Talk to me about 29ers « Singletrack Forum

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Talk to me about 29ers

30 posts & 23 voices | Started 3 months ago by stevewhyte | Latest reply from jameso

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stevewhyte - Member

I am nearly coming to the end of my cycle to work scheme and I have a lovely Whyte 805 to show for it, not only that but have fitted SID Race forks, Mavic Cross Trail Wheels and am thinking about sticking on a double XT chainset and XT brakes.

This got me thinking about just spending the £400 odd quid that I will on XT gear on a new bike. I really like he look of the 29er hard tails but will it be a big enough change, thinking about the Cube Reaction GTC SL or similar.

p.s. me wife wants the whyte hence why I can justify a new bike.

Posted 3 months ago #
stevewhyte - Member

Is this forum a 29er free zone.

Posted 3 months ago #
robbieh - Member

Hi, i've recently (2 weeks) finished building my 29er HT and been out twice on it. Yesterday we did 25miles mostly singletrack through woods and a little on road to get to the next offroad sections. For me its been such an improvement comfortwise over my 26er. The woods sections and one very bumpy part in particular round the edge of a field was the most noticeable as it really did rollover the surface much easier. My bike does look huge against my mates but as i'm 6 2" and 93kgs. on a 21" On-One frame i really feel the benefit of the bigger bike. If you are able to? try and get a testride on a 29er to see how it feels to you.

all the best, Rob.

Posted 3 months ago #
stevewhyte - Member

Thanks, good to know the comfort is improved as i was also thinking about going down the full sus route to improve a bit of ride comfort but i dont really want the extra weight/complexity/cost.

A mate has a 29er but its a 20" frame and i use 16" so not sure how usefull the test would be.

Cheers

Posted 3 months ago #
nsaints - Member

They work for some people, they don't work for others
For me they work - to the extent I no longer own 26er's

There is no correct answer any forum can provide - although many are sure to argue otherwise/correct the error of my advice

therefore the best advice I can offer is to get a test ride - and not just a buzz around a carpark

if your close to Abingdon/Wantage your welcome to try either of mine

Posted 3 months ago #
druidh - Member

steve - whereabouts are you?

I ride a 16" and I'm just finishing off the build of an On One Scandal 29er. I became convinced of the benefits of the larger wheels after taking my CX-ed Amazon tourer around some rougher stuff, including Glentress Blue. I plan to be using it for lots of off-road touring/all-day adventure stuff in Scotland.

Posted 3 months ago #
fenred - Member

A 'buzz around a car park' of a friends 29er was enough to leave me with an itch that needed scratching...I was having the same thoughts as the OP regards 29er Vs FS...Built my 29er over Xmas and instantly felt the benefits and joys of wagon wheels. I can see that it is definately a marmite thing, but for me its a winner

Posted 3 months ago #
Trimix - Member

I borrowed one for our usual Tuesday night ride - XC style. A ride Ive done for a few years on a range of 26 inch bikes from FS to HT to crosser.

I was surprised how "not different" it felt. Apart from the wheels feeling like flywheels - so there was a slight feeling of taking a while to speed them up and them carrying that speed. But not much.

If anything it felt slow.

Also the geometry felt quite odd when trying to do very tight corners. It felt like it was going to tuck under.

So in both those respects I didnt like it and could not see any advantages at all.

To be honest the thing that stuck out most were the tyres being grippy as they were new - nothing to do with it being a 29er. I could have fitted new tyres to any bike. So I really couldnt see what the fuss is about, especially on normal UK riding XC style.

Overall I felt the hype did not live up to the reality at all.

Posted 3 months ago #
Rickos - Member

Try The Bike Chain for the Cube.

http://www.thebikechain.co.uk/Cube-Reaction-29-GTC-SL-17-201109071317/

Posted 3 months ago #
steve_b77 - Member

I built a 100mm HT one up before Christmas to replace my 120mm 26" wheeled HT, and I'm glad I did.

It really suits my riding style for XC stuff and climbs very well indeed, it also descends very well considering it "only" has 100mm up front. Handled a fair few Peaks descents with ease on its second trip out.

One thing that I really noticed is the grip levels from relatively modest tread patterns

Posted 3 months ago #
takisawa2 - Member

Love mine. That's all. 18" Inbred. If your near me your welcome to have a go. Full respect to those that own up to not liking them. Not for everyone.

Posted 3 months ago #
sillyoldman - Member

Trimix - I presume you've ridden 26" wheel bikes that you don't like? The same holds true for 29" wheeled bikes - some you'll like, some you won't.

I've ridden a bad FS bike, but that doesn't mean they're all bad.

