I’ve been musing over the 29r geometry lately and wondered if any owners would provide feedback?
I’m assuming that 130 to 140(ish) is the standard front end travel and indeed I have used all of my 125 actual on many occasions and could do with 140 tbh.

I have no experience of 29r performance but was wondering that, irrespective of wheel size, one would still require similar travel when negotiating drops that consume such dimensions on a 26r??
I’m aware fox etc do 140 but generally the travel is less across the 29r spectrum….is it?

I ask because I considering changing to 29.

Thanks.

100mm is about average on a 29er. Although things like a Yelli is up to 140mm.

Depends really what you want it to do.

A 100mm XC 29er will happily do your average red/black… Although will feel more harsh than a 26″ 140mm full bouncer.

As long as you manage to carry some speed when launching drops the wheel diameter will make up for some of the lost suspension travel (in my case going from a 160mm Nicolai Helius FR to a 140mm Nicolai Helius AC demo bike), however if you balls up a take-off, like I did, and land slow and heavy then yes, the shorter travel of the 29er will be noticeable. My own 29er AC frame should be here any day now and I can’t wait to get it down some of the more DH orientated trails to give it a proper test.

Thanks folks, the kind of riding I do is Peak thrashing on my now very old skool RM (but it still performs)and red routes – don’t attempt black due to rig not being up to it.

Um, perhaps 110, 120 would be ideal then?

Now onto material – Ti or steel 😛

as above, IME big multiple hits and hard landings are not covered up by big wheels.

But 120mm with big wheels for most trail riding is absolutely perfect.

For big mountain stuff, no substitute for proper travel and stiffness of big stanchions and stiffer small diameter wheels.

I am a big fat bloke, and ride a 29er FS most of the time, with a NP Mega on 180s for big stuff.

Kev

Surely just a price matter. I have never ridden Ti, would love to, but steel is real man… 🙂

My 29er HT is stiff as **** aluminium, and whilst responsive, it is absolutely brutally stiff!

Kev

Interesting BSN,

Thanks for that ‘evidenced’ feedback 🙂 I find it difficult to pick the experiences from the ‘Folklore’ on matters such as these 🙂

Weeksy,

Red I can see but black on 100mm! You are clearly in a different league mate, I ‘doff’ my hat to you 🙂

I would not have the balls….literally! I went off a black run drop off on my 130 front 100 rear by accident once everything smashed and I was convinced the frame was **** – that’s with 15years motocross experience!

I’m off to play cards 🙁

I’m on a 100mm travel Ti 29er hardtail, that covers just about 99% of my riding…..if you’re more all mountain than me 120mm up front will be plenty. Good points above about landings, I hadnt thought about that.

Weeksy,

Red I can see but black on 100mm! You are clearly in a different league mate, I ‘doff’ my hat to you

Far from it…. but places like Afan have Blacks i’ve done on a Specialized Hardrock, which is why i said “your average red/black” Rather than “Glentress” for example, which i wouldn’t do on a DH bike 🙂

It’s all relative when describing reds and blacks. I saw something the other day that said Swinley forest has Red routes…. Seriously ? Swinley LOL. Come on…

Trust me, i’m not Gnarrr or Grrrrr.

Thetford has a black route. There’s black and there is BLACK[/B]

I’ve been considering a similar question recently as I’m in the market for a full suss bike. I’ve got a 29er XC hard tail, which is great, but I want a longer travel full suss bike for more down hill orientated all mountain bike with a few jumps. I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to decide what you want out of your bike. If it is long travel then you’re better off with a 26er. Though 29ers roll over things better, for jumps and drops the wheel size is irrelevant and you want the suspension travel more. But if your wheels are going to remain on the ground then you’re better off with a shorter travel 29er. I’m almost sure I’ll get a 150mm full 26er full Susser. It’s fun shopping around though, but the main problem is there is way too much choice!

Similarly there seem to be pinky reds and blood reds! Grizedale, very pink… Whinlatter… not so much so! Basing this on my standard of Glentress from which all other reds are rated.

Just ordered a 120mm 29er to replace my 145ish mm 26er. No idea how I am going to get on with it as yet, and having thoughts of possibly uprating the front fork to a 140mm at some stage (more for the stiffness of a fatter stanchion than anything else).

120mm is plenty, a friend recently rode Laggan black on a 100mm 29er no probs. I just got a Trance 29 and it can do anything my previous 150mm 26″ wheeled bikes did.

How high are the drops you’re doing to consume all 125mm? How much sag are you running?

Don’t get hung up on using all your travel, whether you never achieve it, or achieve it often, when it comes to what drops you’re doing. Get a bike that is intended for the riding you ACTUALLY do.

From the brief description of what riding you do, a 100mm 29er or 120mm 26er will be perfect and more than you’ll ever need. This is based on the geo and the intended purpose of these bikes.

For example, i could bottom out 200mm of travel off a curb if i wanted to, whilst not getting through 100mm travel dropping over 4ft to flat landing. It’s all technique.

On the big wheels, i find you dont need to suspension as soft as an equivalent 26 to iron the bumps, hence don’t need uite as much.

I’ve been testing lots of 29’ers recently and the travel thing is interesting I think. The big wheels smooth out rocks and bumps to an amazing degree BUT when it comes to drops or jumps you feel the lack of travel. I found I’ve been running with stiffer suspension because the big wheels smooth out the trail and it means I don’t blow through the travel so quickly. Of course if you have a nice landing or are super smooth you don’t really use much travel at all.

As for what can a short travel FS do… I’m riding an Orbea Occam 29er with 100mm front and back and would ride just about anything on it, excluding big jumps. It is really capable especially when it gets rough. I’ve just finished testing a Commencal Meta 29er with 130/140mm and that was really capable but let down by flexy wheels.

Shorter travel means you have to run stiffer suspension irrespective of wheel size. It’s not about using all the suspension as such, just how plush you want it. If you’re doing jumps and drops or riding really rough terrain, you want softer suspension meaning more travel is needed. I ride some black runs on my 90mm travel 29er hard tail XC bike, but not particularly fast! Plusher suspension will mean it will be faster over that stuff and more fun. So you can ride all terrain on any bike. These days it seems you can have travel with few of the traditional draw backs, so you may as well have it have it than not to some extent. The latest crop of AM 29ers have 130mm travel, so we’re getting there. I really am in two minds on it though. I really can’t decide.

soma_rich – Member
Thetford has a black route. There’s black and there is BLACK

Not anymore it doesn’t! 😉 Not that you can’t shift the debate to “There’s red and there’s RED”!

Steel 29er hardtail with 140mm forks:

Changing the internals to 120mm prior to riding it, but hoping at that, it will be the perfect trail bike……..

Time will tell.

Alan.