I've pretty much decided that I'll go 29 er but still have this nagging doubt about how they'd work for full on technical riding
I know this sort of thing has been discussed a lot but interested to hear how people have got on with them on tight steep techie stuff
Thx
[i]how people have got on with them on tight steep techie stuff[/i]
No one who's tried has lived to come back and tell the tale.
Tracy Moseley seemed to do ok on a 29er in the EWS iirc.
I haven't taken mine to the alps yet but cannot think of any reason why it would be worse than a 26er. I prefer big wheels on the techie stuff I have done in Scotland, Wales and more local trails - some of which are quite steep.
I took mine. I liked it*. I don't think I am dead.
*so much so I am taking it for the third year in a row.
i took a very long Gary Fisher pro caliber to the area around Courcheval.
it was shyte.........er, or that could have been just me.. 😆
this bloke seems to be coping;
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Steve from Shred Magazine did the Mega Avalanche in 2012 on a Yeti SB95 and loved every second of it.
I'll be taking mine, and racing it too. Am I going to die?
Yep.
My Tallboy LTC has been to Verbier with me.
It's also been to Luchon and Molini.
As far as I know i'm still alive.
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Tracy Moseley seemed to do ok on a 29er in the EWS iirc.
Only on taped off sections though. There are so many rumours of dieing trying that there has to be something in them. No smoke without fire. Maybe not everyone has died riding a 29er in the alps, but there must have been some deaths for the rumours to have started.
It'll be your own risk if you do.
Here's a review of a 29er that was in the Alps all summer. (not me)
http://bigwheelshralping.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/orange-five-29er-the-review/
This thread's been done before in the spring.
Obviously you'll die. I mean I seem to be the only one that remembers that thread, so I can only assume from that all the other folk that took 29ers to the alps were taken out in a wheel explosion and I'm the lucky exception to the rule. The guy with me on a solaris was obviously haunting us and actually dead, I mean you couldn't ride a 100mm 29er hardtail in the alps could you?
More seriously: what a daft question. What's wheel size got to do with it? Type of bike and the trails you want to ride matter more. My XL horsethief was fine on trans provence trails, alp d'huez, port de soleil, les arcs etc. Would other bikes have been better? Yes, some times other bikes would be better, sometime mine was best. This is always the case. I'm looking forward to taking it out to the alps again.
If you have to ask the question, maybe the real question is: "how does the rider get on with steep techie stuff?" 😉
Took my Horsethief to the PdS earlier in the year and it was fine, albeit mostly the smooth flowy bike-park trails.
Also went to southern Spain with Switchbacks in October which was a lot more steep, tight and technical. The bike performed superbly (the limiting factor was me!), although did make me realise I should've gone for a small rather than medium frame for more standover clearance..
Once a 29er is within sight of Alpine scenery the mountains inadvertently reduce in stature, as the altitude of the 29er increases thus the height of the mountain range decreases at an inversely proportional rate, thus finally the 29er wheel rolls completely over the pimple that is an Alp and the trail is thus declared alive for rigid, hairy, SS riders to shred their gnarr upon.
I was fine actually riding the bike out there, only worry i had initially was when the hung the bike by the front wheel and my wheel only half sat in the cradle as it bounced up and down on the chairlift at 80ft above the ground!
Alex from White Room was guiding on a five 29er all last summer, he seemed to do all right.
Why would you want a bike with more grip and stability for the Alps?
I think Marco was a bit surprised when half the club turned up in Sierra Nevada on long-travel 29ers. More so when he realise they were no handicap on the steep, uber-rocky switchbacks. The only real problem was fitting them on his trailer.
I'm not sure if you're all aware of this but 29ers are dead? Why would you take obsolete tech to the alps? 😛
I took my Salsa Horsethief to Les Deux Alpes this summer and it was great on the downhill runs. Adapted it with big disc rotors, 2.35 Hans Dampf tires and a reverb dropper.
Not only did I survive, I thrived.
Horsethief +1
Fox 34 (140), Hans Dampf & Dropper.
Les Arcs
Me. 150mm Nicolai. Matt(former STW) Letch last year on Trans Provence on 160mm Nicolai, another friend of mine to Verbier on Five29, I did TP on. A rigid 29er in 2010 (mention in STW story) Ed and Brant took El Guapo 29ers last year, Ed has taken his Codeine. There was a Singular Swift on TP2010 too.
