- This topic has 169 replies, 61 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by clubber.
-
2010 the year 29er's go mainstream
-
westkipperFree MemberPosted 14 years ago
I'll admit its just a personnal quirk of how I like bikes to be- I find ALL 26 " modern MTBs to be virtually unrideable unless you're at high speed round a trail centre.
oldgitFree MemberPosted 14 years agoStrangely 2009 was when I and everyone I know sold theirs.
two Carvers, One Trek, three Inbreds and three Rigs.rOcKeTdOgFull MemberPosted 14 years agoStrangely 2009 was when I and everyone I know sold theirs.
two Carvers, One Trek, three Inbreds and three Rigs.so 6 people bought 29ers then
TooTallFree MemberPosted 14 years agoI like the ride of 29ers but find the front end too high/ too slack on every one I've ridden.
I also notice that the front wheel has a tendency to flop/ get stuck when ridden at slow speeds on rocks and between roots .I don't think the difference between 650 and 700 would do anything. I'm sure that flat bars and a flat stem would take out that terrible 25mm difference in height. The newer forks have the trail sorted to reduce that 'flop' you talk of.
I find that 29ers compensate too much on front height and they are all too low.
oldgitFree MemberPosted 14 years agoWell OK then, six and three halfs!
Same year though I saw them doing well at certain XC races.
TooTallFree MemberPosted 14 years agoI got rid of the last of my wee bikes and am now pure 29er / 700.
oldgitFree MemberPosted 14 years agoHow long ago did GF go mainstream with the purple Rigs?
I liked alot about 29ers, the momentum and comfort in particular. It was swings and roundabouts with me, in the end 'normal' sized bikes won.
hungrymonkeyFree MemberPosted 14 years agoi have 26" (fun), 29" (fast) and 700c (shits and giggles), and i like them all for off road.
bikes is bikes, don't get hung up on the size of their wheels, its all silly anyway.
mmccarthyFree MemberPosted 14 years agoPicking up my SS fully rigid 29er on Friday, why follow one trend when you can follow 3? 😛
geeFree MemberPosted 14 years agoMy Rig was great. It won SSUK in 2007. In fact, it was so great, I got a Salsa Selma. That won SSUK in 2009. It convinced me to try a geared one, so I got a Salsa Mamasita (Selma with a mech hanger) and so far that has entered 4 races and got 2 wins, a second and a third. So much for 29ers being too heavy/slow/unmaneuverable… There's even a good range of tyres these days.
Riding 26 and 29 back to back at Dalby on the XC race course, the 29er was certainly faster on the DH parts, especially over loose rocks and roots. The 26 is only 20lbs though with sensible parts, so was faster going back up again. I know the 29er could be made that light, but only with stupid fragile parts.
I'm still going to race on a 26" bike for the big XC races next year – the 2-3lbs there does make enough of a difference for me to stick with 26".
Drawbacks? Apart from the few lbs, they are a bit slower through tight, twitchy trails, but this really only matters if seconds count (i.e. Elite XC racing). As trail bikes, they are superb – it almost feels like a full susser most of the time.
GB
keavoFree MemberPosted 14 years agomine are tang and rootbeer (thats orange and brown then). so i'll mostly not be winning anything.
slowriderFree MemberPosted 14 years agoif i can distract you from your colour debate, how does the head angle thing work on a 29er? i mean, the trail orientated ones seem to run @71, where a normal wheel bike would have say 67/68. do they feel at all steep at speed compared to a trail bike with normal wheels?
geeFree MemberPosted 14 years agoSlowrider – Not in my experience, no. They feel very good at speed – although ever so slightly slower through fast, tight turns.
GB
keavoFree MemberPosted 14 years ago71 felt a bit slow on my rig, but that was great on very steep downhills. i like 72 with a longish offset fork.
Ti29erFree MemberPosted 14 years agoThe answer to you question is in part that they are becoming far more widely available, with most every major manufacturer now having 29ers in the bike portfolios, Fisher bikes having led the way.
They seem far more accepted in the US, and so in the UK, the more bike shops sell 29ers, the more people will have the option and the more will be sold, and so on and so on.
The one thing mine is not at all good at is getting air and carving really, really tight single track & some North Shore is not kind to the longer wheel base!
So, for somewhere like Penmachno (& some other trail centers) I take the 26FS. Most everywhere else I have the 29er which I find far more engaging, more involving and ultimately more satisfying. I'm not sure it's that much quicker per se, it sure feels like it though.cookeaaFull MemberPosted 14 years agoI always thought the point of 29ers was improved rolling, obviously with minor weight and handling penalties, to let people grind the miles out…
Nothing to do with rider height, surely the whole reason for different sized frames is to account for the differing shapes of various people.I have no first hand experience of 29ers but I can see both potential benefits and draw backs, I think it's safe to say they suit a certain type of riding, just like any other bike is built with certain types of riding in mind, nothing wrong with that.