Worth trying another brand/layout before writing off all of them.

Posted 3 months ago #
boriselbrus - Member

I'm 6' tall. I have a Cotic Soul 26er with 140 forks and a S-Works 26er with 100mm forks. Last year I got a 29er Paragon with 100mm forks and there is so little difference to the 26ers that I may well just sell it so I can have standard 26er tubes in my Camelback and not one of each.

Don't get me wrong - I do like it, but it isn't different enough from my other bikes to justify the space in the garage. It might roll a bit better, it might steer slightly slower, but I think a change of tyres on the S-Works would make a bigger difference.

Posted 3 months ago #
rOcKeTdOg - Member

If you are riding a 16" bike i think 26" would suit you more than a 29er, there's a reason ehy proper 29er designers don't produce frames below medium size (singular/cotic etc).

Posted 3 months ago #
big_n_daft - Member

there's a reason ehy proper 29er designers

care to tell Gary Fisher he's not a proper 29er designer?

Posted 3 months ago #
rOcKeTdOg - Member

Yea, let me have his number

16" bike riders on a 29er would look as ridiculous as a 6ft5" rider on a 26" wheel bike, companies who market 29ers below 18" are just in it to cash in (as well they might of course) but doing it solely for the cash rather than some passion too is cynical and preying on the fashion led

Horses for courses is the maxim in this case

Posted 3 months ago #
clubber - Member

so it's all about how they look?

Posted 3 months ago #
tk46hal - Member

I ride 16" 29er Scandals and would never go back to a 26er.Totally love them. If you live West Yorks way, you can try mine. Don't think that 29er's are for very tall people because they're not. Niner bikes have just released their very first 14" 29er frame!

Posted 3 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

clubber - Member

so it's ~~all~~ mostly about how they look?

(apologies for edit)

for me at least - yes, my 26ers are bloody ugly.

Posted 3 months ago #
stevewhyte - Member

Thanks for the offers of the ride, im in Dumfries no doubt i will be able to try someones out on the Stanes.

Cant really see what difference frame size will make to the funcion of the bike.

If i get another bike i want to make ure i dont make a mistake, as i am going to have to live with it for many years or just end up using my wifes 'new' bike which might not go down to well if i am paying off a new ride!!!

For me its all about comfort rather than being faster or better down hill.

Posted 3 months ago #
esher shore - Member

bought this today

Posted 3 months ago #
stevewhyte - Member

Whats that?

Posted 3 months ago #
fenred - Member

Esher shore, lovely looking machine! Details please....

Posted 3 months ago #
MoreCashThanDash - Member

Jeez, when will I learn to stop browsing the 29er threads....

Posted 3 months ago #
stevewhyte - Member

Tell me about it!!!!

Posted 3 months ago #
bigdugsbaws - Member

Tell me about it!!!!

Nice that, looks like a stumpy evo to me

Posted 3 months ago #
bol - Member

They look great. My LBS has one as a demo, and I know at least one convert as a result. It's another really well conceived specialized.

Posted 3 months ago #
weeksy - Member

They're just 'different' basically. Handle differently, ride differently, but are essentially still a bike with 2 wheels.

For me personally, i bought a Giant XTC29er and loved it (after i'd swapped the bars)... i STILL love it... i'm quicker from A - B on it by about 7-10% overall... which is justificiation for me.

However, it's still a HT... still has to be ridden at times like a HT, picking yourself up from the seat for roots/bumps to smooth it out.. Irrespective of whether it's a better HT for comfort than a 26".. it is not a FS... simple as that.

Hence why i've just bought a Bionicon Supershuttle for the larger more mountainy stuff.

Posted 3 months ago #
Sam - Member

care to tell Gary Fisher he's not a proper 29er designer?

The thing is, if you look closely at what Trek/Fisher and most other big brands call their 'XS' or 15" or whatever it's actually not very different from what I call a medium. For instance the ETT on the smallest Trek is only 14mm shorter than an M Swift. And the wheelbase is actually longer.

There is only one way to determine whether they work for you - ride a few. And I say a few, because they are not all the same - much as not all 26ers ride the same.

Posted 3 months ago #
jameso - Member

If you don't use a steep ha, short rake fork and a long stem there's no reason why you can't have a good geometry on a 29er suitable for someone riding an average 16" 26 bike. People get too hung up on ett or other single dimensions and forget that different types of bikes can work well with different fit or weight distribution etc. There's some logic in the height matched to wheels idea, but not much. It's more of a hangover from early bikes with short front-centres trying to compensate for long rears. Just try a few.

Posted 3 months ago #