I've got a lovely hardtail and a softail - both oldish but nice kit on them. Ride Kent singletrack. Have tried full sus but just didn't do it for me. Quite intrigued by 29er's ... my worry is that the ride experience would be similar-ish to my hardtail/softail, and therefore a pointless addition to my fleet. I've tried single-speeding and felt that was quite a different experience (but my fitness/knees put an end to it!).
So question is, riding a 29er - is it a significantly different ride experience to a 26er? I don't need another bike, but do enjoy dabbling but want 'different' rather than hints and tints of the same thing.
Cheers
I ride a rigid 29er in Kent. Let me know if you want to borrow it.
Argh! Double post!!
If you have a hard tail with a 100 travel fork and get a 29er hard-tail with similar travel then "no", it won't be [i]all that[/i] different. It will feel like you are riding a different bike with different components same as if both were two different make/model 26" wheel bikes.
BTW I have a 26" Stumpjumper HT and a GF X-Cal 29er and yes they are different but not so much that I can justify keeping both for much longer. If you are after a large frame 29er just let me know 😉
Personally, the 29er's do roll better, smoother and quicker over the great out doors!
If I was buying a main XC bike fom scratch I'd have a serious think about what size its wheels were going to be, but if I'd got a bike I was happy with I'd not get one for novelty value. Surly Karate Monkey here.
I had a rigid fork with a 26" wheel on my wintery bike (ss) - was a bastard for catching ruts, roots, rocks etc and just generally rattling my fillings out
just shoving a 29" wheel on the front has made a big difference (yeh, and slackened the head a bit I'm sure but it's lack of jarring that's most noticeable)
reckon I'd get a 29er if I was starting over with the rigid bike
just got a karate monkey off here, find it much quicker that either my full suss or hardtail 26ers, and no less fun...