Came across this in an old MBR that I found the other day.

I might add that this is NOT my opinion (although I do still think that 29ers look a bit daft, but I do grant they’e fugging quick).

Oh dear oh dear MBR…

[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8079497091_482ba979ee_b.jpg[/img]

I’ve just made a cup of tea, biscuits anyone?

the best bit is that no3, 29er singlespeeds, is showing a Trek 69er

…and what a beautiful bike the Trek 69er SS is, love mine to bits 8)

Perhaps 29ers have evolved since 2007 and the bikes they are judging there are not the same as the ones we ride today?

True, but SS’s can’t really evolve much can they?

I think the Gary Fisher Rig (29 SS) first appeared in about 2002?

It’s more a case of journalists evolving to the real world… I think it was probably the likes of Steve Worland that first started embracing SS and 29ers in the mainstream UK MTB press.

Haha MBR, what a crock of sh*te

Out of all the bikes I’ve had inc full sus, carbon hardtails etc my Inbred 29er SS is by far my favorite of the lot

Ohhh dear……….

My bikes after may itterations and evolutions are…….

Singular Swift – singlespeed 29er
Specialized Pitch – 32lb AM bike, not quite 35lb but with some cost cutting and older bits (inner tubes, older groupset) probably would have been.

Is part of the problem that the magazines (ST and Dirt excepted) are based in either Surrey or Bristol, therefore all their ideas are based on riding arround muddy hills than rocky mountains.

I have been pretty disappointed by mbr’s change of heart on this. it was pretty sudden and fairly clearly driven by what the marketing men told them and not what was happening on the trails (certainly up north and in Scotland they are still very much a rarity). While I accept that if you want to ride them you can it feels like the magazines are really forcing this down our throats when really it isn’t very interesting.

I happened to pick up a recent edition of Dirt Rag where they were running a competition to win a V-brake groupset. They were very excited about this, to the point of putting it on the cover.

If you want magazines that cater to a less mainstream demographic, they’re out there.

(certainly up north and in Scotland they are still very much a rarity

or you have no friends 😉

29er SS doesnt make that much sense if you are trail centre riding

across the slop, grit and moor of a pennine winter they are ideal

I’m more shocked by the No.1 on that list – the San Andreas – worst bike!!!

That was THE cool bike to own.

Is part of the problem that the magazines tend to be lazy and ride what the advertisers send them, their mates in the business want them to or occassionally something interesting therefore all their ideas are based on minimalriding arround muddy hills than rocky mountains the office or “featured” trail centre or area.

FIFY 😉
tbh most magazines are a variation on a theme with just the emphasis tuned to their demographic.

If you can point me to more than one or two articles per mag per month that would would be counted as genuine journalism (not advertorial, not riding with my mates, not a kit review, not a random blog, not a trail centre/ area ride) then I’d be surprised

+1 to the muffin man

I’d still have a San an now

Ha ha yeah I remember that article. Let that be a lesson to all bike journals NEVER slag off a niche..it WILL come back to bite you in the ass 😀

I have been pretty disappointed by mbr’s change of heart on this. it was pretty sudden and fairly clearly driven by what the marketing men told them and not what was happening on the trails (certainly up north and in Scotland they are still very much a rarity). While I accept that if you want to ride them you can it feels like the magazines are really forcing this down our throats when really it isn’t very interesting.

Depends on your local group as far as I can see. I was the only SS or 29er (both att he same time) in my local group ‘oop north, one guy even suggested it would make a good shopping bike!

There was one other guy localy with a 130mm 29er FS bike and all of a sudden everyone was inquisattive about them and asking what the differences were. The fact iw as riding a rigid bike through the same trails they were riding 5-6″ travel bikes without getting dropped (addmittedly it struggled in sections and I wasnt setting any KOM times) should probably have been a clue they were better 😛 Of the 2 groups I’d bump into regulalry one was vaguely affiliated with the LBS (Spesh and SC dealer) all rode stumpjumpers/enduros and blurs/nomads. The other was almost entirely made up of IBIS MOJO’s

Down south the 26ers are in the minority! Basicaly I’m saying people will ride whatever their mates ride as it’s seen to work.

