Saw this on the Plush Hill Cycles facebook page, prototype Saracen 29er. It looks well nice. I like that they’re making them look like normal bikes now.

I no longer believe the exploding wheel argument either – Josh Bender 29er road gap

They are predominant in the US, we were in the minority in Colorado in riding 26. I doubt Emily batty chose 29, more likely driven by her sponsor and the set up had been butchered to make it fit, at extremes of rider height it seems obvious to change wheel as well as frame size.

Never owned one, no desire to do so. Most of my riding buddies with them love them, another kept his for just a few months before selling it so it appears there are noticeable differences and they’re not for everyone.

Had a 29er for over 3 years & used to ride it a lot,but got fed up with other 29er riders wanting to talk to me about how wonderful they were & how 26″ wheeled riders don’t understand…..It’s just a ****’ bike.Still got it but only use it when it’s dark now….. 😯

LOL @ emac – I know what you mean. Same with SSers mind. Less so nowadays as it’s not niche any more.

I borrowed a friends, I thought it felt weird in the air, ungraceful and cumbersome. Possibly I didn’t spend enough time getting used to it. I’ve poured all my bike funds into a BFe setup I love riding and one that suits the riding that I do. I will get my money’s worth out of that before I look at them again. Happy though to give them another go.

I ride the South and North Downs twice a week, and head over to Wales 4-5 weekends a year, still rarely see a 29er out on the trails. Not bothered either way really, the sport needs to evolve to keep the all the bike brands in business, not sure if 29ers are real progress or just another option, but with the bike media behind them they’re here to stay I think.

I did it. I have had a 26″ and 29er now in close succession.
And for a change quite comparable: both being steel rigid SS with similar enough geometry (Soul and Inbred29).
So I can tell! 😛 At least for me… 😕

Based on my experience and as mentioned by a few people before there’s not so much to hate and some things to love about 29ers. In the end – surprise! – a question of personal preferences. Mainly based on rider size (5’10 here), riding style (CC with a pinch of fun here) and terrain (flat’n’twisty here). Apart from things like budget and interchangeability between bikes.

Both are great in their own way, then again not THAT different. If at all it’s about tendencies: the 26″ Soul being more fun/chuckable/more in the air, the Inbred29 more steady/stable and has substantially more grip (same tyres on both). Saying this I am absolutely sure that you could find a steady/stable 26″ and a fun/chuckable 29er and claim that it is just the other way round.

And that’s not surprising because while wheel size does make a difference, so do other things that define a bike (geometry, material, tyres, forks etc.). So it can’t ever be just a 26″ or 29er decision. Thus it shouldn’t be just a 26″ or 29er discussion.

Still the tendencies apply and wheel size can help to emphasise the character you want to achieve. In other words: if you can ride like this BMX guy in the nice video above you can make almost any bike look chuckable (and I don’t doubt a second that the Cooker is!) but I’d argue that this trail in this style would be (even) more effortless for most of us (and him) on a 26″.

My bottom line: If pressed I would prefer the 26″ for my fun-biased CC riding on tight, twisty singletracks and for being the more universal bike for me (might be different for someone else).

If not being pressed too much though I will be looking to have both. In which case I wouldn’t build them up that similar again but have one as the fun and chuckable “1 hour in the woods” tool and the other one as the more universal “do it all” bike for longer trips and holidays in more demanding terrain. Still not sure which one for which though. Because somehow the 29er qualities lend itself to be the geared and suspended long-distance weapon of choice. On the other hand it’s a great basis to go rigid and SS.

Which in a way proves my point: it’s not so much about the wheel size but what you make of it.

P.S.:

So now why do we have the lovers and haters if the differences are tendencies more than anything else?
Well, many of those who hate just seem to try to defend their personal choice (or lack thereof). Some ‘hate’ for the sake of arguing. Very few based on personal experience (because those in the know don’t see it that black and white).

