Have invested quite a bit of money in this
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-testing-the-water

But fancy a change, and love the new 2014 Salsa Horsethief.

Real world opinions please

I think so. 650b makes the trail come alive, 29ers are like a magic carpet. Depends on what you want, but anything is better than dinosaur 26″.

truely a real world opinion kudos100! 😉

If your Bandit is ‘awesome’ then why sell it?

Come join the special gang pllllleeeease! Ah uh ah uh

I’ve got four 26 bikes and my riding buddy just bought a new spesh 29, a camber maybe? I rode it for one long ride around woburn and couldn’t wait to get back on mine. It felt high, awkward and gate like and turned like it had a flat tyre. I hated it. So try before you buy is my advice. He also prefers mine as well and is gutted he fell for the hype.

Most of the KOM’s over the Surrey Hill’s are on 29″. You’ve got no chance on a kiddy wheeler.

I have a 26″ full sus. Just bought a 20″ folding singlespeed and waiting on delivery of a 16″ folder. Who needs big wheels…

I’m not anti any bike but then I’m not convinced that pure speed/koms equate to more fun. Try the koms on a downhill track 😉

I would not have a 26er after having 29er’s now! I sold all my 26″ stock to build my first 29er and now have stable of different 29er’s for all occasions!

You need to try one really, and invest a bit of time getting used to it.

I’ve been solely riding a big 29″ for the last couple of months now, it took a while to get used to riding it differently. Now i’m into it, i’m pretty much quicker everywhere. I don’t notice so much the rollover stuff people talk, but I do notice it carries speed frighteningly well. I can’t say it’s any less fun to ride than my last 26″ either.

Some of those Surrey Hills KOM’s are on my 29″ 😉

I’ll race mine for DH next year, that should get some comments no doubt!

Unless you’re unhappy with the Bandit anyway, I’d try to give one a go before you do anything rash.

Just got one myself and the jury’s still out, though mine is a HT and I think the rear end struggles to cope with the speed that the bike encourages in some situations.

Would love to try a 130mm or 140mm FS 29er, but not going to sell up to do it.

I would say the 29er is great on fast and open going.But on tight stuff the 26″ is better.
I know a few people who have gone down the same D/H track on a 29er and been a few seconds quicker than there 26″er.But have said the 26″er feels more fun its horses for courses.

I’ve one of the original Horsethiefs and love mine. Really flatters the rider and pushes me to go faster on the downs than any other bike I’ve ridden. Surprisingly good going up too, if it has a weak point I’d say its a handful when trying to get airbourne, I’m not very good as it is and the length of the bike calls for a fair bit of commitment. Though this could be the same for any long bike rather than 29ers really. Since getting it I’ve consistently rode things faster than previously(according to Strava). So if fast and steady, bags of grip, good on slow techy stuff is your thing rather than jumping and popping off stuff give it a go.

People do seem to hark on about this rather too much I think. It just goes to shower to power of marketing.

IME, yes, there are differences between wheel sizes, but IMO the differences are relatively slight and over-emphasised. I’ve ridden different brands of 26er bikes that are more different than some 26ers and some 29ers that I’ve also ridden

I ride 29ers now, I prefer the way they ride. For me, its the extra composure they seem to have, and the extra grip that they can give on techy climbs. YMMV.

650b feels no different to 26 last time I rode one.

Test ride the ones you’re curious about, buy the one you like.

Biscuit?

In my humble opinion the 29er suits the taller rider better. I ride the 2013 salsa horsethief and I love it but it is more biased to downhill than up. I think the new split link and shorter rear stays helps with the climbing.

Having ridden different 29ers over the last 2 years and got used to it I would never buy a 26er (for my style if riding)

depends. why do you fancy a change, what do you want out of a bike? why sell what you have, what’s it failed at for you? that’s more important than the usual wheelsize waffle.

I have just tried a camber evo and i was expecting the bike to stall in thick mud but no it just kept rolling ,found the low bb a bit of getting used to,have got the stumpy evo to test on saturday cant wait 😀 also i am 6 6″ so it makes sense

2 points to make here: 1/ I’ve ridden a good few bikes in my time and IMO the Bandit 26 is a bit special, it’s such a fun, interactive bike. The way it steers from the back actually makes me laugh! 2/ my mate recently bought a 29er. He says he’s just getting his head around it but is really enjoying it, the grip it generates, the way it rolls. He was telling me this just before he headed around Llandegla on his 26er. Within a matter of minutes he was commenting how ace the immediacy of it was. Make of that what you will!

Certainly some food for thought, cheers for the input.

Been doing a bit of research and being in Northern Ireland test days are rare but have found a Whyte dealer who does a test day, not really the brand I’m after but should give me some idea if a 29er is for me.