i have tried a few in the past…………14 now.
they are crap 8)

I like them if you haven’t guessed ^ , but I don’t expect or care particularly if anybody else does/doesn’t. I’m not pushing them or asking anyone to buy one, but am happy to let 29er curious mates a have go

I think people’s negative reactions stem from the fact that the bike industry very much is pushing them and asking everyone to buy them, particularly in the US.
Given that it’s a creatively moribund ‘advance’ in biking terms, this is a sad state of affairs. No one really has a problem with the bikes themselves, if they’re being sensible about it. They giveth and they taketh away in a few small ways, which side of that equation you end up on being a personal preference. It’s more that in 2011 the biggest movement in MTB design is…….[drumroll]………HYBRID MOUNTAIN BIKES!!!

It’s pitiful really, from an innovation standpoint.

Actually come to think of it, I don’t see any niche bikes when out riding. Obviously niche bikering is more of an online phenomenon than a real life activity or it wouldn’t be niche 😉
but I’ve not even seen a mong-one ‘in the flesh’ let alone the more exotic brands (and this is coming from a PA rider so I’m not a big-brand snob).
Just goes to prove the skewed idea you’d get if you took bike forums (especially stw) as in any way representative – when actually most cyclists are normal people, on normal bikes who probably don’t even know what compound their tyres are or what their gear ratios are 😯

So will 29ers ever be relevant to more than the self-chosen few ?
I doubt it, well not until Messers Trek, Giant & Specialized tell ‘us’ they are……..

At 6’4″ I thought 29ers would suit me but when I demoed a SC Tallboy I was completely underwhelmed. I noticed all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages with a 29er.

That surprised me from such a highly rated, high-end machine. There may be better 29ers out there but I can’t be bothered with them now. My four 26ers suit all my purposes.

I am a towering 5’7″ and have a 16″ geared and rigid Scandal I’m gradually learning to love. I got it to replace a Tricross that got nicked as I thought it would be more versatile. To be honest, despite it being my ‘second bike,’ it’s getting way more use than my F/S as the riding from my front door suits it better. The biggest adjustment is riding rigid offroad for the first time since 1997. 🙂

Nope. Don’t see any reason to. I like my bikes just the way they are

(This isn’t meant as a dig btw) I felt the same way about my bike in the late 80s. I could still be happy riding that bike in some ways.

Try anything you can if you can, but there’s a lot to be said for being happy with what you have. A healthy dose of anti-consumerism is a good thing, there’s always someone trying to sell us ‘new! better!’. Sometimes it’s cos it really is better, mostly not.

On the other hand, I think riding is so good, it brings me so much pleasure and is so important in my life, that to miss something that may let me enjoy it more would be a shame.

I rode a rigid ss 29er on some trails that were my fave kind of riding, and I loved it. It wasn’t necessarily faster or ‘better’ but I enjoyed it more, the wheel’s characteristics added to a type of simple bike that I really like. Involving, simple, durable, fun to ride.

I’m not convinced a 29er should try to be good at what a 26″ does well, if your 26 is good then why change it. But 26 and 29 bikes have natural strengths if designed well and it may be that those strengths suit you or your most-often ridden loops better.
One thing i found is that a 29er works better on my local loops, so instead of buying a bike for the places I wish I did ride or terrain that’s only 5% of my riding, I now have bikes that suit what I ride 90% of the time. The value in getting the best out of your doorstep riding is immeasurable.

despite it being my ‘second bike,’ it’s getting way more use than my F/S as the riding from my front door suits it better.

Exactly, and this is why i think 29ers do have a future in the UK.

I’ve tried one…still own it, tho it’s just a naked frame waiting to be built/sold, can’t decide which…it was different, can def see why some like them, not for me tho. I guess it’s all in what/where/how one rides I’d reckon…

Erm.. tried one or own one (or have had two/three..)

I’ve a Gunnar, bought it off a mate who was growoing a beard and convinced me that 29ers were the way to go, I was sceptical for offroad stuff, but could see the advantage for the riding I/we do. So coming froma roadie background, and riding on fast trails with a mix of wood/forect.singletrack I bit the bullet after a long ride home on day a few summers ago where me and whippetmate swapped bikes. I rode from Alton back tot he Hamble on it, all over the south downs and forest trails we have and was convinced byt he time I’d hit the River.