And then there are those who always like to blame “marketing” for all the bad things that happen around the whole world. Keeping bike companies and bike shops in business is a good thing. Selling more bicycles is a comparatively good thing, too. Introducing people to sport in general is a good thing. If the dreaded marketing works and the 29ers (re-)introduce more people to the sport that’s a good thing, too. Getting people on bikes more is a very good thing (beyond the sport). And if 29er give more confidence to those who are new to the sport – great!
Marketing is a means of communication to sell (the right) bikes (to the right target group). Forums like this help to make customers more informed and less likely to fall for the odd marketing bubble blah that tries to sell (the wrong) bikes (to the wrong target group) by all means. Happy days!

Evolution and innovation is a good thing. Choice is a good thing, too. Even if it creates some complexity and multiple standards. We had this before 29ers. Some come, some die, some stay. It’s a normal process. Am I a little upset that my 1″ Syncros Cattleprod is pretty much obsolete these days? Yes. Would I want everyone to still ride around with 1″ steerers? No.

Stop arguing and start enjoying the variety and choice: go for a test ride!
If you like it, go buy a new 29er and support your LBS.
If you don’t indulge in the increasing numbers of 2nd hand 26″ bikes on offer. 😉

P.P.S.:

I see a future where we will have both sizes alongside each other. Some companies will offer certain sizes of the same model only in 26″ and other sizes of the same model only in 29″. And/or certain types of bikes only in one or the other wheel size. Others will specialise in this or that wheel size to underline their overall approach of more technical trail fun or more CC efficiency.

650B or what it’s called? I’d still have to understand why. With the differences between 26 and 29 not being THAT big I don’t see the point for a 3rd format. It could be the golden mean (or gold mine?!) but going back to only one wheel size would mean less choice.

By the way: I am still hankering after a 24″ jump bike!
So my ideal bike shed could look like this:
– 24″ jumper
– 26″ HT (or cross-country biased FS)
– 29″ rigid SS.

That’s 3 different wheel sizes! 😀

Might as well sling a picture of mine up, love it I do, cracking bike.

It does everything I ask of it without complaint and lets me get away with stuff that a 100mm 26″ HT wouldn’t (I think anyway)

I bought it as a frame only as my first venture into big wheels, and it’s got me hooked. Kinda looking at a Niner EMD now 😆

Would be interested to hear from people who switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.

And first impression from people who switched from Soul to Solaris.

The 29er would still look rubbish though 😉

Yawn GG yawn. 🙄

switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.

I did that, slight different set up the little ss inbred had 130mm fox’s on it and the big one had 100mm reba’s on it. funnily enough the 29er was just a capable in north wales mountains and the peak district with an inch less squish in the fork, but the extra gas pipe was a more noticeable in SS guise on long climbs.

I felt that there was definitely something to the big wheel thing that needed looking at a bit more. The answer was to go for a lighter big wheel frame and pimp wheels and then there was no weight penalty of penalty to pay in terms of acceleration or cornering.

now have a 21lb 29er with a boingy fork that I get consistently better race lap times on than my lighter 26 race hardtail

Some good points there Hock. Agree with all of it.
I think this is spot on.

650B or what it’s called? I’d still have to understand why. With the differences between 26 and 29 not being THAT big I don’t see the point for a 3rd format.

My ideal bike quiver would be slightly different though.
I’d have:
26 HT for mucking about urban riding
29 3 inch FS 29er for events and epics
29 5 inch FS 29er for trail riding
Fatbike to mix it up a bit

Tazzy, did you get the same size 29er as the 26?

yep 18″ for both inbreds and then an 18″ 29er scandal

Cheers, got a 20″ inbred and thinking of getting inbred 29er which is 19.5″.

that’ll be fine matey

I’m in the market for a hardtail race bike and I’m torn between 29 and 26. Anybody know where I could try them back to back?

