“29ers look absolutely awful”
I’d agree small/medium sized 29ers (as it seems almost all 29ers are pictured by manufacturers at least) don’t look great
What looks worse though? A too small 29er or a too big 26er?

But I don’t think WC XC has much relation to what we all ride day to day, hence it’s fading support in the UK. A general sweeping comment I know, but how many of us buy what the Pro XC guys ride? We probably buy something closer to what the Dirt and STW testers ride.

Oh yes I agree, I am in no way suggesting that people should buy what the world cup riders like/use and what’s fastest for them is fastest for the every day rider. I just think this 29er IS FASTER thing is a little off.

People are saying things in a way that 29er’s are better in every way and 26er’s are now obsolete.

Its not like that, never will be. It’s like full sus vs hardtail, when it comes down to riding bikes for enjoyment, people ride what they like, for some thats full sus, for some HT.

Well if some of you have a problem with the way 29 ers look , then you are really going to hate my latest prototype 29 er, but I have designed some very ugly 26 inch bikes in my past,

Form follows function, I think,

What I don’t like is the industry saying that my 26er is now a pile of junk, and should be replaced by a much faster, better in every way 29er.

29er’s are an alternative and better for some. They are not the best thing since sliced bread.

I don’t like/buy sliced bread

I’m sure 29ers are not for everyone
As 26ers are not for everyone
As 24ers are not for everyone
As 20ers are not for everyone
etc

I still think its odd bike categories are divided according to wheel size or how much the wheels move.

Though sometimes they are divided by what subset of metal they are made out of.

Odd.

As for WC pros not all using 29ers, maybe they should. Didn’t seem to slow Kulhavy down much did it. Both mens and women xc worlds were won on 29ers.

What I don’t like is the industry saying that my 26er is now a pile of junk, and should be replaced by a much faster, better in every way 29er.

i don’t think i’ve ever seen this happen?

more the anti-29er crowd banging on about how its just another marketing exercise to sell more bikes.

I still think its odd bike categories are divided according to wheel size or how much the wheels move.

+1

I’m intrigued by the idea that they might be faster in XC races. Bigger wheels roll better – that’s an established fact, and it’s easy to see why if you think about the vectors involved.

However that must be mitigated to some extent by taking longer to accelerate.

If I had the spare cash I’d try one for XC racing.

The thing that interests me is how the UCI has pretty stringent rules for road and track bikes and has different categories for different wheel sizes in BMX and trials. Yet it basically says “do what you want” for mountain bikes.

If 29ers are so much faster than are they not effectively cheating when used against traditional mountain bikes?. I cannot understand why they ever allowed them in competition in the first place.

If 29ers are so much faster than are they not effectively cheating when used against traditional mountain bikes?

they aren’t ‘so much faster’ than 26″ – they are just different – faster in places, slower in others.

its just a flipping wheel size!

26″ is such an arbitrary number – its not the be all and end all of defining what is and what isn’t a ‘mountain bike’.

Wow.
People still argue over this shit. 😆

26″ is such an arbitrary number – its not the be all and end all of defining what is and what isn’t a ‘mountain bike’.

You could say the same about 700 for road wheels but what would be the UCI reaction if a team rocked up with 720’s or 750’s? No way would it be accepted.

The UCI get their knickers in a twist if you turn up with your valves not lined up with your tyre logos.

If 29ers are so much faster than are they not effectively cheating when used against traditional mountain bikes?. I cannot understand why they ever allowed them in competition in the first place.

Again same for suspension.

its not cheating if not against the rules and available to everyone

You could say the same about 700 for road wheels but what would be the UCI reaction if a team rocked up with 720’s or 750’s? No way would it be accepted.

Yes but apparently you can use a wheel size from 55cm to 70cm according to the UCI just everyone on the road uses the biggest 😆

Gotta love some of the ill informed opinions on this thread 😆

flow – Member

I think you is wrong

Yet strangely, your quote proves me right 😕

ha ha.. What a **** dumbass 😆

has he posted his video yet?

100!

(edit; always wanted to do that!)

As for WC pros not all using 29ers, maybe they should. Didn’t seem to slow Kulhavy down much did it. Both mens and women xc worlds were won on 29ers.

Catharine Prendel was on 26!

No it didn’t slow Kulhavy down but think it is almost insulting to him to suggest that he won because his wheel size, Kulhavy was so strong this season it would be hard to see him not winning on any bike. But no doubt that he is happy on is 29er and it works for him.
My original post did point out that a fair number have tried 29ers and gone back to 26ers. I think world cup riders are in far more likely to hunt out extra speed than us.

