Anyone that treks you a 29er doesn’t corner is talking cr@p. (see Tracey Mosely at the EWS – she’s got the choice if whatever wheel size she wants)
Don’t get me wrong, it is different, but my 26ers now feel skittish where the wagon wheels feel planted. I’m having more fun than ever 🙂

RM Element 29er here – the only time I really notice a downside is on steep uphill switchbacks. Everywhere else it’s brilliant.

I noticed a much bigger difference in handling and turning quickness (if there is such a measure) when going from my first MTB to my second in the mid ’90’s, so both 26″. My first had a shorter wheelbase and was very manouverable and ‘quick turning’. My second bike had a longer wheelbase and was noticeably more sluggish, but far more stable at speed. Geometry has a far more powerful effect on this than wheel size in my experience.

I have no problems at all (apart from the limitations my own skill places) on my 29er in switchbacks, slow technical sections or quickness of turning. In fact I’ve just changed my forks and my new forks have a 51mm offset vs. a 46mm offset on my previous forks, and that has had a very noticeable affect (improvement) on the turning quickness and feel of maneuverability despite an increase in wheelbase due to the offset and a 13mm longer a-c length slackening things up a little.

So it’s not as simple as saying just one aspect affects handling on its own. It’s the net affect of a number of things. There are slow turning 26ers as well as slow turning 29ers.

you will have to do 3 point turns to get round switchbacks!

I’ve found that since changing to 29ers, I have to give written notice to do anything other than gentle sweeping curves. I’ve had to re-engineer my trails, which has taken a couple of years of spade work, but I’m nearly there now.

just move to the Peak District – where there are no corners.

(except that one near the top of Stanage – y’know, the one that the mags use when they want to bang on about how great the Peak District is)

I think Steve Jones of Dirt magazine described it best when he said that the difference between turning a 29 as opposed to a 29er was one of timing; you do roughly the same things, use roughly the same technique(s), but it happens in a slightly different sequence. Switching between the two myself – either way – it does sometimes take a good half hour minimum to get your head there, but once you’re aclimatised, the differences are negligible, it’s just that IMHO 29 feels less ‘divey’ and rolls faster.

In my somewhat limited experience of riding both I would say my 29er benefits more from proper technique. Im not saying it neeeds a man with a flag walking in front , and a mile to turn like a supertanker. The 575 just flows a little easier , the Superfly prefers to ” Jedi’d ” round corners.

Got my first 29er about two months ago… I think its the dogs bollocks, but then again it did cost 4 times as much as my 26er. And If strata was anything to go by, then it’s still the dogs bollocks… Smashing times up, down, sideways, tech or non tech… However I thinks is probably more to do with better geometry… So only one real solution test ride if at all possible…