[Closed] A 29er that feels like a 26er....

For all you late adopters here is a review of the Banshee Paradox from over on MTBR...great bike! 🙂

[i]"After much deliberation as to what 29" bike to get, including considering a few full suspension frames, I decided to start off more modestly. One or two very enthusiastic reviews of the Paradox were also influential in my decision.

I have so far managed two rides on fairly non-technical single track to get a feel for the bike and the 29" wheels. I had never managed much more than a field ride at a festival and occasional parking lot on a 29" bike. I therefore don't know if my first impressions are specific to the Paradox and its fairly unique geometry but all the issues that I see raised from time to time were, well.... non-issues. The sluggishness in handling that is often talked about was non-existent. I can lift the front wheel as easily as I have on a lot of 26" bikes. For me, if I didn't look down at the big front wheel, I could be on any good handling bike. I also didn't notice any of the often referred to effort to get it up to speed.

Here are a few things that are different for me and that I like. I am not very tall at 5' 10½" but do have fairly long legs, so my seat post is usually quite high. On my 26" bike I feel perched on top of the bike. On my Paradox I feel more part of the bike. One thing I found to be very pronounced it that it rides very smoothly. I suppose that is a function of the big wheels."[/i]

This bike deserves more press in the UK!