Hi all

I'm looking at getting a new race bike this year and am considering purchasing a 29er. The thing is, I'm looking at spending around 2k but want to make sure I'll get on with it before shelling out that sort of money. Therefore I thought I might buy a cheap one first and do a couple of winter races on that. I think I heard that Diamond Back do one fairly cheap but wondered if anyone knew of some really good deals?

Cheers

Buy a complete bike from On-one with their current offer of 20% off stuff over £600?
(think that's right!)

Oh and there was a guy on classifieds selling a salsa complete for £1000.

Rode giants new xtc 29er a few weeks back on a product test.To be honest was not looking forward to it as I wanted to test the new anthem and trance.Anyway collected it outside the shop and headed of for a nightride around the puffer.Large slice of humble pie later as I thought it was fantastic,so much so that if I ever go back to a hard tail the xtc29 would be near the top of my list (model tested cost 1400)

There isn't many cheap 29ers out there, as manufacturers know we'll pay over the odds for new ideas.

Ae bike shop were selling a Gary Fisher Mamba for £625, nice bike.

A 29er isn't the right tool for racing, regardless of what the internet fanboys say.

Get something decent like an Anthem X or decent hardtail like a Trek 8000 series or Spesh Stumpy.

try a gary fisher cobia.
£600 from chevin for last years model.
very fast riding bike too, if i was a racer it would be a ideal bike for the job

The GF sounds good

What about the Dutch BeOne – they have a racing team, with a 29er don't they?

the diamondback mojito is about as cheap as i've seen:

£300ish, single speed, rigid.

looks alright.

JohnClimber – Member

There isn't many cheap 29ers out there, as manufacturers know we'll pay over the odds for new ideas.

Complete tosh and not even english. Pretty much service as normal on here.

I'm picking up a Haro Mary on Friday that I got for £410, i'll let you know what it's like.

I was going to mention the Haro too.

I recently sold my Singular which was a huge heart-ache as I loved it. I can't recommend them highly enough. Sam hand-finishes the frame with reaming and rust-proofing giving you a bike for life. It went through many incarnations: My (ex-)Swift

On a minimal budget, all you need is 29er wheels (e.g. On-One do cheap wheels sometimes), buy Singular frame and fork, build from what you have.

I'm happy to say my Swift is still in the flickr gallery on the page linked below. (It's the orange drop-bar bike up the Pentlands. There's a story there…).

Singular Swift

Cheers, al.

haven't 29ers won 3 of the last 4 SSUKs S_O???

😉

i'm far faster on my 29er than i am on my 26"

the mamasita in the classifides looks great imo for a grand.

Think Mountain Mania had a few 09 versions in different sizes last time i went in. Think they had Cobia & Mamba's aswell as the more expensive ones.

Had 20% off too if i remember.

J

S_O would just find a 29er too heavy to carry around a race to finish his lap.

Just got myself a Scandal with the same intent and so far am extremely impressed. Was not sure if I would like 29 so went for a cheapish frame but it rides so good I cant, at this point, see me wanting to change for anything more expensive.

I quite fancy a singlespeed 29er in the shape of a Kona Unit which seems good value at £454 from Wiggle at the mo !

What racing are you doing, you don't say?
No good for DH racing!
Not much cop at the Gorrick either unless you're skilled in Gorrick-style races.
A 29er also won the inaugural Montane Kielder 100 as well as the SS championships as mentioned above.

Buying a cheap 29er to determine whether you might like to race one is likely to lead to disappointment. Any £500 bike is going to feel heavy and slow, because that's what it is. If you're looking at a £2k race bike you need to compare apples with apples. See if you can borrow a well specced 29er with light wheels to have a decent try on and then you'll see whether you like it. Lugging around some hefty wheels with Rampages or something on is going to be the best way to convince yourself that 29ers are not for racing. If you are southeast-ish based then I'd be happy to give you a ride on a decently equipped Singular.

Sam

sam, where in the SouthEast ?

