I still don't get it. After riding a custom built Spot single last year that I really hated to riding a geared Specialized Stumpjumper 29er Hardtail the last few weeks. Its great on the road when your shoulder is broken with some 700cc road tires but honestly I don't get it on the trail. To those that do get it, here is my question. What is the big deal? I feel slower on the DH and feel like I have less control. Long flat and non technical is about the only place I see this bike being "better". Help me see the light or is there a light? Usually with hype comes a little reality. And there is an abundance of hype with the 29er.
I gave it my fair shake. I may keep the geared one around to ride the road or drag the kids in the trailer but the 26 inch Epic Carbon is a better XC weapon especially when the brakes work. My rear hose got too close to my rotor yesterday descending Stansbury and I left with less oil that I started. Nice and dry out on the island with plenty of singletrack. Dodging .45 caliber bullets is fun too
21 comments:
I thought a 29er would be good for desert riding, but east coast singletrack it seems like it would be navagating a cadilac through the singletrack.
I'm 6'7" for me and most people 6ft+ it's the fit. 29ers just feel natural. If you compare a 29er hardtail to a 26er hardtail the 29er is a little smoother on the DH and due to the increased attack angle of the wheels it climbs obstacles better. Since you're average height and like full suspention it makes sense you don't like the 29er kool aid. The people who say 29ers are better for everybody are wrong IMHO.
Yeah I forgot to mention I am vertically challenged at 5'10
the UT county 29'r gang is coming for you
29ers are gay, atrain doesnt need one. but short girls like kc holley and linda w. ride them. i think thats really gay. especially the 69er, now thats a stupid idea. the wheel is invented, to the "believers" dont try to say its better, its not, its gay and stupid. or better yet if you race those guys, say thanks for the handicap because youre going to get worked over.
theres a reason no worlds or world cups are ridden or won on those bikes.... its beacause they are gay!!!!!!!!!
I would love to hear atrains thoughts if he had a chance to spend some time on a 29er comparable in weight to what he is currently riding. For me, at 6'4" the fit is the biggest issue for me. I finally feel like I am riding the right size bike. I am faster in all aspects of my riding. That is my experience, might not necessarily be yours.
I think a lot of negative experience with 29ers comes from the added weight, especially in the wheels. I have ridden the same bike with a light (for 29er) wheelset and heavy wheelset and the difference is night and day. The other issue is geometry, particular with how they steer. I haven't ridden a specialized 29er HT, but I have not heard a lot of positive reviews about their geometry. I think Gary Fisher and some others are way ahead in that respect. The GF G2 geometry was a huge improvement in helping to make the steering quicker.
Or maybe it is all just gay!
I'm trying out a 29er hard tail this year. The first 3 rides have been OK, but no magical "ah ha!" moments yet.
It is a bit harder to make switchbacks, but not as bad as I expected.
The wheels feel heavier, but I have tubes. I'll see what they feel like after I put on some lighter tires and go tubeless.
I'm 6' 1" and feel like I'm right at the edge where 29er starts to really shine. 26" bikes feel fine to me.
Disclaimer: I am a bit gay. That being said, I spent 4 years on a rigid SS 29er and went back to a rigid SS 26er/69er for about 8 months before being back on a 29er.
No question a rigid SS 29er is superior in every way to a rigid SS 26er. Better momentum, better down hill bike, confidence inspiring, rolls over anything.
If I rode a geared, full suspension bike it would be a 26er.
Nobody is selling hardtail 26ers. Other than an entry level mountain bike or dirt jumper it is a dead product. Irrelevant.
you are on the wrong 29er....i threw a leg over about 100 different 29ers and thought some were good some were not.
until i tried a 16" vassago. the frame on paper was too small and too long for me. but it fit better than any other bike i have tried 26" or 29". it just feels right.
i have always suffered from losing traction on very very steep hills. standing or seated i could never find the sweet spot and would either wheely or spin the rear tire. the 29er fixed that problem and the chainstays are even longer than i wanted.
since finding this frame i have tried out some custom 29er frames with simliar geometry and shorter chainstay. a big difference. climbing and switchbacks ruled even more. fast descents imposible. the bike was all over the place. like trying to to ride a rodeo horse after it snorted some crack.
the recent rampage race really nailed home the big wheel advantage of getting over bumps going uphill. i got to watch alot of different bike tackle those stairs and what people had to do different things to get up-n-over. i found out that as long as i had some speed i could just stay seated and ride them.
to those that cry about wheel weight. my edge carbon wheels or stans 355's are soo light that excuse goes out the window.
btw i am 5'10"
if a 29er works for you great. if not stay on your 26" wheels, just leave enough room for us to pass.
ohhhhh...just kidding...especially this year i am eating all my words with my sucky knee.
i knew brad was gay, i wasnt talkin bout him...
JZ and I ripped the BST (zoo to Bobsled) this morning on our 29ers. Sure seemed like we were going fast, but it is hard to know for sure becuase, being gay and all (not that there's anything wrong with that), I was just happy to be on the trial with another man who likes to ride big wheels. Seriously, for me (and I'm 6'3) on trails relatively nontechnical like the BST the Salsa Mamasita is faster than any 26er I've riden.
Maybe mountain biking all together is gay? Spandex is where it's at!
http://www.cyclelicio.us/uploaded_images/9665.14242.f.jpg-788347.jpg
BTW, I'm 6'3" and would much rather be on a road bike then a 29er... I ride a 19in Mtn steed and it feels perfectly wonderful. Maybe tall people are riding 26" bikes that are too big for them?
One summer, in college, I slept in a closet.
Figures.
Go take a 29er through some desert sand, or on a trail with a lot of rocks. It will roll over that stuff way better than a 26er.
And it does help to be a little gay like brad.
Wow, this has been the most productive and respectful discussion of 29ers ever. Congrats to all for avoiding the evangelizing.
Yeah, everyone knows that 20" wheels being pretty much the farthest thing from 29" wheels are the only way to go. 100% (possibly more) hetero masculinity! Unless you like your scapula.
I have never been on a 29er I really don't have an opinion one way of the other. I do know that my days of riding a hardtail are long gone. If C'Dale make a 29er Scalpel then I would try it, if it was sweet I would buy it. Till then I wil rip (relatively speaking) the sweetest bike made.
i think they are fun.
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