29ers Explain the real world benefits

The Olympics will be won on one

chestrockwell – Member

Yeah, that’s wrong. I have the 29″ version of a bike I had in 26″ and the wagon wheeler glides over the exact same terrain the 26″ got bogged down on.

Not always though, I rode a trail the other day where all the compressions seemed to be exactly 29 inch size, and exactly wheelbase apart, I felt like I had square wheels 😆

As a mostly road cyclist, I often fancy the idea of a 29er when riding my 26 rigid inbred on long, relatively straight trails, but when the trails cut through windy bits in the woods, the 26 is the best handling bike I own. If I bought a 29er, it would be to do my 21 mile commute on the canal paths rather than the road in a still respectable time that didnt cut 2.5 hours out of my evening. I only ride a third of the way on the 26er. It would be comfy enough to ride the whole way, but painfully slow. It probably wouldn’t be a replacement for the smaller wheeled bike, but for a different type of riding. Ibsuspect the rolling over stuff more easily issue is overrated, but I dont think the speed on flat sections issue is. Am considering a Bizango with replacement carbon fork for a winter rider…

So you fancy a 29er but won’t get one because you think your 26er is the best bike for getting you through the windy bits without ever having ridden a 29er? Let’s get one thing straight, you will have to change your riding style a bit with larger wheels (maybe not much more than with a different 26er though), but that doesn’t mean they are less capable. In the twisty bits I’d be the first to concede you have to man-handle a 29 er a bit more – be more positive/commited, perhaps a bit cleaner on your technique, but they are perfectly capable of tackling the same radius curves than a 26er. I quite like the man handling side of it. Makes me feel more gnar somehow. Like most things it’s 99% the rider. If you’re a shit got rider you can hustle anything over the mountain.

The increased rollover really isn’t over rated, going back to a 26 mega after my codeine 29 felt sketchy as ****

Have you tried the Mega 29? It’s a beast tbf. Codeine is a pretty different animal even without the weird sizing…

Wobbliscott, I fancy a 29er, have ridden a few, and might get one because it might well be quicker on the routes I do, which are 75% flat trails, 25% windy wooded bits. Point is just that my current MTB feels a bit slow on flat but comes into its own on the the windy bits. There’s every chance that’s simply because it’s an MTB doing MTB stuff.

steve_b77
The Olympics will be won on one

well that, and a huge amount of illegal drugs of course…… #cuttingpoliticalsatire 😆

Don’t automatically think a 29er will be slower in the woods.

Northwind I said a 26 mega, what has a 29 mega got to do with it

Eh, I just figured if you like the Mega, you might dig the Mega 29- the Codeine’s such a different bike in all ways, wheelsize probably isn’t the most important thing there and it’s definitely not what’s making it sketchy.

Not sure it would be slower. 26 feels more ‘tight’ though, as have 27.5s I’ve ridden The 29ers, albeit briefly, less so. Not in a bad way though.

Yeah I would like a mega 290, liked my mega tr 26 alot. The codeine is a bit short but it is still fairly sorted geo wise without being too much of a gravity sled, rides well as a do it all trail bike. Going back to a slacker longer travel mega 26 definitely felt like the wheel size was making it feel sketchy though, didn’t roll as well and much less grip. Same story when I hired a 275 at pila (after cracking my codeine)

I totally misread your post 😳 I thought you were saying

“(I am) going back to a 26 Mega, after my Codeine felt sketchy as ****”

Which is totally not what you said. Sorry for the confusion!

Yes I have had both a 26 and 29 hard tails with similar setups running at the same so I can compare. What is so utter tosh about saying that a 26 twitches about and over bumps more than a 29 when that’s what others on the thread are saying the same?

I guess it also depends on the trail itself but as I say, the stuff I ride , both wheel sizes manage fine, just that they ride differently and neither is so far and away better than the other.

I’ve been on 29ers for last 2 years, a codeine and now a stumpy. I’m no fitter, haven’t ridden any more often, less if anything. However, all of my fastest times on strava have been over the last 2 years on those bikes. Also, even at 15 1/2 st ish, I’ve never wrecked a wheel, so don’t buy into the fragile 29er wheel thing. I’d just like some more options for decent 140mm travel or thereabouts and slack trail / enduro type frames in a 29er as I’m loving them.

I used to be very anti 29er and all about longer travel 27.5″ bikes with coil shocks. Purchasing a 29er hardtail for some winter riding on roads and fireroads and then back into main trails once the weather improved really opened my eyes as to how good 29ers had become, both at the speed of covering ground and how responsive they feel. It just didn’t feel like riding a big, cumbersome bike.

I was impressed enough to ditch my 27.5″ bike and replace with a 140mm travel 29er and has been my favourite bike to ride. Quick everywhere and still great fun to ride. I think the only drawback with 29ers is that there needs to be a little more consideration in choosing the right bike in terms of sizing and fitment compared to 27.5″. If you’re not a fan of bigger stack heights then you may not get on with 29ers or feel the need to slam the stem down.

I’m 5-9 on a bad day but 5-10 if I don’t slump
problem is my little legs are 29″ long I fit on a medium MTB nut have no room
The dropped top tube on the Cambers still has an inch of clearance even on big wheels and the 650b on a bit more. Something I dont have on my current bike
Ta for all the input …..@LAT thats what im looking at FSR and Cambers at Evans.