I could see myself possibly trying out a 29er in the future, but it all comes down to one thing for me; cost, they're still pretty niche (meaning expensive due to rarity) really. if I'm honest I don't fancy paying over the odds for a rigid SS bike simply because the wheels are a touch larger, I like my kicks cheap, in that respect 26" wins…
2010 the tear of 29ers? Nah, still a bit too niche I reckon, I think most current 29er owners would like them to stay niche, and I thinks most "Mainstream" non-29"-converts are probably "Niche averse" anyway…
Adoption by the masses takes time, and a smaller price tag.TooTallFree MemberPosted 14 years agocookeaa – a lovely long, thoughtful post about what 29ers are good for and their relevance (or not) for bigger bikes. I particularly liked:
I have no first hand experience of 29ers
Ah. OK. Thanks. 😐
Sponging-MachineFree MemberPosted 14 years agoAdoption by the masses takes time, and a smaller price tag.
Comparing the Kona Big Kahuna to the Kona Kula Gold is a good example of this. £1250 for a ht with RS Tora forks is way too pricey, just for he sake of bigger wheels. The Kula comes with Rebas, decent wheels and a much better drivetrain for the same money.
geeFree MemberPosted 14 years agoThe problem with 29ers in the UK is finding bike shops that have the space to sell them – with sus forks, disc brakes etc manufacturers just started fitting them to existing bikes – there wasn't a whole different range with / without them. With 29", shops sometimes just don't have the space to stock them as well as 26" bikes, hence their adoption is going to be a lot slower, or just remain niche as only few shops will actually stock them.
GB
Ti29erFree MemberPosted 14 years agoEither way, there's plenty of kit both on the market and coming onto the market.
But does it matter?
Not for those of who have 29ers, I would suggest.
Lighter bikes, lighter components and a range of bikes that are set to grow, in particularly the full sus' side of the 29er market (of which I am at present rather ignorant), but when you see the likes of the Superfly and the Air9 Carbon HT making such news headlines and receiving such compliments both on the forums and from bike journos in an otherwise mature and established 26er market environment, it means that there is a real shift in peoples perception of the 29ers as a whole.
Me? I am happy to be riding one and don't especially care if they become mainsteam or otherwise to be honest – as long as I can get spares and upgrades, which is, of course, already the case, have a range of bike from which to cherry pick, I don't much care if I'm riding something others don't get or take to or fancy experiencing.2009 for me was the year of the 29er.
keavoFree MemberPosted 14 years agoi don't think they will become mainstream ever. my idea of mainstream is when people who aren't obsessed with bikes, but want one would go to there lbs and be faced with a selection of 29ers and be recommended one by the staff. i can't see that being likely to happen soon, if ever.
oldgitFree MemberPosted 14 years agoWhat I find a bit cheeky is seeing 29ers dressed up as cross bikes i.e cross tubs on road rims and 1 or 2 x 9 set ups.
keavoFree MemberPosted 14 years agoi think thats o.k. versatile. i've just got a tricross ss that i'm going to put mtbtires on at some point, using it to commute on at the moment though.
tonFull MemberPosted 14 years agoi am the proud owner of 4 29rs now. i love them they suit me.
mates take the pi55, people stare at them, i love the attention to be honest.
reading this post, just one minor observation………….
TooTall……….you do get very defensive about 29rs being deissed…..specially for a man who reckons he is so happy with his choice of bike……. 😕cookeaaFull MemberPosted 14 years agoTooTall – Member
cookeaa – a lovely long, thoughtful post about what 29ers are good for and their relevance (or not) for bigger bikes. I particularly liked:
I have no first hand experience of 29ers
Ah. OK. Thanks.
What just because I haven't owned one or had a go on one yet means my thoughts are not relevant?
I would actually suggest that if 29ers are ever to become "mainstream" then I'm just the type of rider who needs convincing; I'm open to the concept of bigger wheels on an MTB, not bothered about niches, but not looking to burn money, and slightly put off by the elitist, niche lover, cock image that seems to go with 29er ownership…
But feel free to prove me wrong on the last point…. Oh…westkipperFree MemberPosted 14 years agoOldgit, the amount of crossfertilisation (see what I did there?!) between 29ers and CX bikes will one day soon, produce my ideal offroad bike-
Tough 700c wheels, superlight discs, 73/73 angles, drop bars, 2" tyres,2 by 11 gearing, maybe a short 60mm travel fork, oh, and it will weigh under 8kg! 😉Manchester-TrevFree MemberPosted 14 years agoTough 700c wheels, superlight discs, 73/73 angles, drop bars, 2" tyres, maybe a short 60mm travel fork, oh, and it will weigh under 8kg!
you could probably do that now give or take a Kilo….Superfly frame, Reba XX reduced to 60mm, would steepen the HA to about 71/72Deg, Avid BB7s on Sram Red levers, ashima discs, Sram Der, etc, etc….
The topic ‘2010 the year 29er's go mainstream’ is closed to new replies.
