Who has went 29er for their burly trail bike?

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has chosen a burlier 29er over a 26er for a heavier duty trail bike? I’m thinking along the lines of a 29er replacement for something like a Pitch kinda bike or maybe an Orange Alpine. I need no convincing about 29ers in general but it seems the 26er in this type of bike still rules the roost as far as selection goes at least. Any opinions from 26er owners appreciated too of course.

who has went?!?!? good god, i’m not sure where to begin with that!

26er for the big stuff, 29er for XC 😉

26er for the big stuff, 29er for XC

29er for big boys riding big stuff too:

I know it looks like a 26er, but it’s actually an enormous 29er. It’s ace.

It’s replaced an El Guapo, which in turn replaced a socom.

It’s obviously not as good DH as the socom, but you can ride it up hills! And on less full on stuff, it’s remarkable how good it is…

Just ordered a Trigger 1 29er to replace my Spicy.

i have owned 2 pretty robust 9ers in the past
one was a chumba hx2, built with 140mm white bros forks, saint gears and brakes. managed some bike lakes stuff on it.

then my ventana el capitan was built up as near as possible like a dh 29er.
both were as capable as a 150mm trail bike is now.

Nope. Tried a few, didn’t like them. But then that’s my opinion of 29er’s in general.

All else being equal, 26″ wheel are stronger than 29″ ones so if you want burly go 26″ (I ride a 29er)

Oh and +1 on the appalling grammar.

Those 2Soulscycles Quarterhorses look brilliant. If I was in the market or a burly 29er I’d look there. But, sadly, I’m not.

My nicolai helius ac 29r replaced my helius am 26r over 12 months ago. Never looked back. Brilliant machine…

Blimey IA!!! That’s a 29er?!!! How tall are you?!!! 😯

Here’s mine

I was impressed with just how capable my Whyte T129 was on some rather technical Borrowdale trails the other day. Itching to get out and try some more of the North Lakes stuff perhaps later this week!

matinh…….that is a very capable looking bit of kit. very nice.

Blimey IA!!! That’s a 29er?!!! How tall are you?!!!

6’4″, and ride bikes that fit me, which seems to be deeply unfashionable in this country 😉

Just built up my first 29’er, but not ridden it yet.

I don’t really think 29’ers are intended for short arses like me though.

My Yelli screamy is a very capable bike. Super fun and burly. Not had any issues at Gawton or Tavistock. I’m a HT kind of rider though. Have ridden tallboy lt, bandit and some others. All great bikes but feel like I’m riding a sofa and I got very bored.

Sorry about the ‘who has went’, I get pulled up for this all the time, my wife is an English teacher and laments my language and the fact I can only write in block capitals. Too many years filling in engineering job instructions has left me grammatically bereft.

matinh…….that is a very capable looking bit of kit. very nice.

Much more capable than me.

Just had this frame delivered and awaiting parts to build it up

Not going to be so burly though, 120mm forks, Arch EX wheels and XT parts

Other bike is a Cotic Solaris with 100mmm forks

Ooh that’s a new one on me Frankers. More details please?

Must admit that my next full sus will probably be a 29er as I’m just sooo impressed with my rigid karate monkey.

iA
Just ordered a horsethief last night from triton cycles
My first 29r so looking forward to trying it out

MartinH
That Tracer 29, whats it ride like? Did you try a Tallbot LT before deciding on the tracer? That new Spider carbon comp looks v nice.

Burly you say? Here’s mine:

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my spider comp is being delivered tomorrow. cant wait….

Bregante – Member
Ooh that’s a new one on me Frankers. More details please?

Pyga OneTen 29

New company from Patrick Morewood of Morewood bikes

120/130mm front 110mm travel rear

iA
Just ordered a horsethief last night from triton cycles
My first 29r so looking forward to trying it out

Nice, what sort of build are you going for? More XC or more AM like mine?

Seem to be a few on here, most built up more XC-trail, lighter wheels/forks etc.

I can see how it would work as both, but prefer it as an AM bike (IMO) cos it’s long and stable like a DH bike, slack for a 29er with 140s up front.

Yep, a Niner RIP 9. Then I realised I wasn’t really riding big stuff with enough commitment to make it worth while (ie i was scaring myself too much) and sold it on.

