My Rig was great. It won SSUK in 2007. In fact, it was so great, I got a Salsa Selma. That won SSUK in 2009. It convinced me to try a geared one, so I got a Salsa Mamasita (Selma with a mech hanger) and so far that has entered 4 races and got 2 wins, a second and a third. So much for 29ers being too heavy/slow/unmaneuverable... There's even a good range of tyres these days.
Riding 26 and 29 back to back at Dalby on the XC race course, the 29er was certainly faster on the DH parts, especially over loose rocks and roots. The 26 is only 20lbs though with sensible parts, so was faster going back up again. I know the 29er could be made that light, but only with stupid fragile parts.
I'm still going to race on a 26" bike for the big XC races next year - the 2-3lbs there does make enough of a difference for me to stick with 26".
Drawbacks? Apart from the few lbs, they are a bit slower through tight, twitchy trails, but this really only matters if seconds count (i.e. Elite XC racing). As trail bikes, they are superb - it almost feels like a full susser most of the time.
GB
it/that won ssuk. tell me where to buy the really fast ones:-)
The purple ones are the fastest.
Wrong again, GREEN is always fastest.
mine are tang and rootbeer (thats orange and brown then). so i'll mostly not be winning anything.
you mean blue, obviously
blue is a bit mainstream though.
red
SILVER IS FATEST................
100
Ti is the bestist though.
if i can distract you from your colour debate, how does the head angle thing work on a 29er? i mean, the trail orientated ones seem to run @71, where a normal wheel bike would have say 67/68. do they feel at all steep at speed compared to a trail bike with normal wheels?
They don't feel steep at all.
Slowrider - Not in my experience, no. They feel very good at speed - although ever so slightly slower through fast, tight turns.
GB
20"
24"
26"
29" Odd numbers are the work of the devil.
; )
71 felt a bit slow on my rig, but that was great on very steep downhills. i like 72 with a longish offset fork.
The answer to you question is in part that they are becoming far more widely available, with most every major manufacturer now having 29ers in the bike portfolios, Fisher bikes having led the way.
They seem far more accepted in the US, and so in the UK, the more bike shops sell 29ers, the more people will have the option and the more will be sold, and so on and so on.
The one thing mine is not at all good at is getting air and carving really, really tight single track & some North Shore is not kind to the longer wheel base!
So, for somewhere like Penmachno (& some other trail centers) I take the 26FS. Most everywhere else I have the 29er which I find far more engaging, more involving and ultimately more satisfying. I'm not sure it's that much quicker per se, it sure feels like it though.
I always thought the point of 29ers was improved rolling, obviously with minor weight and handling penalties, to let people grind the miles out...
Nothing to do with rider height, surely the whole reason for different sized frames is to account for the differing shapes of various people.
I have no first hand experience of 29ers but I can see both potential benefits and draw backs, I think it's safe to say they suit a certain type of riding, just like any other bike is built with certain types of riding in mind, nothing wrong with that.
I could see myself possibly trying out a 29er in the future, but it all comes down to one thing for me; cost, they're still pretty niche (meaning expensive due to rarity) really. if I'm honest I don't fancy paying over the odds for a rigid SS bike simply because the wheels are a touch larger, I like my kicks cheap, in that respect 26" wins...
2010 the tear of 29ers? Nah, still a bit too niche I reckon, I think most current 29er owners would like them to stay niche, and I thinks most "Mainstream" non-29"-converts are probably "Niche averse" anyway...
Adoption by the masses takes time, and a smaller price tag.
cookeaa - a lovely long, thoughtful post about what 29ers are good for and their relevance (or not) for bigger bikes. I particularly liked:
I have no first hand experience of 29ers
Ah. OK. Thanks. 😐
Adoption by the masses takes time, and a smaller price tag.
Comparing the Kona Big Kahuna to the Kona Kula Gold is a good example of this. £1250 for a ht with RS Tora forks is way too pricey, just for he sake of bigger wheels. The Kula comes with Rebas, decent wheels and a much better drivetrain for the same money.
