Why 29'er?

[William]

I've been out of the MTB scene for quite a long time. Now that the whole family is on Mtb's, I'm thinking about it. Is there any reason I might want to consider a 29'er over a straight mtb? Pros & cons?

I need to be edumacated. :)




William

[cincicycles]

http://mountain.bike198.com/26-vs-29-mountain-bike-debate/

No affiliation with the site, just a good read. :beer:

[Dustin]

At 6'2", one benefit is that my bike doesn't look like it has circus wheels!

[jr59]

You should be able to do most on your cross!

[katematt]

I raced a long time ago on 26' and just recently gave in and bought a Jamis Dragon, 29'r.

It really flies on rollers and DH, climbs a little slower, but really is a pleasure and fun as compared to the same trails on a 26 size bike.

Mine is a 19 so there is good balance and it makes sense, but the smaller the frame the less it does IMHO.

It's been fun and worth the experiment for sure.

[rugbysecondrow]

You should be able to do most on your cross!


I disagree. A cross bike with rigid fork, narrow wheels and tires is not suitable for MTBing, especially for a big fella like William.

A 29er is good because it feels more naturally and appropriate for a big guy. When I switched from 26 to 29, it immediatly felt better. It climbs well, rolls well, can handle technical pretty well and even does tight single track well. There is no reason not to go 29er IMO.

[William]

Thanks for the article link!

You should be able to do most on your cross!

I know, but some of my students have been trying to get me to come out to ride some areas with more technical stuff. Plus it might just be fun to have another option.

As a very tall guy seems like it makes more sense.




William

[William]

I disagree. A cross bike with rigid fork, narrow wheels and tires is not suitable for MTBing, especially for a big fella like William.

A 29er is good because it feels more naturally and appropriate for a big guy. When I switched from 26 to 29, it immediatly felt better. It climbs well, rolls well, can handle technical pretty well and even does tight single track well. There is no reason not to go 29er IMO.


Sounds like some experience there. :)

Thanks!


William

[merlinmurph]

You should be able to do most on your cross!

Not sure where you live, but I wouldn't want to tackle the stuff around here on a cross bike. It's bad enough just when my tires have too much pressure in them. A cross bike would be bone jarring and just plain not fun.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a cross bike, so I'm speaking from inexperience. I'm looking for one, though. :)

Murph

[bobswire]

Took my first "single track ride" on a Surly Karate Monkey this past monday. I followed a friend who knows some cool single track within Golden Gate Park of all places and we went from hard pack to sand to gravel with a lot of roots along way that offered short but steep hills and fast drops.
Anyway I'm stoked,the 9er carbon rigid fork and kenda small block eight ate up everything thrown at it.
Much funner than the full suspension 26" I had last year.
This frame rocks, nice geo, my son came along on his suspension 26'" now wants a 9er too.
BTW I'm running 1x10 Shimano xt r. derailleur and slx shifter dyna sysltem, 32 up frontcrank with 12/36 cassetts, bring it on.
On one Mary bars, very comfortable nice hand placement and they allow a lot torque when it's needed. If anything they are kinda wide that made things interesting going past trees that are spaced closely.
I only fell once when the pedal contacted a large rock and stopped me dead.
Still feeling my way around with off road rigid "technique" but I felt like a kid and had a blast. 9ers roll over just about anything you throw at them. :banana:
http://i55.tinypic.com/2j4ycug.jpg

[Dustin]

The only reason I can see for getting a 26er right now is if jumping, hucking, manualing, and flickability are part of your regular riding vocabulary or if you otherwise want more than 100-120mm of travel.

If you are a big guy and are primarily doing XC type stuff, 29ers are the ticket. They steamroll like crazy.

Then again, since I've been on 29ers exclusively for the last 5 years, I've sort of forgotten what a 26 feels like . . .

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5658736236_1563ea1e73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/5658736236/)
IMG_0120 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/5658736236/) by paleo.velo (http://www.flickr.com/people/33769898@N04/), on Flickr

[avalonracing]

Unless you live where there are very tight, twisty, single-track trails in the woods... Like here in central Maryland. That picture attached to your post looks more like Mars than the shady forests we ride here. Of course we have an onslaught of 29'ers here... because marketing is very powerful.


(This image is in a clearing but it shows the short, steep, elevation changes and the non Mars-like conditions that are good for 26" wheels)

[Louis]

A big guy like William needs a 36'er

http://mtobikes.com/wp-content/uploads/black-sheep-zamer-36er.jpg

[Germany_chris]

Unless you live where there are very tight, twisty, single-track trails in the woods... Like here in central Maryland. That picture attached to your post looks more like Mars than the shady forests we ride here. Of course we have an onslaught of 29'ers here... because marketing is very powerful.


(This image is in a clearing but it shows the short, steep, elevation changes and the non Mars-like conditions that are good for 26" wheels)

That looks a lot like my "home" trails in MI and I rode a 29er there too..I think because it was rigid it was more able to do tight stuff, with suspension it think it would wallow to much...maybe I'm wrong

[mgd]

Unless you live where there are very tight, twisty, single-track trails in the woods... Like here in central Maryland. That picture attached to your post looks more like Mars than the shady forests we ride here. Of course we have an onslaught of 29'ers here... because marketing is very powerful.


(This image is in a clearing but it shows the short, steep, elevation changes and the non Mars-like conditions that are good for 26" wheels)

one other thing i've found regarding the big wheels vs. normal wheels is strength. strong-enough big wheels for a big, strong guy (or girl) riding very rough terrain are super heavy and the tires never feel wide enough. normal 32-hole 26" wheels are usually strong enough for most folks, even big, lumbering goofs who ride into stuff instead of around it or over it cuz they can't help it.

on the other hand, if you do ride fast, smooth single track where the steamroller momentum effect puts a smile on your face, then big wheels are big fun.

