http://www.velonews.com/article/95579/mtb-nats-the-death-of-traditional-cross-country-bikes
Just seen this - how long before the 26 hardtail becomes extinct?
Are 29ers really that good?
or would those riders on 29ers do just as well on 26ers?
Bike Forum
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Death of 26ers ??
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Not untul people like Peat and Pillgrim (sp.?) start using them
Posted 2 years ago # -
Can't see it taking over in more technical diciplines. I dont think we'll ever see the KOD or crankworks won on flat bared, disk braked CX bikes?
Posted 2 years ago # -
or would those riders on 29ers do just as well on 26ers?
dnf. its 98% rider 2% bike as long as it works and fits properly.
Posted 2 years ago # -
they can have my 26" bikes when they prize them from my cold dead fingers etc. etc.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Seriously, this whole 29er vs 26er thing is getting annoying.
I can't see every mountain bike running 29" wheels within the next 5 years, and nor can I see it being positively received by every rider.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Reading the article, all it says is that fewer racers are using 26" hardtails, with most either using full suss xc bikes or 29ers. I imagine the advantage of a 29er in a race would depend on the course, however I think we're reached the stage where any weight penalty of a full suss is outweighed (see what I did there
)by it's performance advantage.Outside of racing, can't see people totally giving up on hardtails, although as decent full suss comes down in price, it may become less common, also can't see everyone moving to 29ers, although they may well become more common.
Posted 2 years ago # -
29ers have advantages for some stuff and disadvantages for other.
The big wheels likely kept him safe on the national course’s treacherous downhill because of a better ability to keep a rider centered and rolling over obstacles on the steeps. Another technological advantage JHK had were his prototype 400-gram tires. Slow acceleration plagues 29ers because of their heavier rotating weight, but when you minimize those penalties, as Bontrager has with its carbon wheels and prototype tires, then the penalty can be justified for the advantage.
So until everyone can get hold of carbon rims and 400g tyres for reasonable money...
Besides, it seems as much about suspension as wheel size in that article.
Posted 2 years ago # -
they be too ugly, plus i've got 30 odd sets of tyres, what the heck will i do with all them?
Posted 2 years ago # -
reading the article, it mentions the advantages of suspension, but not of 29" wheels...
edit:
because of a better ability to keep a rider centered and rolling over obstacles on the steeps
I missed this, but I'm not sure I understand what it means
Posted 2 years ago # -
Yes it does
The big wheels likely kept him safe on the national course’s treacherous downhill because of a better ability to keep a rider centered and rolling over obstacles on the steeps
Posted 2 years ago # -
My 29er wheels are only 200-250g Heavier than my 26" wheels. and the tyres are only 80g heavier.
The wheelset weighs 1706g which is pretty light for 29er wheels with CK hubs.
Posted 2 years ago # -
centered ??
Posted 2 years ago # -
Well I've gone back to 26" as have a few others in these parts. I liked mine in certain situations but it was the barge like turning that did it in the end.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Slow acceleration plagues 29ers because of their heavier rotating weight
That would be a plague more like a common cold than the black death, given 200g extra at the edge of each wheel (surely there can't be more difference than that - I'd expect less) would only make ~1% difference to the acceleration.Posted 2 years ago # -
funny how offroad we are now told of the rolling benefits of larger wheels, yet 650's are the next 'big' thing for the tarmac lovers, who have come down from 27's to 700's already.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Many people's everyday riding tends to include more jumps and drops than your average XC race course. By all accounts, 29ers are great for bashing through stuff but bigger weaker wheels are a bit of a liability when it comes to leaving the ground.
I expect a lot of the riders in that article are using what they've been given by their sponsors, and I expect Velonews is also pimping 29ers hard because it blurs the line between articles and advertorials even more then most magazines. No doubt there are plenty of "real world" riders who get on with 29ers better than 26ers but really they are still a bit of a specialist item.
Posted 2 years ago # -
As somebody who is now a committed 29er fan even I think this article is rubbish. St Colin is right in his comment (above) that this 29er vs 26er thing is becoming annoying. The different wheel sizes suit some people better than others and thats always going to be the case.