The problem with 29ers in the UK is finding bike shops that have the space to sell them - with sus forks, disc brakes etc manufacturers just started fitting them to existing bikes - there wasn't a whole different range with / without them. With 29", shops sometimes just don't have the space to stock them as well as 26" bikes, hence their adoption is going to be a lot slower, or just remain niche as only few shops will actually stock them.
GB
Either way, there's plenty of kit both on the market and coming onto the market.
But does it matter?
Not for those of who have 29ers, I would suggest.
Lighter bikes, lighter components and a range of bikes that are set to grow, in particularly the full sus' side of the 29er market (of which I am at present rather ignorant), but when you see the likes of the Superfly and the Air9 Carbon HT making such news headlines and receiving such compliments both on the forums and from bike journos in an otherwise mature and established 26er market environment, it means that there is a real shift in peoples perception of the 29ers as a whole.
Me? I am happy to be riding one and don't especially care if they become mainsteam or otherwise to be honest - as long as I can get spares and upgrades, which is, of course, already the case, have a range of bike from which to cherry pick, I don't much care if I'm riding something others don't get or take to or fancy experiencing.
2009 for me was the year of the 29er.
i don't think they will become mainstream ever. my idea of mainstream is when people who aren't obsessed with bikes, but want one would go to there lbs and be faced with a selection of 29ers and be recommended one by the staff. i can't see that being likely to happen soon, if ever.
What I find a bit cheeky is seeing 29ers dressed up as cross bikes i.e cross tubs on road rims and 1 or 2 x 9 set ups.
i think thats o.k. versatile. i've just got a tricross ss that i'm going to put mtbtires on at some point, using it to commute on at the moment though.
i am the proud owner of 4 29rs now. i love them they suit me.
mates take the pi55, people stare at them, i love the attention to be honest.
reading this post, just one minor observation.............
TooTall..........you do get very defensive about 29rs being deissed.....specially for a man who reckons he is so happy with his choice of bike....... 😕
TooTall - Membercookeaa - a lovely long, thoughtful post about what 29ers are good for and their relevance (or not) for bigger bikes. I particularly liked:
I have no first hand experience of 29ers
Ah. OK. Thanks.
What just because I haven't owned one or had a go on one yet means my thoughts are not relevant?
I would actually suggest that if 29ers are ever to become "mainstream" then I'm just the type of rider who needs convincing; I'm open to the concept of bigger wheels on an MTB, not bothered about niches, but not looking to burn money, and slightly put off by the elitist, niche lover, cock image that seems to go with 29er ownership...
But feel free to prove me wrong on the last point.... Oh...
cookeaa........cock is ok........cock nazi is not..... 😉
Oldgit, the amount of crossfertilisation (see what I did there?!) between 29ers and CX bikes will one day soon, produce my ideal offroad bike-
Tough 700c wheels, superlight discs, 73/73 angles, drop bars, 2" tyres,2 by 11 gearing, maybe a short 60mm travel fork, oh, and it will weigh under 8kg! 😉
Tough 700c wheels, superlight discs, 73/73 angles, drop bars, 2" tyres, maybe a short 60mm travel fork, oh, and it will weigh under 8kg!
you could probably do that now give or take a Kilo....Superfly frame, Reba XX reduced to 60mm, would steepen the HA to about 71/72Deg, Avid BB7s on Sram Red levers, ashima discs, Sram Der, etc, etc....
not defensive - just really enjoy poking the opinionated little people with a stick - especially if they spout off having never ridden one. 😀
It's kinda bonkers when we had 27"/700c wheeled cross bikes to start off with. Then we went to 26" wheeled mountainbikes and now 29ers. I have to ask why we didn't simply evolve the cross bike.
I think there will always be pros and cons with 26/700c wheeled bikes.
I remember soling a Rig thinking this is great until I hit twisty stuff. In the end I just wanted to unify my bikes, and running a standard wheeled bike was a cheaper, lighter and generally easier option.
" What - just because I haven't owned one or had a go on one yet means my thoughts are not relevant? "
It devalues your comments somewhat don't you think? Not actually knowing that much about them, I mean, other than other peoples' opinions and experiences?
