…but I can see the benefits for many riders, however I don’t see them advantageous for what I like to ride and how I like to ride it. If someone wants to lend me one for the few long XC rides I do then that would be fine by me.

where are you …. i have 2. more than welcome to come out for a ride on one of them

Long XC rides – sounds perfect for the mile munching properties of a 29er.

…says the guy with a new 29er HT, who’s done one long South Downs XC ride in the most comfortable manner that he can remember, and one local singletrack blast which was fun but has highlighted the fact that the handling is different from a 26er and there’s a learning curve to climb.

Liking it so far, though.

29er on the back and 26er on the front?

I’m actually being serious (or stupid)….would it work?

my alternative response to the current home-page poll:

i tried a few, i can see the point, but they’re all a bit ‘xc’ – i want one i can take to the Mega next year…

you tried the wrong ones then ahwiles …. niner and lenz would both cope with the mega 😉 – not saying they would be good but i am agreeing that most 29ers are xc orientated

where are you dude… we have demo bikes….

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/demo-bikes-14-w.asp

29er on the back and 26er on the front?

I’m actually being serious (or stupid)….would it work?

It would be silly but the opposite works – 29 front and 26 rear.

I’ve never tried a 29er because I might like it too much and I can’t afford one!

Would love to have a proper fast xc racey 29er. Something like a Superfly…

I want one set up for hub geared road/cx duties. I think it would be great.

ive just ordered a spearfish after months of delegating of what to buy either 26 or 29.i demoed trek and orange at the end of last year and neither really left any impression on me.one of my friends has a giant 29 hardtail and the speed of it is quite abit more than a 26.i think on the vast majority of xc orientated mountain biking 29 is the way forward.i still reserve judgement on really steep cliffside drop in sections until ive tried it.

Its nice to see folk coming round to the idea.

They really do thunder.

We have demo bikes if anyone wants to have a feel….

bikemonger’s demo bike quiver

I ride a Kona Unit 2-9 and for what I enjoy, long XC, it couldn’t be better; that said, take it on steep, technical downhills and you do feel like your about to go over the bars BUT it rolls and rolls.

if folks want a go on one I have a couple that can be borrowed a 16″ and an 18″ for rides around the cannock, hanchurch, delamere area. One super fast xc type and one 120mm forked loon of a bike

I too daren’t try a 29er in case I want one – not sure I could bear to part with the Soul…..

I now have three. snapped-up a Singular Swift F&F from the classifieds t’other week and finished the build last night.

So:

Singular Swift
Scandal 29er SS rigid
Scandal 29er HT.

(also have a Turner 5 Spot and an Inbred but they don’t matter any more cos they’re 3″ less good).

I think the whole 29er thing is over rated! 😉

I too got pulled into the dark side. After not really “getting” the whole 29er thing, and deciding that I wanted a hardtail, I decided that I’d go and have a look at one or two to see what the score is. Went to a few shops in Chester and Wrexham, to look at some Cannondale/Trek/Giant 29ers, a couple of test rides and what did I end up pulling the trigger on, something I never expected to, a Trek Sawyer. And gotta say, after a few rides, totally love it.

Nope. sorry I just don’t get it . !!!

I started riding 29ers 2 years ago in Perth Australia. The advantages in dry desert riding make it almose cheating.
I brought my RIP9 over here for my 2 years in Cardiff.
Here in the UK most of the riding is in wet conditions.
I think many of the advantages are reduced in these conditions and a couple of disadvantages become more important.
In dry dusty trails the 29er offers massive traction advantages whereas traction is much less of an issue with the soft soil we have in most trail centres.
Muddy trails means the 29er wheel gets very heavy – this is not a problem in most of Aus.
The advantage of rolling over stuff quicker and easier is still there but that is not why I ride 29ers – for me it was the ability to ride much quicker in tight twisty but dryer loose trails, and to be able to out climb most 26ers on steep loose climbs.
There is a great joy in watching 26ers spin out and stall climbing steep loose hills as you cruise past them.

Mr Wiles I suggest you try a Tracer 29. Definitely not XC

I had a go on bigdugsbaws’ Lynskey Ridgeline 29er and loved it. I didn’t notice any of the supposed 29er sluggishness on some moorland singletrack and it felt very stable on the short downhill i got. In short, if I could afford one, I’d have one in an instant. It was icredibly light too, i’d guess at about 24lbs.

I built my 29er Inbred up as rigid singlespeed. Loved it, & got to thinking with a decent fork, tyres & gears it would put my 5″ FS out of work. So on went a maxle Reba Team, Nev’s & 1×10.

It wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped, & I won’t be getting rid of the FS. But I’d love to try a Niner RIP9.

They really do thunder.

That’s a good description.

They’re like mountain bikes, but for long people.

Hybrids with fatter tyres.

After a few week riding my swift I completely forgot what size wheels it had. I remember heading out onto some well known trails and hurtling into corners despite freewheeling and rather enjoying it.

29er’s look normal to me now as for the 26er’s, they look tiny!
Both still bikes though and each to their own!
Also, some people seem to think that they are bikes for tall folk! No!
I’m 5-9 and they are great!
Here’s mine!

