My next purchase was intended to be a Soul but all the pics and write ups on the Solaris are undermining my resolve. How can I go 29 fairly cheaply? Obviously new wheels and forks but will the 9spd XT drive train [3×27, 32 cassette] work or will a new cassette be necessary too? Oh, and what cheap wheels and forks can people recommend?
All this parsimony would be unnecessary if my wife wasn’t considerably more efficient than the FSA at identifying domestic budget fraud!

Just carry on with 26″, simple easy and cheap.

2nd hand wheels, you can pick up a pair for around £100+ notes
Forks, rigids from £50 or go for rebas £100+
drivetrain isn’t a problem use what you have.

Pretty much everything will move over, apart from the wheels, tyres and forks.

Schwalbe rapid rob tyres are good value.

Wheels, get some stans rims and get your hubs built onto them.

Forks…. Look around. They all work. I like rebas, manitou tower pro is pretty good too.

As above, no worries on the drivetrain – straight swap. Obviously gearing is slightly higher, but you should be absolutely fine.

SuperStars have some reasonable value 29er wheelsets, although my Crests did require a bit of truing when they arrived as they weren’t quite as straight as I had expected.

Cheers, Rich

I’m just embarking on my third 29er build.

One of the reasons didn’t get on with the previous two (Swift & Inbred) was the wheels.

Its easy to pick up wheels for a 29er second hand but IMHO its worth spending a bit more and getting a decent set first off.

If I had done this the first time around I would have been one of many who enjoyed the Swift. As a result the bike felt dead and heavy.

The KHS reviewed in this months STW mag seems great value.

£999 and 26lbs IIRC.