There is no demo bike for me to try and don't know anyone with one either!
[url= http://www.dirtragmag.com/reviews/specialized-stumpjumper-evo-26-vs-29-comparison ]Another comparison. [/url]
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8291/7782602916_c0c405bbcd_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/7782602916/ ]29ers explained[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
There is no demo bike for me to try and don't know anyone with one either!
What is this mystical beast you are after?
I think 26 is what I'm going to go with!! Just scared I make the wrong decision!!
it won't be the wrong decision unless you irrationally decide it is. You buy a bike and by the time you change the tyres saddle, bars stem etc. it isn't really the same bike any more.
There are very few bad bikes to be had.
Mmmmm... Monster trucks are a pig to steer and wander all over the place, to hold speed you need to accelerate first, where's the skill in riding right through the tough stuff?
They're trying to put people off, no? 😉
Stumpjumper fsr!!
that's for 29gnars though, not 29ers
Is it 2002 again?
Are you Gary Fisher? 8)
Are you Gary [s]Fisher[/s] Glitter?
Are you the polis? 😕
😉
My sons buggy with 12" wheels rolls better than the other one with 8" wheels, kinda makes sense
I've a 29er hardtail here in Belfast Nicky, an xl grand canyon but it might be a little big. I raced the Irish enduro champs, and used the meta 5, but a mid travel 29er would have been perfect. I'll use the meta for the likes of tollymore and rostrevor or cavehill, but the 29er ht for most other places, more xc sorta stuff. Hope this helps.
Stumpjumper fsr!!
Go to specialized website, click find a dealer, tick 29er test centre.
[url= http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/dealer-locator#/?address=BT6%208DQ&radius=100&features=1 ]Few here in Northern Ireland[/url]
I was in a similar place a couple of moths ago after my old FS 26er was kicked (by some thieving b@stards). My usual riding is between trail centres and general XC (or mince-core as my mates refer to it). Anyhow after much research and reading nearly every article and opinion I could get my hands on I decided I was the perfect 29er rider. Guess what, I bought a another FS 26er!
My take is that wheel size shouldn't be looked at in isolation. It's just another chassis variable to throw into the mix. I rode some nice 29ers; all rode well and pretty much flattered my lack of skill on the long descents. But I failed to find one that climbed as well and I preferred the "chuckability" of some of the 26ers. At 1.74m i was also concerned that a 29er made me "over-wheeled". But the biggest "but" was VFM: I got a 26er that I liked and fitted me. And it cost me £800 less than a similar spec'd 29er (yes, I got a good discount).
My advice is to ride as many options as you can. Good luck.
Cheers singlespeed!! Everyone's help is greatly appreciated!!
Andyl46 what would make the 29er better than the meta 5??
Just buy a 29er and enjoy the difference.
Lets not forget 26" wasn't chosen because it was great but because American paperboys bikes had 26" wheels. We'd have had 700c wheels from the off if Nokian could have supplied tyres consistently.
It's simple. 29 if you ride about. 26 if you throw yourself over/down things.
So, what style of bike are you thinking?
Pick a bike you like, let that decide your wheel size.
It's simple. 29 if you ride about. 26 if you throw yourself over/down things.
Another myth. I wouldn't go near half the things I'd ride on a 29" Stumpjumper on any 140mm 26".
Wheel size is one of many design factors that affect bike handling; don't fixate on it. Go ride some mates bikes and jot down frame geometries. Buy a bike that's close to another bike you like.
Have you got a girlfriend nickyg1987?
Because I heard that blondes are more fun.
A mate of mine had a brunette, now he's with a blonde the difference is night and day, she is way more fun.
So if your girlfriend isn't a blonde, you should dump her and get a blonde one straight away. 😉
There is more to a bike than wheel size. Saying that 3 more inches in wheel diameter alone will make you a faster rider is absurd.
You need a bike that makes you feel in control and confident, because if you don't feel in control and confident when riding a bike, it doesn't matter if it's the best bike in the word on paper you'll be slow and not have fun.
Of course you can ask people's opinions, but bear in mind that just because Dave from Norwich says 29er's are awesome, that is his opinion not hard fact. The same goes for a lot of things: Tyres, handle bar width, QR or maxle - I could go on...
Bit of rant there, but it just annoys me that anything new or different is always instantly better, just because it's new and someone in marketing said it is.
