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Tazzy, did you get the same size 29er as the 26?
yep 18" for both inbreds and then an 18" 29er scandal
Cheers, got a 20" inbred and thinking of getting inbred 29er which is 19.5".
that'll be fine matey
I'm in the market for a hardtail race bike and I'm torn between 29 and 26. Anybody know where I could try them back to back?
650b has been round for a long time (not saying 700c or 29er hasn't) Kirk pacenti really tried to push it as the compromise as 5 or 6 years ago it was quite a pita to package big wheels on FS bikes
Anyone know of any cheapish 29er wheel deals about? Liked the look of the Merlin Cannondale ones, but they've gone 🙁
Would be interested to hear from people who switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.
My turn...done exactly this within the last 2 months and still 'tinkering' with set up, but here's my 2p FWIW...
Absolutely loved my 26er inbred, only reason for change was 29er curious and always felt the 26er size/geo wasnt quite right, ie I was forever experimenting with stems, layback posts, fore/aft saddle lay blah blah.
That was an 18", I elected to buy a 19.5" 29er and it feels spot on size and geometry wise. 29er climbs better, descends better and fits better (just over 6' and 34" inside leg btw).
Overall the 29er offers way more comfort, largely due to better fit. I find I have to 'muscle' it more through the trail but in other ways it flows much better and undoubtedly rolls over stuff the 26er would have stalled on and thrown me otb. It's really difficult to articulate how a 29er feels as a direct comparison to the same breed 26er, to me it just feels 'right' looks, feel, ride, grin factor...And surely thats all anyone ever needs 😉
Only negative I can say is the 29er doesnt seem to have the same 'spring' that my 26er had, which tbh I miss, but as I say its early days and the frame might liven up in time.
Overall....Not in a hurry to return to 26" wheels on a HT.
HTH
[b]scud[/b] Heckler [26"] (...) doesn't need to be "muscled" round the turn
[b]fenred[/b] I have to 'muscle' it [the 29er] more through the trail
exactly my experience and one reason for me to conclude that the 26" feels more agile and nimble in the slower, really tight and twisty stuff
I head the feeling that I had to heave the front wheel around from one side to the other, it described a huge arch in front of me before changing direction. Much less of an issue in faster flowy sections.
I head the feeling that I had to heave the front wheel around from one side to the other, it described a huge arch in front of me before changing direction. Much less of an issue
with a more modern 29er design or a fork with a longer offset 47-55mm can make a massive difference. try something like a modern fisher with the G2 51mm offset and it's much more 26 like in the corners.
I put a 51mm custom fork in my scandal 29er and it transformed it
Tazzy, is the chainring clearance ok on the 29er? I had bad chainsuck on my 853 Inbred.
FenredOverall the 29er offers way more comfort, largely due to better fit. I find I have to 'muscle' it more through the trail but in other ways it flows much better and undoubtedly rolls over stuff the 26er would have stalled on and thrown me otb. It's really difficult to articulate how a 29er feels as a direct comparison to the same breed 26er, to me it just feels 'right' looks, feel, ride, grin factor...And surely thats all anyone ever needs
Only negative I can say is the 29er doesnt seem to have the same 'spring' that my 26er had, which tbh I miss, but as I say its early days and the frame might liven up in time.
That's pretty much my experience too - Cotic Soul with 120mm Revelations vs Scandal 29er with 100m Rebas. I only got the Scandal as I was 29er curious and had some Bonty forks (used on Soul as a rigid) and wheels from my old roadrat and was able to nick the running gear off the FS bike my girlfriend was replacing.
A few things to add - the speed a 29er will carry through a sweeping corner always impresses me (hence my comment on page one about loving mine at Glentress). I like the way I am more "in" the bike than on it too.
The biggest downside is on a 29er, but if you have to scrub off speed it doesn't get it back as well. It's much more than the difference in "snap" between light and heavy wheels on a 26er in my experience. Like I said, next bike may well be a 29er - ideally would swing a leg over an ASR5, SB95, Suoerlight 29er and Tallboy for starters but that may be difficult to arrange.
