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Sorry to dig this up.....I was just wondering, after 9months, have any of the big wheel haters succumbed?
Be honest now!
I bet pussywillow has.......!
I like your straight talking style PW!
🙂
If it helps, my Mrs said she'd never ride one, "they look funny" "too slow through the twisties" etc. she borrowed a friends Epic the other day as hers was broken., came back from the ride and ordered one! case closed.
Only half believed them then the next new thing came along, but I still wasn't sure of that either, so I now have a 26" wheel frame, with 29" front and 27.5 rear. So everything is covered 😉
so I now have a 26" wheel frame, with 29" front and 27.5 rear. So everything is covered...
...apart from suspension. But clearly you have no interest in that! 😉
26= smaller French, 27.5= fuller but perky, 29er= two zeppelins in a dead heat race, all are fun! I've gone the zeppelin route. 😉
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/9464791186_6033aee17e.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/55204994@N03/9464791186/ ]photo (2)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/55204994@N03/ ]Loco Tuning[/url], on Flickr
Rides quite nicely, rear shock will be shortened a bit to lower bb if a bit too 'top heavy' but running a fair bit of static sag at the moment.
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[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/9021138547_e6d7334490.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/55204994@N03/9021138547/ ]photo (2) - Copy[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/55204994@N03/
😉
Ha!
Luddites.....embrace the clown wheel!
I have had one for about 10 months now and won't be going back!
If 29ers are middle class count me in.
29ers still look rubbish. Seat Tube / Top tube juntion should not be significantly lower than the top of the rear tyre, its just wrong.
I rode Snakebites 650b, couldnt really tell any difference apart from long stem and narrow bars and on measuring tyre against tyre there was practically no difference.
My car has 15" wheels (had to check)
What size wheels does your car have?
15" need to be an inch or two bigger to fill the arches really, it's going in for 'work' in the next couple of weeks 8)
The argument for changing to 29" is that it makes it all smoother and faster, and a similar debate raged 10 years ago as full suss elbowed hardtails aside with exactly the same argument. And that's where my problem with the 29 format lies. I shelved my full susser after I realised how bored I was becoming with the trail centre and drove roads around here. Going back to a 26 hardtail brought the trails to life again.
That's partially an admission that hardtails and 26" wheels make things...more challenging(?) but it's also about acknowledging the fact that what makes MTBing so engaging is the sheer level of physical control involved. You could convert to a BMX or unicycle on the trails of course, but they would place greater limitations the terrain you could ride.
So, full suss and 29" is all about increasing speed and smoothness, but that's not entirely what makes MTBing so interesting.
Holy thread resurrection!
I'm still on 26 inch wheels partly because I'm happy with them and partly because I couldn't afford new forks, wheels and tyres if I was to swap. Although my new frame can take 650b by changing the drop outs.
The 29er thing doesn't bother me that much because it did kind of happen organically and grew whereas the 660b thing seems really forced and even seems to be affecting the 29er movement (Giant). To be honest I'd rather enjoy my current bike than get my knickers in a twist over it (I have expressed concerns about 26er stuff getting phased out quickly but I'm now just going to bury my head in the sand and ride what I've got).
I dint see the point in ranting about marketing because the industry has always done it...forks, v brakes, full sus, disc brakes etc. Doubt it'll ever change either.
ignore.
mjsmke - MemberWhat size wheels does your car have?
17s. But I could fit anything from 15 to 18 without any fuss, so...
mangatank - MemberSo, ... 29" is all about increasing speed and smoothness, but that's not entirely what makes MTBing so interesting.
no, i bought a 29er because 26" bikes look chuffing ridiculous, i wanted a new bike, and i wanted it to look good.
shallow? - yes, but for the first time since i was 12, i've got a bike that fits me.
bumps are still bumps, a nasty square edge rock will still pinch-puncture/dingarim, you still need to pick your lines.
I ride both - what does this make me?!
If I'm going to a trail centre with lots of jumps, berms, switchback corners etc, then it's 26" all the way. If I'm doing a long distance ride or event like a 12 hour, then its 29er.
The size of my grin after riding my Soul or Reaction GTC is broadly similar. They ride differently and do different things well. Both make me happy.
The FS still scares the beejayzus out of me on the right day.
I ride both - what does this make me?!
650b, silly.
Haven't you been paying attention?
I have a few 26" bikes and a 29er as experiment in this new-fangled devil's work. In reality, of course they're both going to have their plusses and minuses. The 29er has had most use over the summer, but I put that down in part to the dry conditions which play to its rolling abilities. One of its worst traits though is to make other bikes feel flipping weird. It's really odd.
shallow? - yes
shallow - yes.
I love the set up on my 26er and have been riding off road for 20 years. I've also had 'mind altering' training sessions.
I'm still crap.
I cant help but feel that a 29er will make me faster/enjoy the trails more.
If I dont improve in the next 20 years then mebbe i'll give one a go..
I rode a 29er for the first time the other week, a very nice Scott Spark (thanks BW cycles!). I was expecting it to be significantly different to my Anthem X, but do you know what? Most of the time, it was hard to tell. It was a bit better over open bridleways and loose climbs, but felt duller to ride. It tracked better on a rocky downhill but it had an oversize headset and through-axle, which my Anthem doesn't.
I wonder how many people would know what size wheels their bike had if we could somehow devise a test where you could see the trail but not the bike you're riding?
a quick google shows a majority of clowns ride micro-wheeled bikes like this:
[img] https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkcuYwcdnMMJchKlmvktSXtqBlJMWHtlYCt2a-pNoQ22z2MQIh [/img]
although it did throw a 26'er into the mix
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and a 36'er which i'm sure the OP will enjoy whinging about
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but otherwise i'm happy with my 26 inch DH and Trail bikes plus a rigid 29'er for mid week/night riding fun. happy trails!!!! 😀