Check out this cool custom paintjob based on a… trout

Benjamin Haworth

Cycling is the new... fishing?

If you like a bit of fishing then you’ll appreciate this custom painted Niner RIP 9 RDO. Done for Nate Hills and based on a Greenback Cutthroat Trout.

>>> Eight options for getting a custom paintjob

Nate Hills is Niner bikes’ senior graphic designer and he took inspiration for this project from the Poudre River near Niner’s offices: the Greenback Cutthroat Trout, the state fish of Colorado, no less.

© Ian Hylands 2019

Nate explains…

“Here in Fort Collins a lot of our trailheads are also great fisheries,” says Nate. “So it’s only natural when you share a passion for riding and fishing, that you throw a few flies in the river after a ride and try to trick some trout into biting. When an extra ready-to-paint frame showed up at the office, I thought, why not take it a step further and paint my favorite Niner bike, the RIP 9 RDO 29er, like my favorite finned friend?

© Ian Hylands 2019

“I envisioned the bike sharing the same colors and some traits as a greenback cutthroat while not being 100% literal. Making the design a bit abstract with silver inside masking really made my eyeballs happy.

© Ian Hylands 2019

“I follow a lot of custom painters, which I have a ton of respect for. There’s Fat Creations in the UK, Black Magic Paint, Spectrum Paint Works, KC Badger and of course Made Rad By Tony… When I saw the snake-themed bike Tony painted for Bryn Atkinson, I knew he was the guy for the job. His attention to meticulous detail is unmatched. After a few emails back and forth and a phone call, I now have an amazing work of art that I will treasure forever.

© Ian Hylands 2019

“Huge thanks to Tony Baumann, Deity Components, Enve, SDG, Sram and of course Niner for making this happen.”

© Ian Hylands 2019

Tony Baumann of Made Rad Custom Paintworks: “The greenback is a beautiful fish and the RIP 9 RDO was perfect for this one. The frame had really nice organic shapes and curves to work with that just seemed to get fishier as the project progressed. Between the fade, highlighted spots and metallic silver shadow graphic, this one really came together and proved to be one helluva catch.”