Curtis Keene, another guy on the Riply, name escapes me right now, on the EWS.
Basically loads of people, its not a problem, clearly 140mm plus travel at both ends an advantage, length is no more than a DH bike and shorter than some slack as ' trail bikes"
BMC team also use TrailFox 29ers now racing Enduro.
Not taken one to the alps but my wife was overtaken on a trail (at a straight smooth section) by someone on a 29er.
She later passed him crawling up a banking at the next bend muttering 'stupid big wheels'
good lord Charlie by the time you've decided on your new bike there'll be another 3 wheel sizes to choose from
I think the only offputting thing is the shortage of big gnar tyres- I stick dualplies on mine for uplift holidays, very limited choice of those for bigger wheels. Not that it's essential mind but it works well.
As above, Alex rode his 5 29r with us all summer (it's his review above).
Didn't seem to slow him down much (not much does though...). He did say he always thought the wheels felt a bit fragile (he broke quite a few spokes). Only time he felt "under-gunned" was lapping the Bike Park at Pila.
For sure, a 26r is quicker through corners/switchbacks, but the difference isn't huge and a good rider can adjust to it.
I had a shot myself through some of the steep, twisty stuff in la Thuile and enjoyed riding it. It did feel "different" but not necessarily "worse".
Confirmed small wheel fan Ross took a 29'er to the Alps, he liked it!
[url]www.privateer.cc/2013/07/pivot-429-review.html[/url]
It's a well known fact that 29ers explode and take you screaming to firey doom at the sight of any actual mountain.
I went to Sierra Nevada and barely got back to the UK with my life. It was only fore knowledge from this forum that saved me!
...and we're not a club!!!
Okay
So there's 2 categories then!
1. People who lived and found bike fine
2. People who does and didn't !
And Matt's not wrong!
29'er ordered.....
Which one, out of interest?
Been enjoying my 29er HT and getting curious about a FS.
Good job Charlie, looking forwards to pics and ride report.
@stevomcd so when a large 65deg 26" AM bike has a longer wheelbase than a med 29" 67.5deg bike for obvious reasons it's still faster through switchbacks? (not corners as high speed corners is where a 29 excels) I'm not sure why?
Wheels are key to a great 29er. I run Enve's but if I was buying now a set set of Derby Rims laced with CX rays or super comps on some Hope ProIi Evos. As they are such good value for money (all relative ai know, or the Mavis are good n stiff too but proprietry spokes) Ideally I'd like to use CK hubs for a stiffer build but I'm an XX1/XO1 fanboi and CK don't do a driver yet.
The above overcomes the stiffness/flexi wheel feeling and changes how the whole bike feels.
I'm wondering the same thing at present for my trip out there this summer. The rest of my group are on 26" enduro bikes and insist I'll have issues with my 29er Ghost AMR.
110mm on the front suddenly doesn't seem enough hmmmmmm
29ers worked fine on the Alps from around 2009 to 2012 - now, however, they no longer work and like 26" bikes, will get you killed. Luckily, 650b bikes which are widely available will keep you alive in the Alps. Be sure to ride the right bike, it'd be sad to lose a valued forum member.
Why would you want a bike with more grip and stability for the Alps?
Indeed, much less fun to ride 🙂
@stevomcd so when a large 65deg 26" AM bike has a longer wheelbase than a med 29" 67.5deg bike for obvious reasons it's still faster through switchbacks? (not corners as high speed corners is where a 29 excels) I'm not sure why?
chainline - I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say here!
Just going from my experience - to me, it felt like the 29er required a bit more "input" to get it round tight switchbacks than a 26er. Not that it couldn't or wouldn't make it round, it just felt like a little more effort and a little more input (more lean, more turn on the bars) was required. This was from just a couple of runs though, after a while I'm sure I would get used to it and no longer notice the difference.
As I said before, not worse just different.
It won't end well:
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Hmmm excuse to upgrade to stiffer/wider carbon rims though I think...
Took my Trance x29er last year all around the Bourg st Maurice area including down into La Thuile which is about as steep and tight as you'll get.
Agree with stevomcd in that it took a bit more input/lean to get round the tighter hairpins and a few tail out handbrake turns. Any speed lost in this was immediately picked up between switchbacks. Elsewhere it felt like a great bike and was an absolute hoot.
Andy