Hi all does anyone ride 29er hardtails around dark peak and lakes?????? The bike would have stans crests with nics are they strong enough??
I have not yet bought a frame but am selling my meta 5 and was wondering if a 29er hard tail would be capable of this sort of riding as well as riding thetford and other xc trail centres. I am not that hard on bikes and i dont jump.
I weigh approx 13 stone
Any help/advise would be welcome

Thanks in advance

Rich

I wouldn’t ride a 29er in those areas, prob 650B is best.

😆 @ al.

You’ll be fine. TBH 26ers like the Meta are pretty much obsolete now anyway. 😉

It will be fine! Done Peaks, Glentress, Innerleithen, Kirroughtree etc. on mine without any issues.

Thanks Grum and Shortcut any frame recomendations under £300???

Rich

At nearer 14 stone, I live in the Lakes and regularly ride a Scandal 29 with 100mm forks and the wheels you mention. The only times I’m not keen is on steep, techy climbs, where directing the front wheel feels harder – though it’s less prone to lift. I ride with folk on a range of bikes from 100mm FS XC bikes to Blur LTs. I’m not usually as quick downhill, but not that much slower, and I’m sure that the hard tail rather than the wheel size. I have a 26″ HT as well.
If just one bike, I’d go for a Cotic Solaris, but I bought the Scandal as a lighter, racier alternative (cheaper too). It doesn’t feel harsh at all – I’ve spent over 11 hours on it a couple of times.

I suggest getting a trike, 29er up front, 650b one side 26er the other it’ll be a bit lopsided but hey you’ll be in with the cool kids.

Frame wise something from On One seems about on budget, Inbred 29er is great, I have an older Scandal. Although stretch another £50 and you’d get a very nice Salsa frame from Titus cycles. Hoping to replace my Scandal

Thanks Coopersport1 and boxelder

Has anyone been down jacobs ladder on a 29er and compaired it to a 26″

Rich

I suggest getting a trike, 29er up front, 650b one side 26er the other it’ll be a bit lopsided but hey you’ll be in with the cool kids.

I’m in, sounds Gnarcore with a Raditude of 11!

yep I ride dark peak, north wales and lakes on a pointless marketing whore big wheeler, nobby nics and crests are fine, I’ve even done it ultralight on rocket rons (but i’m a little waif not a tubby lardcore mincer.

You will die in a firey ball if exploding wheel shame induced death, or maybe not

Ahhhhhh im a tubby lardcore mincer does that mean the wheels will explode and i will die 😆
I only ride away twice a year which is why my meta is for sale seems silly having a bike sitting there all year for 2 weekends away.
I was thinking of evil sov / cotic bfe and using that as do it all bike
but now im thinking a 29er maybe a better option

Thanks for all advice

Rich

Has anyone been down jacobs ladder on a 29er and compaired it to a 26″

Yes, they are both bikes and got me down just fine, with the 29er rolling a *tad* better on they0ff-the-brakes-and-hope loose cobbly section at the end.

100_5178 by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

I’m an unfit gnarr-lite rider and I ride my hideously unsuitable rigid singlespeed niner around the lakes with no real drama and have yet to experience a fiery painful death…

I suggest getting a trike, 29er up front, 650b one side 26er the other it’ll be a bit lopsided but hey you’ll be in with the cool kids.

Perfect. If you had two of each for the rear you could swap the rear wheels round depending on whether you’re descending clockwise, or anti-clockwise.

I’ll raise the niche stakes here 🙂

I’ve survived 14 months of riding a home made steel fillet brazed e-stay singlepeed rigid 29er frame with Crests around the various rocky stuff in the lakes, lancs, yorkshire, scotland and swiss alps – with an upgrade(?) to include 6 of those new fangled “gears” for the alps riding.

I’ve then gone on to build another frame (from a fresh pile of steel tubes) with some more regular chainstays and 100mm suspension forks. That seems to be doing fine with the same Crest rims / riding area (and a whole 7 gears for the austrian alps – I guess one extra cog per year as I get progressively more frail)

Has anyone been down jacobs ladder on a 29er and compaired it to a 26″

Before moving back to the Lakes, I lived in Buxton, so know the riding well there too. Jacobs, I reckon, would be better on bigger wheels – all other things being equal. Where I wouldn’t choose it over a 26″ is the rutted trails in the White peak/Chinley etc – the ruts on the ‘Churn’ were a bogey trail for me, with several over the bars to nil.

I did Jacob’s last sunday on a pootle along with 2 other 29er’s

Better than my 26er at it,thats for sure!