For info I’m 5’10 ish. All torso, stumpy legs (29″ inside leg for trousers is plenty!) I ride a 29r 2015 camber evo (a large for reach) and I have stuff all issue with stand over but not much ‘nad’ clearance straddling the bike. The last ball/bike interface I saw was colliding with the stem on the way forward. Despite that it’s not something I think about much. 😯 😥

What Steve b said,
Whatever wins gold this Saturday and Sunday!

Don’t you mean yesterday in the ews?

Northwind

Not always though, I rode a trail the other day where all the compressions seemed to be exactly 29 inch size, and exactly wheelbase apart, I felt like I had square wheels

Was that ‘Feeding The Pony’, ‘cos that had that feeling with mine.

Something sekrit at glentress, runs from between spooky and boundary trail, think it’s fairly new… Don’t tell nobody though.

Prepare the kitten mincer!!

Having had my first semi-proper go on a 29er (urban street run on my Rocket Max) i can say that they go down steep steps like they are nothing. So ‘nothing’ that i did it several times in a row and at the end i was jumping the first flight, landing on the second and still feeling nothing. This is in stark contrast to my 26 Stumpy Evo which does the same job but you deffo know you are riding steps on it. Looking forward to getting it into the mountains, attracting women and getting my hair back 😀 .

29ers are ace. Enjoy!

I have a 26″ Soul wih 120mm fork and a 29″ Scandal with 100m fork, fairly similar builds, the Soul a bit burlier.

On pure XC rides and less technical stuff I’ll always pick the Scandal, it’s just faster, ok it’s a few pounds lighter, but it does just roll and keep rolling. For more technical and downhill orientated rides I prefer the smaller wheels generally, the bike does feel a bit more nimble in twisty stuff. A lot of that is about frame shape/design I think though.

The main place I feel the benefit of the 29″ wheels is climbing – I lose grip a lot less often than on the 26″, and that’s with a skinner, crapper tyre than on the Soul, also the roll over thing – small bumps, like roots and washboardy stuff, little annoying bumps that would almost stall the smaller 26″ wheels whilst climbing, it reduces that effect and allows me to maintain pedal stroke and momentum, definitely smooths that kind of terrain out and I feel less beat up after a ride containing a lot of it.

Based on 29ers from say 2-5 years ago I’d have said perfect for XC, not so great for techy riding, but all that’s changed now, there’s bikes to do all things in all wheel sizes with modern geometry and suspension, so test some bikes, and just chose which feels best to you, whether that be faster, more fun, lighter, poppier etc.

For a sensible answer, all in my experience, they climb faster, traverse faster and descend just as well.

ON a purely aesthetic point of view, anything normal sized looks a bit odd in dinky wheel mode if I’m honest, that and chicks dig ’em

For all the talk of camber evos and the speed with which they sell out – I have only ever seen one person riding one when I have been out on mine. But then again the Peaslake honeypot does seem to be dominated by Santa Cruz bikes!!

I will keep my eyes peeled later this afternoon

I have only ever had 26″ and 29″ mtb’s. Not much point going to 27.5 from 26 when a pair of high rolling tyres are pretty much the same. For me the 26″ bike was more work but more responsive and turned much better. On twisty singletrack I preferred it. On long lazy XC rides the 29er could cover more ground with less fatigue much faster. I don’t think one is better than the other. I still see more 26″ mtb’s than 27.5’s or 29ers out there. The local Halfords was trying to sell some friends of ours a 27.5 for there 10 yr old daughter. She fitted my Sons old 24″ carrera blast perfectly.

They’re bigger wheels not a lifestyle choice or religion.

Some of the guys I ride with fairly regularly would beg to differ! The levels of paranoia about catching the “gay 29er AIDS” are ridiculous! Anyway…

Speed

They’re like MTBs with bigger wheels.

But what did happen was I found I’d arrive at the bottom of a long trail or stage feeling far less tired, and less tired means faster and safer and generally having mroe fun.

you pedal less for more speed.

the bb is comparatively lower than the wheel axle which gives far more stability and confidence

They roll over stuff better.
They take more effort to get up to speed.
They hold their speed better.

I fall off less often on my 29er – fact.

In my experience, all of the above is applicable to some extent. Whether or not you see these points as a benefit or a negative is dependent upon your perspective of course. 29ers won’t suit everyone, but if like me you value speed grip and stability over and above just about everything else, you’ll love em! If you want a bike for doing backflips down your local jump spot, or you’re going 4X racing, they may not be for you…

“gay 29er AIDS”

Must be quite the cramped closet they live in.

to me
29er Fast
27.5 more fun..

i ride the same routes on both wheels sizes and the 29er always feels slower, but in fact is usually faster on strava.

27.5+ Fast & Fun 😉

I now have 2 29ers and had a go on my mates 26er the other day.

I don’t think I could actually go back even if I wanted to, it felt like riding a dinky kids bike.

The lord of the light has spoken

to me
29er Fast
27.5 more fun..

this has been my experience too, but (iron)horses for courses really