650b has been round for a long time (not saying 700c or 29er hasn’t) Kirk pacenti really tried to push it as the compromise as 5 or 6 years ago it was quite a pita to package big wheels on FS bikes

Anyone know of any cheapish 29er wheel deals about? Liked the look of the Merlin Cannondale ones, but they’ve gone 🙁

Would be interested to hear from people who switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.

My turn…done exactly this within the last 2 months and still ‘tinkering’ with set up, but here’s my 2p FWIW…

Absolutely loved my 26er inbred, only reason for change was 29er curious and always felt the 26er size/geo wasnt quite right, ie I was forever experimenting with stems, layback posts, fore/aft saddle lay blah blah.

That was an 18″, I elected to buy a 19.5″ 29er and it feels spot on size and geometry wise. 29er climbs better, descends better and fits better (just over 6′ and 34″ inside leg btw).

Overall the 29er offers way more comfort, largely due to better fit. I find I have to ‘muscle’ it more through the trail but in other ways it flows much better and undoubtedly rolls over stuff the 26er would have stalled on and thrown me otb. It’s really difficult to articulate how a 29er feels as a direct comparison to the same breed 26er, to me it just feels ‘right’ looks, feel, ride, grin factor…And surely thats all anyone ever needs 😉

Only negative I can say is the 29er doesnt seem to have the same ‘spring’ that my 26er had, which tbh I miss, but as I say its early days and the frame might liven up in time.

Overall….Not in a hurry to return to 26″ wheels on a HT.

HTH

scud Heckler [26″] (…) doesn’t need to be “muscled” round the turn

fenred I have to ‘muscle’ it [the 29er] more through the trail

exactly my experience and one reason for me to conclude that the 26″ feels more agile and nimble in the slower, really tight and twisty stuff

I head the feeling that I had to heave the front wheel around from one side to the other, it described a huge arch in front of me before changing direction. Much less of an issue in faster flowy sections.

I head the feeling that I had to heave the front wheel around from one side to the other, it described a huge arch in front of me before changing direction. Much less of an issue

with a more modern 29er design or a fork with a longer offset 47-55mm can make a massive difference. try something like a modern fisher with the G2 51mm offset and it’s much more 26 like in the corners.

I put a 51mm custom fork in my scandal 29er and it transformed it

Tazzy, is the chainring clearance ok on the 29er? I had bad chainsuck on my 853 Inbred.

Fenred

Overall the 29er offers way more comfort, largely due to better fit. I find I have to ‘muscle’ it more through the trail but in other ways it flows much better and undoubtedly rolls over stuff the 26er would have stalled on and thrown me otb. It’s really difficult to articulate how a 29er feels as a direct comparison to the same breed 26er, to me it just feels ‘right’ looks, feel, ride, grin factor…And surely thats all anyone ever needs

Only negative I can say is the 29er doesnt seem to have the same ‘spring’ that my 26er had, which tbh I miss, but as I say its early days and the frame might liven up in time.

That’s pretty much my experience too – Cotic Soul with 120mm Revelations vs Scandal 29er with 100m Rebas. I only got the Scandal as I was 29er curious and had some Bonty forks (used on Soul as a rigid) and wheels from my old roadrat and was able to nick the running gear off the FS bike my girlfriend was replacing.

A few things to add – the speed a 29er will carry through a sweeping corner always impresses me (hence my comment on page one about loving mine at Glentress). I like the way I am more “in” the bike than on it too.

The biggest downside is on a 29er, but if you have to scrub off speed it doesn’t get it back as well. It’s much more than the difference in “snap” between light and heavy wheels on a 26er in my experience. Like I said, next bike may well be a 29er – ideally would swing a leg over an ASR5, SB95, Suoerlight 29er and Tallboy for starters but that may be difficult to arrange.

Dear god I wish all this 29er stuff would stop – it’s a bigger industry hype than an i[device] release. Sure, 29ers might be better for XC, I won’t argue that – however, when it comes to other types of riding like DH, 4x, dual then I think 26ers are going to be around for a while.