Dear god I wish all this 29er stuff would stop - it's a bigger industry hype than an i[device] release. Sure, 29ers might be better for XC, I won't argue that - however, when it comes to other types of riding like DH, 4x, dual then I think 26ers are going to be around for a while.
That Kye Forte video - sure he's a good rider on that bike, but it still looks like it rides and handles like a gate. It looks SO clumsy in the corners. Of course all the manufacturers are going to promote 29 as the next big thing - they want you to ditch your bike you've spent thousands on, and start again - they've then got at least a few years of selling you the latest and greatest for your new big wheels.
steve_b77, I had a chumba HX2 before my EMD, different class, I liked the chumba but the steering on the EMD is just so "right". I got a medium cos its a bit more chuckable and feels way better than the chumba in the air.
hock - Member
Would be interested to hear from people who switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.
I've got both,had the 29er one first & then bought a cheap secondhand 26" version about a year later...Much prefer the smaller wheeled version as it just feels quicker,more nimble & generally more fun to ride...
I overheard a chap after a race yesterday explaining that because he had a 29er, for each pedal stroke he was turning a larger wheel so the tyre was going a bigger distance and hence he would be going a good bit further, so would be 200m further up the track per mile.
I restrained myself from butting in to explain that all things being equal (i.e. same gear) he must be putting in more effort to turn that wheel. Sure, there might be an advantage in rolling over stuff on bumpy fireroads for example, but clearly some people think that bigger wheels suddenly make you go 10% further for your effort. Great marketing brainwash there.
Personally I intend to do some timed laps on a demo bike on a regular loop. If there is a genuine difference in times then I might consider a 29er in a couple of years when the current XC race bike is due a change.
i was one of the skeptics - completely against the "marketing BS" dollopped out by the manufacturers / wagon wheeled sh1te / 29" hater, etc................. until i demo'd one at length............
the 29er rode better, faster with more grip and ability than my equivalent 26er....
it wasn't even a difficult decision after the extended demo [cheers dipper]..... i simply had to have one as it was a totally different experience....
true, it depends on what you expect, what you need, what you enjoy, but for 90% of what i ride, 100% of the time,and i've been on 26" since 1986.......
frame now here and awaiting drivetrain and rims...
we're just back from California too, and at least 50% of what's offered in stores is 29"....and the percentage is rising dramatically in favour of 26" apparently.....
of course, i understand the hate and conspiracy theorists as i was one too, but suggest you try a few and make an educated choice....
chapeau !
try this too :
Hover bikes are the future! I want my hover bike!
Saw my first 29er this week, a full suss Santa Cruz on same ride. I didn't realise it was a 29er for about 20 mins, to me that says it looks right.
Did the Shalford southern trail break ride last Saturday, lots of 29ers in evidence. I was overtaken by a pod of 29ers on one of the climbs (I'm not exactly great at climbing) but on the subseqent descent they held me up all the way down... I have a Five, take what you like from that but I bought the Five specifically because it decends so well.
Having tried a Specialized Epic 29er when scouting for my new bike last October I can see the attraction; comfortable, fast and great at climbing. But then it was the only XC bike I tried, I was after a trail bike so I didn't try a 26 XC bike for comparrison. Still, it was very good.
Back to the OPs question, it's the big brands that will decide. If they wholly commit to 29ers then there's not much anyone can do about it. Look at Betamax, Laser Disc, HD DVD etc... It's nothing to do with what is actually better, but what the big boys believe they can market more successfully. If there was a clear cut difference you'd expect racing to introduce a ruling against one or the other as it would be seen as an unfair advantage. Until that happens it's just all hot air!
29ers are hardly "new and emerging" though.
How can they be the future? They've been around for ages, i've had one for 3 years, you lot are just slow to catch on
you lot are just slow
that's 'cos they're on little wheels 😀
Has anyone mentioned garlic bread?
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[url= http://www.on-one.co.uk/news/products/q/date/2012/03/02/future-musings ]This![/url] is quite a good summary on the topic