Expressing an opinion when you have never even bothered to try one, but think you are actually "put off by the elitist, niche lover, cock image that seems to go with 29er ownership".
Hummmmm.
At least some of us have gone out and made an effort to satisfy our curiosity and some have found them to their liking. I spent 2 x 6hr days riding 29ers and 26ers back-to-back with each other, so that's how I came to 29ers, not because someone told me what I should think; God forbid I form my opinions about such things solely on web forums!
So to pontificate about 29ers when you know so very little, is, best backed up with at least some first hand experience of the bikes; besides which, for you " it all comes down to one thing for me; cost" but "then I'm just the type of rider who needs convincing;" - why? - when for you it's all about being cheap?
I'd advocate trying one on a Demo Day (now is the time of the year), yellow ones are the quickest, Ti ones the most comfortable (also read expensive), SS the most niche! So for you it'd need to be a yellow, SS 29er 😉
Ti ones the most comfortable (also read expensive), SS the most niche! So for you it'd need to be a yellow, SS 29er
my ventana is far comfier than any hardtail..........imho that it.. 😉
yellow ones are the quickest, Ti ones the most comfortable (also read expensive), SS the most niche! So for you it'd need to be a yellow, SS 29er
so if i was about to get a Ti ss full rigid, custom build, do i get instant niche cred points or do i still have to grow some kind of bizzarre facial hair
or do i go back to riding my ss whyte preston with the 24 inch front wheel
[i]Superfly frame, Reba XX reduced to 60mm, would steepen the HA to about 71/72Deg, Avid BB7s on Sram Red levers, ashima discs, Sram Der, etc, etc....
[/i]
this comment should carry an 18+ certificate! i gone all dreamy, but will have to settle for this for the time being
[img] 
[/img]
i used to own a bike shop in Wells and i seem to recal the diamond back rep coming in with the "New" axis 700c (you see 29" and 700c are the same) it was fuly rigid (as was everything in 1995) and had panracer smokes and XTII on it. i had one as a demo and couldnt shift it for love. never seen one since though.
Just goes to prove that what we think is new is just a failed maketing ploy being re jigged 😉
A
@Ti29er:
I wouldn't say I know "nothing" about them, I know as much as anyone who likes bikes and reads up on stuff, it's not a case of "not bothering to try one" I've just not happened to have the opportunity yet and should the chance present itself I certainly would give one a go...
Maybe "elitist, niche lover, cock" comment was a bit harsh but the early adopters have managed to carve themselves a bit of a reputation.
The fact that I catch more flak from the faithful for having a bit more reasoned consideration about 29er's pros/cons and mass appeal, and not actually having a knee jerk downer on 29ers, speaks volumes...
Perhaps separating the product and the "culture" would be helpful; 29" wheeled MTBs seem like a great idea, just can't warm to many of the owners at present...
cookeaa. i'm ace you'd like me:-)
It makes me smile the way people seem to class 29ers as one bike.
"I tried a 29er once and it was shit" kind of thing.
I've tried loads of 26ers that are shit too but it's not a very convinsing argument against all 26ers is it.
It's just a wheel size nothing more nothing less.
Anyway carry on it's quite entertaining. 😀
if ya 6ft 5 it is
he'd hate me
Well, I've fitted cx tyres to a flat bar roadie, so technically I have a 29er 😉 I am keen to give a proper one a go. I am only 5'8" though, is it just a myth that they're better suited to larger riders? Not having had a rigid bike since 1990, I found the downhills on mine fun, but much physically tougher. An alu/carbon frame is not especially comfortable!
**** it, s'all just an excuse to get another bike in isn't it 🙂
Anyone care to analyse cookeaa's points, rather than just poking until he swears?
rich, they might be better suited to tall riders but i can't really comment. i'm 5' 9 & 1/2" and a 29er convert. i believe that there are some possible problems with toe overlap on small framed 29ers.
i've had rigid forks and found they had some benefits that surprised me but overall i'm happier with a suspension fork. if you have some cash, just get one and make your own evaluation.
Bunch of weirdos
