29" mountain bikes

[Mikej]

So, I'm a sort of tall guy, but I don't know if I can do the 29" thing. Anybody else been on the fence about 29" but are now firm believers? Just looking for input. Thanks. I do not have access to trails at this time, due to winter, so opinions will be my best test ride. Thanks.

[Ray]

So, I'm a sort of tall guy, but I don't know if I can do the 29" thing. Anybody else been on the fence about 29" but are now firm believers? Just looking for input. Thanks. I do not have access to trails at this time, due to winter, so opinions will be my best test ride. Thanks.
Wait 'til you can test ride one. I'd been thinking about one a couple of years ago and got myself mildly worked up over it. Then I rode one and didn't really like it much. Good for somewhat open trails and handles small obstacles really well, but seemed a bit less responsive, both in terms of getting those big wheels moving and for quick, small, technical turns in real technical terrain. That said, PLENTY of people love them, even in very technical terrain. So the only one who can really judge is YOU. Don't buy one based only on other people's opinions.

-Ray

[DfCas]

I rode 26 for 10 years. I had 6-7 bikes, from riigid to FS, and in 02 I switched to 29.

I find it to be safer and more stable, with greatly reduced endo episodes. I get up, over, and through stuff better on 29, so I womt go back to 26.

If you are looking at big travel full suspension, I would go 26.

[SpeedyChix]

Wait 'til you can test ride one. I'd been thinking about one a couple of years ago and got myself mildly worked up over it. Then I rode one and didn't really like it much. Good for somewhat open trails and handles small obstacles really well, but seemed a bit less responsive, both in terms of getting those big wheels moving and for quick, small, technical turns in real technical terrain. That said, PLENTY of people love them, even in very technical terrain. So the only one who can really judge is YOU. Don't buy one based only on other people's opinions.

-Ray

Concur. I am a shorter rider and have both 26 and 29. The 29er rocks for open rolling terrain. It can become a handful in tighter terrain though I think a taller / bigger rider might find it to be less so. Also for me, if the trail requires constant up/down in speed (think like a crit) I prefer the smaller wheels for this. A 29er takes a slightly different set of bike handling/riding and you'll likely need more than one ride to get in the groove with it.

Think about the kind of trails you most often ride. That'll also give you another data point.

[Lurch]

I love my 29ers. I climb better, roll over stuff slightly better due to the big wheels, and have yet to endo. Acceleration is slower, and it slightly changes the gearing with stock cassettes, so you'll effectively be riding a gear or two higher then the equivalent 26er.

Not for everyone, but I'm slowly converting my stable of 26ers to 29ers. Does it make me a better rider, no. Is it slightly more comfortable and stable at speed for me, absolutely. As with most bikes, geometry and personal fit make a big difference.

I'm 6'3, so it was a no brainer. Someone 5'8 or less would have a harder case. Find a shop that'll let you borrow one for a demo ride and see what you think.

[gearguywb]

I have been riding 29ers since '02 and won't go back. They are a little tougher in tight twisty stuff but the positives far outweigh the negatives IMHO. They roll fantastic and hold momentum very well.

[jazznap]

I have both a 29er and 26er. I find I ride the 29er more but I still keep the small wheeler around for certain rides. The 29er definately rides smoother and rolls over things easier, but sometimes I still like the ability to throw the bike around a little more, especially in tight technical sections, in which case I feel better on the 26er. By the way, I'm 6'1".

[SpeedyChix]

I have both a 29er and 26er. I find I ride the 29er more but I still keep the small wheeler around for certain rides. The 29er definitely rides smoother and rolls over things easier, but sometimes I still like the ability to throw the bike around a little more, especially in tight technical sections, in which case I feel better on the 26er. By the way, I'm 6'1".

I'd agree with this as well (just 5'6" though)

[markie]

I have been MTB'ing since '93. I cold never get used to suspension so I have just about always ridden rigid.

I got a 29er a cople of years ago and I would never go back to 26. I have so much more confidence in technical terrain. Things I never would have attempted on the 26er became do'able on the 29er for me. All that and I like the way it rolls.

If you were short or super light, or like full suspension the 26er might be better.

