Any 29er riders in Bristol

I am thinking of getting a hardtail 29er. Whereas I can get a feel for a good variety of 26" wheel bikes by riding mates bikes, I don't know anyone with a 29er. I can't find a bike shop south of Leeds that has any demo 29ers either.

Can anyone help? What I am after is a chance to have a spin round the local trails and see what these beasts are like. I am happy to pay for the privilege of taking someone's precision for a spin (in beer or hard cash) and would thoroughly clean it afterwards. In the unlikely event that I damaged it I would also pay to get it sorted.

John's Bikes in Bath and Bike UK in Bristol both have Kona 29ers that you might be able to demo. Or Cheesy Riders head honcho Agency Scum has long been a fan of the wagon wheel and will probably be happy to let you have a go, provided you're tall enough to avoid being torn limb from limb. 🙂

Mr Agreeable, thanks.

Cheesy Riders head honcho Agency Scum has long been a fan of the wagon wheel and will probably be happy to let you have a go

He has sold his recently I believe.

Are you tall enough to ride the mansize wheel? 😡

Give us a clue what size bike you might want to try!

Leeksie is 6'0".

There's a reason there aren't many 29ers around Bristol 😉

Are you saying we are all short?

We are NOT welsh…..

OK I'm short but then I ride a normal mountain bike.

Anyway Leeksie the one who wants to be 'different'.

Nah, just that ime, they're just not as well suited to Bristol as 26" wheeled bikes due to the twisty nature of the trails…

twisty nature of the trails…

rubbish! 😀
– saw several 29er riders at Bristol Bike Fest riding very well – they didn't seem to struggle with the twisty course

Well, I think all this illustrates why Leeksie wants to have a go on one before he buys one.

Anyway I sure he'll be along to defend his corner.

Oh a decent rider will manage ok with a 29er – I'm not suggesting it becomes unrideable but fundamentally, the longer wheelbase and extra weight are not best suited so it's a compromise. 29ers are unquestionably faster on some terrain but I don't think Bristol is that place. (yes, I've tried several, thanks 😉 I want to like them as they 'should' suit me since I'm 6'5" but all the ones I've tried feel very trundley and fundamentally just less fun)

John's Bikes in Bath and Bike UK in Bristol both have Kona 29ers that you might be able to demo.

And here is that bike:

You'll gather I'm 6ft6. After a few rides on the Kona I went for a 22inch 26 though, primarily due to the (relative) lack of clearance on the 29er and the need for another set of wheels (we've already got 6 26inch wheeled bikes in the family collection and it's handy to be able to swap wheels).

Oh a decent rider will manage ok with a 29er – I'm not suggesting it becomes unrideable but fundamentally, the longer wheelbase and extra weight are not best suited so it's a compromise. 29ers are unquestionably faster on some terrain but I don't think Bristol is that place. (yes, I've tried several, thanks I want to like them as they 'should' suit me since I'm 6'5" but all the ones I've tried feel very trundley and fundamentally just less fun)

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Rubbish

Longer wheelbase? Small, if any, difference. Last guy that put his 26" next to one of my bikes was surprised to see no difference in wheelbase.

Extra weight? There are many fat 26" riders who ride heavy bikes.

Bristol? Pah. Either you ride a limited number of trails or you have a 3 ft wide brush set aside for tarring. I think it is the brush.

If you want a bike to feel like a BMX and you're tall, ride a 26er. If you want a bike that really fits, try 29er. If you want to ride 'Bristol', ride what the hell you like. I've not descended into a pit of uncontrollable doom riding my 29ers around the BS postal area and I can't ride for dog toffee.

Leeksie – I'm 6'7" so if we can get the seat down enough you can try an On One and a Turner and see what you think.

Sorry for the hijack but Tootall, where did you source your Sultan, I cannot seen to find one in the UK.

The 29ers in my garage have shorter wheelbase's than the one 26er in there.

Oh and the 26er weighs more….

It's not rubbish though is it. You might not agree that it makes much difference but it's still right.

Wheelbases are typically longer even if just a bit

they are heavier. A fat rider on a 29er is still heavier than on a 26" bike and the gyroscopic effects are there like it or not.

Brush? No, not really in fact I'm very open minded about them as stated. I want to like them but so far my experiences are as posted.

The bmx comment is more narrow minded than anything. I like
my bike to feel like a bmx AND fit, which it does.

And I stated very clearly that you wouldn't die by riding a 29er in Bristol

I have a road bike that weighs more that some mtbs. What does that prove?
so there 😉

The 29ers in my garage have shorter wheelbase's than the one 26er in there.

Oh and the 26er weighs more….