29er SS doesnt make that much sense if you are trail centre riding

Can you elaborate? My only “proper” MTB is a rigid SS 29er and am looking for a second biketo add to my riding, so I am genuinely interested. In the past six months I’ve raced at Swinley, been up and down Cwmcarn, Afan, Haldon and Cannock. I ride the occasional black run, but would,’t say I was great. Wheels tend to stay near the ground.

So should I go FS or hardtail for the next bike (it will have gears).

I’ve still never actually seen anyone riding a 29er. And I’m a full-time bike guide.

Specialized have embraced the 29er thing massively though so its only right that their UK bum licking rag does as well.

Down south the 26ers are in the minority!

rubbish. I know of 50 or 60 serious riders (Enthusiasts if you will).
I think 5 own 29ers….and 2 guys that have CX on 700c (do they count as 29ers??)

For the record, I live in Bedfordshire.

I’ve still never actually seen anyone riding a 29er. And I’m a full-time bike guide.

I only saw one 29er the whole time I was in Les Arcs. I think it might have been one of those new Rumblefish thingies.

Down south the 26ers are in the minority!

I would say its the other way around…if you are refering to xc races that may be true but on recent trips to bredgbury and the downs it was 26 all the way!!

It’ll take anoher couple of years to notice a difference

Singlespeeds are still rubbish though- and long may it stay that way, it’s the rubbishness that makes them interesting, like rigid mtbs and crossers.

29ers… well, is it not fair to say that 29ers are better now than they were 5 years ago, and that a lot of the downsides have been reduced?

29ers… well, is it not fair to say that 29ers are better now than they were 5 years ago, and that a lot of the downsides have been reduced?

Not really, suspension fork manufacturers have caught up with the rigid forks and their different rake but plenty of frames havent changed (although there are newer long travel 29ers which didnt exist years ago). My Swift’s just as good as when it rolled off some production line a few years ago, ditto all the inbreds/scandals/race29ers/lurchers/etc.

That issue is from May 07, the first Swifts went out in Jan 07, and Sam says the reason he made them was “I liked the big wheels, but there were many aspects of the design I was less than enamoured with” So that fits the timeline quite nicely

When did the On Ones launch?

Are 29er wheels gonna fit in those new yellow plastic bits on the Les Arc chairlifts Stevo? They are pretty tight to get a 26″ wheel in….

……

I stopped subscribing to MBR due to their stance on 29ers that they don’t seem to have actually ridden. Got tired of being told I had fallen for this Marketing gimmick called 29ers.

Well they were wrong about that Whyte PRST1, it was an incredible bike at the time, selling it and buying the 46 was a real disappointment.

As to single speeds I wonder what they’ll have to say about the next fad/phase depending on perception, next thing on the hill is the rise of the ‘clunker’ I wonder what they’ll say about the new single speed coaster brake approach to bike parks, I’m not even supposed to be mentioning it until after the weekend, but there’s an interesting diversion about to launch from Tranny based on clunkers..

My Pitch is getting on for 35lbs easily I reckon with a coil rear shock and 36 vans. One of the worst bikes of the decade? Hmmmm…..

Stu – I think they’d probably work, would be less secure though!

(one less 29er! woot!).

Are 29er wheels gonna fit in those new yellow plastic bits on the Les Arc chairlifts Stevo? They are pretty tight to get a 26″ wheel in….

My mate had no issues with his Tallboy LTc when we were there.

didn’t chris ball do rather well at the TP on his tallboy the other week?

i was riding my 80mm 29er in the tarantaise the week before last – was perfect.

(one less 29er! woot!)

🙄

Maybe I should have put a smiley face after that comment? 🙄

In MBR’s defence, I know one of their main testers has had an about-turn on 29ers since decent geo (in their opinion / tastes, ie less XC more DH style handling bias) FS 29ers arrived. Similar to the guys at Dirt.

Talk to Alan M about bikes if you’re suprised by MBR’s about turn, he’s no fool and a handy rider who won’t rate anything because of brand pressure. He really rates some of the current 29ers and to me that says they’ve progressed a lot in the last 2 years or so. They do have a FS trail bike bias, but if we detach ourselves from a love of skinny steel, singlespeeds etc and look at what goes down a middling to tech trail fastest under a good rider, I can understand where they’re coming from.