(Yeah I am up at 2am eating cold pizza and posting on singletrack)
Have you got a girlfriend nickyg1987?Because I heard that blondes are more fun.
A mate of mine had a brunette, now he's with a blonde the difference is night and day, she is way more fun.
So if your girlfriend isn't a blonde, you should dump her and get a blonde one straight away.
There is more to a bike than wheel size. Saying that 3 more inches in wheel diameter alone will make you a faster rider is absurd.
You need a bike that makes you feel in control and confident, because if you don't feel in control and confident when riding a bike, it doesn't matter if it's the best bike in the word on paper you'll be slow and not have fun.
Of course you can ask people's opinions, but bear in mind that just because Dave from Norwich says 29er's are awesome, that is his opinion not hard fact. The same goes for a lot of things: Tyres, handle bar width, QR or maxle - I could go on...
Bit of rant there, but it just annoys me that anything new or different is always instantly better, just because it's new and someone in marketing said it is.
(Yeah I am up at 2am eating cold pizza and posting on singletrack)
Were talking 26" V's 29" Stumpjumpers.... The 3" difference in wheel size, and the geometry changes that are a consequence of the larger wheel, will make a guy on the particular bikes we're talking about faster. No doubt about it at all. Go test ride them both and report back and tell me it's marketing.
There are a few rabid nutters on here. Have we found replacement TJs? 🙄
OP - use the test ride facilities provided by Specialized and have a play. Ignore the mentalists on here and see how the bikes feel for you.
Last opinion I heard was that 29 was finished and just a fad 650 will be the next xc race & trail bike size with 26 being the norm for bigger bikes. However that could be just as much bollox as everyone else is talking here. Go try there is no magic bullit and all bikes are different.
I like to throw the bike about and go down whatever I come across!! I'm going to try and get to test centre and try a 29er before I purchase!! My heart says 26 and my mind is saying possibly 29er!!!
[quoteIts the marketing scam sh** I get bored of.
I fell for the marketing scam sh** but I actually really like my 29er
There are clear advantages to 29ers - that's just a fact, with very few downsides, certainly none that are not able to be overcome with good design and development. Even the Victorians understood that larger wheels are better than smaller wheels. CXers have known for decades also. 29ers are still relatively new and further down the development curve than 26ers, so will get better as people understand them more and start to settle on bike designs that better exploit those advantages. 26ers are as good as they ever will be. Sure there are a few developments that will benefit 26ers, like CF frames, but they're just fettling to get a few extra percent out of what is a mature product - the law of diminishing returns is dominating. You certainly wont see the improvements we've seen since bikes from the early '90's. 29ers will only get better and will ultimately start to shape the sport.
29ers are here to stay. They are far more popular in the rest of the world than in the UK so are proving the manufacturers right. It may take time for them to start dominating the race series because 29ers are still not fully developed and the advantages of the big wheels are not yet able to be fully exploited by the riders, but they will.
650B? whats the point? They've got most of the disadvantages of 26ers and not quite all the advantages of 29ers.
Everything moves on - nothing is the best it can ever be - that's progress. The question is, what will follow 29ers in about 10 - 15yrs time? Maybe the hover bike?
650B? whats the point? They've got most of the disadvantages of 26ers and not quite all the advantages of 29ers.
Well said.
Another myth. I wouldn't go near half the things I'd ride on a 29" Stumpjumper on any 140mm 26".
Just because you're scared to do it, doesn't make it a myth, i'm afraid.
Buying a 29er is like buying a people carrier. They have obvious advantages over a car, but maybe aren't as much fun to drive.
Euro, I haven't ridden a 29er so I prob shouldn't comment but ur statement pretty much sums it up for me!!
650B? whats the point? They've got most of the disadvantages of 26ers and not quite all the advantages of 29ers.
Well said.
or have some of the advantages of 26ers without the disadvantages of 29ers
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The way forward....
What's the tyre choice like on 29ers now? I got totally pwned yesterday in the crazy mud by a friend who'd put a DH mud spike on the front of his short-travel 26" FS...
The ideal bike would be agile (in every direction) like a 20" BMX, roll and climb like the best XC 29ers, and grip and flatten the gnarr like a DH bike. It's all a balance of compromises and even for two riders of the same size, strength, fitness and skill on the same terrain, the best bike will depend on the feel you prefer. And that's true even against the clock! I believe 29ers a good thing for many riders but not a panacea and those riders who extol the virtues of 29ers whilst ignoring their disadvantages tend to be the sorts of rider who wouldn't appreciate the benefits of smaller wheels (especially when one or two wheels are off the ground!)