But talking about world cup riders isn’t that relevant, I only bought it up to point out that 29er’s are not a one way ticket to extra speed, that some suggest. If the bike that they are attached to suits you then yes if not then no just as with a 26er, one wheel size or the other don’t make you fast or slow.

I think I’ve posted this comment on about 3 different forums lately… Does strike me that the benefits of bigger wheels could be quite good, for knobbers like me- I batter through rock gardens in a pretty inelegant way. But watching good riders on the same sections, they barely touch the rocks. Would they get the same benefits of the reduced angle of impact? They’re doing it already.

rather than getting so worked up about a wheel size, why don’t folks just give one a go? or is it as usual on conformist track world that anything different from someone’s limited experience is automatically seen as bad/rubbish/gash etc… and they then trot out all sorts of contrived bollards to justify their stance. 🙄

just enjoy what you ride and stop stressing about what others do for enjoyment,life is too short to get hung up on something so trivial, you lot make my brain sad

NW – if that’s how you ride, just how strong (think, heavy) would you need 29er rims to be?

I reckon something with a build/construction similar to a Flow but in 29er flavour wouldn’t be anywhere near strong/stiff enough even for XC for me and I really wouldn’t fancy riding XC with 729 weight rims much

GW – Member

NW – if that’s how you ride, just how strong (think, heavy) would you need 29er rims to be?

I get by OK on 26er flows… Course, the idea is that the reduced angle of attack ought to mean the wheels (and rider) get an easier ride on that sort of thing. First rock garden at fort william is the best example I can think of for this, I feel every rock but watching the fast boys, they tapdance over the top.

Point I’m trying to make, though, is that the times it seems it’d be a decent advantage for me, are times where better riders have other ways to get rid of the problem, so though I can see benefits I’m not sure how they’d translate upwards.

I’ve had a 29er for 10 years,a 26er for 20+,also raced a 69er for a few years-all just bikes-horses for courses.
The most sense on this thread so far has been from Brant.

Run whatever you have,enjoy the trail and stop bitching about nothing.

as in the very first rockgarden on the flat just after the first hip (infront of the cafe up top)? or the one after the boardwalk?

Either way, the riders you’ve seen schooling you are most likely simply going faster into the rocks and know the lines better

The one after the boardwalk… But yeah, makes sense to me, cheers

“It’s a good article written by someone with more testing and riding ability / experience than most of us. It’s also an opinion not a fact.

This is a good line or 2 –

The only thing sluggish of the 29 bike is the indolence of those that are quick to put down these bikes, taking jabs at a subject for who most have absolutely no idea – the 29 is all about speed,”

“ALL about speed?” “The only thing sluggish?” Who wrote that? Thank goodness you said it was his opinion and not a fact! If it was all about speed, “ALL”… then for the same brand of components in both sizes on as near identical bikes as we could get,at which point has he found accelerating up steep climbs on the 29er more efficient (read all about speed) than a 26 inch wheeled version? For the same build,width,thickness,girth etc of parts.. could i go as far as saying that would be impossible on certain terrain given near perfect levels of grip? I think i could.Maybe im posting too soon before reading what i think is correct regarding acceleration of larger wheels as opposed to smaller,correct me if i`m wrong (and at the same time,put everyone that takes part in standing start 1/4 mile racing in cars onto the idea that 22inch spinners are the way forward on the strip while yer at it!)

Ive had a 29er and rode a handful but why would i want to choose the 29er version to slog uphill on when the other bikes i have owned with 26 felt a lot more suitable when it comes to this part of our everyday ride? O.K. rocky climbs you could be flowing (fek,that word again!) over the rocks a little easier but for a lot of the old school riding around the highlands.. the climbs are fairly smooth long hauls.Well the ones that i choose to ride up certainly are.The mountain paths arent rock fests climbing up from Coulags towards Annat,thats for sure. The climbs around Inverness arent rocks fests on the way up either.Same down at Aviemore with the Burma Rd,Cairngorm,Carn ban Mor etc. You will find the odd section that lasts for a short period but would i buy a bike with the more suitable wheel size for 1% of a ride? No.

Yeah,we have now got to the top and we could talk about the 5% of the ride that we will be riding back DOWN the hill and how it could be so much BETTER on the bigger wheel but,yep.. those percentages wont be precise but they arent far from it!