I bought it off him the following day, took my lefty off the trails for a full referb, and two years later got the lefty back on the trails and now mix between the 26 and 29er, love them both, enjoy them both and ride them both on the same trails/area.

Not going to give an opinion on which it best, they both offer a fab ride, but I do ride the 29er harder/faster and longer, which kinda says something.

I’ve not grown a beard, I ride in baggies over lycra..hahahahaha

I went from a zesty to a c456 to my present chumba HX2, I now have the bike I need. It takes a couple of rides to alter your style but once there……..
My riding is a mix of trail centres and natural stuff/xc, it does all of that very very well. The other advantage is I only need one bike for everything 🙂

tried a scandal, thought it was ok in a racey HT way – not really my sort of bike tbh. Thought it was a bit like somewhere between my cx bike and my 26 ht – just not something I needed / wanted

I like my Mountain bike to be jumpy / agile / a big bmx – everytime I go for stability over agility I end up being disappointed.

It would be interesting to hear what kind of riding people mean when they say “around here” – mine’s mostly flat or steep (does that make sense) / tech / woodland with jumps & roots. CX bike gets used for bridleway bashing / exploration

Having read Cy’s and jameso’s points (2 guys who actually design bikes not just ride them), I’ve got to say I wholeheartedly agree.

First time I rode my old On One Inbred 29er offroad, I was amazed just how it flew over roots, bumps and the like that would have had me working very hard on my 26″ hardtail. As a machine for just blasting along it was pretty damned effective. But I definitely noticed it was not quite as nimble on the very technical descents or climbs. Whilst I could ride over stuff as if I was on a full sus bike, yet with probably even more traction, it left me a bit cold (probably not helped by it’s 30lb weight to be fair) on the slower stuff.

I concluded that whilst I enjoyed it immensely, for the places I like to ride locally, or travel to, it’s the kind of twisty technical riding that I love that suits a 26″ wheeled bike better that I’d prefer to be setup for. For me anyway… But that said, if I had the space and the money, I’d have another 29er tomorrow, just this time it’d be much lighter and it would be my bike for all day rides and probably endurance races, where bigger wheels still definitely make much more sense.

Oh and jameso’s point about having bikes to suit your local terrain is spot on. I like DH, I used to own a DH bike. It got ridden maybe twice a year! My lightweight Ti 26″ hardtail suits my local terrain a whole lot better and I ride a lot more because of this!

Actually come to think of it, I don’t see any niche bikes when out riding. Obviously niche bikering is more of an online phenomenon than a real life activity or it wouldn’t be niche
but I’ve not even seen a mong-one ‘in the flesh’ let alone the more exotic brands (and this is coming from a PA rider so I’m not a big-brand snob).

Where do you normally ride? In the peaks I see a fair few 29ers and you can barely move for on-ones…

At what tyre width does a 700c Hybrid become a 29er?

It’s just that I’ve toyed with the idea of putting some fatter knobbly tyres on my commuter bike and giving it a blast round somewhere easy like Swinley, but I don’t think the frame and fork will take anything over a 1.75″ tyre maximum really.

pypdjl – Member

Where do you normally ride? In the peaks I see a fair few 29ers and you can barely move for on-ones…

Surrey Hills & Surrey Heath for regular rides, various parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and basically anywhere SW Trains goes to for longer days out, do tend to avoid the hot-spots though and ride at ‘off peak’ times.
Can’t remember last time I rode off-road North of the Thames let alone North of Watford 😀

@acjim – By ‘around here’, I mean southern woodland singletrack.

I like 2 kinds of riding. One is fast, flowing, relatively smooth or just rooty trails in the woods. Usually longer-distance and less tech overall, often with longer bridleway stretches linking the twistier sections. I used to use a CX bike like the Croix de Fer or a Day One here in winter, better on the bridleways, not so good in singletrack and beat me up after a few hours. A 29er is a better option on the fun stuff.
The other is slo-mo, techy, steep, hike-a-bike ’10 miles takes hours’ stuff, where I prefer a 26″ HT or FS still, but at the moment I rarely ride that compared to my near-daily doorstep trail rides.