29" WOULD be faster on EVERY descent unless (maybe) it was pumptrack smooth. No doubt in my mind.
Why is it then that all the manufactures gravity based bikes are 26 inch then?
Why is it then that all the manufactures gravity based bikes are 26 inch then?
Toughest market to convince, after all its marketing hype. 😉
26" is generally stringer but more brands are bringing big wheels out.
As I've said before 29" is an option not an answer.
Why is it then that all the manufactures gravity based bikes are 26 inch then?
Until more people like Rob Cooksley (winner of the 2011 UK Gravity Enduro, on a 29er) understand what they are all about, then it will take time. It was 5 years ago when Specialized swore they wouldn't do 29ers. Things change.
So Nicky any more thoughts yourself?
I'm so far undecided!! I think I will try and see if I get my hands on a 29er and try one out!! I don't want to knock them but I think they might not be for me tho...
Just because you're scared to do it, doesn't make it a myth, i'm afraid.Buying a 29er is like buying a people carrier. They have obvious advantages over a car, but maybe aren't as much fun to drive.
The bigger wheels are definitely faster in this case. Riding your ass off but still going slower on a 26" Stumpjumper doesn't sound like fun to me.
Why is it then that all the manufactures gravity based bikes are 26 inch then?
Hard to engineer long travel around those wheels but I suspect the forthcoming Enduro 29" will change things a little.
When everyone is racing 29ers all we'll be left with is no perceived advantage and everyone on bikes that look shit.. I've yet to see anyone riding (trail centre or natural ride) a 29er where I thought "wow, he's flying!" it's generally someone utterly mincing down the least tech descent/section with less than no style. Tell me, is this 'cos the bikes or the people riding them are just shite?
Tell me, is this 'cos the bikes or the people riding them are just shite?
In my case, it's the rider.
(I really can't get over how aggravated some people are about this subject).
On my part it's mainly the big fat ****you from the bike industry about the whole subject, I want to ride a 26er, the advantages of a 29er are clear to me and they haven't won me over. Try buying a high end 26 inch full build for XC, it's pretty much impossible and getting harder in the mincemountain category, 650b seems like it's gonna kill off 26ers whether anyone wants it to or not. Choice is good, enforced change isn't and that's how it's heading.
Tell me, is this 'cos the bikes or the people riding them are just shite?
Rider, deffo 😉 .
wobbliscott -
650B? whats the point? They've got most of the disadvantages of 26ers and not quite all the advantages of 29ers.
That's like saying 160mm of travel, what's the point? It has most of the disadvantages of 200mm of travel and none of the advantages of 100mm of travel. And while we are on it, what are the disadvantages of 26 inch wheels again? I...am ....struggling...to...think...of...any.
wobbliscott
There are clear advantages to 29ers - that's just a fact, with very few downsides, certainly none that are not able to be overcome with good design and development.
Let's just do a quick recap shall we, this year 29ers won what exactly? The Olympic XC Gold. Anything else? XC World Cup - 650b. XC World Champs - 650b. Olympic XC Ladies gold - 26 inch. DH World Cup - 26 inch. DH World Champs - 26 inch. Red Bull Rampage - 26 inch. Megavalanche - 26 inch. Trans Provence - 26 inch. and so on, and so on.
Just what are these clear advantages and facts again? I am still waiting for someone to explain how a 29er can lose the XC world champs, and XC world cup to a smaller, inferior wheel size that has little or no advantage over 26 inch wheels according to i's detractors. Saying Schurter is simply a better rider doesn't cut it. The awkward truth is that the difference is tiny on anything but the flattest or least technical terrain.
TooTallUntil more people like Rob Cooksley (winner of the 2011 UK Gravity Enduro, on a 29er) understand what they are all about, then it will take time.
Rob Cooksley owns an Intense dealership does he not? No offense but that makes him as partisan as the next guy. Do you really think that Nico Vouilloz, Jerome Clementz, Joe Barnes, Mark Weir, Rene Wildhaber, Dan Atherton are all mugs and lacking in the perception or will to win that Cooksley has?