[Lurch]

If you were short or super light, or like full suspension the 26er might be better.

Just out of curiousity, why would you recommend going 26er for full suspension? There are some killer full suspension 29ers out there, such as the Niner RIP 9, Salsa Big Mama, and The Lenz Leviathan to name a couple. You can go full squish with big wheels too. :)

[markie]

I don't think you are going to see pro-downhillers using 29ers anytime soon. I guess the reason is twofold. The big-meaty tires weigh quite a bit and this is exacerbated by a 29er. The extra weight here is unsprung weight and I think it really negatively impacts performance.

If I was super tall I still think 29er would be best even with full-suspension.
I have a 6'3"buddy who just got a 29er. His 26" bikes always looked really strange and he looked odd on them. The 29er just looks better and appears to be much more in proportion under him

[john903]

I have had a 29er set up as a single speed and rigid for the last year and yes i really do enjoy it. That said it took me a long time to find out if it was a fad. I remember in 82' I rode a specilized ATB, and thought what is this all about no one will ride off road, what is with these small wheels, just ride cyclocross if you want off road training. Well now it seems funny to look back at that time because I really like mountain biking. So I think 29er's will be here now and not just a fad. Iam a roadie a heart but do enjoy off roading as well primarily to get away from traffic and people. I don't like suspension besides the big volume tires are your suspension and makes one work on handling skills. I find the big wheels help one get up and over obstecles. So when the weather improves test ride some and see what YOU think. All the input you will get is good advice but, only you can decide if it is for you.
Have fun

[rugbysecondrow]

I have a rigid 29er that I really enjoy. I didn't know if I would like the whole 29er fad as well, so I bought a less expensive, but good quality bike. I have a Redline Mono-9 which has a single ring up front with a 9sp rear. Anyway, being bigger (6'2" 225) the bike feel right. It really is amazing how big a difference between the two you can feel. I have a FS 26er that I still enjoy, but it almost feels like riding a childs bike after I have been on my Redline. I had an early 1990's Stumpjumper that I road for years and loved, but upgraded from that to the Redline. I don't regret it.

I was able to take mine on a good test ride on a XC trail which helped solidify the deal.

Anyway, let me know if you have any questions.

[ols]

For me, (6'4" 175) I definitely prefer my 29er overall to any 26 inch mtn bike I had previously. I feel like I'm in the bike rather than balanced on top and I ride faster and more in control(used to go over the bars or wheelie off the back alot on the 26.) I agree with others on the main 29er tradeoffs - 29er steering is somewhat less 'flickable' (if thats a word) and the extra rubber on a 29er rear tire is definitely slower to accelerate.
As a new option to try out, I'd be interested to ride a 650b mtn bike (using Pacenti Neo-Moto 650b tires, voted MTBR 2008 tire of the year, I think.) 650b rims are sized halfway between 26 and 29 rims and proponents say they roll over stuff more like 29s than 26s but accelerate and steer faster than 29s. If you already have a 26, one option is to simply put a 650b wheelset on your 26 inch bike (assuming your fork has clearance.) There are also some dedicated 650b mtn bikes out now (like the Ventana El Bastardo - looks cool, but somewhat costly as an experiment!)

[Mikej]

Thanks for the comments, I'm going to really nit-pick some bikes @ lbs with some current 26" measurements. I cant do the 100mmm fork, or 2.3" tires, which several of the other bikes I looked at had. Also a 4" ht makes it seem better for me

[DfCas]

Just out of curiousity, why would you recommend going 26er for full suspension? There are some killer full suspension 29ers out there, such as the Niner RIP 9, Salsa Big Mama, and The Lenz Leviathan to name a couple. You can go full squish with big wheels too. :)


I also had a FS 29, and I did not enjoy it. It seemed like too much bike to me- chainstays are very long to allow travel, and it just seemed sluggish and heavy.

I think 29's are a good platform for little to no rear suspension, along with your preference on the front.

Note that 29's ride somewhat smoother than 26's, so I think less suspension is needed.

The real key to a 29 is the increased BB drop of 31.5mm for a given BB height. You sit down in the bike more, making it more stable and endo resistant. The bigger tires jam less, and it just seems to give more warning before dumoing me.

