are pretty wtf. It's like traveling back to 1999. What's the catch?
These are questions that need answered...
www.bird.bike/the-industrys-best-warranty
No trunnion mount - check
No yoke/strut - check
External routing option - check
Customizing option - check
Reasonably priced - check
I can't believe this is happening in 2022 in MTB industry, someone please pinch me
Everybody knows
The Bird ,is the Word
the B B Bird bird bird the bird is the Word @gooral:
I don't remember, it was a couple of years ago so doesn't matter but appreciate the follow up now!
Plenty of us didn't vote for it, especially younger age groups
In fact anyone under 24 wasn't even able to vote at the time
Daft thing is as it adds costs and reduces our freedoms our ageing population mean no government dares to reverse it
Anyway Bird bikes are ace & the guys that run it are really nice and care about the sport
If only it were that simple! As Kimbers says, there are plenty of adults living with the consequences of something they couldn't vote for/against. The winning margin was very close and many people didn't/couldn't vote meaning there's hardly a majority of the UK that are pro Brexit. Add in the fact that we were simply asked to vote to either stay or leave the EU, there was nothing beyond that. We could have had a "soft" Brexit and stayed broadly aligned to the EU but the electorate were never consulted on the finer details.
It was a decision which nobody really understood on this side of the water at the time.
Anyway, it is of course not a personal insult at all, and politicians screw up shit here as well, by deliberately pushing their political agenda against the will of the big majority, so I get what you're saying and rejoyce in the thought that next generations may not be as opposed to cooperation.
Now ask yourself this; why would anyone want that kind of nonsense, when we could instead have an intrinsically crap design whereby everything is squeezed down through a hole in the headset (hopefully using some weird proprietary parts too, for good measure)…?
Also Bird saw fit to mention it on their own website: “No cables through the headset or bars, because we don’t hate you.”
also, i couldnt break mine, i went and cased the drop at the bottom of stile cop about 5 times just before my ankles had had enough (sorry bird) and the frame took it fine. they told me theyve never had a broken frame, I'm not sure i believe that, but i dont doubt their statistics are really good.
10/10 would purchase again/recommend to a friend
by mistake i mean shock with the wrong tune, not coil shock, or trying new things.
Only problem I have is on continuous rough hits when not too steep, it seems to get slowed down. Thought the lighter tune would help, but it hasn't. More playing needed. Love it on the big stuff though and as I said on the trialsy stuff.
I'd have to think someone would reasonably need to be at least 6'6" to fit optimally on a 544 reach bike. That means XL's would be useful to roughly 0.04% of the population, or 1 out of every 2,500 men.
Addionally the stack of the birds is quite low, so as a tall rider you will run some spacers, which shortens the reach. Me I go for a 40mm riser bar and even 50mm stem at 522mm reach and don't feel too streched at all.
But I also own a bird forge and set it up with dorpbars for gravel. As said, preference but definitely not extreme.
The wheelbase of the new aeris 9 though...whoohoo. Hold fast and enjoy the ride!
Ticks so many boxes this bike does, and only heard good things about Bird as a company. If I wasn’t already happy on my Geometron I’d probably have already configured a Bird…
bikemagic.com/bikes/sneak-peek-transition-bottlerocket.html
Good job ditching the 160 brake mount.
I think I would go for an M/L if I were ordering it now as I'm more of an all-mountain rider than an all-out Enduro rider, but if your focus is going downhill fast and less on agility then you probably won't be disappointed with the L.
I did that with my AM9 and the thing just go. A stupid strong frame with a superb geo and some strong lightish enduro carbon hoops. Combining DD/ebike tires, durable alloy parts that AM9 alloy frame in size L and the thing ends up at 32.6lb/14.8kg.
73mm Threaded BB
148 x 12mm UDH rear (Axle is included in frameset)
Yes to DC as long as you keep the A2C under 596
If we suddenly found people taco-ing wheels we'd consider it but until that happens were sticking with 148.
List of features includes- "no cable routing through the bars or stem because we don't hate you"
As a counter argument, running the cables and hoses more to the side of the downtube makes it easier to clamp the bike in a roof/tow-hitch rack directly onto the frame, not through the cables and hoses, which gives a sturdier fixation point.
www.rideformula.com/products/mtb-shocks/mod
Now if Bird made a Aeris 7 with 180 travel I would be ordering one tonight.
26/24 is in no way comparable to 29/27.5 and if you think so then clearly you’re delusional.
Interesting you say that based on some Pinkbike comments.
Fact is you know absolutely nothing about me. Be interesting to hear your 'Moron' assessment if you actually know me. My life, my career, my earnings, etc etc.
Moron you say? ...very interesting indeed!
@threehats He's also droned on about how 29 was a conspiracy. Despite the fact that according to Gary Fisher, mountain bikes were originally designed for 29. They only went with 26 because getting 29 knobbies made at the time was too expensive. but we should prob stop giving the sad attention starved child what he's after.
Flex Stems-Fad
Suspension Seat Posts-Fad
Bar ends-Fad
Unified Rear Triangle-Fad
Rapid Rise-Fad
Grip Shift Gears-Fad
Plus Size Tyres-Fad
Linkage Forks-Fad
Current ones;
Mullet bikes-Fad
High pivots-Fad
In the future... Can't wait for this 'Game Changer' pearler;
ABS brakes-Fad
I look forward to spotting any future comments from you on this subject and continuing to expose your lack of wisdom, understanding or humility. Thanks for the entertainment!
Edit: Nevermind...
C'mon Bird, you can do better than that!
Frame
Formula Selva R + Mod Shock
Cura 4 brakes
SLX w/RF Cranks
Hope Pro4 On EX511
Standard kind of spec on everything else (Alu bars/dropper etc.) is under $3600