We sold two this morning already

But that’s completely meaningless. You and everyone in the shop are hot and heavy for the format so of course you’ll push their sales more.

Looking at it in this sensible thread, then 650b, if it can be proven to have a real world advantage over 26″, would definitely allow frame designers to work their magic instead of pulling their hair out trying to make it all work. 650b makes more sense to me than 29″, but the margin of benefit over 26″ seems to be so small that I’m not sure it’s worth taking the spare parts hit to convert. You could get a pair of x fusion forks (they can be tuned to either size) and run a 650 frame with 26″ wheels, but again, where would the benefits be ultimately?

The nice thing about this thread (apart from reminding everyone about the once mighty Kona Explosif!), is that it’s made me really, coldly examine the whole wheel thing. It seems to me that everyone has had a huge amount of fun on 26 ” wheels for the last 30 years, and now there’s a wheel size that caters for larger riders who have always been compromised by 26″ wheels. And then there’s these 27.2 wheels that…well, are a bit bigger and a bit smaller at the same time. Going proper tubeless and fitting a descent dropper post would make as much of an improvement as going 27.2 I suspect.

Here’s the thing though, for ‘smaller’ riders, the frame of a 29er gets really crammed up. The big wheels make absolute sense for tall riders, but for anyone under 6 ft, there’s a lot of compromise in frame dynamics going on. Take a look at the Titus Fireline thread: The way the wheel comes so close to the seat tube even with a low profile tyre, and the way the tyre actually sits ahead of the front mech cable…I know it’s been done to get the best handling characteristics from the frame, but it has alarm bells ringing for me.

I’ll stick with my t456 evo and get a damned good dropper seatpost instead. Close run thing though 😉

Spoon Ti. Good compromise for comfort and weight.

I think we can all see [ except perhaps you]…

Ouch! That’s cold 😉

Received a Wiggle package from UKMail yesterday. Looked like it had been twatted by a rhino, but contents were fine. Still… 😕

t_l_r, what size us that frame?

The larger the wheel, the more difficult it is to optimize geometry, especially on smaller frames. As the frame size decreases, headtube heights become higher (in relation to saddle height). On 26 or 27.5-inch frames, it’s less of a problem, but geometry limitations can affect smaller 29-inch-wheel frames.

That’s from the site, and it’s something I’ve been mulling over for some time. I very nearly sprang for a 29er recently but being a tragically stunted dwarf at 5′ 8″ I realised that there’s little room to spare for the frame geometry magic that defines so many great bikes. Remember how important mud clearance once was for example? 😐

So 650b makes sense for ‘smaller’ riders as it allows breathing space for that crucial frame tuning. But then…what’s the point? Why dilute the obvious benefits of 26 and 29 for something that blurs both in a compromise format?

Anyway, interesting to see a major bike manufacturer quietly undermining the 29er craze in preparation for a possible consumer backlash…probably.

Their voices have been heard and their efforts vindicated.
We shall never forget them.

😆

I demand that you contribute to every wheel related debate from now on!

The Thomson does look like a well engineered system. Gas operation is a good idea. No arguing with the smooth action of the mechanism either. The hexagonal internals seem guaranteed to prevent side-to-side slop. It’s cheap to service too.

Of the current top runners, I’d go with the Thomson, despite the price premium.

Et Voila:

Douwe Egberts is the least, worst, awful. Thank god there’s ground Starbucks to fall back on

Didn’t you know? Hardtail 29ers are the new full suss 😉

Bizarre. How does it…work?

And the bars look very narrow near the controls. How do you find them?

Yeah, it was my blood….

Not sure I need to see such a graphic image frankly 😐

Let me know what you think

Woah! My eyes!

Strip out the colour: Get silver Hope spacers and a silver seatpost and clamp (alloy goes really well with ti). Get silver bars if you can (Ritchey Classics are cheap at wiggle right now), and replace the grips with standard black ones or road bike bar tape to match the saddle colour. Ideally replace the (admittedly nice) saddle with a black one and run black grips.

Pedals…Hessian sack. Bricks. Canal.

Doing all that will make those nice forks really pop. It’ll look great!

I accidentally bought and then just decided to fit a pair of Maxxis 2.1 High Rollers (LUST versions). Skinny with ramped central knobs for speed not grip. Disaster!

Or so I thought….so far they’ve been a revelation. Great at climbing, grippy, comfortable and faaast. A big improvement on the excellent Conti Mountain Kings they replaced.

Go figure.