[Fixed]

they roll over anything
i have one
cheers

[Dustin]

That picture attached to your post looks more like Mars than the shady forests we ride here.

If southern Utah is Mars, here is a trip we took to Endor

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4809773347_6ff8467572.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/4809773347/)
IMG_2106 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/4809773347/) by paleo.velo (http://www.flickr.com/people/33769898@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4810427392_cbbec4016d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/4810427392/)
IMG_2133 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33769898@N04/4810427392/) by paleo.velo (http://www.flickr.com/people/33769898@N04/), on Flickr

[haneriali]

Niner demo-days in Raleigh over the weekend. Wife, 19yo daughter and I went and rode steel, scandium and carbon hardtails plus an alu full susp.

We rode single track with lots of roots, etc, typical of piedmont NC. I had never ridden 9ers, but for reference I ride S-Works FSR from 2001 and a GT Zaskar from 1996.

Impressions: they're fast, esp the carbon hardtail, which climbs like my Zaskar. The 853 bike was fun, solid and easy to handle (think Merc).The carbon required a bit more concentration, because it spun-up-to-speed quickly (think 911). The Jet (full susp) was a bit heavy, esp compared to my FSR which is 24lbs, but plush (Audi with air susp). My pick of the group was the scandium (BMW 3), at least on first impression, because it combined elements of the steel and carbon, was light-weight and easy to handle, plus it was well priced (MSRP $709 for frame). If I suffered back problems, I'd wait for the carbon Jet and build it to 26-26.5lbs.

Yes, I'll go 29 when I buy something new, but I'm not in a hurry.

Happy hunting William.

[rice rocket]

How'd your wife/daughter like them?

I'm small @ 5'6" 140 lbs, I've heard that the smaller sizes w/ the larger wheels + need for suspension travel require a "compromised" geometry. Any truth to this?

[avalonracing]

but for reference I ride S-Works FSR from 2001 and a GT Zaskar from 1996.


but for reference I ride S-Works FSR from 2001 (think older 4Runner) and a GT Zaskar from 1996 (think Chevy Lumina).

Sorry, couldn't resist... I'm not busting on your rides but I'm framing your point of reference in comparing 10 year old suspension and mid-level 15 year old hardtail tech with modern 29'er bikes. A more fair comparison would be to but a modern full suspension 26'er and newer lightweight 26" hardtail into the mix.

If you compared a 3rd generation 4 runner to the new 6th gen and '96 Chevy Lumina to whatever crap replaced it I'm sure that would be impressive too.

As a side note: I'm just being a bit of a prick today. I'm still not feeling that well after being sick this weekend, the weather is nice outside and I am stir-crazy so I'm taking it out on everyone. Friends, family and people on the the forum. :bike: Pray, for the good of mankind, that I feel better soon so I do not escalate my wrath.

[haneriali]

rice rocket - my wife is 5'6" and your weight; my daughter is 5'4" and about 125. The East Coast Sales Manager told me that one of Niner's founders is 5'6" and rides a small. My wife felt comfortable on the small. My daughter couldn't decide between the small or medium, but she prefers larger frames generally. They both liked them quite a bit - my daughter wants to buy one to race.

avalonracing - OP said he'd been out of MTB for a long time, so I though my reference point of 10 and 15 years might be of value. However, both the Zaskar and FSR were world champion steeds at the time and the pinnacle of the sport when new. I'm comfortable calling them museum pieces (I may be too) ;) , which neither the 4Runner or Lumina can claim. Hope you feel better soon

[Fixed]

A big guy like William needs a 36'er

http://mtobikes.com/wp-content/uploads/black-sheep-zamer-36er.jpg
cool
cheers thanks

[William]

So a local bud offered a deal that was hard to pass up...

NOS 29er SS frame. After trying out my sons Hardrock, a 23" feels just fine to me so I decided to go for it. Not often something comes up I can actually ride. Now I just need to decide if I want to go rigid or not and start hunting up parts.



William

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h420/SodaFuel/29er/IMG_9328.jpg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h420/SodaFuel/29er/IMG_9327.jpg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h420/SodaFuel/29er/IMG_9325.jpg

[Jack Brunk]

William,
choice between rigid and suspension will depend on the trails you have at your disposal. Rigid will be slower on rough and tough trails while the suspension will allow you to flow through the trail faster. Rigid will climb better. Having both type forks will allow you to chose the type of riding you want. Chose a carbon fork for your rigid fork. Both rock and welcome to the big wheel club!

[William]

William,
choice between rigid and suspension will depend on the trails you have at your disposal. Rigid will be slower on rough and tough trails while the suspension will allow you to flow through the trail faster. Rigid will climb better. Having both type forks will allow you to chose the type of riding you want. Chose a carbon fork for your rigid fork. Both rock and welcome to the big wheel club!

Thanks Jack.
Aesthetically I like the look of the rigid carbon fork but I know the suspension can smooth out the trail a bit. In trying out other peoples suspension rides they have always felt mushy to me...too much give when I stand and hammer. I figured that was due to my size/weight and have wondered if it's the best way to go for me. I suppose many forks have adjustable dampening to firm them up.

This frame came as a SS and I'm thinking I'll go ahead and set it up that way. Any recommendations on solid clydesdale parts for this set up? Just wondering: Any reason or benefit to go double up front?




William