Time will tell if my new bike is the one that lets me do both with equal enjoyment. The new breed of AM HT 29ers has a lot of potential and there are other 29er bikes that have unusual use-duality (if that makes sense).

All this talk of riding on a sunny day makes me want to get out there!

I reckon if I still lived where I first started riding (Winchester area) a 29er would be ideal bike, lots of long distance bridleways with some fun bits in between. Where I live now (Mendips) you can do that kind of riding but i like the techy bits (that just didn’t exist in Hampshire).

bought a scandal big wheel last year – also got a fuel ex. i like riding them both, the 29er is great on fast mornings out where nothings too punishing, i love it. however for rougher stuff i still prefer the trek. whether thats just down to hardtail vs full suspension is another arguement entirely

Elfinsafety – Member
At what tyre width does a 700c Hybrid become a 29er?

It’s just that I’ve toyed with the idea of putting some fatter knobbly tyres on my commuter bike and giving it a blast round somewhere easy like Swinley, but I don’t think the frame and fork will take anything over

Sure I read something about that Cy fellow doing an MTB race on a fat-tyred Roadrat.

I wonder if he’d warranty my one if I broke it doing the same… 🙂

Been riding them for the past 3.5 years and got rid of my final 26″ bike this year.

Had 9 in total and number 10 is due in a couple of weeks when my Yelli Screamy arrives, so feel nearly as qualified as Ton to comment 😳

Why no-one is answer my question? 😡

One of the lads I ride with put some 1.75’s on his Jake and still rides it offroad in SS mode. It’s lasted well, ok it’s a bit flexie around the rear stays but it’s still going well and fast.

At what tyre width does a 700c Hybrid become a 29er?

i don’t know if it does.

I do the opposite, put 35mm cx tyres on my swift for some “roughstuffing” great fun and certainly helps learn some handling skills

Only a flat car park test on a cheap trek 29er. Noticed the extra rolling momentum immediately; it felt like my road commuter. Cornering seemed to take bit more planning, but I’m sure I’d get used to it. Not planning to get one yet…

It’s just that I’ve toyed with the idea of putting some fatter knobbly tyres on my commuter bike and giving it a blast round somewhere easy like Swinley, but I don’t think the frame and fork will take anything over a 1.75″ tyre maximum really

The rim will also be a limiting factor, as to the width it’ll support. I’m sort of trying the other angle, 29er wheelset fitting some cross tyres to it as the mixed surface commute should make it a decent compromise.. 34mm so I think I’ll get away with it, else you’ll hear the pop in London town.

ridden plenty, hate them (for me) they inspire boring riding and aren’t any good for the type of riding I like, same with Fatbikes, bromptons and unicycles, I find my road bike much more fun than any of those style of bikes could ever be but each to their own.

At what tyre width does a 700c Hybrid become a 29er?

same tyre width an ATB became an MTB and then became an All-mountain trail bike.

I don’t think tyre width is relevant. A 29er is a mountain bike, a hybrid is a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike.

I have a GF Paragon (with a 120mm fork / short stem) and a Trek (GF) Rumblefish and enjoy them both. I still have a nice collection of 26er bikes as well though.
29ers are great for blasting over rock gardens, roots, etc
Technical climbs are easier as they have more grip and roll over those steps that would stall a 26″ wheel.
The 29 hardtail gives a much more comfortable ride than a 26, probably mainly due to the bigger tyres and lower tyre pressures you can use.
Downhill confidence is greater as they feel very stable and you sit ‘in’ the bike between the wheels so it’s more difficult to go over the front.
Most of the time you feel you’re ‘cheating’ as everything seems easier and you ride faster.
Downsides are few. I guess they do take a bit longer to get up to speed but I’m running them both tubeless which helps. On really tight singletrack they feel a bit unwieldy and less responsive. It’s more difficult to get the wheels out of narrow ruts or gaps between rocks, etc.
Look out for them on ebay as they can be very cheap since the UK has little interest in them at the moment. I paid about £500 for the Paragon so I figured if I didn’t like it I’d probably get my money back anyway.
Don’t knock em till you’ve tried them though but unfortunately this is often the way in the UK.

there’s a lot to be said for being happy with what you have. A healthy dose of anti-consumerism is a good thing, there’s always someone trying to sell us ‘new! better!’.