The big advantage of Titanium over the other materials is it’s strength, weight and durability. It’s an almost ideal compromise. The downside is that it isn’t as indestructible as you might have been led to believe, and it tends not to be overtly characterful. A high-end steel frame for example will have a very noticeable (and charming), liveliness to the ride, while a good carbon frame will give a bizarrely smooth and comfortable experience, yet still provide great agility and control. Titanium blends these in a noticeable but not overt fashion. In a sense it’s a neutral material.

That makes it sound bland and dull, but in fact it can generate a tremendous amount of confidence on the bike. It seems to remain composed and exibit a degree of stability in extreme conditions that’s hard to define exactly. It’s extremely springy, but in a contained manner and that allows for a surprising amount of technical control. If it has a unique ride quality, then it’s a certain supple ‘meatiness’ that isn’t quite there in steel and carbon.

So it’s better than steel in that its lighter and won’t rust, and it’s better than carbon in that it won’t damage quite as easily (chainsuck for example), and it blends the best ride characteristics of both. Other than that, good steel and good carbon are as good as good titanium.

The sort of thing you glued onto rims in the old days? I had to Wikipedia them!

This isn’t helping is it? 😉

just a bit close to the undercarriage when not actually sitting on the saddle

I’ve experienced an extreme and sudden top-tube/Gentleman’s Region interface and it is not to be taken lightly.

Similarly, the other day I managed to utterly cock-up a rocky and precipitous descent on the local mountain and ended up straddle-waddling the Ti Evo down it like some 18th Century Gent on his Hobby Horse. The first thought I had was ‘Thank you Brant, for understanding how important my goolies are to me’!

What’s a tub? 😕

Nothing in mountain biking is ever perfect (or anywhere near), regardless of how much you gush about how it is on the forums.

Yeah, 29″ isn’t as straightforward as 26″ is. Standover and headtube height could get silly for anyone under 5’10”. I’ve had a couple of bikes slightly too large for me, and though the ride was great on both, you could just tell they were too big. And that top tube sat there waiting to pounce!

your legs will adapt

…or your knees will break. Seriously, honking on too big a gear is a guaranteed way to tear ligaments and wear cartilage fast, and once it goes it takes years to recover, if ever.

Getting the correct gearing now could save you years of problems in the future.

Just saying 😐

Yeah? Well I might just try one!

I was giving this thread a lot of thought on my lunchtime droveroad thrash…

I ‘downgraded’ from full-sus to a ti hardtail at the beginning of the year to bring back some of the sensation of adventure that full suspension can deaden. I did give the 29 format a lot of thought but my entire backup parts list is 26″ based, so I stuck with it. I’ve never felt like I was missing out on anything after all.

If I was buying right now however…I’d have to say I’d really look much harder at 29. I’m 5’8″ with a 31″ leg too, so I’m in the grey area between fitting 29″ nicely and riding my big brother’s bike.

A 26″ bike is not a broken or redundant format, and they always look well proportioned and often quite beautiful, but it’s hard to argue against the physics and maths of the 29″ format. Wheels and forks aren’t too expensive either, so the sooner you go in, the cheaper it’ll be.

I hate to say it but you should probably book a ride on a demo bike before pulling the trigger on a 26er.

I’m sorry Benji! 😳

I totally get the physics, but I struggle with the aesthetics!

Anyway, how about a pair of these?

Clicky

😈

Much cheaper than the ti equivalent! Not that’s what stopped me though; I just preferred the look of the two metals together.

And might I recommend On-One’s gorgeous CNC’d silver stem to go with it? A stunning object!

This is the start of what is hoped to be a better skilled, more highly trained and close-knit Reserve formation.

This is exactly what’s happening in fact. Should be interesting.

We ex-Explosif owners know class when we see it 😉

Well, if you really don’t want it I’m sure we can give it a good home 😉

The tweed hits the sea at Berwick upon Tweed! almost in England

Controversial! Is Berwick the new Gibraltar? 😆

See it all the time. Three bikes on the back: Two on the roof…or hire a trailer.

…see how many arguing couples you can spot.

Genius! I’m going to propose a trip this weekend just to have a go 😆

If I weren’t riding what I’m riding, this is what I’d be riding. Comes in all three flavours too.

No. The seat tube’s slot faces inwards.

I’d say so. Wheel size, geometry, suspension configuration etc

hmmm…I see 😐

Really? 😐

Nice…

It’s an aluminium Thomson Elite. Hence the post-slip issue 😉

It is a thing of loveliness though. I’ve taken the bike right back to silver and raw Ti and it’s all the better for it.

Windows Key +…

D switches between touch and desktop interfaces

I calls up the power-down modes

X calls up a powerful PC admin menu

Q calls up a list of the installed apps

W calls up a settings search

E calls up the My Computer screen

Remember to use Windows key + D to get back to the desktop.

Windows 8 can be a really nice place to be if you use these shortcuts.