Thanks everyone, at the moment I have a 26er shortlist of Heckler, El Guapo, Canyon Strive/Nerve+ or 29er Horsethief, El Guapo, Whyte T129. Also some of the Specialized bikes. I’m looking for something for big Scottish hills days out, Fort William/Glencoe,some Enduros and maybe the Megavalanche and Trans Provence.

So out of that lot, i’ve ridden:

26 El guapo (owned one, good bike but too small for me in a large. Makes a better DH-y bike than XC-y bike IMO)

29 Horsethief (for me, better in every way than the EG, though a lot of that is sizing. Bigger bikes are better for DH, including tight and twisty if they fit you better!)

From these two:

” big Scottish hills days out,

Would prefer the HT. Long TT means you can get a good XC riding position yet with short stem etc. for good DH handling.

Fort William/Glencoe,

Assuming you mean the proper DH tracks used in the SDA – the EG would be better for them, purely cos you can get burlier wheels and tyres. Nothing like a proper DH UST high roller for 29er yet. Closed you get is more like a singleply/exo. I’d ride the ‘thief down them though, but you really just want more travel.

some Enduros and maybe the Megavalanche

TBH either would be fine for these. The mega is long enough that it’s swings and roundabouts in terms of what the bike’s good at where. And how well you do is less about your bike, and all about your gridding in the qualifier (you want to be near the front so you can qualify for the main race). So that’s just all about having other race results. If you’re just there to ride rather than race, as it were, then pretty much any bike would be fine, though some sort of full sus preferrable, and tough tyres.

and Trans Provence.

The one i’ve not ridden, but I know folk that have (many times). From what they say, you want something that can climb ok, as it’s a lot of long days on the bike. For me, the HT would suit better. It’s also better at “covering rough ground quickly” and a bit more sure-footed than the EG.

I did and definitely don’t regret it. Rolls much better. Feels like a very big bike at first, but you soon get used to it. Depends on your size, but for a tall chap, I don’t think I could go back to a 26er again. Looks like my Brompton in comparison!

IA thanks, thats a very good breakdown. I’m not a mangler of kit so bullet proof wheels aren’t high on the list, if I was going 29 I was thinking Hope Evo on P35’s. And I’m really too much of a mincer to be going that fast on any downhill course.

Not sure if im allowed to do this, but its not going in my pocket. We have a large 2013 stumpy fsr expert at my shop. We can do it at £3200. RRP is £4500. So a bit of a bargain. If any sale comes out of it I’ll be sure to put a large donation to the forum.

Who has went 29er for their burly trail bike?

Holds up hand “ I have”

Two “burly” 26ers have been replaced by a “burly” 29er. My Nicolai Helius FR and Ragley Blue Pig X made way for a Nicolai Helius AC 29er, which I have to say has been utterly brilliant so far …..I’m certainly not missing either of my previous bikes. I mainly ride the hills around N.E Scotland but the AC will also be used for big days out in the mountains. Based on my experience so far I also think it would be good at gravity based events like the Megavalanche and Trans Provence.

That Nicolai is lovely! Suitably convinced and fearful of missing a bargain I’ve ordered the Horsethief frame from Triton. Fingers crossed I’ve not missed the boat and they are all gone/went.

Yetiman – what are those Easton Havens like in the 29er version, are they strong/stiff enough, what do you think of them (thinking of some of these myself) ?

To get you excited about the ‘thief, check these threads out:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-bike-salsa-horsethief-almost

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-bought-a-new-frame-today

Reign_Man

I didnt try the Tallboy LT because it didnt exist at the time. When it did appear I couldn’t see that it would be any better, the LTC would have been lighter than the Tracer but I doubt it would be much different. I’ve never got on with Santa Cruz sizing either.

I run the Tracer with a 1.5 degree angle-set which puts the geometry pretty much where the Spider Comp is. If I had the cash I would seriously consider the Spider Comp – It’s lighter, I dont need all the travel the Tracer has and being an older T29 the Spider Comp has updated linkage and dropouts

Yep, I know what you mean about the Santa Cruz sizing, and unfortunately a carbon Spider or TB LTc is out of my price bracket. Demo’d a Yeti SB95 back to back with a Tallboy LT and gotta say, the SB95 is at the top of my list at the moment.

That Turner is nice in all-black.

Ball clocks
Triton sold out of horsethief s, even though at 2200 last night they showed as in stock, e mail this morning telling me the bad news

However did order one for same price from Charlie the bike monger, so the build is still on
Good job really I had ordered some forks from crc!