Just picked up my Mary today, love it! Very stiff, though that's to be expected, never ridden a fully rigid MTB before, but apart from that it was perfect.

very cheap niner frame on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NINER-SIR9-29er-mtb-frame-medium_W0QQitemZ150402057234QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR?hash=item2304a94412

read description!

Wow, that Niner was a bargain (if kosher – which it seems it is).
a.

Bunners, I'm in Hertfordshire and have a dealer in Dorking.

DEMO 29ers. Try before you buy.
We have two demo bikes in the shop. A niner sir 9 rigid single speed and a salsa dos niner 1×9 soft-tail.
You are welcome to take them out for the day. Good local trails too.
Based on the Dorset coast. Where are you?
http://Www.charliethebikemonger.com

Charlie, what size is the SIR 9?

the ebay niner is kosher, i sold it.

The demo is a large so that's good for six foot to six foot four ish. If you are an inch if two either side I can make it sort of fit so you will still get the rolling nimble experience and just have to imagine what it would be like in the right size.

The eBay niner is heading to a friend of mine (crashy Simon) We spent all afternoon riding in the snow talking about what colour to paint it. 🙂 it's likely to be pastachio green rigid and ss.

Charlie – thanks, though the large will be too big, I fear! I'm on the border between a Niner small/medium and I was hoping it would have been a medium so I could experience the 29er thing, especially a Niner as I really like the look of their bikes!

29ers no good for racing – are you joking???!!!

My Mamasita has done 4 races so far, 2 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd. Plus, as someone mentioned, I won SSUK twice on 29ers, once with a monster hangover.

As for them being heavier – yes they are, but not by much – 2lbs or so. They are another tool which may, or may not, be suitable depending on the course. Kind of like HT vs FS.

The 29" wheels suit SS really well, they also roll very smoothly over ruts and braking bumps and cope extremely well with muddy conditions. Don't knock it 'til you tried it…

GB

Flange, i have the Salsa Mamsita metioned above for sale if you are keen?

gee – Member

29ers no good for racing – are you joking???!!!

That's just the octoporn fanboy spouting his normal anti 29er shite.

Maybe he's upset because he can't win despite being on a 26er which he clearly mistakenly thinks is better for racing. 😉

ahwiles
the diamondback mojito is about as cheap as i've seen:

£300ish, single speed, rigid.

looks alright.

I recently got a Diamondback mojito, £270 posted, so cheap for a 29er. I recently stopped bmxing, I got the 29er to use as a runabout and to hit the local trails, so far it's fine, and I like it.

I fully agree with the comment that buying a cheap 29er will probably unfairly bias the experience, but here goes:

Amazon currently sell a Reebok Twenty 9er at £150.00. Yes, it will be rudimentary and heavy, but saying that, it has 21 gears and a sus fork, so it may be more of a realistic prospect (than a SS) for those like me with weak legs in a hilly area. It could also be a decent emergency bike when the prime is in the 'shop.

I too am looking at a 29er at the moment as I am 6'5" and 14.5 stone. I think my weight may countermand any shortfall due to the increased wheel-size and I do like the sound of the better rolling thing. One (newbie) question though: why do all the frame-sizes seem to stop at 20"? I currently have a 22" HT and this is a little small in truth. Is it simply a case of wheel clearance? Would I fit OK on a 20" 29er? I know that the published frame size is often scant indication of the actual size of the bike, but two inches is still two inches!

Any advice welcome, including a place near Stockport to test one out.

shuffer GF sizing is for a very long TTso a large fits someone at 6'3" and I even got away with a medium for a bit

Just reviving this thread to see if there are any good deals for 29er bikes at the moment. Thinking about getting one for the Kielder 100.

I saw one of these in a shop the other day for £450

Trek marlin SS

thought it seemed a good price?

Another vote for the Haro Mary XC here, I picked this one up for £360 and Im loving it. Using it as a winter bike at the moment and loving the feel of the steel frame. Would highly recommend as an excellent start into the 29er world.

Giant XTC 29er 2010 on sale now from £789
Buy ,try, sell