[Closed] 2012 Specialized 29er's - 29er's ARE taking over the world!

29er's are 'another' way forward.

Something else to sell to the willing.....

They are just bikes. Different. Not better.

they are still specialized tho

All of the standard Stumpjumper FSR models will also come with a new chain retention device called the Dangler – a low-friction, 30g chainstay slide glide built using composite plastic technology borrowed from KTM motorcycles. While the Dangler looks low-tech, during our rides at the launch it did an admirable job keeping the chain on and goes unnoticed while riding; it’s quiet and doesn’t add any perceivable friction to the system.

It's a DCD, for those that remember them.

status-new bighit is still 26" so 29ers just for canal towpaths then

i used to have a dcd back in the day!

DCD? Pah!

DPD FTW!
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CaptainFlashheart i remember seeing that pace at a bike expo in earls court back in 1992 😀

It still amazes me people still ride on there baby training wheels

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/5833330531/ ]DCD[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr

those big wheels might just catch on.

I heard that one big company has painted their 26ers pink and slapped on stabaliZers and now sells them to little girls. Only way to ditch the redundant stock.

Seriously I can't remember the last time I sold a 26er. Not sure I have ever. Seriously.

29er is just another bike, its not something magical. Just a bike with 2 inch bigger wheels. Makes a small difference. Nothing to wet your pants over though. (yes I have both)Good way to sell more kit to the needy.

2 inches bigger?

28er oh no! A new niche standard!

I agree, 29ers are just another riding option, and thus another revenue opportunity for the bike companies. As it's always been... Yer pay yer money and ride your bike (whatever that might be).

I can't help feeling many 29er owners seem to have the need to justify their choice at any given opportunity. 😉

If 29ers do become the norm, will all of the nichewhores go back to 26ers, or find a new way to try and prove how different and superior they think they are?

I'm looking forward to all the 29er stuff that'll be getting sold off cheap by the evangelists when 32ers make their mainstream appearance.

The way forward = the next marketing opportunity.

Now that specialized are fully committed can we expect to see mbr extolling the virtues of 29ers uber alles?

Why wasn't it rounded up to 30ers? Guess it doesn't sound as good.

29er aren't for everyone, but don't knock it until you've tried it, tried it properly mind, not just a few minutes around the block

All those with closed minds have tried it haven't you?

Why wasn' t it rounded up to 30ers ? Guess it
doesn't sound as good.

because 29er = 700c = road bike size eg it already existed as a size.

my main point is that the blindly evangelical say that 29er is inherently better because they're bigger so 32er must be even more betterer, right?

Fair point, although I knew it. I was just trying to be witty. Foiled again.

Get everyone on STW to ride their local loop on a 26" or 29" bike and report back the distance, time and wheel diameter. Correlate the results and there is the final and definitive answer.

Correlate the results and there is the final and definitive answer.

Get everyone on STW to ride their local loop on a 26" or 29" bike and report back the distance, time and wheel diameter. Correlate the results and there is the final and definitive answer.

😆

Golly that does sound really interesting but I think I'll pass thanks.

Specialized etc are reacting to market demand, not necessarily what's 'better'. 'Popular' would be the right term.

If we all asked for 24x1.5" next year cos it accelerated fastest and 4X was the new big influence, they'd follow that too if the trend stuck around for a couple of years. When demand hits a certain level (largely trend-based rather than based on 'better', look at historic demand for e-stays, 6" travel XC bikes, levels of fixie use etc) it means big companies have to react to maintain market share and small companies who weren't doing it at the start find sufficient demand to make it viable. Some read that as 'it must be better then' .. not really. Maybe for some riders though, I appreciate them for some of my riding.

You won't be told again jameso.I WILL report your post if you insist on using logical, rational and well thought counter arguments.This is NOT the place for that sort of rubbish 👿

Get everyone on STW to ride their local loop on a 26" or 29" bike and report back the distance, time and wheel diameter. Correlate the results and there is the final and definitive answer.

.. you'll find there is no definate answer and the wider the test sample the wider the result range.

Mountain biking is far too variable to be able to say that a bigger wheel = faster. In some cases yes, but not all. I've not seen a convincing study done yet, they all have too many 'constants' attempting to be good test method that in fact constantly skew the results.

The one thing I have read into the tests is that 29ers can have less variance in speed, ie a more constant rolling / average speed. That can 'feel' faster to some. But, that average speed is only higher than a 26" on certain courses. We ride for fun though mainly, so whatever you like the feel of, ride it.

Anyway, back to big companies 29/26 product mix, not what's 'better' -

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Thats it!You've gone done it now ,I told you not to.....but you would'nt listen 😈

Sorry!

I 'kin love 'niners, they're the best! I just spent too much on a new 29er! It'll probably be 'the best bike I've ever ridden'! You should buy one and be like me, really.

less coffee, more riding this am i think..

they're just hybrids

I just spent too much on a new 29er! As such, there's no way you'll hear me say anything but gushing praise about them because to do otherwise would be to admit that I wasted my money on the latest money-making scheme from the bike industry that realised sales of mountain bikes was slowing down.......

FTFY.

that's a bit silly too cfh.

As Rorschach says, surely for the majority of us it's about having the most fun not just how fast you can get from A-B? Or am I missing the point? I stil can't get used to how they look too.

Typical stw argument... your missing the obvious & that is 29ers are ugly & look silly.

If I rode a 29er on my preferred trails the results would be 2 collapsed wheels! I think I will pass on this lady wheel trend, and speed is down to the person pedalling and bike handling skills not the wheels.

Are they actually going to bring them over here? not just one or two models like in the past,
the carbon camber 29r looks nice, if you like that sort of thing....

If 29ers start getting used by short downhillers then i'll give em a go but until then no thanks.

try riding a 24" jump bike down a rocky decent then tell me bigger wheels are not better 🙂

try riding a 29" XC bike on a pump track and tell me smaller wheels are not better.
You choose your weapon of choice not the manufacturers.

Out of interest, why did 26 wheels appear for MTB when 29 already existed?

There must be a genuine benefit that they brought to the table.

Not trolling, just asking.

And if the answer isn't convincing, then were 26ers the 29ers of their day and things have come full circle?

iirc it was simply.that the rims that were available at the time and up to the job were 26 "

It is still very rare that I see a 29er out on my local trails, in any of my local LBS's, or when away for trail centre weekends... despite this being the 'Year of the 29er' according to WMB, MBR etc etc.

It might just be that we're different riders with different tastes to our US cousins. The few guys I do know with 29ers are roadies dabbling in a bit of mountain biking who don't like rough, twisty, or narrow stuff.