That Kye Forte video – sure he’s a good rider on that bike, but it still looks like it rides and handles like a gate. It looks SO clumsy in the corners. Of course all the manufacturers are going to promote 29 as the next big thing – they want you to ditch your bike you’ve spent thousands on, and start again – they’ve then got at least a few years of selling you the latest and greatest for your new big wheels.

steve_b77, I had a chumba HX2 before my EMD, different class, I liked the chumba but the steering on the EMD is just so “right”. I got a medium cos its a bit more chuckable and feels way better than the chumba in the air.

hock – Member
Would be interested to hear from people who switched from Inbred26 to Inbred29 with the same set-up.

I’ve got both,had the 29er one first & then bought a cheap secondhand 26″ version about a year later…Much prefer the smaller wheeled version as it just feels quicker,more nimble & generally more fun to ride…

http://forums.mtbr.com/frame-building/project-hunyango%2A-5-1-bike-frame-623844.html

I overheard a chap after a race yesterday explaining that because he had a 29er, for each pedal stroke he was turning a larger wheel so the tyre was going a bigger distance and hence he would be going a good bit further, so would be 200m further up the track per mile.

I restrained myself from butting in to explain that all things being equal (i.e. same gear) he must be putting in more effort to turn that wheel. Sure, there might be an advantage in rolling over stuff on bumpy fireroads for example, but clearly some people think that bigger wheels suddenly make you go 10% further for your effort. Great marketing brainwash there.

Personally I intend to do some timed laps on a demo bike on a regular loop. If there is a genuine difference in times then I might consider a 29er in a couple of years when the current XC race bike is due a change.

i was one of the skeptics – completely against the “marketing BS” dollopped out by the manufacturers / wagon wheeled sh1te / 29″ hater, etc…………….. until i demo’d one at length…………
the 29er rode better, faster with more grip and ability than my equivalent 26er….

it wasn’t even a difficult decision after the extended demo [cheers dipper]….. i simply had to have one as it was a totally different experience….

true, it depends on what you expect, what you need, what you enjoy, but for 90% of what i ride, 100% of the time,and i’ve been on 26″ since 1986…….

frame now here and awaiting drivetrain and rims…

we’re just back from California too, and at least 50% of what’s offered in stores is 29″….and the percentage is rising dramatically in favour of 26″ apparently…..

of course, i understand the hate and conspiracy theorists as i was one too, but suggest you try a few and make an educated choice….

chapeau !

try this too :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohCMW2zHOo0

Hover bikes are the future! I want my hover bike!

Saw my first 29er this week, a full suss Santa Cruz on same ride. I didn’t realise it was a 29er for about 20 mins, to me that says it looks right.

Did the Shalford southern trail break ride last Saturday, lots of 29ers in evidence. I was overtaken by a pod of 29ers on one of the climbs (I’m not exactly great at climbing) but on the subseqent descent they held me up all the way down… I have a Five, take what you like from that but I bought the Five specifically because it decends so well.

Having tried a Specialized Epic 29er when scouting for my new bike last October I can see the attraction; comfortable, fast and great at climbing. But then it was the only XC bike I tried, I was after a trail bike so I didn’t try a 26 XC bike for comparrison. Still, it was very good.

Back to the OPs question, it’s the big brands that will decide. If they wholly commit to 29ers then there’s not much anyone can do about it. Look at Betamax, Laser Disc, HD DVD etc… It’s nothing to do with what is actually better, but what the big boys believe they can market more successfully. If there was a clear cut difference you’d expect racing to introduce a ruling against one or the other as it would be seen as an unfair advantage. Until that happens it’s just all hot air!

29ers are hardly “new and emerging” though.

How can they be the future? They’ve been around for ages, i’ve had one for 3 years, you lot are just slow to catch on

you lot are just slow

that’s ‘cos they’re on little wheels 😀