The article on Velonews also failed to take into account that 26er is the most common wheel format worldwide. 29ers are undoubtedly going to become more common but I can't see them getting to the same level of popularity as 26ers as the smaller wheel format is too well established.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I like my 29ers. 26" feels odd nowadays. Never felt like they're any harder to turn, just a bit different. Wheel weight COULD come down a bit, but Ive neevr noticed an issue there either.
Yes, it IS 98% rider and 2% bike when it gets to the top end, but it IS interesting that a lot more of the top riders are going this way.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Out of all of the riders i know here in Hobart, only 1 is using cart wheels. & Even he isn't convinced, but can't afford to change.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I don't think 26" hardtails dead by a long shot, nor are they likely to be any time soon. However it is interesting to those of us who do like/ride big wheels that a number of elite racers are now winning and doing well on them - clearly not the disadvantage many of the naysayers believe. I agree that the whole 'argument' is tedious, ride what you like and like what you ride.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Production of something is only stopped when it's obsolete. Many prefer 26" to 29" (myself included - sold my Unit 29er as I just plain prefer 26") so we'll be fine for a while yet
Posted 2 years ago # -
I reckon most people couldn't give a toss about racing, which is only a small part of what mountainbiking is all about.
Bar ends & skinny bars are good for racing, but no good for a typical ride which would involve more gnarly terrain & jumps/drops, so cart wheels would not be better for most people, as most people don't race.Posted 2 years ago # -
Novelty value and marketing going into overdrive?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I know only 2 riders that regularly uses a 29er, and one's about ohhhh, eleventy feet tall, so it suits him. Don't know any-one else who's even tried one. I like my 26" wheeled bike, and I see no real reason to change. I don't necessarily do mountain biking on the most efficient fastest bike, but it's an all rounder that I can use from the Alps to XC, and I don't want a fleet of specific bikes to fill every niche.
26" hardtails may be out of fashion for the racing set, but that makes so little impact in my world that the article may as well have suggested that uni-cycles were being dropped...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ride whatever size wheels you want.
I for one don't give a **** what anyone else's preference is.
But I know what suits me better.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The 29er niche will become mainstream, then there'll be a 26er 'revival' I guess, so start hording now
But seriously, does anyone think that companies will lose all those sales of 26" tyres/tubes/wheels from their balance sheets when they can sell almost the same product twice by keeping two sizes of mtb wheel.....
Posted 2 years ago # -
Novelty value and marketing going into overdrive?
You've got to have a 'next great thing' haven't you and the mags will love it if they've got something new to write about. Again, there are advantages but they're massively overstated or generalised in marketing b*****ks as usual.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I just can't wait for the fascinating head to head mag tests to see which is faster zzzzzzzzzz
Posted 2 years ago # -
Surely 29" wheels make it harder to fit bikes in the car?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ride whatever size wheels you want.
I for one don't give a **** what anyone else's preference is.
But I know what suits me better.
A Scooter?
Posted 2 years ago # -
My 29er wheels are only 200-250g Heavier than my 26" wheels. and the tyres are only 80g heavier.
So, about 2lb more then. That's a lot, especially as it's entirely on wheels, and mostly the rims and tyres at that.......
Posted 2 years ago # -
well Im never gonna be riding a 29er, Im 5'4". The front wheel is nearly chest high. They're built for those giraffe type people.
K
Posted 2 years ago # -
That's 1lb you halfwit! + a 1700g wheelset is still lighter than most peoples XC wheels.
That weight is inflated by the CK hubs, the combined Rim, tyre and spoke weight different per wheel is less than 150g.
What you loose on the ups you gain on the downs.
Posted 2 years ago # -
http://www.bikerumor.com/2009/07/13/why-doesnt-anyone-make-a-29er-downhill-bike/
some more interesting comments & stuff in this article on bike biz last week
Posted 2 years ago # -
I have a fully rigid mountain bike with 26" wheels. Am I passée?
Posted 2 years ago # -
just had a brief look at that article, it is written by an american for an american audience. To be fair the Americans are $hit at XC racing. Look to Europe what is being used there.
If the euro racers are on 29ers it means something, if the yanks are on 29ers it means nothing.
Posted 2 years ago # -
When I see 29ers for £70 in Asda, I'll know they've taken over.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Slow acceleration plagues 29ers because of their heavier rotating weight
But inertia becomes momentum once you've got the wheels rolling...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Exactly why they're better in some respects and worse in others...
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
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