I buy a bike, my first and only bike for the ride that i would enjoy most and the bigger wheeled version isnt for me. If i go out on my day off and find myself climbing for 3 hours and descending for 20 mins i have to say that the bike needs to be as enjoyable as possible and for me,that means 26.

However.. (haha,ill regret this bit) I am building up a 29er shortly.Like folk have said,its different.Ill look forward to the odd ride on it around the lowlands.Nothing more.Just the lowlands ;O)

The first choice will always be 26.

Removed to protect the innocent

It can’t be true, i’m equally slow on a 69/29/26 so there Dirt

Martin – ‘Speed’ in that context I read it as momentum, carrying speed etc. Larger wheels can do that well, the flipside of being a bit slower to accelerate. He did talk a bit about this in the article.

Acceleration is a part of a bike’s performance we often notice first. It’s probaby why so many bikes have light 17-19mm wide rims, when a heavier, wider rim would be a better all-round ride off-road. A larger diameter ie even heavier, and wider and rim + tyre will feel slower off the line, but things even out once you’re moving. Just depends on what ‘feel’ you prefer really.

Aye, i`ll agree with you there and see what you are saying. The feel of the bike on big hauls is a big thing,though. For me i chose to consider 26 as the best happy medium for all round riding but i still plan to get the 29er for a different thing/feel or whatever. Not to compare them and then decide which is the best. I know what i like about each of them and i do fancy a bit of both.

ade ward – Member

It’s not confusing,

First you have to ride at least one 29 er to comment on their good and bad points,oh please make it a proper ride not just around a car park,
Then if you like it buy one
Just like the baby brother they come in many shapes and sizes and not all are good for everything

On second thoUghts carry it’s more fun when people just endlessly misquote things they read on some forum on tinternet

Yeah I’ve done that.
2500miles on a rigid 22lb singlespeed 29er
1600miles on a front sus 23 1/2lb singlespeed proper MTB

They are very similar and perform a similar function and I loved the 29er but I wouldn’t buy another. (unless I rode round the Dalby red route every ride)

I always thought the 29er was fastest but even though I’m not as powerful or as fit as when I had that I have faster average speeds on solo rides on the proper MTB. Fun levels are similar as after all they are both bikes and there is very limited difference in reality.

Never ridden a full sus one and probably never will so couldn’t comment really other than to say it a rubbish idea ;0)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HoGgIgaEyE&feature=related[/video]

I’m lazy. I ride the bike that takes the least effort, and that means big wheels.

If I want a workout, I’ll ride small wheels – very small wheels 🙂

Flow corner? Can someone please explain please?

what I don’t like is the industry saying that my 26er is a pile of junk

I think that’s being too sensitive, ride what you want, who cares what others think?

Euro – it’s Dirt mag, it’s probably a typo or just god awful grammar

“corner flow” would make more sense 😉

Do 29ers generally have lower bottom brackets? I found on the two I have had in the past I was hitting my pedals on trails where I never found it to be a problem on all my other 26 bikes in the past. I’m not convinced about the rolling over roots and rock thing better too on 29ers. Most people are not fit enough who will buy one to really know the overall speed advantage over a long days racing or riding too. I was not fit enough to notice speed advantage on a days riding anyway. But I’m not into any form of racing and stop a lot to eat Snickers bars and drink tea etc.

It comes down to this IMO if you race and are at the top end of the sport you will see some advantage to your ride with a 29er. For most people who ride you will not really notice anything that much in regard to the advantage. Even if you do it will only mean you get to the cafe a few minutes tops before a few riding mates! hardly worth it really! For general playing about on too I did notice a distinct lack of fun in comparison to my 26 bikes I have had on the same trails and rides. The 29ers felt like a relay when I lifted the bars and wanted to pop a wheelie over a rock or ledge and on jumps.

In most sports there is loads of hype in regard to equipment. You can buy tennis racquets that cost an absolute fortune . They wont make the average player that much better or make them win more matches. Rodger federer or Rafael Nadal might find them an advantage or improve some of there shots though. The same analogy can be drawn with a lot of sports. I could give you a snooker cue made with some special technology and wild claims, but its never going to give you the technique, talent or skill of Ronnie O’ Sulivan

Sport is full of sheep at the lower to mid end. Cycling seems to be one of the worst though, MTB is without doubt the worst. Long travel, size of wheels, more gears, frame material the list goes on…. I don’t think road biking is as bad. Keep the weight as low as possible good aerodynamics, get some lycra on and improve fitness for results. This seems more to be the mantra with road cycling.