How could that possibly be considered a dig 🙂

on a serious note i actually love them.
for a big bloke they ride far better than a 26” bike in the same frame size.
loads more stable, center of gravity is sorted.
they are a bit slower to get up to speed but once they are rolling speed is easier to maintain.
on rougher ground they roll better than a smaller wheel.
the wheel contact are is bigger, so better braking/stopping/cornering.

and any fool who reckons they are flimsy, never rode my ventana.
built with kris holm rims, saint brakes and 120mm forks it was a suitable as most trail bikes out there.
steppy descents are taken much easier with the big wheel size.

and i am on my 10th or 11th at present, and it would take one heck of a 26” dwarf bike to get me back on one………… 8)

First tried a 29er ss a few years ago, quite liked it but a bit heavy. Got a scandal 29er as thought it was ace, have since gone on to own all sorts of big wheel singlespeeds that get used for enduros and some get moshed around the peak district and big welsh stuff. To be honest I like them becasue there’s not much out there that my ellsworth full boinger 26″ can’t cope with easily, which makes it all a bit easy, even at silly speeds. I personally like a bit more of challenge and a feeling of achievement in my riding. But it’s all about having the right tool for the job and sometimes a 26″ bike will still be morer suited to certain rides/conditions

I have tried them and love them.

Anyone fancy a Turner 5 Spot – horst link frame and some Pike forks give me a shout!

Now running with a rigid scandal, a Lynskey Ridgeline 29er and a Singular Hummingbird so 2 1/2 29ers in my stable at the moment.

I wouldn’t go back.

I have tried riding Trek Cobia 29er which is basically belongs to Gary Fisher collection of bikes. It gives accurate handling at slow speed and controlled ride at high speed. good for XC racing and local xc and cross country. It is a 29er bike but rides like 26inch. I was riding 26inch bike but started loving big wheeled bikes, they cruze on roots and gives pleasure ride in singletrack and climb like a goat.

@dezb, I thought the first sentance may have read as ‘you luddite’ ..
Even if it did, it’d take one to know one : )

At what tyre width does a 700c Hybrid become a 29er?

At 42c or so it becomes a flat-bar monster-crosser? 700c hybrids and 29ers (should..!) have different geometry, I think tyre size isn’t that relevant beyond 1.5″ or so?

Never tried one and don’t really want to. Wouldn’t suit my riding style at all. Suppose it’d be ok for riding at home as all we have are boring bridleways that could probably do with 29″ to make it a bit faster with their easier rolling capabilities?

I’ve never tried one but more because I’m worried I might like it.

At the moment I have five bikes I can roatate parts across when I feel like a change. As soon as I get a 29er I’m stuck on some of the major bits.

I’ve tried a few of the newer fs 29ers (tallboys, highball, camber, epic) and for some terrain I think they’re the way forward but not on other stuff.

I found I really didn’t like them on foresty through the trees type stuff with lots of weaving in and out, slow speed direction changes etc. They just felt clumsy.

They were predictably good on the gravelly, hardpack type stuff, really smoothing it out and letting you just keep on rolling.

However I was most impressed on steeper, rockier lake district tracks. I’d always considered this to be the kind of technical terrain where they would fall down but it just wasn’t the case. It seems to me that it’s technical turns which are the weak point and not technical obstacles as such.

Anyway, given that I don’t really ride in foresty type places my next bike will def be a clown bike.

I test rode one of the Giant Anthem 29ers at an Afan demo day earlier this year. Went in with an open mind (I have a mate who has one & thinks it’s great (he is very tall), but I’m under average height so wasn’t sure it would suit me).

Climbing & descending I did notice how easily it rolled over obstacles & it did have a noticably wider turn on bends. What did surprise me was how fast I could go downhill for a bike with only 100mm travel (well it felt fast) & how it felt at least as capable as some of the other 120mm & 140mm bikes I took out.

It’s wasn’t enough for me to go out & buy one, but I can see the point of them.

Shortcut – what size Turner?