LOL

Not really comparing like for like is it, a Tandem with a solo! 😉

Leeksie, I'm 5ft 11 and got a Medium Sized Gary Fisher Rig (though it comes up a bit bigger than most mediums), I live 50 miles up the M5 from you but I do get down to Bristol every couple of months or so to see mates… You're more than welcome to have a go on it, I'm not precious about my bikes.

Incidentally, only just got the bike, so only ridden it a few times. It's my first 29er, and so far so good. Yeah, it's a bit less wieldy in really technical situations, and the wheelbase is marginally longer than an equivalent 26" hardtail, but they do have their benefits. Wouldn't be my bike of choice to go somewhere technical, but for probably 80% of my riding it will be superb!

Wheelbases are typically longer even if just a bit

If it were wheelbase alone that decided the handling of a bike you might have more than a tiny point.

they are heavier. A fat rider on a 29er is still heavier than on a 26" bike and the gyroscopic effects are there like it or not.

No. A fat rider on a HEAVIER bike is heavier than on a LIGHTER bike. Wheel size has nothing to do with that. Not all 29ers are heavier than all 26" bikes. The gyroscopic effects come when you spin something quick enough (probably not on tech twisty turny stuff). Then again – if you're not man enough to turn a bike…

The bmx comment is more narrow minded than anything. I like
my bike to feel like a bmx AND fit, which it does.

Narrow minded? You've just confirmed my point!

Proportionally, I believe 29ers make a better bike for big guys. If a 'mid range' height person wants a wee bike to fling around, they buy something with proportionally smaller wheels (bmx). It follows that as you get bigger, you'd be able to have bigger wheels (26") for the same effect. I know that, at 6'7", a 26" wheeled bike looks and feels, compared to my 29ers, like a bmx to shorter peoples 26" bikes.

29ers for big strong men!

Oh – nearly forgot – most 29ers seem to be built as XC racers. That would be like comparing a hardcore hardtail with a Scott Scale (but with bigger wheels). There are other geometries out there.

Clubber

Have you tried a Singular? Having ridden a few, it's the one that feels to me most like a 26" bike (nimble, flicky and chuckable) – and for the record, it's 100% of ace hooning it around Bristol 🙂
Next time I'm down we'll have to hook up for a ride and you can see what you think..
Barney

Not really comparing like for like is it, a Tandem with a solo!

Very good. I was talking about the shittingdog though not the tandem. 8)

My 29er is great everyware, no probs with techy stuff at all!

I like the way some people make Bristol sound like tech singletrack heaven. There are a few acres of trails to the SW of the city centre and not exactly in condition all year!

Oh, tech singletrack heaven Bristol isn't, but it is fun, and if you live in Bristol it's the stuff you'll ride most of the time 🙂

I do. It isn't.

90% of the regular riding Leekies does is in Leigh Woods / Ashton Court. Flatish tight single track in the woods with fairly regular technical sections.

I think he wants to replace this On One Inbred frame for a 29er.

I do. It isn't.

With exceptions, naturally.. 🙄

I lived and rode there for 17 years, and it was.

If I was ever (and I'm not likely to) ride something like the Cape Epic I'd get a 29'r like a shot, that said I'm more than happy bimbleing around on my 26'r at 6'2" it seems to do the job well, I guess if I was tall as you freaks then things may be different.

TooTall,

Sounds like your bike would be a bit of stretch for me, but I would really like tot take up your offer of a ride. I work for myself and with a bit of warning to shift stuff around in my diary I should be able to meet up at a time that works for you. Please let me know.

Leeksie

Maverick Boy,

I am interested in a Gary Fisher Paragon, but need to go to Otley nr Leeds to ride a demo bike, so the opportunity to have a spin on yours next time you are in the Bristol area would be much appreciated. Please let me know when you are heading in this direction.

Leeksie

Right…

I'll state again, I never said that 29ers are rubbish or that ALL 29ers are heavier than ALL 26" bikes.

What I said was that 29ers are inherently heavier than 26" bikes and that's factually correct. For the same level of parts/materials/etc the 29er will be heavier and harder to accelerate.

Again, as I said, you may or may not feel that this matters or you may be willing to fork out to buy more expensive/lighter (and potentially less durable) parts but then that's not a direct comparison.

TooTall, we've not yet met but from your other posts, it sounds like we'd get on (and KingT would hate us both 😉 ). I don't want this to come across as me attacking your bike as you seem to be taking it because I'm not. I'm glad that you're happy with yours and that you find it fits better than other bikes you've had but that doesn't mean that that's the case for everyone.

Now, you may well be right about the way they look but that's not what I'm talking about (and I do recall Agency Scum's Karate Monkey and how well in proportion it looked and in fact, in pics, I didn't realise it was a 29er simply because it was so in proportion).

