I’ve got a lovely hardtail and a softail – both oldish but nice kit on them. Ride Kent singletrack. Have tried full sus but just didn’t do it for me. Quite intrigued by 29er’s … my worry is that the ride experience would be similar-ish to my hardtail/softail, and therefore a pointless addition to my fleet. I’ve tried single-speeding and felt that was quite a different experience (but my fitness/knees put an end to it!).

So question is, riding a 29er – is it a significantly different ride experience to a 26er? I don’t need another bike, but do enjoy dabbling but want ‘different’ rather than hints and tints of the same thing.

Cheers

I ride a rigid 29er in Kent. Let me know if you want to borrow it.

Argh! Double post!!

If you have a hard tail with a 100 travel fork and get a 29er hard-tail with similar travel then “no”, it won’t be all that different. It will feel like you are riding a different bike with different components same as if both were two different make/model 26″ wheel bikes.

BTW I have a 26″ Stumpjumper HT and a GF X-Cal 29er and yes they are different but not so much that I can justify keeping both for much longer. If you are after a large frame 29er just let me know 😉

Personally, the 29er’s do roll better, smoother and quicker over the great out doors!

If I was buying a main XC bike fom scratch I’d have a serious think about what size its wheels were going to be, but if I’d got a bike I was happy with I’d not get one for novelty value. Surly Karate Monkey here.

I had a rigid fork with a 26″ wheel on my wintery bike (ss) – was a bastard for catching ruts, roots, rocks etc and just generally rattling my fillings out

just shoving a 29″ wheel on the front has made a big difference (yeh, and slackened the head a bit I’m sure but it’s lack of jarring that’s most noticeable)

reckon I’d get a 29er if I was starting over with the rigid bike

just got a karate monkey off here, find it much quicker that either my full suss or hardtail 26ers, and no less fun…