I went for a ride around a local field this morning. 6 miles, mostly flat.

My time on my 29er Singular Swift (just under 27 minutes) was within 15 seconds of my time about a month ago on my 26er Inbred.

The grass was shorter back then, and I was younger.

So, do 29ers go faster or not? Or is more data needed? Or gears? It certainly *feels* faster.

Depends what speed you're doing.

yes.

no.

it depends.

Think a lot depends on how fast you peggul it…..

Peggul?

Peggul?!!!!
😐 😯

Definately sometimes,but other times not.Maybe.Depends who you believe.
I peggul aswll.

Ok then pedal is that better ?It's what my kids used to say when they were 'ickle(I know ! )…
Jeezzz 🙄

If you're freewheeling downhill they seem to roll faster.

If you're actively pedalling then it depends on the engine.

A very experienced (road & mtb) 29er cynic friend of mine took a demo Giant 29er out for a couple of rides. He was V impressed and believes that, over the duration of a mixed ride, it is quicker. If he raced XC he'd have one without hesitation. He is waiting for a certain Giant FS 29er later in the year.

Yes, unless I'm pegguling it, everything goes slower when I'm the pilot

Of course 29ers are faster. As are bikes with steep seat angles. With spds.

All race winners are riding these bikes.

"Someone's mate" "believes" they are faster. What more proof could you need?

Don't forget just how important tyres are in the equation here. My 29er with kenda nevegals on is like a tractor, those tyres are sloooooooow on anything hard and smooth. As a result it's not quick on hardpack or Tarmac, but over roots and rocks it copes better than my 26" wheeled hardtail does for sure.

29ers definitely maintain any momentum more easily though, that much is clearly obvious when you've ridden one for any period of time.

I would say they have better traction. I have a really old granddad 29er bike here in Sweden for going around town and when there was loads of snow I was amazed at what I could ride up. There was a video on U tube of someone riding a huge wheeled bike up steps that was pretty cool. They do seem to lack a bit of acceleration though.

Here's a couple of links to comparisons.

Nothing scientific but may be interesting nonetheless.

WMB 29 v 26 article

29 v 26 single speed comparison

My 29ers are faster.

But then i am a trailgod.

M boy, nevegals on one of my 29ers. It must be the engine on your model that coughs and splutters. Mine seems to roll along quite nicely 😉

well if we take things away from cycling altogether and look at the size of wheels on a mini and the size of wheels on an aston martin (which are biggerer) then its pretty clear bigger wheels are faster.

HTH

So buses are even faster than astons then?

yes and tractors are like reverse 69ers

fontmoss – Member
yes and tractors are like reverse 69ers

PMSL, this thread is brilliant.

GEDA where does your forum name come from? 😯

nicher+fasterer because the marking man said so – simples

29ers look a bit wrong though (most importantly).

mudmonster – Member

29ers look a bit wrong though (most importantly).

Looks fine and dandy to me.

If you can hold your speed,with not too many tight turns & as long as you don't have to keep sprinting to get up to speed again,then they probably are.But if it's tight & twisty,then no…

emac – you have a 29er?

Yes,ride with blokes who have them too & when I'm on a 26" wheel I'm quicker through the turns etc.Oh & I'm pretty anal about things so have timed myself on loops with a GPS/heart rate etc etc etc …. 8)

I have both – and neither is faster than the other. I can go just as fast on each.

26er is better on the twisty stuff though.

29ers look a bit wrong though (most importantly).

Not once you're used to them. Now my iddy-biddy 26" wheels just look silly.

I'll have to do another test tomorrow. In the interests of science.

29 dont seem to be as fast on twisty single track where you need to accelerate they spin up slower.

luked2, as you say it certainly feels faster and thats good enough for me. i have no doubt i'm faster on a 29er anywhere.

I can tell you on my road training rides, with both the 29er and the Turner Flux mtn bikes shod with RRalf tyres, the 29er is almost 1.5mph faster on each ride.

i should add that only ride in straight lines 🙂

A. No. If they were, more professional racers would be using them in competition.
Simples.

29 are faster on the on the road? Hmm I spend my time off road where I expect my gear to preform. A larger wheel would be faster on the road.

You should tell the triathletes that!

Many semi-professionals are using 29ers, to great effect. Just look at the professional mtn biking scene in the UK – it's almost zilch, even Matt Page has a day job.

The road riding example above: extrapolate that and you have some more information so don't be so blinkered, it's 2010 and 29ers are winning all over the country in all manner of races from my local High Wycombe race meet to the Kielder 100. If you race or compete in events, be it Mayhem or your local club events, you’ll see, year on year, more riders commuting across to 29ers, and that’s simple fact.

Out and out speed is really only a small part of the bike riding experience and equation, but since the OP asked specifically about the speed of 29ers, I've confined my comments to just that. Unless you suck-and-see for yourself, you’ll forever be relying upon 2nd hand snippets of information and anecdotes, not the most informed way forward.

Last w/end was the UK solo 24hr mtn bike championships. My two fastest laps were on my 29er. I then had a rear wheel bearing issue so rode the Turner Flux for the remained of the 24hrs. This took in the Red & Blue routes at Newcastleton, so my personal advice would be to ignore the uninformed riders who pedal the line that 29ers are slow in the single track as they're talking from little or no personal experience; take your lead from those who have made the leap and actually own both 29 & 26ers.

But who cares if they're faster on the road 🙄

Does it matter unless your racing?

Luckily for me at 5'5" I'll never have to face this dilemma .

I know a couple of people around that height who ride them & rate them…..

Again, you're failing to answer the question: are 29ers quicker?
Yes, on the road I can tell you they are and then exprapolate this off road, it's not rocket science!

As for if this matters? Strewth, I'm answering the question, not debating if you wish to be slow off road if you don't race Dave2. And here we go again with that ignorant line about height…. Just answer the question, if you have any information worth adding! 💡

(leaves to go for a ride)