Seen people struggle with hybrids on tight twisty bits, compared to 26ers, and jolly well have not noticed anyone having any advantage over a 26er on any rides I’ve bin on. Long people look less gangly and awkward on them.

In dry dusty trails the 29er offers massive traction advantages

How does this work? Seriously interested.

How does this work? Seriously interested.

Magic, that you only get to know about once you’ve joined the secret gang and learned the special greeting (a frank spencer impersonation and the swapping of a black jack chew)

oh and the longer contact patch and lower tyre pressures helps as well 😆

Longer contact patch, lower tyre pressures….

Nope. Still don’t get it. Explain pliz thnx.

How does this work? Seriously interested.

It has to do with the larger contact patch that the 29er has with the ground compared with the 26er. The greater area produces more traction.
The volume of air in a 29er tire is also larger than a 26er so they alsso behave like any other large volume tire which responds and changes shape more to the irregular surface.
Dry condition riding is also about flotation over soft surfaces to a degree and the larger area means the wheel sinks into the sand or gravel less.
That is my understanding anyhow.
I’ve entered many desert adventure races in Australia and 29ers are quickly becoming the dominant bike in those events.

I’ve not tried a few things. I have seen some pros and some cons to some of them, but I’ve not tried them.

Should I start a seperate thread on this subject?

think of it like a pond skater (the little water bug) it spreads the weight across the surface tension of the water by having crazy feet with a big surface area, it doesn’t sink. Insect of the same mass but without the adaption to spread the weight sinks and is food!

same principle wiv big wheels and soft terrain, you float over the top rather than bog down.

Fat bikes are the ultimate example over soft snow and sand

The greater area produces more traction.

Yet slows down steering, meaning a 26″ wheel is better suited to tight twisty technical stuff, no? Certainly seems the case from my observations, and my hybrid with the same tyre width as a 26″ bike is less manoeuvrable. And a 29″ wheel is heavier than it’s equivalent 26″ counterpart, given tyre, spoke and rim specifications being equal. so slower accelerating for the same power input than a 26er.

Seems to be a lot of claims as to the supposed benefits of 29ers, and I am sure they are better suited to certain types of terrain and riding, but I have yet to see any conclusive proof or scientific evidence that they are overall ‘better’ than 26ers.

As for the rider length thing; I am an environmentally sound five foot four and a half. Hello, toe overlap….

26″ wheel is better suited to tight twisty technical stuff, no?

No, certainly not if it’s one of these new fangled super slack HA efforts that seem to be “in-vogue” at the moment.

with regards to being a PORG and riding a small 29er fisher do 15.5″ 29er without any hassles so unless you have feet like sideshow bob, that’s just a silly comment

EDIT: sorry elf haven’t lowered the tone, or whatever you usually accuse me of, I’ll try harder for you so you can feel all morally superior again

Seems to be a lot of claims as to the supposed benefits of 29ers, and I am sure they are better suited to certain types of terrain and riding, but I have yet to see any conclusive proof or scientific evidence that they are overall ‘better’ than 26ers.

I agree its horses for courses.
29ers will get through the super tight and twisty stuff but they will be a little slower.
Most races do not have lots of this type of riding.
Neither do any of the trail centres that I’ve visited so far in North and South Wales.
That type of trail is not good for fast flowy riding. Not that much fun really.

Yet slows down steering, meaning a 26″ wheel is better suited to tight twisty technical stuff, no? Certainly seems the case from my observations, and my hybrid with the same tyre width as a 26″ bike is less manoeuvrable.

Need to factor a load of other stuff like stem length, bar width, saddle position etc etc into it too.

29ers aren’t some kind of magic bullet. They have advantages for some and disadvantages for others. That said I reckon the extra momentum thing is pretty attractive to most riders, hence the surge in interest. I dont reckon they will take over, I reckon they’ll take a proportion of the market and hold it.

Had a 29er for a bit, sold it mainly cos my GF at the time was getting into riding and it was the one bike I had that she couldn’t fit on, and it got left on the shelf as a result.

Was an Inbred 29er, Alfine hub, 100mm Reba’s. Was very heavy (not just the frame, other bits I put on it too), but rode a lot lighter than its weight. If I got a 29er again, which I’d like to but funds won’t currently allow, I’d get a lightweight hardtail probably, with 100mm fork and a racy build. I reckon this approach best suits 29ers myself, a bike that’s both light and fast and can cover big distances comfortably and quickly. They can work as hardcore bikes of course, and the 29er wheels ability to roll over obstacles with more ease than a 26″ wheel is noticable, but when push comes to shove on more technical terrain, you can begin to notice the slight unwieldy-ness of the bigger wheels.

29ers are not better. 26ers are not better. FS bikes are not better than rigid or HT. They each have pros and cons that the individual will find suits them or not. Amazingly, many 26er riders seem to think that all 29ers ride the same regardless of their experiences on ‘normal’ bikes that are all different.

it’s all bike riding and that means it’s fun and which is the important bit 😀