[Volant]

Go 650b!

I did the 29'er (steel rigid) thing and found all the benefits and drawbacks already listed. The few things I really didn't like was the slow handling and slow acceleration.

SO, I built up a 4" FS 650b. That's been my ticket for off-road joy. It rolls over things better than a 26", yet accelerates and handles like my 26". I had to go with White Bros. up front, which is a great fork, just a tad heavy. Having the 4" in the back saves my back on all-day rides.

I don't think I'll ever go back to 26" as the 650b is the best of both worlds! :banana:

[zap]

I'm over 6' and like riding twisty trails and find myself always slowing down and then accelerating so light fs 26 with quick front end works best for me.

Twenty niners are great for more open trails and they do roll over stuff with greater ease. But for those open trails I would use a light cyco bike.

[dogdriver]

Agreed with all points above.

That said, I morphed to an all-29er stable over the last two years-- a rigid SS, a suspended hardtail (mostly towny beater), and a fully-suspened Ventana El Rey luxo-cruiser. The Ventana has a wheelbase about 6" longer than my previous santa cruz Blur, and is thus ridiculously stable. We have a mix of faster machine dug singletrack and more technical hand built trails, and I find the 29ers maneuverable enough for any of them. As I'm not the most skilled bike handler in the world, I'll concede that a 26" bike may be more nimble in the tight stuff, but that doesn't apply to me. Also, as I have no fast twitch muscles in my body, the inertial spin-up penalty doesn't apply either. The 29ers go where I point them like no 26" bike ever did and are so stable that I feel like I'm on a road bike on smooth terrain.

Matching frame size to appropriate wheels is key-- a 16" 29er looks as silly as a 24" 26er. Geometry has to suffer if the frame is treaked to accept an inappropriate wheel size.

At the end of the day, though, a skilled, fit rider on a sub-optimal bike will still hammer the poorly conditioned trust funder on a $10000 custom fit dream machine. Ride what works for you, but don't look for a new bike to turn you into a World Cup rider. But I digress...

Dirt Rag had a great article on the evolution of the mountain bike from converted tourers, to 26ers, back towards 29ers (and the 650). I'm sure that its on the web somewhere, but the central theme was that the original Marin boys couldn't build a 700c wheel that would hang together on rough terrain. Thus was born a smaller, stronger wheel--and the 26" mtb standard came to be. Fast forward 20 years with better materials and bigger budgets (isn't it always about the $$$?), and the 29" wheel became the hot item. Maybe if those original wheels wouldn't have potato-chipped, we would all be riding 29ers and some revolutionary dude would be trying to market a new, small, fast, light, nimble mtb platform-- built around a 26" wheel.

My $.02, Chris

[caleb]

I haven't had a mountain bike in 10 years, but today I was bit by the bug again.

So... I started looking around. Looks like most of the XC pros are still on 26" hardtails, at least from the pictures I could find.

Are most people still racing 26" bikes?

I'm 5'10" with short legs, so I could probably go either way (probably a 17 or 18" frame). I've ridden a few 29ers and I wasn't blown away, but I'm still open to the possibility.

If I end up going 26, the Jamis Dragon Pro sure is pretty...

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/hardtails/dragon/images/enlarged/09_dragonproe.jpg

[weaponsgrade]

650B! I recently built up a set of 650b wheels to try out and make sure I like them before I went the full route. Luckily they happened to fit in my originally designed-for-26"-wheel frame. The trail has some tight single track sections and switch backs. I've ridden it on a cross bike before, but quickly came to the conclusion that the larger/skinny wheels just weren't suited for it. Anyway, I came away pretty impressed with the 650b size.

The plan was to do a head-to-head shoot out by riding the 650B and then switch back to the 26 and do the same loop again. Observations: Slight decrease in flickability and slight loss in acceleration w/ the 650B. But, on balance I'd have to go w/ the 650B for sure. The 650b did a lot better job barreling over stuff and smoothing things out. Lots more traction too.

[xtrsmith]

If you are over 6'1" then fear not... 29ers will be cooler than the other side of the pillow for you.

I've been on a 29er for trés years now and wished I had done it earlier.
Enjoy the ride.