Your comments like "29ers for big strong men!" just make clear that you haven't met me 🙂

As to Bristol, well everyone who visits me and rides here comments on how different our trails are compared to most other places in the country. MTBing mecca, no but it's good fun, particularly if you know where the less well used trails are that actually do hold up for 95% of the year.

Barney – no haven't tried a Swift yet – would like to though. As I've been at pains to point out, I'd like a 29er but not if I don't really enjoy riding it which is where the others (Niner SIR, On-One Inbred Ti, and a GF one which I can't remember the model name of but which the owner assured me was the latest geo that made 29ers ride 'properly' – his words) have fallen down.

it sounds like we'd get on (and KingT would hate us both )

No no, I like Gary, as for you..

Looks like this isn't going to be an easy decision to make.

I think the guy who won the Bristol Bikefest 12 solo SS class was on a 29er.

Not quite sure why, on a thread started by a guy who wants to try a 29er, there's been every effort made to tell him it won't work for his area – seems a little strange.

I think the 'doesn't work in tight and twisty' view is possibly a result of people having tried a certain brand of bike in the early days of 29ers which had slack head angles and little offset to the forks. You may well be surprised by a different 29er designed with faster steering.

Pretty sure that the bikes I listed above fit into the new geometry types with 'faster steering'…

Sam! How DARE you suggest that, just because they have the same sized wheels, all 29ers are not the same! What would you know?! Pfft – you'll tell me that you don't just hate 29ers because they are different and must therefore be rubbished out of hand!

Leeksie – you just have to ride them. They might be for you, they might not. Even if someone can't get it round tight corners, they will probably find it rides better on open track, down hills, up hills, over roots, over rocks etc etc. Even if they can't get it to accellerate like a rocket they would probably find, over a whole ride, that they kept up with anyone. I'm around most of the hols so we'll sort something for you.

I've been lucky enough to own a singular and can deff vouch for the great handling, certainly as nippy as any decent 26".

TooTall,

Excellent, not sure about Forum etiquette, but if you want to email me to fix a day/time to meet my address is chris AT rocfish coDOTuk. If you are not doing something more interesting this Sunday would be good for me. As would Monday or Tuesday morning. (As you can see I am keen).

The Bikefest course in Ashton Court (excluding the Quarry Trail, which is slightly downhill anyway, so acceleration isnt so important) covers trails that are less technical/twisty than the trails over in Leigh Woods and 50 Acre.

He prob just won because he was the fittest 😉

Maverick Boy,

I am interested in a Gary Fisher Paragon, but need to go to Otley nr Leeds to ride a demo bike, so the opportunity to have a spin on yours next time you are in the Bristol area would be much appreciated. Please let me know when you are heading in this direction.

Leeksie

That's a bloody long way away mate! I can think of quite a few Gary Fisher Dealers MUCH closer than Leeds… Try ringing Cheltenham Cycles (Goz off this forum works there) perhaps?

You can have a go on mine gladly mate. What pedals do you usually use? We can arrange a ride in a mutual location (Forest of Dean? Cwm Carn?) sometime if you fancy it… Possibly doing a "29er Hub Gear" ride with Lookmanohands sometime over Christmas period, I'm sure he can show you first hand that "it's the rider, not the bike" when it comes to any limitations as to what you can do on a 29er. The man's a Lunatic! 😉

From my brief foray with 29ering so far, I'd say cockpit length makes more difference on the bikes handling than the wheel size. My Rig is a fair bit longer in the cockpit than my other bikes (24" TT with 90mm stem, Vs 23-23.2" TT with 70-90mm stems on my other bikes), so I'm gonna try it with a 70mm stem which I reckon should make it much easier to handle on the technical stuff. Wheelbase isn't really an issue though, most 26" wheeled bikes are designed quite long on purpose these days (not like the short chainstayed, steep head angled race bikes of old), so a 29er can easily be VERY close in wheelbase length on a "like for like" build. Certainly my Rig is only a tiny bit longer in wheelbase than my 26" wheeled hardtail, and it's a fair bit shorter than either full sus bike. Oh, and 29ers will be a bit heavier like for like, but it won't be much. A very small amount more material in a frame, slightly longer fork legs, slighter bigger rims and tyres and that's about it. I reckon if you built as good as identical 26" and 29" wheeled bikes and weighed them, there'd be about 1-1.5lb difference in weight at the very most. Not really critical anyway!

Drop me an email (in my profile) if you wanna sort something out sometime. I'm currently Sans Employment, so am sat doing not much (except applying for jobs!) at the moment…